Latest / Austin Signal / UT Austin announces $750 million gift for new Dell Medical Center

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UT Austin announces $750 million gift for new Dell Medical Center · Austin Signal

• 0:08
  It's been almost two months since a
• 0:10
  deadly 6-3 shooting left multiple
• 0:11
  people dead, including one UT Austin
• 0:14
  student.
• 0:15
  Now a new scholarship to help
• 0:16
  underprivileged students advance
• 0:17
  their education has been created in
• 0:19
  honor of her life.
• 0:21
  We're going to hear more about her.
• 0:22
  And UT Austin has announced a new
• 0:24
  Dell Medical Center and Research
• 0:25
  Campus following a historic gift
• 0:27
  of three-quarters of a billion
• 0:29
  dollars.
• 0:30
  More about the announcement and the
• 0:32
  future location coming up on
• 0:33
  today's show.
• 0:34
  The Austin Signal is a production
• 0:36
  of KUT News, hosted by
• 0:38
  Jerry Quijano.
• 0:40
  Plus, the independent memetic
• 0:41
  or indie meme film festival
• 0:43
  is back for its 11th year.
• 0:46
  We're gonna chat with a couple of
• 0:47
  folks behind this year's fest about
• 0:49
  what's coming to town.
• 0:50
  You're gonna wanna hear that
• 0:51
  conversation.
• 0:52
  It's coming up next and it's
• 0:54
  right here on Austin
• 0:56
  Signal.
• 1:06
  Howdy out there, you are tuned in
• 1:08
  to Austin Signal coming to you from
• 1:10
  community powered public radio.
• 1:12
  This is KUT News.
• 1:14
  It is Tuesday, April 21st.
• 1:16
  I'm your host, Jerry Keehanwal.
• 1:18
  The National Weather Service has
• 1:20
  issued a flash flood warning for
• 1:21
  Williamson County that is in effect
• 1:23
  until 3 15 this afternoon.
• 1:26
  There's also a flood advisory, so
• 1:27
  keep your eyes peeled and as always
• 1:29
  have multiple ways to stay
• 1:31
  weather aware and keep it tuned
• 1:33
  here to KUT News.
• 1:35
  For the latest.
• 1:37
  Thank you for making us part of your
• 1:39
  day.
• 1:40
  The University of Texas' plans for
• 1:42
  a new hospital and research center
• 1:43
  on the UT campus are officially
• 1:45
  underway.
• 1:46
  The university announced the new
• 1:48
  name of the hospital, the UT Dell
• 1:50
  Medical Center, after a
• 1:52
  $750 million gift from the
• 1:54
  Michael and Susan Dell Foundation
• 1:55
  late last year.
• 1:57
  The Advanced Research Center is set
• 1:58
  to focus on clinical care and
• 2:00
  research with advanced computing and
• 2:02
  artificial intelligence too.
• 2:04
  For more about what this means for
• 2:05
  us here in the Austin area.
• 2:07
  We're speaking with Gabby Munoz,
• 2:08
  KUT's digital managing editor.
• 2:10
  Stepping in for health care reporter
• 2:12
  Olivia Aldridge, who is at the press
• 2:14
  conference right now.
• 2:15
  Gabby, thanks for being here.
• 2:16
  Thanks for having me.
• 2:17
  So there is already
• 2:19
  a Dell Medical Center on campus
• 2:21
  currently, correct?
• 2:23
  So it is a little bit confusing,
• 2:25
  kind of like our many moody venues
• 2:27
  here in Austin.
• 2:27
  Okay, okay. Well now I understand
• 2:28
  it, since you already mentioned that.
• 2:30
  Yeah, okay
• 2:30
  What currently exists is the medical
• 2:32
  school, the Dell Medical School,
• 2:34
  which was established in 2013 and
• 2:35
  it had its first class a few years
• 2:37
  later. That also received a
• 2:39
  multi-million dollar donation from
• 2:40
  the Dells 50 million back in 2013.
• 2:43
  What's currently in the works is a
• 2:45
  new hospital, which will be called
• 2:46
  the UT Dell Medical Center, as
• 2:49
  well as the UT dell campus for
• 2:50
  advanced research.
• 2:52
  And it was also announced this
• 2:53
  afternoon that UT will be making
• 2:54
  some renovations to Dobie Residence
• 2:56
  Hall and renaming it Dell House.
• 2:58
  Okay, so what is the vision
• 3:00
  that they have for this future
• 3:02
  medical and research center?
• 3:03
  They are really focusing on
• 3:05
  integrating modern technology, like
• 3:07
  advanced computing and artificial
• 3:08
  intelligence, in ways that will
• 3:10
  focus healthcare on prevention.
• 3:12
  Okay, well certainly lots that
• 3:14
  sticks out to me in this story, but
• 3:16
  the the amount of the gift that the
• 3:17
  dells gave Was huge 750
• 3:20
  million dollars.
• 3:21
  Can you tell us a little bit more about
• 3:22
  that gift?
• 3:22
  That's right, the $750 million
• 3:24
  donation makes the Dell's UT's first
• 3:26
  ever billion dollar donors.
• 3:29
  Wow, okay, that's a long
• 3:31
  list of donors, so that's quite
• 3:33
  the honor,
• 3:35
  I would say.
• 3:36
  Now this originally was supposed to
• 3:38
  be built here on the land that
• 3:40
  used to house the Irwin Center.
• 3:42
  That's not the case moving forward,
• 3:44
  correct?
• 3:44
  That's correct.
• 3:45
  It was originally planned for the
• 3:47
  Irwin Center site, but UT announced
• 3:48
  a couple of months ago that they
• 3:50
  thought growth would be limited at
• 3:51
  that site, so the medical center
• 3:53
  will be up in North Austin near the
• 3:55
  J.J. Pickle Research Campus.
• 3:56
  Okay, and MD Anderson Cancer
• 3:58
  Center, I believe they were part of
• 3:59
  this initial announcement.
• 4:00
  Are they still part of this
• 4:02
  announcement going forward?
• 4:03
  Yes, so MD Anderson will
• 4:05
  be integrated into the medical
• 4:07
  center, which will make that cancer
• 4:08
  care accessible to Austinites
• 4:10
  without having to make the trip to
• 4:11
  Houston.
• 4:12
  Okay, this is something that we have
• 4:13
  been talking about for a while here
• 4:15
  on Austin Signal, so with this
• 4:17
  announcement today, what does the
• 4:18
  timeline for this project look like
• 4:20
  now that, you know, like we
• 4:21
  officially have a name?
• 4:22
  What happens next?
• 4:24
  The medical center is set to break
• 4:25
  ground later this year, open in
• 4:27
  2030 and have its full programs open
• 4:29
  a couple of years later.
• 4:31
  Alrighty, we have been speaking with
• 4:33
  KUT's digital managing editor,
• 4:34
  Gabby Munoz. She has been stepping
• 4:36
  in for Olivia Aldridge,
• 4:38
  KUTs healthcare reporter, who
• 4:40
  is at the press conference right
• 4:41
  now. Excuse me, Olivia's gonna have
• 4:43
  more online at kut.org
• 4:46
  and on the KUT app.
• 4:47
  Gabby, thank you for stepping in.
• 4:58
  A new scholarship is being
• 4:59
  established at the University of
• 5:01
  Texas in honor of Savitha Shahn,
• 5:03
  a student who was one of the people
• 5:05
  killed in a gunfire attack on West
• 5:06
  6th Street earlier this year.
• 5:08
  QUT's Greta Diaz-Gonzalez-Vasquez
• 5:11
  has this remembrance.
• 5:14
  Bright and with a bubbly
• 5:15
  personality.
• 5:16
  That's how Savita Shatmuga Sundaram
• 5:18
  is described by her friends.
• 5:20
  She was someone that was just always
• 5:22
  intrinsically happy and
• 5:24
  made the most of everything.
• 5:26
  That's Harini Ram, one of Savita's
• 5:28
  college friends.
