AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FULL FILM AND CONFERENCE SCHEDULE, INCLUDING THE 2024 BILL WITTLIFF AWARD FOR SCREENWRITING RECIPIENT ROBIN SWICORD AND CENTERPIECE FILM THE ORDER
AFF is set to premiere THE ORDER, THE BRUTALIST and SEPTEMBER 5
Austin, TX (September 24, 2024) – Austin Film Festival (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing writer’s and filmmaker’s contributions to film, television, and new media, has announced its entire 2024 program, taking place Thursday, October 24 – Thursday, October 31.
AFF is thrilled to present a diverse lineup of films for the 31st Festival. Exciting new World Premieres include the paranoia-thriller Crossword; folk-horror The Fetch starring Robert Longstreet; and ensemble conspiracy-comedy Operation Taco Gary’s starring Simon Rex, Dustin Milligan, Jason Biggs, and Brenda Song. North American and US premieres include the documentary *smiles and kisses you*, about a man and his AI-sex doll girlfriend; In Vitro, an Australian sci-fi thriller investigating the ethics of animal breeding; and Phantoms of the Sierra Madre, an inquisitive documentary questioning the nature of the form as it follows a Norwegian writer retracing the footsteps of his childhood hero.
Additional programming includes Centerpiece Film The Order with writer Zach Baylin and star Tye Sheridan in attendance; the Texas premiere of A24’s historical epic The Brutalist; a 25th Anniversary screening of Go presented by John August and The Simpsons showrunner Matt Selman; Paramount Pictures’ buzzy awards title September 5, starring Peter Sarsgaard and John Magaro; and a specialty screening of Pixar’s brand new series Dream Productions, a spin-off of the Inside Out franchise of films.
Films will be premiering alongside AFF’s Annual Writers Conference, featuring awardees and panelists across all sectors of the industry. Robin Swicord will receive the 2024 Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting, previously accepted by Eric Roth (2012), Callie Khouri (2013), Nancy Meyers (2016), and Kenneth Lonergan (2017), among many others.
Robin Swicord is primarily known for her work as a screenwriter for Memoirs Of A Geisha (Satellite Award for best screenplay); the 1994 Little Women (Writers Guild award nomination, Satellite award); Matilda (with her husband Nicholas Kazan); and the cult comedy Shag; The Perez Family; Practical Magic. In 2009 Swicord received an Oscar nomination for her contribution to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a project Swicord originated and worked on for more than a decade. Swicord made her feature-directing debut with Sony Classic’s The Jane Austen Book Club, produced by Julie Lynn and John Calley, for which Swicord also wrote the screenplay adaptation. She also wrote and directed Wakefield, for Bryan Cranston and Jennifer Garner, which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival. As both writer and co-Executive Producer, Swicord collaborated with Ava DuVernay on DuVernay’s five-part miniseries, When They See Us, for Netflix.
Swicord served for seven years as a Governor for the Writers Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. She mentors for the Sundance Screenwriting lab and Film Independent’s creative labs. She is an honorary professor at the Munich film school, HFF, where Swicord teaches an annual 10-day screenwriting workshop that focuses on narrative and the elements of drama.
Previously announced awardees include Kathleen Kennedy (Polly Platt Award for Producing), Ronald D. Moore (Outstanding Television Writer Award), Justin Marks (Writer’s Writer Award), and Rachel Kondo (New Voice Award).
AFF is also announcing Tom Segura to attend the Writers Conference to discuss the state of the comedy industry, and Justin Kurtikzes to discuss the cultural phenomenon, Challengers. Previously announced panelists include Rian Johnson, Craig Mazin, Tanya Saracho, Meg LeFauve, Julie Plec, Marissa Jo Cerar, Juel Taylor, and Glen Basner.
Find out more about AFF’s 2024 feature slate or see the entire schedule below.
