Just when you thought the local film festival season was over, three more movie bashes, each with a unique flavor, unspool tonight through next week. With the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest and the Austin Film Festival wrapped, it’s time for the smaller-scaled Austin Polish Film Festival, Cinema Touching Disability and Austin Asian American Film Festival to roll in with a wealth of hard-to-find films from around the world.

Austin Polish Film Festival

Celebrating one of the most exciting and prolific producers of world cinema, the fourth annual Austin Polish Film Festival kicked off Thursday and continues through Sunday at the Texas Spirit Theater at the Bullock Museum (1800 N. Congress Ave.) with an array of contemporary Polish movies. Films include:

“Time to Die” (“Pora Umierac”) at 6:30 tonight and “Before Twilight” (“Jeszcze nie weiczor”) at 8:45 tonight.

“Preserve” (“Rezerwat”) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and “Drowsiness” (“Seenosc”) at 8:45 p.m. Saturday.

“Tomorrow We Are Going to the Movies” (“Jutro idziemy do kina”) at 6:30 p.m. Sunday and “The Glass Trap” (“Szklana pulapka”) at 8:35 p.m. Sunday.

The festival loops back on Nov. 14 with a program of Polish shorts, documentaries and animation at the University of Texas, Communication Building, Studio 4D. Sponsored by the Austin Polish Society. Details, passes and tickets at www.austinpolishsociety.org/austinpff2009.

Cinema Touching Disability

The sixth annual Cinema Touching Disability happens today and Saturday at the Alamo South (1120 S. Lamar Blvd.). The film festival, focusing on movies that depict disabilities in a positive, thoughtful and edifying light, features student film competitions, shorts and the feature documentaries “A Possible Dream: The Andrea Friedman Story” — a portrait of actress Andrea Friedman, who has Down syndrome — and “The Eyes of Me,” a profile of four students at the Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired.

“A Possible Dream” shows at 8:40 tonight. “The Eyes of Me” plays at 8 p.m. Saturday and will be followed by a discussion with director Keith Maitland, producer Patrick Floyd and the film’s subjects.

For the complete schedule and tickets: www.ctdfilmfest.org.

Austin Asian American Film Festival

Forty films from India, Pakistain, Lebanon, China, South Korea and the United States and several themed parties headline this sixth annual festival, running Thursday through Nov. 15 at the Alamo South and the Texas Union Theatre at the University of Texas.

Director Ed Radtke, an Austin resident, will screen his award-winning drama “Speed of Life” at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Alamo South to open the festival. Other highlights include: Mehreen Jabbar’s “Ramchand Pakistani,” Dave Boyle’s “White on Rice,” H.P. Mendoza’s award-winning “Fruit Fly,” the Bollywood Blowout Party, a concert with hip hop artist Jenro, short films and a free outdoor screening of the Oscar-nominated animated feature “Persepolis.”

Chris Garcia

Source-http://www.austin360.com/movies/content/movies/stories/2009/10/1106fests.html

Drive-in movies were once a memory reserved for sharing the back seat of a 1950s wing-tipped Cadillac with their sweetheart on a Saturday night. Luckily, nostalgia found its way back to Austin through a local couple and their innovative interpretation with the Driftin’ Drive-In.

The idea of awakening the dusty outdoor big-screen has been with Charlie Hurtin since he was a child. Unlike the stationary drive-ins of the past, though, he wanted one that could travel. With his wife Rachael he established Wild Street Drive-In in 1999, an inflatable movie screen named for the Austin street where they showed free films on their front lawn.

”I love movies,” Hurtin said. “It gives me an excuse to throw [the screen] up and watch a movie — let other people enjoy it besides in our back yard.”

After a few minor setbacks, the two returned to their day jobs (Charlie created Pyrite Records for his bands Charlie Hurtin and the Hecklers and The Strollers) to save up for a future film company collaboration. Together they founded Driftin’ Drive-In — complete with portable projectors, sound system, generator and 20-by-10-foot inflatable movie screen.

For the month of October, Driftin’ will be playing horror cult classics at Austin Brevita, beginning with Little Shop of Horrors on Thursday. Brevita is a tiny, yellow hut that serves piping hot coffee creations and appropriately shares its large gravel lot with donut trailer Gourdough’s. Tiffany and Duane Youngren opened Brevita in June and hope to inspire interest in the South Austin community.

“It’s another opportunity for the general public to come in and get to know the different businesses,” Tiffany said.

Hurtin said he enjoys the like-minded, burgeoning ‘mom-n’-pop-type places’ like Brevita and, in an effort to help their businesses and gain exposure for his own company, he screens most of the films free of charge.

His biggest inspiration, though, is his childhood love of the silver screen.

“The novelty – the idea that just being able to go out and sneak into a Drive-In. You know, like the old ‘60s and ‘50s, the kids, what would you do on a weekend night? You would go to the drive-in movie theater,” Hurtin said. “Sitting at home watching your TV is boring. To come out and watch a nice classic horror film with neighbors is the Austin way to do things.”

Amber Genuske

source-http://www.dailytexanonline.com/life-arts/novel-nostalgia-1.1944738