• 5:30
  Savita was born in Texas and raised
• 5:32
  in Austin.
• 5:33
  The 21-year-old was doing a double
• 5:34
  major at UT.
• 5:36
  Ram says there was never a
• 5:38
  dual moment with Savita.
• 5:39
  We've had so many adventures and
• 5:41
  I honestly think it's because of
• 5:43
  her. Ram says Savita was the glue
• 5:45
  of their group of friends.
• 5:46
  She pushed them to go out, travel,
• 5:48
  see the world.
• 5:50
  They went to New York and Puerto
• 5:51
  Rico together.
• 5:53
  Eshita Bangre, another one of her
• 5:54
  close friends, says she was capable
• 5:56
  and smart.
• 5:57
  On Savita's junior year, they were
• 5:59
  co-presidents of the Indian Student
• 6:01
  Association at UT.
• 6:02
  She would be the first person to be
• 6:04
  there and she was the most
• 6:05
  dependable, independent,
• 6:08
  hardworking, just, and she gave it
• 6:09
  her all.
• 6:10
  Ranga says Savitha was a
• 6:12
  great public speaker, but she also
• 6:14
  knew how to listen and comfort
• 6:16
  others.
• 6:17
  And I think she was
• 6:17
  like a great mentor in the sense
• 6:19
  that she would really put things
• 6:21
  into like perspective.
• 6:23
  More than giving advice and stuff,
• 6:24
  she was almost like a therapist to
• 6:26
  everyone.
• 6:26
  Savita's family often traveled to
• 6:28
  India.
• 6:29
  There, during her high school years,
• 6:31
  she taught English and gave
• 6:32
  motivational speeches about women
• 6:34
  empowerment.
• 6:35
  During the pandemic, while she was
• 6:37
  in high school, Savita started a
• 6:39
  sticker business on Etsy, then
• 6:41
  a YouTube channel with over 20,000
• 6:43
  followers and millions of views.
• 6:45
  I want to show you guys ways and
• 6:47
  give you ideas on how to be
• 6:48
  productive this summer If you're
• 6:50
  in desperate need and don't know how
• 6:52
  to take effective and I
• 6:53
  wanted to show you guys different
• 6:55
  ways to
• 6:56
  organize your school papers, your...
• 6:57
  Binders.
• 6:58
  Ram says Savita donated her earnings
• 7:00
  to education nonprofits.
• 7:02
  She was very passionate on
• 7:04
  closing the educational gaps in
• 7:06
  underprivileged communities.
• 7:08
  In college, Savita was involved in
• 7:10
  multiple student groups.
• 7:11
  She would organize and judge dance
• 7:13
  competitions with a group called Ras
• 7:15
  Rodeo.
• 7:16
  She was a member of the Indian
• 7:17
  Cultural Association.
• 7:19
  Savita also developed an AI tool
• 7:21
  to help students break out complex
• 7:23
  code, and she mentor younger
• 7:25
  students.
• 7:26
  She had a different way of
• 7:28
  helping out different people, if
• 7:29
  that makes sense.
• 7:30
  Helping people out was a family
• 7:32
  thing.
• 7:33
  When Savita was a teenager, a
• 7:34
  stranger paid for her family's meal
• 7:36
  at a restaurant.
• 7:37
  The stranger told them to pay it
• 7:39
  forward.
• 7:40
  Ram says Savita took it at heart.
• 7:43
  Which I think is like the best thing
• 7:44
  about her is that even though
• 7:46
  like she had such a busy schedule at
• 7:48
  everything, she was so like
• 7:50
  committed to just helping
• 7:52
  anyone out.
• 7:53
  And even with her busy schedule and
• 7:54
  multiple friend groups, Bangor says
• 7:56
  Savita would text her parents every
• 7:58
  day and meet them at least once
• 8:00
  a week.
• 8:01
  She was very, very close to
• 8:02
  them, and honestly, like,
• 8:04
  her mom and her were best friends.
