Austin Film Society To Remake Richard Linklater’s ‘Slacker’ For 20th Anniversary
WithoutRichard Linklater’sslice of life filmSlacker, the independent film boom of the 1990s might not have happened. Unlike almost anything American audiences had seen before, it inspired a generation of filmmakers to go out and make their own movies. Kevin Smith often credits seeing the film at the Angelika Film Center in New York as his inspiration to makeClerks, the film’s success gave Linklater the ability to makeDazed and Confusedand so much more. First released in 1991,Slackercelebrates its 20th anniversary this year and theAustin Film Societyand theAlamo Drafthouseare teaming up for a remake.
In typical Austin and Drafthouse style, though, isn’t a by the book remake. There aren’t any big special effects or A-list actors. Instead, 23 Austin filmmakers will reshoot scenes using the same dialogue and locations from the original film and string them together as a meta-homage. Read who the filmmakers are and more about it after the break.
Here’s the official description of the remake and its purpose from theAustin Film Societywebsite (thanks toThe Playlistfor the heads up).
TheAustin Film SocietyandThe Alamo Drafthouse Cinemasare excited to announce that 23 of the most celebrated Austin filmmakers will remake vignettes from AFS Founder & Artistic DirectorRichard Linklater’s seminal filmSLACKER. This homage project was conceived by The Alamo Drafthouse team to celebrate SLACKER’s 20th anniversary year by bringing the film community together to honor one of Texas' best homegrown films. AFS came aboard with a stellar group of filmmakers and a Kickstarter-like campaign to raise an additional $60,000 toward the2011 Texas Filmmakers Production Fund(accepting applications until June 1).
Each scene will be recreated, using the original dialogue and locations (whenever possible), and individual scenes will then be compiled to create the remake, presenting the city’s changing face while showcasing some of its most exciting talent. Donations of $50 or higher to SLACKER 2011 will receive a ticket to theWorld Premiere on August 31stwith the remake filmmakers and Richard Linklater in attendance for Q&A. More details on the event will be released when finalized.
The 23 filmmakers and groups who will be tackling Linklater’s seminal film are as follows: Miguel Alvarez, Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas, AFS Film Club, Austin School of Film, Bradley Beesley, John Bryant, Bob Byington, Mike Dolan, Sam Wainwright Douglas, Jay Duplass, Chris Eska, Paul Gordon, Amy Grappell, Duane Graves & Justin Meeks, Berndt Mader, Geoff Marslett, Spencer Parsons, PJ Raval, Bob Ray, Reel Women UT Chapter, Elisabeth Sikes, Karen Skloss, Ben Steinbauer and David & Nathan Zellner.
Depending on how much money you’re willing to donate, you could even be listed as an executive producer on the project.
Much like you, I scoffed when I first read that someone was going to remakeSlackerbut once you wade through all the details, it’s actually a pretty cool and worthwhile tribute. The question is, once this film is completed, will it screen around the country like the similarly madeFootlooseremake?
Never seenSlacker? You can watch the whole thing, for free, right now, right here:
