Short Cuts

"I have a pretty good grasp on a few French phrases: coup d'état (I learned that from Les Circle Jerks), menages de trois, and from the "Lady Marmalade" disco song, Voulez vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?" That's Bob Ray, director of the celebrated Austin indie Rock Opera, on the linguistic logistics of his upcoming trip to the Cannes Film Festival mid-May. Yes, you heard that right: The quintessential Austin dopin' and dealin' dramarama is off to the land of topless supermodels and $1,200 hotel rooms as part of NoDance 2000's touring film festival. What this means for the girls of the Elite Modeling Agency I shudder to think, though certainly the band PigPoke can expect some, uh, action to come their way. The most famous film festival/market in the world runs from May 10-21 this year, so Ray and company still have a month or so to clean up their language (Bob, it's menage a trois, not menages de trois -- you've really got to be careful with that one) and decide whether to invest in some Jerry Lewis masks to impress the locals. "I need one of those old Loco Gringos T-shirts that boasts 'Fuck you, we're from Texas!' and my wardrobe will be complete," adds Ray. More details on what promises to be a very interesting trip abroad as the festival nears... Speaking of film fests, the sixth annual Golden Shower Video Festival has released a call for entries. The San Antonio-based fest is looking for "narrative, animation, doc, or experimental film/videos that are out of the main stream." (Ha!) Format is VHS transfers only, and the entry fee is a paltry $10 per entry (cash only). You're probably wondering if GSVF is the sort of fest you find in the back room at Dreamers at 2am on a Friday night, but sorry, no, it's a legitimate operation run by Adam Rocha, who says that apart from the obvious meaning, "Piss off!" is the attitude behind the festival. "This festival is righteously so with a DIY soul," says Rocha, adding that it's a not-for-profit undertaking and will screen at the Southwest School of Art & Craft in downtown SA, June 16-17. If you're curious (yellow), more information is available online at http://www.safilm.com or by calling 457-8780... Femme filmmaking group Reel Women will feature Austin-based documentary filmmaker Marcy Gariott at their next meeting, Wed., April 19, 7:30 pm, at GSD&M. Gariott's most recent work is Split Decision, "the story of Austin boxer Jesus Chavez, whose rise to the world championship is cut short when he is deported to Mexico for a crime committed when he was 17 years old." The film will be featured later this month at the Cine Las Americas Film Festival. More info on Reel Women is available at their Web site, http://www.reelwomen.org... This Sat., April 15, is the University Filmmakers Alliance Conference 2000: Interview With Film at UT's CMA building. Admission is $20 for the all-day event and includes three workshops, a catered networking lunch, panel discussions, and closing ceremony featuring a keynote address and screening of the winner of UT's JumpCut Film Festival. Presenters include screenwriter Anne Rapp (Cookie's Fortune), producer Robert Latham Brown, documentarian Hector Galan, and -- who'd a-thunk it? -- Harry Knowles, among others. Call conference director Alejandra Pedemonte at 467-1432 for more info or check 'em out on the Web at http://www.utexas.edu/students/ufa/conference.