MARQUEE FILMS
A Real Pain – USA
Writer/Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes
Bird – Ireland
Writer/Director: Andrea Arnold
Cast: Nykiya Adams, Franz Rogowski, Barry Keoghan, Jason Buda
Black Dog – China
Writers: Guan Hu, Ge Rui, Wu Bing
Director: Guan Hu
Cast: Eddie Peng, Tong Liya, Jia Zhangke, Zhang Yi, Zhou You
Blitz – UK
Writer/Director: Steve McQueen
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Paul Weller, Elliott Heffernan, Harris Dickinson
Born For You – Italy
Writers: Furio Andreotti, Giulia Calenda, and Fabio Mollo
Director: Fabio Mollo
Cast: Pierluigi Gigante, Teresa Saponangelo, Barbora Bobulova, Alessandro Piavani
Dream Productions – USA
Writer/Director: Mike Jones
Cast: Paula Pell, Richard Ayoade, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Ally Maki, Kensington Tallman, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith
In Attendance: Mike Jones, Sanjay Shah
I’m Still Here – Brazil
Writers: Murilo Hauser, Heitor Lorega
Based on the book by: Marcelo Rubens Paiva
Director: Walter Salles
Cast: Fernanda Torres, Selton Mello, Fernanda Montenegro
Lake George – USA
Writer/Director: Jeffrey Reiner
Cast: Shea Whigham, Carrie Coon, Glenn Fleshler, Max Casella
In Attendance: Jeffrey Reiner
Maria – USA
Writer: Steven Knight
Director: Pablo Larraín
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alba Rohrwacher, Pierfrancesco Favino, Valeria Golino
Nickel Boys – USA
Writers: RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes
Director: RaMell Ross
Cast: Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Daveed Diggs, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
Nightbitch – USA
Writer/Director: Marielle Heller
Based on the novel by: Rachel Yoder
Cast: Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy, Arleigh Patrick Snowden, Emmett James Snowden, Zoë Chao, Mary Holland, Archana Rajan, Jessica Harper
Ravens – France/Japan/Belgium/Spain
Writer/Director: Mark Gill
Cast: Tadanobu Asano, Kumi Takiuchi, Sôsuke Ikematsu, Kanji Furutachi
In Attendance: Mark Gill, Tadanobu Asano
WORLD PREMIERE
Santosh – India
Writer/Director: Sandhya Suri
Cast: Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar
September 5 – USA
Writers: Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum
Director: Tim Fehlbaum
Cast: Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch
The Brutalist – USA/UK/Hungary
Writers: Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
Director: Brady Corbet
Cast: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
The Kingdom – Corsica
Writers: Julien Colonna, Jeanne Herry
Director: Julien Colonna
Cast: Ghjuvanna Benedetti, Saveriu Santucci, Anthony Morganti, Andrea Cossu, Frédéric Poggi, Régis Gomez, and Eric Ettori
The Knife – USA
Writers: Nnamdi Asomugha, Mark Duplass
Director: Nnamdi Asomugha
Cast: Nnamdi Asomugha, Aja Naomi King, Melissa Leo, Aiden Gabrielle Price
The Order –USA
Writer: Zach Baylin
Director: Justin Kurzel
Cast: Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Jurnee Smollett, Alison Oliver and Marc Maron
In Attendance: Zach Baylin, Tye Sheridan
CENTERPIECE FILM
The Piano Lesson – USA
Writers: Malcolm Washington, Virgil Williams
Director: Malcolm Washington
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, Ray Fisher, Corey Hawkins, Erykah Badu
In Attendance: Virgil Williams
OPENING NIGHT FILM
The Room Next Door –USA
Writer/Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Cast: Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton
Unstoppable – USA
Writers: John Hindman, Eric Champnella, Alex Harris
