Screen Door Film

Blaze Foley

2010-04-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

Previously Unknown: The Legend of Blaze Foley

On May 5th, The University of Texas Documentary Center and Screen Door Film will present a special sneak-preview screening of the documentary PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN: THE LEGEND OF BLAZE FOLEY, directed by Austin filmmaker Kevin Triplett. The film will screen at Studio 4D in the CMB Building on the campus of UT at 7 PM.

Larry Monroe (KUT Radio Legend) will host our post-screening panel discussion, which will include:
Kevin Triplett - director of Previously Unknown
Mandy Mercier – Songwriter, friend of Blaze
Gurf Morlix – Producer, friend of Blaze

Wednesday, May 5th
7:00 P.M.
FREE
Studio 4D, CMB Building, 4th floor
(big black building at the corner of Guadalupe and Dean Keeton)
UT Campus
2504 Whitis
Austin, TX 78705

About the film
Born in a tree house, killed in a friend's living room and 86'ed from his own funeral, Blaze Foley is now a bona fide country music legend. His heartfelt songs are covered by Merle Haggard, John Prine, Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett. Incorporating rare recordings, original artwork and archival material, BLAZE FOLEY weaves a tale of caution and inspiration for all artists, demonstrating how easily an everyday man can fail in the business world and yet succeed as a legend.

This is the first documentary by Kevin Triplett, who also is the owner of Mopac Media in Austin, TX.

2010-04-23T14:48:00.001-07:00

Marathon Kids along with Screen Door Film is hosting a screening of the HAPPINESS IS… by award-winning writer/director Andrew Shapter on Tuesday, April 27, at the George Washington Carver Boyd Vance Theatre. Marathon Kids’ goal is to raise money for Austin Marathon Kids via ticket sales, and to build active community. There will be a thoughtful and provocative viewing and discussion afterwards regarding “what happiness really is”.

Screening Info

Tues Apr 27, 6 PM
The Carver Museum (1165 Angelina St)

$20 Reception Only
$25 Reception & Screening
$50 Reception, Screening & DVD of the film
$25 Help a Student Attend!

Purchase Tickets:
https://www.marathonkids.org/events/happiness-is/purchase

About the movie
Award winning filmmaker Andrew Shapter explores myths and truths of the "pursuit of Happiness" in America. The film provides an unequaled view into the hearts and minds of spiritual leaders like the Dalai Lama, philanthropists, scholars, and everyday people, along with artists like John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson. So please join us as we explore common ground and navigate the road to happiness! Enjoy a relaxing evening: pre-movie reception, film and provocative panel discussion. Help keep Marathon Kids free for 72,000+ area children!

After the screening, Shapter will moderate a panel with Kristin Armstrong, Author and Runner’s World Magazine columnist & Marathon Kids Mom, ABC News Political Analyst Matthew Dowd, Latinworks Media President Sergio Alcocer.

About Marathon Kids
The fundraiser and “friend raiser” evening benefits Austin area Marathon Kids’ six month, running/walking, nutrition and schoolyard gardening program for 72,000 area K-5th graders. Marathon Kids® is a 14 year old grassroots initiative that began in Austin in 1996. There is an 86% average completion rate of the free program. The target market is children most vulnerable to type 2 diabetes and sedentary lifestyles. The majority of Austin area Marathon Kids are low inome.

Sunshine

2010-04-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

Join us for our next event on Wednesday, April 21st:

Sunshine
By Karen Skloss

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
Film begins at 7:00 pm, panel to follow
Free to the public
Location: Studio 4D in the CMB Building, UT Campus, 2501 Whitis Ave.

About the film
In this compelling documentary, Austin filmmaker Karen Skloss explores the meaning of family through a personal journey to understand both the legacy of her birth and the non-traditional family she created by co-parenting with her ex-boyfriend. As an unwed teenager, Skloss's mother gave her up for adoption in 1975. Now Skloss reconnects with her biological mother as she contemplates her relationship with her own daughter, Jasmine.

Young, pregnant, single and unprepared, the daughter/director struggles with the incredible ironies of the family — that history somehow repeated itself, and that the most strenuous efforts to protect the idea of family can actually do the most to pull families apart.

Woven together from over 10 years of super 8 and video home movies, intimate family interviews, shimmering dance sequences and stylized reenactments, SUNSHINE offers a refreshingly rare glimpse on the current day transformations taking place within our most sacred of institutions, the family.