• 8:07
  There was nothing they kept from
• 8:08
  each other, and it really shows in
• 8:10
  the way that, you know, she and
• 8:12
  her mom, you know, were like best friends, and she was like, I don't
• 8:12
  rocks with people.
• 8:13
  With her mom she would try new
• 8:14
  restaurants.
• 8:15
  With her dad they had a longtime
• 8:17
  tradition of grabbing coffee and
• 8:19
  talking about her future.
• 8:21
  Savita always dreamed of a future
• 8:23
  filled with adventure.
• 8:24
  She wanted to travel the world and
• 8:26
  see the seven wonders.
• 8:27
  So far she had seen four.
• 8:29
  She had a job lined up in San
• 8:31
  Francisco after graduation.
• 8:33
  She wanted to really be in a role
• 8:35
  that was meaningful to her and
• 8:37
  where she could actually make a
• 8:38
  difference.
• 8:38
  Bangor says, in the long run,
• 8:40
  Savita wanted to work helping out
• 8:42
  underprivileged students.
• 8:44
  She had a 15-year plan.
• 8:46
  But Savita's future was cut short.
• 8:49
  She was one of three people killed
• 8:50
  on March 1st when a gunman
• 8:52
  opened fire on Sixth Street.
• 9:00
  After her death, Savita's friends
• 9:02
  have become close to her parents.
• 9:05
  Bangra says they text almost every
• 9:06
  day and see each other once a week.
• 9:09
  Kind of makes us feel like
• 9:12
  Saevi's still here, listening to
• 9:14
  stories about her childhood
• 9:16
  and just being close to them
• 9:17
  is just a sense of,
• 9:19
  it's just like a sense warm, a sense
• 9:21
  comfort.
• 9:23
  Savitha was supposed to graduate in
• 9:25
  May.
• 9:25
  Instead, UT will give her a
• 9:27
  post-Mustua degree.
• 9:30
  To keep her legacy alive, her
• 9:31
  parents set up the Savithashan
• 9:33
  Endowment Scholarship at UT.
• 9:35
  The goal is to raise $500,000
• 9:37
  by the end of May.
• 9:39
  The university will match that
• 9:41
  amount for a total of $1 million.
• 9:43
  The scholarship will give financial
• 9:45
  help to as many as 10
• 9:47
  underprivileged students each year.
• 9:49
  Branger says the endowment
• 9:51
  embodies Savitha's mantra.
• 9:53
  Paying it forward.
• 9:54
  It's something so meaningful and
• 9:56
  she would have stood for this
• 9:58
  and it's something to remember
• 10:00
  her by for many many years
• 10:02
  and I know it's going to have a
• 10:03
  lasting impact.
• 10:06
  As for her absence in their lives,
• 10:08
  Ram says she's trying to live her
• 10:09
  life the way Savita would have done
• 10:11
  it.
• 10:11
  I remember she would always say
• 10:13
  like, we will never have
• 10:15
  this moment in time again, so like
• 10:17
  make the most of it.
• 10:18
  And I think after
• 10:20
  everything that happened,
• 10:23
  you know, I'm really taking
• 10:25
  that to heart.
• 10:28
  They also want to carry out
• 10:29
  Sabitha's legacy of paying it
• 10:31
  forward.
• 10:34
  I'm Greta Díaz González Vázquez
• 10:36
  in Austin.
• 10:43
  And we're gonna have more about this
• 10:44
  story in the show notes for today's
• 10:47
  podcast.
• 10:48
  And you can always find more from us
• 10:50
  at kut.org
• 10:52
  slash Signal.
• 10:54
  We are about to take a
• 10:56
  break and coming up after that
• 10:58
  break, we have an update on the
• 11:00
  Alex Jones versus the Onion
• 11:01
  situation.
• 11:02
  And we are talking with folks behind
• 11:04
  the Indie Meme Film Fest, which
• 11:06
  focuses on South Asian independent
• 11:08
  cinema. That's after the break here
• 11:09
  on Austin Signal.
