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Texas Water Foundation Calls for Submissions for Their 9th Annual Film Festival

Filmmakers are now welcome to send in their short films for consideration through March 22, judged by Richard Linklater

Photo courtesy of "Chasing the Tide"

Texas Water Foundation, the nonpartisan nonprofit working to ensure a sustainable water future, is now taking submissions for their 9th annual Water, Texas Film Festival

Taking place on April 30 at Austin Film Society (AFS), filmmakers are now welcome to send in their short films for consideration through March 22. The contest will be judged by Richard Linklater, the cherished Austin-based filmmaker, producer, writer, and founder of AFS. $1,000 cash prizes will be awarded to the winners of the Best Documentary and Best Narrative categories. 

Chasing the Tide

The festival will also highlight the upcoming PBS docuseries, Chasing the Tide, which uncovers the many intriguing facets of the Texas coast. Attendees will get to witness sneak peeks of the series and a moderated discussion with the filmmakers Jay and Chrissy Kleberg. 

Photo courtesy of “Chasing the Tide”

A Festival that supports Texas’ water systems

Texas Water Foundation carries out its mission of leading Texas into a sustainable water future in three ways: creating leadership development programs to ready a new generation of water leaders, neutrally informing legislators to ensure informed decision-making regarding water policy issues, and offering statewide education to Texans about the importance of water in their specific areas. 

The film festival is part of the nonprofit’s effort to spread awareness on water’s importance. While it’s obvious that water is vital to all of us, taking a moment to creatively reflect and honor our relationship with it is a more unique effort. Artists are called to capitalize on this opportunity and encourage new ways of thinking about how the natural element impacts our daily lives.

“Water impacts every Texan and every part of their life,” shares Ashley Van Arsdale Kjos, TWF’s Director of Strategic Partnerships and Development. “The film festival is another way for us at TWF to try to get the message out to people to appreciate what they have and understand our individual and collective relationship with water here in Texas. That doesn’t have to just be scary. It can also be good.”

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Photo courtesy of Texas Water Foundation staff

Submitting your film

The title Water, Texas speaks to the fluid and nonrestrictive nature of the festival. Basic asks for submissions are a length of 10 minutes or less, and a core theme having to do with water and Texas. However artists would like to explore and express this intersection is up to them. Serious investigations, avant-garde interpretations, and funny explorations are all accepted approaches to storytelling. Examples of films from past years show a vast range of ideas from a stop-motion animation depicting the effects of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to a short film from college students about water’s ability to help cure hangovers.

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Submissions to the festival are open through March 22. Tickets can be purchased on the festival’s website.