Even though I’m no longer in the bunker of Reject HQ in Austin, I still like to keep my ear to the ground to catch the political rumblings. So far there’s been a lot of talk about how much mansions are worth, how you get 8 pounds of hair to stay put, and something about an amendment to create a committee to look into committee creation.
Boring stuff, I know.
Nothing was all that interesting until I hit upon an entry on the Alamo Drafthouse’s calendar for October 5th (after the mad, mad, mad, madness of Fantastic Fest is over) that claimed to be a showcase of political short films made especially for the current gubernatorial race between Rick Perry and Bill White.
It’s clearly one-sided, since the event is called Texas Filmmakers for Bill White, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a politician using a short film festival as part of a campaign. This, I hope, can only mean a trend that will see film geeks headed for the White House.
What’s most interesting is seeing a group of politicos reaching out to the movie world. Texas has had a love/hate relationship with filming within the past decade, so this gesture might foreshadow a readiness to lure major productions that it lost to New Mexico, Michigan and Louisiana back to the Lone Star State.
True Grit just wrapped in central Texas, but there are absolutely no studio pictures about bowling being shot there currently, and that’s a shame.
The Drafthouse event will feature work from a host of experienced, local filmmakers. Here’s one example: a short from Miguel Alvarez and Javier Bonafont that uses adorable children in grown-up clothes.
It’s a bit too political ad-style for my taste, but with almost a dozen filmmakers, there should be some serious variety to the event. Plus, I can’t imagine organizers would want to make an audience sit through ads that they’d see on television soon anyway.
Here’s hoping that the event sparks the imaginations of other politicians out there, and that more filmmakers can get in on the campaign trail. I personally can’t wait for Guillermo del Toro’s Terror Babies.
Tickets are available at the Drafthouse.
Related Topics: Alamo Drafthouse, Fantastic Fest