• 11:10
  But before we let you go
• 11:13
  KUT reporters are continuing to
• 11:15
  work hard to tell the stories that
• 11:17
  matter to you, our listeners.
• 11:19
  Recently, here on Austin Signal, we
• 11:20
  had stories that focused on
• 11:23
  data centers and the city council
• 11:25
  and their ongoing budget situation.
• 11:28
  But that got us to thinking, what
• 11:29
  questions do you have about what's
• 11:31
  going on out at city council or
• 11:33
  with the city's budget or with data
• 11:35
  centers or pretty much anything
• 11:37
  that's going here in Austin or
• 11:39
  central Texas?
• 11:40
  We want to hear from you.
• 11:41
  Let us know, you can send an email
• 11:43
  at news at kut.org.
• 11:47
  And again, we're gonna have a link
• 11:47
  to that in the podcast
• 11:49
  show notes.
• 11:50
  We're gonna be back in just a
• 11:52
  moment. This is Austin Signal.
• 11:59
  Welcome back.
• 12:00
  This is Austin Signal.
• 12:01
  We're glad to be part of your rainy
• 12:03
  Tuesday.
• 12:05
  The satirical media outlet The Onion
• 12:07
  said Monday that it has finally
• 12:09
  acquired Alex Jones's Infowars
• 12:11
  platform.
• 12:13
  KUT's Andrew Weber has more
• 12:14
  about that story.
• 12:16
  The acquisition was part of the
• 12:17
  Austin-based conspiracy theorist's
• 12:19
  defamation lawsuit brought by
• 12:20
  families of the Sandy Hook shooting.
• 12:23
  Jones was ordered by a Travis County
• 12:24
  judge to liquidate his assets to
• 12:26
  pay more than a billion dollars in
• 12:28
  damages.
• 12:29
  About a year and a half ago, The
• 12:30
  Onion said it would take over the
• 12:31
  site and share profits with the
• 12:33
  Sandy hook families.
• 12:34
  Onion CEO Ben Collins says that's
• 12:36
  important for the families who are
• 12:38
  consistently harassed after Jones
• 12:40
  repeatedly called them crisis actors
• 12:42
  in the wake of the shooting that
• 12:43
  killed 20 school children.
• 12:45
  Collins said owning Infowars in
• 12:47
  the South Austin studio where it's
• 12:49
  broadcast is a symbolic victory
• 12:50
  for family.
• 12:51
  They can go in there whenever they
• 12:53
  want and you know put their feet up
• 12:55
  if they want. And that that is
• 12:57
  important to me and hopefully to
• 12:58
  them that they get to be able to do
• 13:00
  that and feel like
• 13:02
  what happened to them won't happen
• 13:04
  to anybody else.
• 13:05
  Jones pushed back on the acquisition
• 13:07
  on his show.
• 13:08
  A Travis County judge could finalize
• 13:10
  the handover after a hearing later
• 13:11
  this month.
• 13:12
  I'm Andrew Weber in Austin.
• 13:21
  Austin has no shortage of
• 13:23
  opportunities to explore niche and
• 13:25
  indie films, and this week film
• 13:27
  buffs can experience a slice of
• 13:29
  South Asian independent cinema at
• 13:30
  the Indie Meme Film Festival.
• 13:33
  Now in its eleventh year, the
• 13:34
  festival features screenings, Q&As
• 13:36
  with filmmakers, and lots of
• 13:38
  other events out at the Austin Film
• 13:40
  Society Cinema.
• 13:41
  Joining me now is Anaya Ravi,
• 13:43
  board president of the festival.
• 13:45
  Anaya, welcome.
• 13:46
  Thanks, Jerry. Good to be here.
• 13:47
  And also joining us today is
• 13:49
  Alka Banot, co-founder of
• 13:51
  the festival. Alka, good to speak
• 13:53
  with you.
• 13:53
  Thank you for having us.
• 13:55
  So let's start with you, Alka.
• 13:57
  The festival, again, is in its 11th
• 13:59
  year. Tell us a little bit about its
• 14:00
  beginnings.
