Congratulations to Andrew Garrison and his Special Jury Recognition for TRASH DANCE, and Annie Silverstein for her Texas Shorts award for "Spark."

This year's SXSW lineup is filled with student, alumni, and professor work. Check out some of the links and videos, or use our RTF SXSW Schedule as a guide to make your own plans for the week.

FEATURES
Andrew Garrison premieres his feature documentary TRASH DANCE. Choreographer Allison Orr finds beauty and grace in garbage trucks -- and in the men and women who pick up our trash. She joins city sanitation workers on their daily routes to listen, learn, and ultimately to try to convince them to collaborate in a unique dance performance.

Ya'Ke Smith, an MFA alum and former lecturer, makes his feature debut with WOLF. 

Alum David Zellner will show his feature KID-THING, co-written and directed with his brother Nathan. It comes back to Austin after a successful run at Sundance.

Alum Jay Duplass and his brother Mark are premiering their movie The Do-Deca Pentathalon. There is no trailer or synopsis out there, so check it out in person!

Safety Not Guaranteed, starring Mark Duplass and Aubrey Plaza, was edited by RTF alum Franklin Peterson.

Assistant professor and cinematographer PJ Raval will show the feature documentary he helped shoot along with Gabriel Miller, WONDER WOMEN! The Untold Story of American Superheroines. Media Studies Professor Mary Beltrán served as an advisor on the film. 

PJ Raval will also show Sunset Stories,  a feature he shot about a high-string nurse who must return to Los Angeles to retrieve bone marrow for transplant.

RTF alum Seana Flanagan will premiere a film she helped produce, Austin's own Somebody Up There Likes Me.

MFA alum Ben Shapiro will show his doc Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters, which profiles the photographer and his elaborately constructed scenes.

SHORTS
Kat Candler's short "Hellion" plays its second big festival of the year after a warm reception at Sundance. The film is an RTF affair: it was produced by alum Kelly Williams and shot by alum and fellow lecturer Drew Xanthopoulos.  RTF alum Ashlyn Fielder served as production designer, and former lecturer Eric Friend was the sound designer.

RTF Lecturer, Karen Kocher will preview excerpts from her upcoming interactive documentary Living Springs at the tree court at Barton Springs on Wednesday, March 14th at 7:30.

Two students and two alums will play Austin Film Society's showcase: watch Ivete Lucas' "the Curse and the Jubilee", Chithra Jeyram's "Mijo", and Joshua Flanagan and Stephen Gamache's "Mustachio." 

Alum Angela Cheng will show her short comedy, "The Guessing Game." On the morning of his birthday, Emmett asks his fellow retirement home residents to guess his age.

Recent alum Randall Hopkins will show his funny animated short Giraffe Danger.

Ben Steinbauer, an alum and former lecturer, returns to SXSW after his extremely successful Winnebego Man premiered there in 2009. He is showing his short "Brute Force" about the censored fate of a rising rock star on famed Apple Records.

Zach Anner, now of Oprah network fame, and fellow alum Marshall Rimmer will play their short "foolproof." Check out their award-winning webseries "The Wingmen."

Steve Collins, MFA Alum, will return to SX with his Wall Street comedy short "J.P.B.F."

Russell Bush, a current MFA student, will premiere his short "Magpie," about a man's attempt to reconnect with his estranged and recently engaged daughter.

Annie Silverstein will show her short film "Spark," about a boy who waits out his father's tryst and is forced to deal with the lady-friend's daughter.

Jono Foley, a current ungrad, will play his hilarious short-short film "Merman" at the midnight showings. 

Alum Micah Magee 's short Heimcommen (Coming Home) will make its North American premiere. It's a tale of loss, grief, and ice hockey.

PJ Raval will compete in the music video competition, with "Christeene: African Mayonaise". 

EVENTS
PhD candidate Joao Beira will be video remixing live footage and artwork at the DMT RMX Launch event on March 9th.

SCHEDULE
Check out our RTF SXSW Schedule, to add all of the films above to your list.

 

 

If we missed anything RTF related, please send your film's info to rtf-submissions@austin.utexas.edu