A panel following the film will discuss Sunshine with:

Karen Skloss – Director, Sunshine
Megan Gilbride – Producer, Sunshine
Anne Kay – Marywood Children and Family Services
Sarah Wheat – Planned Parenthood Texas Capitol Region
Moderated by Janet Staiger –William P. Hobby Centennial Professor of Communication, University of Texas

Playing with the short film “Conversations” by Marianela Vega.

Location:
Studio 4D – 4th floor of the CMB Building on the UT Campus,
corner of Guadalupe and Dean Keaton.

2010-03-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

Join us for our next event on March 31st:

Quest for Honor
By Mary Ann Smothers Bruni

Playing with “Women Under Siege” by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea, posthumously honored University of Texas professor emeritus of Middle Eastern Studies and comparative literature.

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
Film begins at 7:00 pm, panel to follow
Free to the public

About the film
The alarming rise in “honor killing,” the heinous act of men killing daughters, sisters, and wives who threaten “family honor,” endangers tens of thousands of women in Iraq, Turkey, Jordan and adjoining countries.

Global communication through satellite television, Internet, and cell phones has raised the expectations of young Middle Eastern women, who now are not content to marry a much older relative their father might chooses and live a life of servitude. While young women respond to new ideas from cyber pals in Los Angeles or episodes of popular Western sit-coms, their fathers and brothers demand strict tribal justice for their acts. Particularly in rural areas women have been killed simply for having unfamiliar phone numbers on their cell phones or speaking to men who are not relatives.

Activist women, journalists, and lawmen of the Kurdistan Regional Government (the KRG) join forces to eradicate honor killing and redefine “honor.”

A panel following the film will discuss Quest for Honor with:

Mary Ann Smothers Bruni – director, Quest for Honor
Tarek Elariss – Asst. Prof of Middle Easter Studies, University of Texas
Hina Azam – Asst. Prof of Middle Easter Studies, University of Texas
Moderated by Khotan Harmon – host of the KOOP 91.7 radio show "Idea Lounge"

Location:
Studio 4D – 4th floor of the CMB Building on the UT Campus,
corner of Guadalupe and Dean Keaton.

The Eyes of Me, February 24th 2010

2010-02-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

Join us for the next Screen Door Film event:

The Eyes of Me
By Keith Maitland

Playing with the short film FeMC by Chelsea Hernandez.

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Film begins at 7:00 pm, panel to follow

Location:
Studio 4D – 4th floor of the CMB Building on the UT Campus,
corner of Guadalupe and Dean Keaton.

About the film
4 blind teens.1 dynamic year. How do you see yourself when you can't see at all?

The Eyes of Me presents an extraordinary look at four blind teenagers. The
parallel stories of two freshmen and two seniors unfold over the course of one dynamic year at the Texas School for the Blind in Austin.

Distilled from over 250 hours of footage, this experiential documentary
captures a textured portrait of its character’s lives. Director Keith
Maitland worked closely with the film¹s subjects to produce sequences of
stylized rotoscopic animation to complement the film’s observational
aesthetic.

The stories of the film¹s central characters offer a fresh perspective on
growing up, fitting in, and preparing for the future. Forced to confront the
world without sight, they share their thoughts, their perceptions, their
inner-visions of the outer world. Ultimately, you cannot understand their
perceptions without challenging your own.

A panel following the film will discuss The Eyes of Me with:

Keith Maitland – director, The Eyes of Me
Patrick Floyd – producer, The Eyes of Me
Chasmon Dems – former Texas School for the Blind student
Meagan McComic - former Texas School for the Blind student
Moderated by Lisa McWilliams – executive director, The Mobile Film School

Location:
Studio 4D – 4th floor of the CMB Building on the UT Campus,
corner of Guadalupe and Dean Keaton.

Parking is available in the University’s San Antonio garage on
2420 San Antonio Street.

Along Came Kinky

2010-01-29T07:32:00.000-08:00

The next Screen Door Film event is:

Along Came Kinky…Texas Jewboy for Governor
By David Hartstein

With special guest Evan Smith from The Texas Tribune, former editor of Texas Monthly.

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
Film begins at 7:00 pm, panel to follow

About the film
“Texans deserve a choice, and that choice should be something other than paper or plastic.” With that, satirist, musician, author and Texas’ most famous Jewish cowboy Kinky Friedman announced his Independent candidacy for governor. This documentary follows from beginning to end the election as seen by the candidates, media, campaign staff and volunteers.
Kinky’s was a campaign about political alienation, education, grass roots organizing and hope – plus a candidate who was both colorful and independent in every sense of the word. What made his campaign special was its focus on energizing an electorate that was turned off, cynical, and apathetic to mainstream politics.
Entertaining to the end, Kinky Friedman’s “non-concession” speech is one for the ages. Despite the outcome, the election (and film) reveals much about an Independent candidate taking on the two-party system.

