Cinematexas

Although only in its third year, Cinematexas, an Austin-based festival devoted to short films and videos, is already one of the most interesting festivals around. Run and programmed primarily by Rachel Tsangari, Bryan Poyser, and Jen Proctor, the festival this year boasted a slate of international experimental short work, mixed with a healthy dose of locally produced films and videos and several other programs, including three "Mexperimental" programs and a program of short classics from the history of the American avant garde selected and introduced by local hero Richard Linklater.

The Competition films were divided into nine programs, each of which featured at least one gem. Some of the highlights: Gerhard Benedikt Friedl’s Knittlefeld: A Town Without History juxtaposes shots of an idyllic Austrian town with a slowly-spoken chronicle of murder and mayhem; and Sativa Peterson’s The Slow Escape similarly weighs a murder’s impact on a small town, in this case Winslow, Arizona. The real thrill of the festival, however, was Miranda July’s stunning The Amateurist, a short video featuring July herself in two roles; the project is both extremely weird and entirely provocative.

And if a strong selection of films isn’t enough to make a festival exciting, Cinematexas boasts another welcome feature —— competence. From intelligent program notes to precise and thoughtful scheduling to generous regard for filmmakers and jury-members, the festival is well-run. Tsangari, Poyser, and Proctor are completely devoted to finding and screening the most challenging shorts they can, and they are extremely articulate about their choices and the way they come together into programs. With luck, the festival will continue to thrive, serving not only the University of Texas where it is housed, but augmenting the larger community of short film and video festivals with programming that is international in scale and thoroughly engaging in content.

Venice International Film Festival by Belle Burke
Toronto International Film Festival by Ray Pride
Marco Island Film Festival by Brandon Judell
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival by Stephen Gallagher
Tacoma Film Festival by Liane Bonin
International Film Festival, Mannheim-Heidelberg by Diane Sippl
Hawaii International Film Festival by Mike Jones
London Film Festival by Laura Macdonald
Shorts International Film Festival by Amy Veltman
CinemaTexas by Holly Willis