Director: William Goldenberg
Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale, Don Cheadle
Retrospectives
Being There – USA – 45th Anniversary
Writers: Jerzy Kosinski, Robert C. Jones
Director: Hal Ashby
Cast: Peter Sellers, Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, Jack Warden, Richard Dysart
Presented by: Noah Harpster & Micah Fitzerman-Blue
Go – USA – 25th Anniversary
Writer: John August
Director: Doug Liman
Cast: Desmond Askew, Katie Holmes, Sarah Polley, Taye Diggs, Scott Wolf
Presented by: John August and Matt Selman
Dirty Harry – USA
Writer: Harry Julian Fink, Rita M. Fink, Dean Riesner
Director: Don Siegel
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Andy Robinson, Harry Guardino, John Mitchum, Mae Mercer
Presented by Shane Black
Narrative Features presented by Big Indie Pictures
Adjunct – USA
Writer/Director: Ron Najor
Cast: Ron Najor, Kristin Erickson, Ross Turner, Nikohl Boosheri
Audrey’s Children – USA
Writer: Julia Fisher Farbman
Director: Ami Canaan Mann
Cast: Natalie Dormer, Jimmi Simpson, Clancy Brown, Brandon Micheal Hall
Color Book – USA
Writer/Director: David Fortune
Cast: Will Catlett, Jeremiah Daniels, Brandee Evans, Terri J. Vaughn
Crossword – USA
Writer: Kyle Anderson, Michael Vlamis
Director: Michael Vlamis
Cast: Aurora Perrineau, Michael Vlamis, Harvey Guillén, Nick Thune
WORLD PREMIERE
Green and Gold – USA
Writer: Anders Lindwall, Steven Shafer, Michael Graf, Missy Mareau Garcia
Director: Anders Lindwall
Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Brandon Sklenar, M Emmet Walsh, Madison Lawlor
La Gloria – USA
Writer: J. T. Walker, Christopher Young
Director: J. T. Walker
Cast: David Morse, Jaklyn Bejarano, Bill Heck
WORLD PREMIERE
Life’s A Bitch – Belgium
Writer/Director: Xavier Seron
Cast: Jean-Jacques Rausin, Mara Taquin, Arieh Worthalter, Louise Manteau
Silent Notes – USA
Writer: Toni Comas, Anna Franquesa Solano, & Jason Furlani
Director: Toni Comas
Cast: Daniel Durant, Matt Riker, Theodore Bouloukos, Jason Furlani
WORLD PREMIERE
The Thawing of Ice – Canada
Writers: Sarah Lévesque, François Péloquin
Director: François Péloquin
Cast: Christine Beaulieu, Lothaire Bluteau, Marc Béland, Étienne Lou
USA PREMIERE
The Wise Guy – Ireland
Writer/Director: Sam O’Mahony
Cast: Senan Jennings, Darrell D’Silva
To Kill A Wolf – USA
Writer/Director: Kelsey Taylor
Cast: Maddison Brown, Ivan Martin, Michael Esper, Katilin Doubleday
Young King – USA
Writer/Director: Bryant T. Griffin
Cast: Vincent Washington, Tarra Riggs, Kirby Griffin, Vaughn Wilkinson
Dark Matters Feature Presented by Vertigo Entertainment
Ba – USA
Writer/Director: Benjamin Wong
Cast: Lawrence Kao, Kai Cech, Michael Paul Chan, Brian Thompson
In Vitro – Australia
Writers: Tom McKeith, Talia Zucker, Will Howarth
Directors: Tom McKeith, Will Howarth
Cast: Talia Zucker, Will Howarth, Ashley Zukerman
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Shaman – Ecuador
Writer: Daniel Negret
Director: Antonio Negret
Cast: Sara Canning, Daniel Gillies, Jett Klyne, Humberto Morales
WORLD PREMIERE
The Beldham – USA
Writer/Director: Angela Gulner
Cast: Patricia Heaton, Katie Parker, Emma Fitzpatrick, Corbin Bernsen
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
The Fetch – USA
Writers: J.C. Doler, Paul Petersen
Director: J.C. Doler
Cast: Robert Longstreet, Aleksa Palladino, Logan Donovan, Shannon Cochran
WORLD PREMIERE
Tummy Monster – UK
Writer: Ciaran Lyons, Lorn Macdonald, Orlando Norman
Director: Ciaran Lyons
Cast: Lorn Macdonald, Orlando Norman, Michael Akinsulire
