Interview:
Casey Baron,
director of programming,
Tim Gray,
film competition director,
Austin Film Festival
The 28th annual Austin Film Festival will be held both in person at various local venues as well as virtually from Oct. 21- 28. The live event opens Oct. 21 with director Peter Hedge’s COVID-19 drama The Same Storm and closes Oct. 28 with Pablo Larraín’s Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana. Other notable films include C’mon C’mon, The French Dispatch, The Humans, Jockey, Petite Maman, The Souvenir: Part II, and The Worst Person in the World. Films with Austin ties include Addict Named Hal, Buck Alamo, The Commissioner of Power, The One You’re With, and Ranch Water. Films with Texas ties include Acid Test, The Big Bend, Cusp, and Swamp Lion. The festival also includes sidebars devoted to comedies, horror, and documentaries as well as 18 short film programs. Festival attendees must provide proof of a complete vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of picking up festival credentials, and must wear masks when not eating or drinking during indoor events. In addition, certain festival venues—such as the Paramount and Stateside Theaters—will require attendees to observe their COVID-19 policies. Competition titles screened during the live event will be available for on-demand viewing from Oct. 21-28. The Writers Conference will be held Oct. 21-24, with the festival honoring The Queen’s Gambit co-creator/director Scott Frank with the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting, Hustle & Flow and Beyond the Lights producer Stephanie Allain with the Polly Platt Award for Producing, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Parks and Recreation co-creator Michael Schur with the Outstanding Television Writer Award, and Miss Juneteenth writer/director Channing Godfrey Peoples with the New Voice Award. Frank also will host a screening of the Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski, Allain and director Craig Brewer will attend a screening of Hustle & Flow with, and Schur and cast member Nick Offerman will screen two episodes of Parks and Recreation. A wide selection of the Writers Conference’s one-on-one conversations, on-writing discussions, and panels will be available for on-demand viewing from Oct. 21-24. Aired: Oct. 14, 2021. Web site: http://www.austinfilmfestival.com/ https://austinfilmfestival.eventive.org/welcome |
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