Austin Is Festival Central

Austin is well known for the South By Southwest Music and Media Conference and Festival

each spring and the Austin City Limits Music Festival each fall. But music isn't the only thing putting Austin on the map. Austin also hosts the Texas Book Festival and the Austin Film Festival and Conference every year.

Started in 1994, the Austin Film Festival is all about the creative process of screenwriting and film making. The annual film festival and conference held in October highlights local organizations and businesses that work in all elements of the film industry.

This year's festival features films starring actors like George Clooney and Meg Ryan. The conference and festival bring many big names from the film industry to Austin, but the event stays true the capital city's laid back feeling. There are no red carpets and little paparazzi at the eight day event.

The conference itself offers panels, lectures and roundtable discussion on all aspects of the film and screenwriting industry, and encourages budding film writers to take part. The festival is a series of screening of all types of films: shorts, documentaries, animation, independent and premieres. Unknowns in the film industry rub elbows with the bigwigs and many have had their work move into prominence due to this film festival.

The film festival is also a series of parties with different themes at many different downtown venues. Austin restaurants, bars, shops and hotels benefit from the festival patrons. The awards at this year's festival will go to industry greats like Ron Howard.

The Texas Book Festival, also going on this October in Austin, was started in 1995 by Laura Bush. The former first lady has always been a literacy advocate and started the ball rolling on the Texas festival to honor Texas writers and promote the love of reading.

The two-day event has the unique venue of the Texas State Capital buildings and grounds. Hopefully, the weather gods will smile down on Austin with more blue skies and sunny fall weather in the forecast for the last weekend in October. Nearly 50,000 people will fill the marbled halls and hallowed chambers of the state house to listen to lectures and panels. Other downtown venues also get involved, like the historical Paramount Theater and the Austin Children's Museum hosting special events for children's authors.

The festival not only celebrates literature, but also addresses some of the issues faced by the book industry. One of this year's lectures, "Are Books Dead?," addresses the future of books and the changing ways we will read them. This year will feature over 200 authors, like Margaret Atwood, Jane Smiley, Harold Evans, Gail Collins and Buzz Aldrin. The festival is free and open to the public, with lots of opportunites for book signings.

SXSW and ACL might bring the national camera crews and the big names in music, but they aren't the only festivals promoting the arts in this unique capital city.

by: Ki Gray

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