• 14:02
  So Indie Meme was set up in 2013,
• 14:04
  it's been a while.
• 14:05
  The festival started in 2016.
• 14:08
  I think we started off as a
• 14:10
  South Asian film society
• 14:13
  and then quickly pivoted
• 14:15
  to the festival in addition to
• 14:17
  screening films through the year.
• 14:19
  And I think the festival has
• 14:21
  really grown organically with
• 14:23
  community support,
• 14:25
  with a lot of interest
• 14:27
  from the people for whom we do what
• 14:29
  we do.
• 14:30
  Also, the the
• 14:32
  content coming from South Asia has
• 14:34
  exploded and there are just
• 14:36
  such incredible films being made
• 14:38
  there that we realized that
• 14:40
  we had to expand our programming
• 14:42
  to kind of give a platform
• 14:44
  to more and more filmmakers and
• 14:45
  films and stories from that part of
• 14:47
  the world.
• 14:48
  And in addition to the film
• 14:49
  festival, we have consciously
• 14:51
  been adding and expanding.
• 14:53
  Other programs, we've done
• 14:55
  some Indie Meme
• 14:57
  Lit events, which is inviting
• 14:59
  authors to Austin, South
• 15:01
  Asian authors to Boston and doing
• 15:03
  some book readings.
• 15:05
  We've also had master classes with
• 15:06
  our international filmmakers in
• 15:08
  attendance.
• 15:10
  So we've started to
• 15:12
  also nurture and build a community
• 15:14
  of South Asian filmmakers right
• 15:16
  here in our backyard, so in Texas.
• 15:18
  And I think...
• 15:20
  It's just been a wild
• 15:22
  ride and Ananya has
• 15:24
  joined as the president of the
• 15:26
  board last year and has
• 15:28
  hit the ground running.
• 15:29
  She's been a volunteer and with the
• 15:31
  with the organization for almost 10
• 15:33
  years.
• 15:33
  I mean, Indium helped me find
• 15:35
  a community when I first moved to
• 15:37
  Austin eight years ago and it feels
• 15:39
  really special that I
• 15:41
  get to be here now talking to
• 15:43
  you about this latest edition
• 15:45
  of the festival which I think
• 15:47
  people will be really excited about.
• 15:49
  What sort of community have you
• 15:50
  found that's been fostered at the
• 15:52
  Indie Meme Film Fest?
• 15:54
  So I think what
• 15:56
  we all say as a
• 15:58
  team at Indie Meme is that people
• 16:00
  come for the movies and the
• 16:01
  filmmakers and the creativity
• 16:03
  and the art and stay for the
• 16:05
  community because I think that's a
• 16:07
  really engaged and
• 16:09
  involved community.
• 16:11
  It is very exciting.
• 16:12
  You can actually participate as much
• 16:14
  or as less as you want.
• 16:15
  You could be a listener to all these
• 16:16
  amazing conversations or you can
• 16:18
  actually initiate them.
• 16:20
  And we have the best parties.
• 16:22
  Yeah, and I know you have lots of
• 16:24
  exciting things that you want to
• 16:25
  share about the festival.
• 16:26
  Before we move forward, though, I
• 16:27
  wanted to ask about the name Indie
• 16:29
  Meme, like Meme has taken on an
• 16:30
  entirely new meaning, I'd say, over
• 16:32
  the last decade or so.
• 16:34
  What is the name? What are the
• 16:35
  origins of the name Indie Meme?
• 16:37
  So when I had decided
• 16:39
  to set up an organization to do
• 16:41
  what we wanted to do,
• 16:43
  I wanted to call it Indie Me,
• 16:45
  but that was taken.
• 16:49
  But Indie Meme seemed perfect
• 16:52
  at that point, because
• 16:54
  the word has actually taken
• 16:56
  on a life of its own over the
• 16:58
  last 15 years.
• 17:01
  At that point, it really was
• 17:03
  the beginnings of
• 17:05
  that understanding.
• 17:07
  And it was about spreading something
• 17:09
  like Wi-Fi without
• 17:11
  any big formal
• 17:13
  marketing push behind it.
