Like an accidental tourist, Terry George stumbled into filmmaking while penning a semi-autobiographical stage play with scribe partner Jim Sheridan about a failed prison break. Stemming from that first true-story collaboration, he has continued as both a writer and director, chronicling the triumph of the human spirit, and helping to catapult injustices in Ireland and the heinous genocide in Rwanda into our national consciousness with the critically acclaimed Hotel Rwanda. In conjunction with the regional......

Yeah, we hate the term "movers and shakers" too. But the fact is that, in any industry, the big leagues run on star power. Nowhere is this more true than in the movie biz; accordingly, we saved the last post in our Austin Film Festival Panel Preview for appearances by the talented, charismatic, and/or sensational people appearing at this year's fest. Regardless of whether you've heard these names before, they've been around the block and......

We’ve created a selection of the most noteworthy panels happening at this week's Austin Film Festival, organized to appeal to particular festival-goers, from curious onlookers to those looking to break into the business. Yesterday we looked at panels for indie filmmakers. Today we highlight panels for aspiring and professional screenwriters. So get out your planners and take note! THURSDAY 10/11 Austin Pitch Prep They say you only get one chance to make a first impression,......

The Austin Film Festival is right around the corner, and this year's Marquee programming is some of the best in the festival's history. With a wide variety of stellar comedies, dramas, and documentaries (not to mention several strong Oscar contenders) announced, there's something for everyone in the 2007 Marquee category. To help you plan out your festival schedule, we've put together a list of best bets for this year's program. The whole program looks excellent......

Oh, the humanity! Welcome to the one weekend a year where you can see a biker mama on every block sporting a midriff baring halter top and leather chaps; however, this woman will bear a striking resemblance to the woman who birthed you . Pair that with inhaling noxious greenhouse-effect-inducing fumes and having your eardrums wailed on like a red-headed step-child and suddenly paying $8.25 to sit in a cold, dark box doesn't seem......

Austinist just returned from seeing Paul Rusesabagina speak at UT. It was a packed house, and we know many of you weren't able to see him. He said a lot of important things, and so we wanted to pass those things onto you. Mr. Rusesabagina primarily gave the audience insight into the story of the Rwandan genocide that was featured in the movie, Hotel Rwanda. His big message however, was for us to make ourselves......

Every week, Austinist picks a few of the twenty-nine billion events that occur here every week to highlight - the interesting, the zany, the totally random. Got a suggestion? Leave it as a comment! MONDAY [music] Honeypot, The Yupppie Pricks, and MC Chris at Emo's Inside MC Chris played the Austinist HQ during SXSW, and trust us, he is not to be missed. MP3s available on his site. [speaker] Paul Rusesabagina (basis of the......

Next Monday, in the Texas Union, on UTs campus, Paul Rusesabagina will be speaking. You might have seen Don Cheadle as Mr. Rusesabagina in the Oscar-nominated film, Hotel Rwanda. But this guy is the real thing. The event is free, but you will need to pick up a pass from the Student Events Center Office to gain entry. In order to pick up a pass, you will need a UT ID. (The Austinist heard......

In case you missed Al Franken’s speech at SXSW, Austinist would like to remind you that Air America is now on the air in Austin. You can find it at 1600 on your AM dial. Austinist can vouch that it’s pretty clear in most of South Austin, at least. Among other things, you can listen to Janeane Garofalo on The Majority Report. We caught a bit of it this weekend in which Janeane posed the......