Austin360 blogs > Austin Movie Blog > Archives > 2009 > February > 17 > Entry
Oscar, meet Austin
Austin’s enjoyed a modest share of Oscar admiration in the past. Springing to memory are nominations for Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy’s “Before Sunset” screenplay in 2005, Michael Corenblith’s art direction and set decoration for “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” in 2001 and Terrence Malick’s direction for “The Thin Red Line” in 1999.
Local ties are more tangential this year, but it’s worth recognizing our homegrown participants at the annual fete.
Austin filmmaker PJ Raval is the cinematographer for best documentary nominee “Trouble the Water,” a personal, flood-level portrait of Hurricane Katrina and its victims. The movie won the Documentary Grand Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008.
“I’m especially proud of the film and I hope all this recognition encourages more people to see it and learn from (the subjects’) incredible story,” Raval says. “I hope it inspires viewers to remember those in New Orleans and filmmakers to keep telling stories that need to be told.”
Austinite Mikail Davenport is featured in “The Final Inch,” which is nominated for best documentary short. The film by Irene Taylor Brodsky traces the ongoing global war against polio in developing nations.
Davenport, who contracted polio at age 2, says he occupies about five minutes of the 38-minute movie, but you can watch more scenes featuring him HERE.
Davenport, a Web, print and graphic designer and ordained interfaith minister, will be at Sunday’s Oscar show, thanks to the generosity of the filmmakers. He’s not sure about his seats, because he will be sitting in a wheelchair.
“I’ll be the short good-looking guy,” Davenport quips.
“The Final Inch” will air on HBO this spring.
Davenport in ‘Final Inch’
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