A panel following the film will discuss Along Came Kinky with:

David Hartstein – director, Along Came Kinky
Laura Stromberg – Kinky Friedman campaign press secretary
Jason Stanford – Democratic political strategist, ’06 Chris Bell campaign manager
Moderated by Evan Smith – editor, The Texas Tribune, host of Texas Monthly Talks

Location:
Studio 4D – 4th floor of the CMB Building on the UT Campus,
corner of Guadalupe and Dean Keaton.

Parking is available in the University’s San Antonio garage on
2420 San Antonio Street.

Screen Door Film moves to the University of Texas!

2010-01-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

Screen Door Film is pleased to announce a collaboration with The University of Texas Documentary Center to host our 2010 Texas Cinema Series.

Beginning on February 3rd, 2010, Screen Door Film events will take place on the UT campus in the state-of-the-art screening room, Studio 4D, located inside the CMB building at the corner of Guadalupe and Dean Keaton (26th Street.) This is the same "black box" building that currently houses the Austin City Limits studio, as well as KLRU TV and KUT 90.5 FM.

Much like our successful film series held at St. Edward's in 2009, the 2010 program will feature a diverse feature film, followed by an analysis of the film through a panel discussion with filmmakers, scholars and other notable experts. As always, all screenings and panels are open and free to the public.

Our first film on Wednesday, February 3rd will be David Hartstein's documentary Along Came Kinky...Texas Jewboy for Governor. Along Came Kinky chronicles singing Jewish cowboy Kinky Friedman’s 2006 independent gubernatorial campaign in Texas. See the outspoken Kinky and his army of grassroots volunteers combat voter apathy in the Lone Star State while his campaign staff strategizes for an unprecedented four-way race, raising awareness and money for their unlikely but incredibly sharp candidate.

And we're following that up on February 24th with Keith Maitland's documentary about the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, The Eyes of Me.

Screen Door Film would like to thank Sharon Strover, Nancy Schiesari and Ellen Spiro with the University of Texas for making this collaboration possible.

2009-10-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

On October 27th, Screen Door Film, in association with the Monarch Event Center and the Austin Film Society, will present a special sneak preview fundraising screening of the award-winning documentary comedy WINNEBAGO MAN, directed by Austin-based filmmaker Ben Steinbauer. The film will screen at the Monarch Event Center: 8 pm on Tuesday, October 27th — with a reception before and immediately following the screening. Director Ben Steinbauer and Producer Joel Heller will host a Q&A session after the screening.

Tickets are available for a minimum donation of $10 at the following URL:

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/86493

Tuesday, October 27th
8:00 P.M.
Monarch Event Center
6406 North IH-35
Suite 3100
Austin, TX 78752
http://www.monarcheventcenter.com/map.php

Jack Rebney, a.k.a. "the angriest man in the world", has delighted and fascinated millions of viewers with the hilariously foul-mouthed and ill-tempered outtakes from a Winnebago sales video he made in 1989--one of the first and best underground videos to be passed hand-to-hand, before the internet turned him into a full-blown phenomenon. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer takes on the seemingly impossible task of tracking down Rebney, and his journey turns into a fascinating exploration of viral video culture, and what it means on a personal level to its sometimes unwilling subjects.

Winnebago Man has been touring the film festival circuit internationally, following its world premiere in March 2009 at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin. The film was awarded Best Documentary at the Sarasota Film Festival; Best Documentary at the Edmonton International Film Festival, the Audience Award for Best Documentary at CineVegas, the Founders Prize at Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival, and the Audience Top 10 Award at Hot Docs in Toronto. Other festival appearances include the the Boston Independent Film Festival, the Mill Valley Film Festival, AFI Silverdocs, and the New Zealand International Film Festival. The film will have its European premiere at the Sheffield Doc/Fest (UK) on November 6.

2009-09-27T14:57:00.001-07:00

Screen Door Film presents a special screening of Eagle Pennell's The Whole Shootin' Match on Thursday, October 8th at 8 PM at The Scoot Inn on Austin's East Side.

See the Austin film that launched the Sundance Institute, at the location where it was originally filmed in 1978. Enjoy an evening on the patio at the Scoot with actor Sonny Carl Davis in person.

Thursday, October 8th
8 PM

The Scoot Inn
1308 E. 4th Street
Austin, TX 78702

$5

2009-07-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

Screen Door Film closes "The Texas Cinema Series" at St. Edward's University, looks ahead to next season.

