University of Texas at Austin, Documentary Center

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 6:30 p.m.
at the Picture Box Studio
701 Tillery, Suite A-7 in Austin

Synopsis: In his quest to explore how we should best live, Socrates would ask his fellow citizens, “What is the good life?” The Philosopher Kings goes in search of wisdom in unlikely places, taking us on a journey through the halls of the most prestigious colleges and universities in America to learn from the staff members who see it all and have been through it all: the custodians. Directed by Patrick Shen and produced by Greg Bennick, producers of the multiple-award-winning Flight from Death, The Philosopher Kings gives us the opportunity to learn from eight incredible individuals whom we would never have otherwise taken a moment out of our day to acknowledge.

This thought-provoking, feature-length documentary interweaves the untold stories of triumph and tragedy from members of society who are often disregarded and ignored, and seeks out the kind of wisdom that gets you through the day and the lessons one learns from surviving hard times, lost loves, and shattered dreams. In the documentary, you will meet Josue Lajeunesse, a custodian at Princeton University, who supports his family in Haiti and also uses his hard-earned cash to act as a philanthropist, bringing a source of clean water to his impoverished village. Corby Baker daily cleans the art quad at the Cornish School of the Arts, and is in turn inspired by the students’ creative energy to create his own works of art. Jim Evener, who works at Cornell University, survived the Vietnam War, and now finds solace in hard work, good friends and playing music. Interspersed throughout the documentary are words of wisdom from the great philosophers.

COST: $7 general public / $5 REEL WOMEN Members
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross for the relief effort in Haiti.

http://philosopherkingsmovie.com/

http://reelwomen.org/2010/01/19/documentary-screening-the-philosopher-kings/

Why the hell not?

On February 3rd, Screen Door Film, in association with the University of Texas Documentary Center and The Texas Tribune, will present a special screening of the hit documentary ALONG CAME KINKY…TEXAS JEWBOY FOR GOVERNOR, directed by Austin-based filmmaker David Hartstein. The film will screen at Studio 4D in the CMB Building on the campus of UT at 7 PM.

Evan Smith (Texas Tribune, Texas Monthly) will host our post-screening panel discussion, which will include:
David Hartstein – director of Along Came Kinky
Laura Stromberg – Kinky campaign press secretary
Jason Stanford – Democratic political strategist, ’06 Chris Bell campaign manager

Wednesday, February 3rd
7:00 P.M.
Studio 4D, CMB Building, 4th floor
(big black building at the corner of Guadalupe and Dean Keeton)
UT Campus
2501 Whitis
Austin, TX 78705

“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.

The short film GREAT GRANDMA FOR OBAMA by Micah Barber will screen before the film.

PJ RAVAL, RTF professor and cinematographer on the Academy Award-nominated documentary TROUBLE THE WATER, will be in attendance for a Q&A following a special presentation of the film on January 13 at the Alamo Ritz.

Synopsis: An aspiring rap artist and her streetwise husband, armed with a video camera, show what survival is all about when they are trapped in New Orleans by deadly floodwaters during Hurricane Katrina, and seize a chance for a new beginning.

“SUPERB… One of the best American documentaries in recent memory.” – Manohia Dargis, The New York Times.

WHEN: Wednesday, January 13, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Alamo Ritz, 320 E. 6th Street, Austin.

Click here to purchase tickets online.

Director/producer Ellen Frankenstein in attendance, will conduct workshop on documentary filmmaking.

REEL WOMEN, a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to offering education, mentoring, networking and screenings supporting women (and men) in the film industry, is sponsoring a workshop and screening of the documentary “EATING ALASKA” on Sunday, December 6. The workshop will be held from 1:00-3:00pm, and the screening starts at 3:30pm. The events will be held at THE INDEPENDENT, a screening facility located at 501 Brushy (at East 5th Street, just east of IH-35). Q&A with the filmmakers will follow screening. Snacks will be provided by WHOLE FOODS MARKET, and The Independent offers a cash bar.