• 17:16
  And we didn't have any money.
• 17:17
  We didn't know anybody.
• 17:18
  So it was really about, oh, come see
• 17:20
  this. And do you like it?
• 17:21
  Will you please tell your friends?
• 17:22
  And that's really how we grew.
• 17:25
  And indie is like short for
• 17:26
  independent.
• 17:27
  So I think indie meme.
• 17:30
  Also gives us that incredible
• 17:32
  space to be whatever we want
• 17:34
  to be, not necessarily only
• 17:36
  film, but it can be cultural
• 17:38
  arts, which is what Indy Mium is
• 17:40
  today, really, a cultural arts
• 17:41
  organization in Austin.
• 17:44
  So, Ananya, can you tell us about
• 17:45
  some of the films at this year's
• 17:46
  festival, and are there any
• 17:48
  particular themes that the films
• 17:49
  focus on?
• 17:51
  Yeah, so the theme for the
• 17:53
  festival is Pushing Boundaries
• 17:54
  because we have four documentaries
• 17:56
  and six narratives and they
• 17:58
  kind of span all
• 18:00
  the kinds of things. I think there's
• 18:01
  something for everybody with
• 18:03
  this festival.
• 18:04
  So we're starting with edgy
• 18:06
  films like Shurquah and F Toys,
• 18:09
  both of which are amazing.
• 18:10
  Both are dystopian but very
• 18:11
  different types of dystopia.
• 18:13
  There are also films that
• 18:15
  kind of go further west
• 18:17
  than we have before with
• 18:19
  with letters from Wall Street.
• 18:20
  Polish documentary,
• 18:22
  and Cycle of Love, which is a
• 18:24
  documentary about a man cycles from
• 18:27
  Delhi to Sweden for the love of his
• 18:28
  life, and both he and his wife are
• 18:30
  going to be there.
• 18:31
  And we're also touching on
• 18:33
  just family bonds and relationships
• 18:35
  with our opening night from Shape of
• 18:37
  Momo and Vimokht, which was
• 18:39
  our kickoff.
• 18:40
  And let Alka talk about giving.
• 18:42
  Yeah, no, I mean,
• 18:44
  I love all the films in the
• 18:46
  festival, of course, but I
• 18:48
  think people should give it a shot.
• 18:52
  But I think that people should
• 18:54
  give a shot to our closing
• 18:56
  night film, which is Give It a Shot,
• 18:58
  which has been directed by Vishali
• 19:00
  Sinha. She's a New York based
• 19:02
  filmmaker. We've had her film Ask
• 19:03
  the Sexpert at the first festival in
• 19:05
  2017, so it's great to have him
• 19:07
  back. And give it a shot talks about
• 19:09
  a reversible male contraceptive
• 19:11
  which has been researched and
• 19:14
  trials have been done in India by
• 19:15
  Dr. Guha, who's a researcher
• 19:17
  and scientist in India.
• 19:18
  So I think it's gonna be a really
• 19:20
  exciting conversation
• 19:21
  post-screening, we would love for
• 19:22
  the theater to be full
• 19:25
  and just, you know,
• 19:27
  happy to be putting on
• 19:29
  the 11th edition of this festival.
• 19:31
  Okay, well this is the eleventh year
• 19:33
  of the festival.
• 19:34
  I know there's lots of exciting
• 19:36
  films you're gonna be sharing.
• 19:37
  Is there anything new that you're
• 19:38
  gonna be doing this year?
• 19:39
  Yes, so I'd
• 19:41
  mentioned about the Texas-based
• 19:45
  South Asian film community that we
• 19:47
  really want to encourage and
• 19:48
  support. So I think extending
• 19:50
  that this year we are organizing
• 19:52
  the first Indie Meme Industry
• 19:54
  Mixer and the hope is
• 19:56
  for us to connect the
• 19:58
  local talent with the visiting South
• 20:01
  Asian Indie-Meme filmmakers,
• 20:03
  international as well as national
• 20:05
  filmmakers.
