… is how much we raised for the Austin Film Society at last night’s Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards. I’m in awe and I almost can’t believe I was a part of it, except the aching feet and exhaustion I’m feeling this morning as reminders. It was a beautiful show and there were no major event hiccups, so far as I can tell. And best of all, wealthy folks who believe that cultivating film culture in their town is important, put their money where their mouth is and gave us $400,000 to keep doing what we do.

People ask me what the Austin Film Society does, so I’ll tell you. We exhibit film, from modern foreign films to recovered gems to documentaries to experimental works to gala premieres to sneak previews, each week we have one or more screenings all year round. We give money to Texas filmmakers to make their projects. Last year, AFS gave away $150,000 directly to filmmakers, and the call for submissions for this year’s grants is forthcoming soon. We also help filmmakers by holding works-in-progress screenings and industry panel discussions throughout the year, all of which are free for AFS Filmmaker members. We have a youth media education program, run by Christan Raymond, who was nominated for SXSW’s Dewey Winburne Community Service Award. He and a team of teachers hold movie-making clubs in 7 local under-served schools, as well as spring break and summer film camps and other panels and speaking engagements. And on top of all that we run Austin Studios, a five-hanger production facility that has seen the like of Stop-Loss, premiering at SXSW on Thursday, and many other well-known projects, but also small projects, commercials, music videos and photo shoots. The Studios operate on a sliding scale depending on your budget, so it is open to all comers.

We have an open house this morning at Austin Studios. Few traces of the Texas Film Hall of Fame will remain, but the influx of cash we got last night makes it possible for us to do all of the above. I’m grateful to be part of the team, and can’t wait to share it with my friends in town for the fest. Drop by 1901 E. 51st Street between 11 and 1 PM and enjoy great bluegrass, snacks, a gorgeous day and see our fabulous grounds. You Know You Want to Shoot in Austin! (I couldn’t resist using our tag line…)