Another successful season comes to a close for Screen Door Film, Austin's premiere microcinema, and true to form, the Texas Cinema Series' inaugural program was chock full of amazing films and riveting personalities.

In January 2009 we kicked off the "Texas Cinema Series" with The Unforeseen, Laura Dunn's seminal documentary which examined the environmental movement in Austin, focusing on the ill-fated Barton Creek development. The post-screening panel was moderated by St. Ed's professor Peter Beck and included Laura Dunn and Bill Bunch, director of the Save Our Springs Alliance. The audience was able to learn about current challenges at Save Our Springs, and get their questions about the film answered.

Andrew Shapter's latest documentary, Happiness Is, screened in February to standing room only crowds. Mr. Shapter is widely known for his previous film, Before The Music Dies, which played at Screen Door three years ago. Happiness Is dares to ask one of man's most profound questions, "what is happiness?", and gets an answer. Our insightful panel was moderated by Khotan Harmon from KOOP radio, and included Andrew Shapter, Alan Graham of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, Cathy Requejo from AISD's Project Help, and charismatic UT professor H.W. Brands.

UPDATE: Happiness Is is going on a 15 city nationwide tour, starting in July 2009, so spread the word if you have friends in any of these cities, or purchase a DVD of this uplifting film:
http://www.happinessisthemovie.com

They Killed Sister Dorothy screened in March, a documentary that chronicles the death of Catholic nun Sister Dorothy Stang in the jungles of the Amazon, as well as the subsequent trial of her accused murders. It was a special night at St. Edward's because we were honored to have Sister Dorothy's Brother, David Stang, available for Q&A. Mr. Stang was interviewed by St. Edward's provost Sister Donna Jurich, who was lifelong friends with Sister Dorothy. Mr. Stang provided an update on the trial and shed some light on the complexities of the Brazilian legal system.

In April, Screen Door turned it's attention to the death penalty issue, screening the award-winning Steve James documentary At The Death House Door. The film is an intimate look at the death penalty in the state of Texas, seen through the eyes of Pastor Carroll Pickett, the Huntsville prison chaplain for 15 years. Mr. Pickett presided over the first lethal injection execution in the state of Texas.

Our all-star post-screening panel included Pastor Pickett himself, alongside death penalty activist/musician Sara Hickman, Kristin Houle from the Texas Coalition to Abolish The Death Penalty, Gabe Solis from the Texas After Violence Project, and Brother Richard Daly from St. Edward's. Journalist Ellen Sweets moderated this panel which covered some great information about the current state of the death penalty in Texas, and where the issue is likely to go in the future.

The Whole Shootin' Match came next in May, the recently "rediscovered" 1978 masterpiece from star-crossed Austin director Eagle Pennell. After seeing the film in Dallas in 1980, Robert Redford credits Shootin' Match as the reason he founded the Sundance Institute, beginning a legacy of supporting independent film in America.

Our panel included Sonny Carl Davis, who plays Frank in the film, Chuck Pinnell, Eagle's brother and score composer, alongside film historian Alison Macor. Louis Black, editor of the Austin Chronicle, led the discussion which uncovered some amazing stories from Sonny Carl about the making of the film, and the subsequent fast rise to notoriety that Eagle experienced. The evening was dedicated to Shootin' Match actor Lou Perryman, who passed away unexpectedly just three weeks before the screening.

UPDATE: Alison Macor's new book, "Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids: Thirty Years of Filmmaking in Austin, Texas" will be coming Spring 2010 from University of Texas Press! Based on revealing interviews with Richard Linklater, Robert Rodriguez, Mike Judge, Quentin Tarantino, Matthew McConaughey, George Lucas, and more than 100 other players in the local and national film industries, this book explores how Austin has become a proving ground for contemporary independent cinema.

Completing the six film series was Nancy Schiesari's Fort Hood documentary Tattooed Under Fire. Tattooed is a character-driven portrait of Iraq-bound and returning US soldiers as they go under the tattoo needle, sharing their secrets and confessing their fears. Our panel included producer Laura Sobel, as well as some of the soldiers featured in the film.

Screen Door is currently assembling our program for 2009/2010, so stay tuned for details as they emerge.

As always, Screen Door thanks you for supporting independent film in Austin!

Screen Door returns with "The Texas Cinema Series"

2008-11-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

Screen Door Film,

The Kozmetzky Center of Excellence in Global Finance, and The Digital Media Management, School of Management and Business present:

"The Texas Cinema Series"

Screen Door Film is proud to present the Texas Cinema Series, a six-part film program to be co-sponsored by the Kozmetsky Center for Excellence in Global Finance and the Digital Media Management Program of the the School of Management and Business at St. Edward's University. Screenings will be held in Jones Auditorium, Ragsdale Center, 3001 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX.

