Apparently Austin isn't all about the music

According to Sundance Film Festival, Austin is the number three city for films.

Who knew?

With the hype about Austin being the Music Capital, many people forget the city's influence on the film industry.  The October Austin Film Festival and Conference is a current event that helps rank Austin as an influential city.  The conference ran from October 21 through the 24.  The festival is ongoing until October 28. 

"The Austin Film Festival actually manages to perfectly embody the spirit of the city which hosts it. Edgy yet mellow. Intelligent yet accessible. Cool yet completely geeky. In short, one of the best professional experiences of my career." - Damon Lindelof, co-creator “LOST,” producer STAR TREK
 
This is a national level festival, with guests this year including Phil Rosenthal (writer/director and creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond"), writer/director John Wells,  director George Hickenlooper and actor Jon Lovitz.

The festival has grown from the imaginations of Barbara Morgan and Marsha Milam, who started the Austin Film Festival organization in 1994 to focus on the writer's contribution to film and television. Today, the organization is active year-round.  The Young Filmmakers Program, for example, was started to support students, ages 9-18, who have a passion for screenwriting and film making. 

The Austin Film Festival is also as unique as Austin itself because not only does it show case films, it educates and inspires the community about the film making process.

“Thanks to this wonderful festival, once a year we shy reclusive writers emerge from behind our computers and we get to hang out with our peers, to swap stories, compare scars, and remind and inspire ourselves why it is we do what we do... and hopefully learn to do it even better. Most film festivals are to show the end result, to display the films that filmmakers have made: while this festival also does do that, the heart of its mission is to show how to make films... and why. And that is something unique and rare. I know a number of writers who owe their careers to the advice, inspiration, and contacts made during this festival: what other festival can say that?” -Tim McCanlies, director ALABAMA MOON, writer SECONDHAND LIONS, THE IRON GIANT

 Even though festival attendance is filled with big names in the film and television industry, there is still room for the average Joe.  Festival badges can be pretty pricey, the most expensive being The 2010 Producer Badge which can cost you $650 - 720.  A 2010 Film Pass, $50 - 120, allows access to over 190 film screenings in Austin.  Tickets can also be purchased at individual screenings 30 minutes before show time for $9 - 10.

There are so many films to chose from which can seem overwhelming to an interested attendee.  Luckily, the festival website provides short clips of films and a schedule to help organize your movie viewing experience.

A film that sparks my interest is The Spirit Molecule, an interesting and educational trip into a psychoactive compound called dimethyltryptamine (DMT).  Since DMT is released in the brain at the time of death, this compound is said to replicate the feelings and thoughts that occur. 

The festival is almost over but there is still time!  Go out and catch some movies with some of the most influential writers and directors of the film and television industry!