Directed by ELLEN FRANKENSTEIN, “Eating Alaska” is an exploration of what happens when a vegetarian encounters the “last frontier” and subsequently falls in love with a hunter/fisherman … and the land. It is a serious and humorous film about connecting to where you live and eating locally; about trying to break away from the industrial food system when that means not only buying fresh seasonal food from local farmers, but also taking part in a world of hunting and gathering. Made by a former city dweller now living in a small town in Alaska and married to a fisherman and deer hunter, it is a journey into regional food traditions, our connection to the wilderness, and to what we put into our mouths.

The film portrays a wry quest for safe, healthy, meaningful and sustainable food that leads to climbing mountains with women hunters, scrutinizing food labels with kids, talking moose meat with teens in a village public school and exploring how Alaska natives and non-natives are eating.

Director Frankenstein and producer SHIRLEY THOMPSON will lead the workshop and have named it “Chicks, Start Your Doc: Turn Your Idea Into A Film”. They will talk about launching a project, thinking about which ideas work for films and for funding, show fundraising clips, talk about their process on “Eating Alaska” and other films. Also covered: collaborations, thinking about outreach, distribution. They are both part of New Day Films, the national self-distribution co-op of social issue filmmakers.
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A portion of the proceeds from the screening will be donated to Youth Launch’s URBAN ROOTS, a youth development program that uses sustainable agriculture as means to affect lasting change for youth participants, and to nourish East Austin residents who currently have limited access to healthy foods. On a 2.5 acre urban organic farm, the project provides employment, life and job skills and service opportunities to under-served youth aged 14-18 in East Austin.

REEL WOMEN will provide complimentary tickets to youth involved in the Urban Roots program and also to middle-school girls that participate in the Morning Star Rising program at Fulmore Middle School.

COSTS:

Workshop Only: $30 / $20 RW Members.

Screening Only: $10 / $8 RW Members.

Workshop AND Screening: $35 / $25 RW Members.

New Member Deal: Workshop/Screening/Membership for just $60!

For more information, please contact reelwomen@reelwomen.org, visit www.reelwomen.org or call 512-971-1663.

God’s Architects
A documentary about five builders carrying out God’s play
A film by Zachary Godshall
in collaboration with Emilie Tyalor
with music by Shane Monds

Wednesday, Nov. 11
7:00 p.m.
Alamo Drafthouse South

$10 per person
(A portion of the proceeds beneft HousingWorks)

Tickets: www.aiaaustin.org

Backstory: In the spring of 2005, Emilie Taylor, then a graduate student at the Tulane School of Architecture, received a travel grant to research and document self-taught and visionary builders around the south. After visiting and documenting a number of builders, most of whom professed some degree of divine inspiration, Emilie shared her findings with filmmaker Zachary Godshall. Immediately attracted by Taylor’s stories, drawings, and photographs, Godshall decided to visit the builders himself.

And so in November 2005, Godshall set out from south Louisiana with a camera, tripod, and microphone to interview and document the work of Floyd Banks Jr., a divinely inspired castle builder living in the east Tennessee hill country.

Three years later, Godshall completed a feature-length film that both examines and celebrates the work of Banks along with four other solitary builders who have constructed similar monuments. Beyond the builders and their work, the film functions as a personal essay that explores the nature of inspiration and one’s dedication to a creative project, no matter how absurd or mysterious the circumstances may seem.

Zack Godshall was recently named the Louisiana Filmmaker of the Year by the New Orleans Film Festival for his new documentary God’s Architects. God’s Architects is playing at film festivals around the country and is slated for a DVD release this fall. Godshall’s previous film, the heartfelt Low and Behold, a blend documentary and fiction in post-Katrina New Orleans, premiered at Sundance and won numerous awards at festivals around the country. While working to complete his third feature film, a comic adventure called Lord Byron, Godshall teaches at LSU where he is the Screenwriter-In-Residence.