Austin Film Festival is proud to announce a lineup of WORLD PREMIERES at its 31st season. Today we’ll be looking at the narrative feature American Spirit written and directed by Christopher Yates.
American Spirit
(USA, 108 MIN)
Writer/Director: Christopher Yates
Cast: Yasmeen Fletcher, Cooper Roth, Mackinlee Waddell, Todd Terry
After a party gone awry, Melody wants nothing more than a pack of cigarettes. What was meant to be a quick stop on her way home turns into anything but after a chance encounter with her high-school boyfriend, Jonathan. Over the course of a single night, the pair are forced to ask what went so wrong with their relationship and what would happen if they tried again.
Screening Times
Keep reading for Christopher’s full interview.
AFF Writer/Director Bio: Tell us a bit about yourself.
Christopher Yates is a 26-year-old writer, producer, and director based out of Austin, Texas. After growing up in Tucson, Arizona, he attended the University of Texas at Austin and today runs production company, Fridge Poet Pictures with friend and producing partner, Sabrina Zahir.
AFF: What are some universal themes we can expect from your film?
Love and loss, the roles we play in the narratives of others, the faults we carry unrealized, and the inescapable influence of our relationships on who we are and become.
AFF: How did you and your team react to being accepted to AFF?
We were thrilled. I was in New York at the time working on my next script and got the chance to call each member of our team one-by-one. It was an emotional call each time,and we all couldn’t be more thrilled to finally find a home for this story we all put so much care, time, and emotion into.
AFF: Why did you choose Austin Film Festival for your world premiere?
This film has Austin deeply ingrained in its identity. Its premise and locale all operate with UT/West Campus at its center. AFF just made sense as the perfect home for American Spirit.
AFF: How would you describe the writing/development process of your film?
American Spirit is the fastest and most naturally a script has ever come to me. Within two months of writing the first draft of the film in January 2022, we were casting the film. Once we found Yasmeen and Cooper, everything fell into place quickly from there.