Austin Film Festival

Starting Thursday, Oct 18 – Thursday, Oct 25, I will be reporting from the 19th Annual Austin Film Festival and Conference.  Be on the lookout for my Facebook and Twitter posts on the CW69TV feeds; also stay tuned, because I will be doing reviews of the films I see while at the Festival.

This year's Austin Film Festival will be showing more than 180 films; including on opening night "Not Fade Away" with Director David Chase, who will be in attendance. Also "The Sessions" will be showed, starring John Hawkes, Helen Hunt and William Macy.

Other films of note that are playing during the festival are:

On Friday Oct. 19: a documentary called "Francophrenia," about James Franco's experiences as an actor on the soap opera, "General Hospital." James Franco will be in attendance at the screening. "Missed Connections," a romantic comedy about a man who uses a web dating site to scam women into going on dates with him. Director Eric Kissack will be in attendance at the screening.

Saturday Oct. 20: will bring "Hyde Park on the Hudson," starring Bill Murray as FDR and "Silver Linings Playbook," starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert DeNiro.

Sunday, Oct. 21: Films of note  are "A Late Quartet," starring Christopher Walken and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Monday Oct. 22: "Flight" starring Denzel Washington, and on Wed. Oct 24 "Deadfall" starring Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde.

Thursday Oct. 25: The closing night film will be "Jayne Mansfield's Car," which was shot here in Georgia. Writer/Director/Actor Billy Bob Thornton will be in attendance.

On Saturday, Oct. 20, Frank Darabont, Director of 1994's "The Shawshank Redemption" and 1999's "The Green Mile" will receive the 2012 Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award.

The Austin Film Festival is also known for its four day conference about filmmaking where more than eighty interactive panels and roundtables explore the art and business of film. Panelists include Director Paul Feig ("Bridesmaids") and David Chase ("Not Fade Away," "The Sopranos"), Screenwriters Pamela Ribbon ("Samantha Who"), Marti Noxon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Fright Night") , Liz Tigelaar ("Life Unexpected," "Once Upon a Time"), Damon Lindelof ("Lost," "Star Trek") and Chris Carter ("The X-Files").

The Austin Film Festival runs Oct. 18 – 25. Austin Film Festival Website