• 20:06
  With our
• 20:08
  ecosystem in Austin
• 20:10
  and the incredible, thriving
• 20:12
  film industry that we
• 20:14
  have.
• 20:15
  So it's our first step,
• 20:18
  and we're gonna have two
• 20:20
  panels. We're gonna Elizabeth Avion
• 20:21
  as our keynote speaker.
• 20:24
  We're going to be providing
• 20:26
  resources to
• 20:27
  our filmmakers in Austin,
• 20:30
  Texas, as well as the visiting
• 20:31
  filmmakers about...
• 20:33
  Film incentives in
• 20:35
  Texas now, and all
• 20:37
  other facilities that they could
• 20:38
  get, and resources and grants
• 20:40
  and things like that.
• 20:41
  So we're excited about starting
• 20:43
  something new this year, and we
• 20:44
  hope to build on it in future years.
• 20:47
  Very cool. Where can listeners find
• 20:48
  more about like show times and
• 20:50
  tickets? Where can they find more
• 20:51
  information?
• 20:52
  IndieMeme.org
• 20:57
  Well, the Indie Meme Film Festival
• 20:59
  starts tomorrow and runs through
• 21:00
  Sunday at AFS Cinema.
• 21:02
  We've been speaking with the
• 21:03
  festival's board president, Ananya
• 21:05
  Ravi, as well as co-founder Alka
• 21:07
  Banone. Thank you both.
• 21:09
  Thanks, Jerry.
• 21:11
  And you'll be able to hear more from
• 21:13
  Anaya Ravi, plus many more
• 21:15
  artists, local leaders, and
• 21:17
  our very own KUT reporters out
• 21:19
  at our inaugural KUT
• 21:21
  Fest. It is coming up quickly
• 21:23
  around the corner on May
• 21:25
  1st and 2nd, and it's happening
• 21:27
  right here on the UT Austin campus.
• 21:29
  Earlier in the show, we name dropped
• 21:30
  KUT's Olivia Aldridge.
• 21:32
  She's gonna be moderating the panel,
• 21:34
  Mining the Gaps in Healthcare.
• 21:36
  That is on Friday morning.
• 21:37
  That panel is free and open to
• 21:39
  the public. And if you dig films,
• 21:41
  I'm going to be moderating a panel
• 21:43
  called Roll Credits, focusing on
• 21:45
  how Austin and Texas became go-to
• 21:47
  locations for major
• 21:49
  film and TV productions.
• 21:51
  There is a whole lot more going on
• 21:53
  at the KUT Fest.
• 21:55
  There's KUT for Kids.
• 21:56
  We're going to have music
• 21:57
  performances.
• 21:58
  So much more happening out there.
• 22:00
  So check it out. You can get your
• 22:02
  tickets now at KUT.org.
• 22:05
  Well that is it for today's show.
• 22:07
  A reminder.
• 22:08
  The National Weather Service has
• 22:10
  issued a flash flood warning for
• 22:12
  Williamson County.
• 22:13
  That is in effect until 3 15
• 22:15
  this afternoon.
• 22:16
  So have multiple ways to
• 22:18
  stay weather aware and keep
• 22:20
  it tuned in to KUT for
• 22:22
  the latest.
• 22:23
  We're going to have links to the
• 22:24
  stories that we shared in today's
• 22:26
  show, in the podcast Show Notes.
• 22:28
  And you can always find more from us
• 22:30
  at kut.org
• 22:33
  slash signal.
• 22:35
  Renee Chavez directed today's Show,
• 22:36
  Alexa Hart produced the show, and
• 22:38
  Kristin Cabrera is our managing
• 22:40
  producer. I'm your host, Jerry
• 22:42
  Kehannel.
• 22:43
  Again, if you have anything that you
• 22:44
  want us to know about, you can email
• 22:46
  us, news at k-u-t
• 22:49
  dot org.
• 22:50
  We're going to be back at the same
• 22:51
  time tomorrow.
• 22:52
  We'll talk to you then.