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The Austin Film Society (AFS) is a non-profit
film society A film society is a membership-based club where people can watch screenings of films which would otherwise not be shown in mainstream cinemas. In Spain, Ireland and Italy, they are known as "cineclubs", and in Germany they are known as "filmclubs" ...
based in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1985 to exhibit independent, experimental, foreign and various other non-mainstream art films, the film society has grown from just film exhibition to fostering independent filmmaking in Texas and has served as a cornerstone in building the film industry in Austin. The film society also owns and maintains Austin Studios, hosts the annual Texas Film Awards gala, and oversees the Austin Film Society grant program. The film society was founded by film director Richard Linklater, who currently serves on the board as artistic director. Other notable members on the board and advisory board include
Tim McCanlies Tim McCanlies (born 1953) is a film director and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing ''Secondhand Lions'', and for writing the screenplay for ''The Iron Giant''. Biography Tim McCanlies is a fifth-generation Texan, but rar ...
,
Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...
, Charles Burnett, Guillermo del Toro,
Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker. Beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film '' Caged Heat'', befo ...
,
Mike Judge Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director and musician. He is the creator of the animated television series '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' (1993–1997, 2011, 2022–present), and the co-cr ...
,
John Sayles John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, for '' Passion Fish'' (1992) and ' ...
, Steven Soderbergh,
Paul Stekler Paul J. Stekler (born January 3, 1953) is a political documentary filmmaker, a professor, and former Chair and head of the production program in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin College of Communication. ...
and Quentin Tarantino.


History

AFS was created in 1985 by film director Richard Linklater, cinematographer
Lee Daniel Lee Cavender Daniel (born January 23, 1962) is an American cinematographer. He was born in Dallas, Texas. His best known films are '' Boyhood'' and '' Dazed and Confused'', both directed by Richard Linklater. Daniel has worked on many of Linkla ...
, ''
Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...
'' editor and
South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, T ...
(SXSW) founder
Louis Black Louis Black is a co-founder of ''The Austin Chronicle'', an alternative weekly newspaper published in Austin, Texas, and was the newspaper's editor from its inception until his retirement on August 8, 2017. He has written over 600 articles in h ...
, University of Texas at Austin film professor Charles Ramirez-Berg and film programmer and professor Chale Nafus. Their original goal was to bring hard-to-find, sometimes obscure films for screening in Austin. Early screenings held in a makeshift projection room upstairs from a local coffee shop drew a moderate cult following. AFS eventually grew in scale and began developing various programs to boost film production and education. In 2000, with a unique partnership with the City of Austin, AFS created Austin Studios on a section of land from the former
Robert Mueller Municipal Airport Robert Mueller Municipal Airport (1930–1999, "Miller") was the first civilian airport built in Austin, Texas, United States. It was replaced as Greater Austin's main airport by the Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, which is located ...
. Former airplane hangars were converted into five studio production stages while several terminals were turned into production offices. Austin Film Society is currently located on the Austin Studios property, overseeing the daily operations of the studios, in addition to actively bringing in new film productions from small independent films to large studio pictures.


Leadership

* Rebecca Campbell - Chief Executive Officer * Austin Culp - Director of Marketing * Erica Deiparine-Sugars - Director of Programs * Laura Fleischauer - Director of Strategic Initiatives * Jesse Greendyk - Chief Development Officer * Holly Herrick - Head of Film & Creative Media * Martin Jones - Studio Director * Aaron Malzahn - Cinema Business & Technical Manager * Sarah Ann Mockbee - Chief Operating Officer Source:


Programming

Since its inception in 1985, the Austin Film Society has screened more than 2000 films. The 'Essential Cinema' series offers weekly screenings and range in monthly themes from director retrospectives, to regional or genre specific series. 'Doc Nights' is a monthly series which hosts groundbreaking documentaries usually with the filmmakers in attendance. AFS also has hosted the
Quentin Tarantino Film Festival The Quentin Tarantino Film Festival, or QT-Fest, was a semi-annual film and multimedia event held by the Austin Film Society in Austin, Texas and attended by film director Quentin Tarantino, where he screened a selection of his favorite films us ...
, where
Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensemble ...
spent over a week in Austin screening some of his favorite films from his private collection and sharing his unique encyclopedic knowledge of obscure films. The Tarantino Film Festival first began in 1996 as a 10-day event at the Dobie Theatre (at which Tarantino showcased his favorite "sleazy genre films"). AFS has also hosted numerous regional and world premieres of films including: ''
Sin City ''Sin City'' is a series of neo-noir comics by American comic book writer-artist Frank Miller. The first story originally appeared in '' Dark Horse Presents Fifth Anniversary Special'' (April 1991), and continued in ''Dark Horse Presents'' #51 ...
'', ''
Bad News Bears ''Bad News Bears'' is a 2005 American sports comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, written by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden, Sammi Kane Kraft and Jeffrey Tedmori. It is a r ...
'', '' School of Rock'', ''
The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl ''The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D'' (also known simply as ''The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl'', or often shortened to ''Sharkboy and Lavagirl''), is a 2005 American 3D superhero adventure film co-written and directed by Ro ...
'', ''
Jackie Brown ''Jackie Brown'' is a 1997 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, based on Elmore Leonard's 1992 novel ''Rum Punch.'' It stars Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, a flight attendant who is caught smuggling money. Samuel L. Jac ...
'', and various other films usually directed by Austinite filmmakers like Richard Linklater and
Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...
. The film society also hosts smaller screenings of independent films and rough cuts to private audiences at the AFS screening room. New artists services programs like the Docs-In-Progress series allow filmmakers to screen rough cuts to AFS members as a test audience. In 2005, the cast of '' The Real World Austin'' screened a rough cut of their SXSW documentary ''The Real SXSW''. In the spring of 2013, the Austin Film Society partnered with The Marchesa Hall & Theatre to create "AFS at the Marchesa," Austin's new home for classic, independent and art house film programming. The first Austin Film Society screening at AFS at the Marchesa was the 20th anniversary screening of '' Dazed and Confused''. Other screenings and series made possible by the partnership include Richard Linklater'
"Jewels in the Wasteland" series
the Old School Kung Fu Weekend, '' Matewan'' with
John Sayles John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, for '' Passion Fish'' (1992) and ' ...
in attendance, '' Eggshells'' with
Tobe Hooper Willard Tobe Hooper (; January 25, 1943 – August 26, 2017) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work in the horror genre. The British Film Institute cited Hooper as one of the most influential horror fi ...
in attendance,
Godard vs. Truffaut series
and more. In May 2016, Austin Film Society took over the lease of the space formerly called The Marchesa Hall & Theatre. The space was then renamed to the AFS Cinema.


AFS Cinema

After a significant renovation, AFS opened the AFS Cinema in spring of 2017 with two screens, a full bar and café, and an event hall available for rentals. AFS curates a wide selection of films for its signature programs at the cinema, including repertory series, new restorations, documentaries, independent films and premieres. Additionally, the AFS Cinema offers a full schedule of first run films, featuring the best in international and independent films new to theaters. Signature film programs are often accompanied by introductions by the film programmers or other special guests.


