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In celebration of Slacker's 20th anniversary, local filmmakers are re-creating scenes from the Richard Linklater movie for Slacker 2011, a fundraising project benefitting the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. The trailer is now available. As we await the August 31 premiere, we're chatting with some of the filmmakers participating in one or more of the short films that will comprise the project.

Today's interview is with Bob Ray, director of Total Badass and Hell on Wheels. He notes that he repurposed people involved with those documentaries (and other of his past projects) for his Slacker 2011 scene: "Chad Holt [the subject of Total Badass] plays the Grocery Grabber in the Slacker 2011 opening scene and played a weed dealer in my first film, Rock Opera... Total Badass's Adam Reposa is in the Slacker scene. Sarah Kihls (aka Miss Conduct) was in Hell on Wheels and Michael Dalmon, of CrashToons's Platypus Rex and Apesh!T fame,...

Austin-based filmmaker Bob Ray is bringing a little bit of Texas — and a couple of his films — on the road with him for a raucous summer blast across the American west, and parts of Canada. Look for the Down & Dirty Austin Film Tour that’s being co-sponsored by SXSW, the Alamo Drafthouse and the Austin Film Society, when it slams into your town.

The tour is mostly in support of Ray’s recently-completed third feature-length film, Total Badass, which he will be screening, but also look to see his other films Hell on Wheels, Rock Opera and his CrashToons animated series. Total Badass is about a Texas raconteur who struggles to survive his last six months of felony probation and a major financial crisis amongst his estranged family.

Total Badass also happens to be a documentary and its “star,” Chad Holt will make a few special appearances with Ray for...

Date/Time:  Wednesday, May 19, 2010 - 9:30pm - 11:30pm Location:  Alamo Drafthouse -- Ritz More info:  Visit external web page.

Local filmmaker Bob Ray is premiering his latest film, Total Badass, on Wednesday night at Alamo Ritz. Ray, whom you might remember from his previous films Hell on Wheels (the rollerderby doc that played SXSW 2007) and Rock Opera, recently finished work on this feature-length documentary about Chad Holt, who is also scheduled to attend the screening.

I think I should let Ray describe the film in his own words (from his Facebook event page for the premiere):

"Total Badass blazes the true Texas tale of a hilarious, crazy-ass writer/publisher/singer/weed-dealer/sex addict/Guinea pig enthusiast/dad/pirate radio host/raconteur and general man-about-town as he rides out the last six months of felony probation and subsequently must change his ways when a financial crisis befalls his estranged family.

Bob Ray needs dough to fund his newest documentary Total Badass! Help an Austinite out and take a look at his Kickstarter campaign to donate!

Also, check out their fundraiser screening of the film, Thursday, March 18th at Alamo South Lamar. You can purchase tickets Here!

We celebrate a lot of things at the Alamo Drafthouse. Exploitation cinema, good food, great beer, dance parties, film festivals, but most importantly independent film. We’ve helped a lot of baby films (and I mean that in a very non-patronizing way – I’m talking “baby” versus “gigantor studio films”) get off the ground with screenings, and with our amazing customers and film-junkies spreading news via word-of-mouth. Right now, we’ve got a filmmaker that needs a boost so he can get his documentary off the ground, and we though you’d be the perfect audience to direct this call too.

Bob Ray is...