The Blanton Summer Film Series Presents Gretchen

Proving that not everyone is letting the ungodly summer heat slow them down, the Blanton Museum of Art and the Austin Film Festival are teaming up to present the New Directions Film Series, which will feature the intelligent voices of emerging independent filmmakers. The five chosen films will screen at the Blanton on Third Thursdays and a few selected Sundays from now until July 19.

Kicking off the indie fun is Gretchen, the story of an awkward 17-year-old trying to survive the indignities of adolescence. Locally filmed and critically lauded (Gretchen won the prestigious Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2006), Steve Collins' ”humorously deadpan” tale of teenage woe has been compared to Welcome to The Dollhouse and Napoleon Dynamite. It also features a sweet supporting cast that includes Becky Ann Baker (the mom from Freaks and Geeks!) and Stephen Root (Milton!).

Catch Gretchen this week and then stay tuned for your next opportunity to combine a hidden cinematic gem with cheap admission and the chance to hide out from the damn sun for a couple hours. Film series coordinators, we salute you.