The program will feature a diverse film each month, followed by an analysis of the issues raised by the film through a panel discussion with filmmakers, scholars and other notable experts.

All screenings and panels are open and free to the public.

Click the "Calendar" button for film details and directions.

Upcoming screenings include:

March 27th, 2009

They Killed Sister Dorothy

directed by Daniel Junge

7 PM, St. Edward's University, Ragsdale Center, Jones Auditorium

David Stang, the brother of Sister Dorothy Stang, will be in attendance to provide an update on his sister's murder trial, as well as answer any audience questions.

April 17th, 2009

At The Death House Door

directed by Steve James

May 22nd, 2009

The Whole Shootin' Match

directed by Eagle Pinnell

with Sonny Carl Davis and Chuck Pennell in person, moderated by Louis Black from the Austin Chronicle

June 12th, 2009

Tattooed Under Fire

directed by Nancy Schiesari

Click the "Calendar" button for film details and directions.

Welcome to the 2009 Screen Door Film Series

2008-11-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

Screen Door Film is Austin’s premiere micro-cinema, providing a theatrical release for award-winning independent features and short films. Our ongoing screening series is carefully curated from the best of the film festivals, as well as the finest in independent cinema. Each event is a unique opportunity to view rarely seen films, as well as network with directors, actors, crew and other like-minded cinephiles.

Screen Door Film announces collaboration with B-Side Entertainment

2007-08-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

Screen Door Film announces a collaboration with Austin's own B-Side Entertainment to screen three feature films on September 12th, 13th and 14th: "Four Eyed Monsters," "Pirate Radio USA" and "The Outdoorsmen: Blood, Sweat and Beers."

Austin-based B-Side Entertainment is a pioneering distributor and online marketplace for independent films, and Screen Door is thrilled to present three of their top rated feature films in a theatrical setting, the swanky Salvage Vanguard Theater.

"Four Eyed Monsters" by Susan Buice and Arin Crumley
Wednesday, September 12th, 7:30 p.m.

"Pirate Radio USA" by Jeff Pearson
Thursday, September 13th, 7:30 p.m.

"The Outdoorsmen: Blood, Sweat and Beers" by Scott Allen Perry
Friday, September 14th, 7:30 p.m.

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"Four Eyed Monsters"

"They have four eyes, two mouths, eight limbs that wrap around themselves. It’s disgusting!" Arin says, as we see images of couples throughout New York City. "But I can’t help but envy them."

Arin is a wannabe filmmaker and highly inexperienced with love, despite the fact that he spends most of his time editing wedding videos. In one of the most populous cities in the world, he is alone and tormented by the beautiful women he sees everywhere. He turns to the Internet.

Susan is an art school graduate working as a waitress and suffering from a lack of inspiration. She receives a message from Arin, but since she’s tired of dating, especially online, she suggests that he should just stop by her work.

Arin is too shy to introduce himself. So instead, he follows her home without her knowing and emails her pictures of her mundane daily trudge. She is intrigued.

They decide to meet up, but in an attempt to keep their interaction interesting, they make a pact to not speak to one another. As their romance develops, they only write, draw, email, text, have sex, instant message, and make videos for each other. No talking.

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"Pirate Radio USA"

Pirate Radio USA is a feature length digital documentary about the underground world of illegal radio in America, where people play what they want and say what they want—unless the FCC catches them…

DJ’s Him and Her, from their live Pirate Radio USA Studio, take you on a rock –n-roll journey inside rogue radio stations across the country to see why Americans defy Federal Law to free the radio airwaves.

See the battle to free the airwaves live-- and find out the real price of freedom. It’s not about Left vs. Right, it's about Big vs. Small.

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"The Outdoorsmen: Blood, Sweat and Beers"

Once a year, an exclusive group of men travels to a top-secret location somewhere in the wooded mountains of Washington State to compete in an all-day event they call The Outdoorsmen. They battle their way through a series of events that combine physical challenges with high-speed beer chugging.

Braving freezing waters, treacherous riverbeds, and the rapid consumption of over 30 cases of beer, the Outdoorsmen revel in the rush of adrenaline they get out of this once a year break from the responsibilities of the 9 to 5 world. These men get to be responsible parents, husbands, and co-workers for 362 days a year, but for one weekend they reach back to recapture their youth and cherish the camaraderie of their fellow Outdoorsmen.

Come seeee what all the buzz is about!! Each show starts at 7:30, tickets $6