Austin Studios

Austin Studios Austin Studios is a film and video production facility with 10,000 square feet (1,000 m2) of production office space and over 100,000 square feet (10,000 m2) of production space established in 2000. The space includes five production stages conve ...
is a film and video production facility with of production office space and over of production space. The space includes five production stages converted from airplane hangars, two production office buildings, and numerous onsite vendors including Chapman/Leonard, Film Fleet, Gear, Miscellaneous Rentals, Great FX and Heartland Studio Equipment. Austin Studios is also home to the Austin Film Society breakroom and screening room with 35 mm, 16 mm and video projection capabilities. Various studio films shot at Austin Studios include: '' Miss Congeniality'', ''
The New Guy ''The New Guy'' is a 2002 American teen comedy film directed by Ed Decter, written by David Kendall and starring DJ Qualls and Eliza Dushku. The film tells the story of high school loser Dizzy Harrison (Qualls) who gets himself expelled so tha ...
'', '' The Rookie'', ''
The Life of David Gale ''The Life of David Gale'' is a 2003 dramatic crime thriller film directed by Alan Parker and written by Charles Randolph. The film is an international co-production, between the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. It was Parker's fin ...
'', ''
25th Hour ''25th Hour'' is a 2002 American drama film directed by Spike Lee and starring Edward Norton. Adapted by David Benioff from his own 2001 debut novel '' The 25th Hour'', it tells the story of a man's last 24 hours of freedom as he prepares to go ...
'', '' Texas Chainsaw Massacre'', ''
Secondhand Lions ''Secondhand Lions'' is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tim McCanlies. It tells the story of an introverted young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who is sent to live with his eccentric great uncles (Robert Duvall and Michael Ca ...
'', '' Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over'', '' Man of the House'', '' Friday Night Lights'', '' The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl'', ''
The Wendell Baker Story ''The Wendell Baker Story'' is a 2005 American comedy film directed by Luke Wilson and Andrew Wilson and starring Luke Wilson, Eva Mendes, Owen Wilson, Eddie Griffin, Kris Kristofferson, Harry Dean Stanton, Seymour Cassel, and Will Ferrell. It pr ...
'', ''
Idiocracy ''Idiocracy'' is a 2006 American science fiction comedy film directed by Mike Judge and co-written by Judge and Etan Cohen. Starring Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, and Terry Crews, the film tells the story of Corporal Joe Bauers (W ...
'', ''
A Scanner Darkly ''A Scanner Darkly'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, published in 1977. The semi- autobiographical story is set in a dystopian Orange County, California, in the then-future of June 1994, and includes an extensiv ...
'', ''
Infamous Infamous may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Infamous'' (2006 film), an American drama film * ''Infamous'' (2020 film), an American crime thriller film * "Infamous", an episode of ''Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinj ...
'', '' The Hitcher'', '' The Return'', '' Stop-Loss'', and '' Grindhouse''. Various TV shows, commercials and music videos have also been shot at the studios.
The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (keybo ...
video "Psychic Wall" from '' The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'' was shot in one of the stages and shows a behind the scenes look at the hangars. Austin Studios is also the former home to the Thunderdome, headquarters and skating facility of the Texas Rollergirls, as seen in the A&E reality series '' Rollergirls''. In November 2006, the city of Austin voted in favor of Proposition 4, which allotted a $5 million bond to improving Austin Studios. Planned renovations include soundproofing the stages, climate control, and improving the digital infrastructure of the facilities. The Austin Film Society recently sponsored the cast of '' The Real World Austin'' to produce a documentary on SXSW. In several episodes, AFS facilities and staff can be seen.


Austin Film Society Grant

The Austin Film Society Grant (AFS Grant) is a grant program for emerging Texas-based filmmakers. The program was created in 1996 in response to the lack of public grant funding for filmmakers. As of 2009, the film society has given out over $1,600,000 worth of grants to over 420 projects since its inception, providing the seed money for several projects that went on to screen at festivals like
Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada * Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated pla ...
,
Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...
, and
SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, T ...
. The Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund changed its name to the Austin Film Society Grant (AFS Grant) in the spring of 2013.


Texas Film Awards

The Austin Film Society hosts the Texas Film Awards, an annual awards gala inducting legends of cinema and television into the
Texas Film Hall of Fame The Texas Film Hall of Fame honors Texans who have made a significant contribution to film or filmmaking, as well as non-Texans who have made significant strides in the advancement of the Texan film industry. Classic Texas films are also honored, w ...
. The Texas Film Awards were founded in 2001 to honor the best in Texas film and to raise funds for the year-round programs and services of AFS. Each year, the event has grown to become the most glamorous night in Austin. Honorees have included Morgan Fairchild, Marcia Gay Harden, Matthew McConaughey, Billy Bob Thornton, Farrah Fawcett, Amber Heard, David Gordon Green, Horton Foote, Terrence Malick, Jack Valenti, Woody Harrelson and music acts such as the Dixie Chicks, ZZ Top and Lyle Lovett. Each year, the Awards also honor a film made in Texas. Past recipients include '' Dazed And Confused'', ''
From Dusk Till Dawn ''From Dusk till Dawn'' is a 1996 American action horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino from a concept and story by Robert Kurtzman. Starring Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Ernest Liu, an ...
'', '' Rio Bravo'', '' Rushmore'', ''
State Fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in t ...
'', '' Easy Rider'', '' Giant'' and '' The Last Picture Show''.


References

*


External links

{{Portal bar, Film, United States
The Austin Film Society

Austin Studios
Culture of Austin, Texas 1985 establishments in Texas Cinema of Texas