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Comedy Vanguard Feature
I Hate Myself and Want to Die – USA
Writer/Director: J. Davis
Cast: Mike Castle, Ali Gallo, Andre Hyland, Meredith Salenger, Leonora Pitts
WORLD PREMIERE
Lady Parts – USA
Writer: Bonnie Gross
Director: Nancy Boyd
Cast: Valentina Tammaro, Amy Lyndon, Peter Larney, Lars Midthun
Operation Taco Gary’s – USA
Writer/Director: Michael Kvamme
Cast: Simon Rex, Dustin Milligan, Jason Biggs, Brenda Song, Arturo Castro, Tony Cavalero, Doug Jones
WORLD PREMIERE
Party People – USA
Writer: Lindsey Robertson
Director: Joey LePage
Cast: Matthew Daddario, Elisha Henig, George Basil, Samuel Davis, Shonagh Smith, Gustavo Gomez, Missy Malek, Luxy Banner, Dale Watson, Conrad Vernon
WORLD PREMIERE
Raging Midlife – USA
Writers: Nic Costa, Rob Taylor
Director: Rob Taylor
Cast: Paula Abdul, Eddie Griffin, Walter Koenig, Judy Levitt, Nic Costa, Matt Zak, Darrielle Mason, Bryna Smith, Emily Sweet, Rob Taylor
WORLD PREMIERE
Sisters – USA
Writer/Director: Susie Yankou
Cast: Susie Yankou, Sarah Khasrovi, Kausar Mohammed, Anna Garcia
USA PREMIERE
The Perfect Club – Mexico
Writer/Director: Ricardo Castro
Cast: Rodrigo Munguía, Gabriel Fritsch, Andrea Tova, Daniela Martínez
WORLD PREMIERE
Time Travel is Dangerous – UK
Writers: Chris Reading, Anna-Elizabeth Shakespeare, Hillary Shakespeare
Director: Chris Reading
Cast: Johnny Vegas, Sophie Thompson, Jane Horrocks, Stephen Fry
WORLD PREMIERE
Documentary Feature
Artifact War – USA
Directors: Evan Carpenter, Jacob Schwarz
Cast: Amr Al Azm, Katie Paul
WORLD PREMIERE
Champions of the Golden Valley – USA
Director: Ben Sturgulewski
Cast: Sayed Alishah Farhang, Mujtaba Hussaini, Hussain Ali Nazari
Deaf Santa Claus – USA
Directors: Ben Shelton, Anthony Mowl
Cast: Charles William Graves, Kari Graves, Kalei Graves
WORLD PREMIERE
Desert Angel – USA
Director: Vincent DeLuca
WORLD PREMIERE
Norita – USA
Directors: Jayson McNamara, Andrea Tortonese
Cast: Nora Cortiñas, Nora Strejilevich, Ana María Careaga, Antonia Canizo
Phantoms of the Sierra Madre – Norway
Writer: Lars Kristian Andersen
Director: Håvard Bustnes
Cast: Lars K. Andersen, Pius LaCroix-Garcia, Helge Ingstad, Robert Geronimo
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
*smiles and kisses you* – USA
Director: Bryan Carberry
USA PREMIERE
The Prison Show – USA/France
Director: Gabriella Kessler
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Texas Independent Feature
American Spirit – USA
Writer/Director: Christopher Yates
Cast: Yasmeen Fletcher, Cooper Roth, Mackinlee Waddell, Todd Terry
WORLD PREMIERE
SUBTOPIA: The Story of Hueco Canyon – USA
Writers: Clifford Wildman, Luis Caffesse, Lowell Bartholomee, Hilah Johnson, Ellie McBride, Ken Edwards, Liz Fisher, Lana Dieterich
Directors: Clifford Wildman, Luis Caffesse
Cast: Lowell Bartholomee, Hilah Johnson, Ellie McBride, Ken Edwards, Liz Fisher
WORLD PREMIERE
Texas Cult House – USA
Writers: Julia Barnett, Zachary Raber
Director: Julia Barnett
Cast: Adrianne Palicki, Ryan Cooper, Julius Royale, Lydia Tracy
WORLD PREMIERE
The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia – USA
Writers: Chris Beier, Daniel Wolfman
Director: Chris Beier
Cast: Jo Schaeffer, Sam Stinson, Holt Boggs, Adriana Ducassi
WORLD PREMIERE
The Stones Are Speaking – USA
Writer/Director: Olive Talley
Cast: Michael B. Collins
WORLD PREMIERE
Press accreditation is now open through October 8, 2024. Press can apply at austinfilmfestival.com/contact/press-inquiries
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