A spotlight on local voices, highlights from this round include JOCKEY and RANCH WATER
Austin, TX (September 9, 2021) – Austin Film Festival (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing writers’ and filmmakers’ contributions to film, television, theatre, and new media, announced today the second wave of film selections for its upcoming slate. The second wave includes six Austin-connected films and three first-time feature filmmakers which will be joining the AFF film lineup for the festival running October 21-28, 2021.
The second wave includes local talent and poignant narratives that push the boundaries of storytelling. This year’s lineup spotlights six Austin-connected films and three first-time feature filmmakers including the World Premiere feature RANCH WATER, written and directed by University of Texas alumni Sophie Miller, which follows a group of women who are on the brink of graduating college and deciding their futures and untangling their friendships. In addition, the documentary feature COMMISSIONER OF POWER details how Terry Todd used his passion for writing, weight training and history to shape the Iron Game and its influence on people throughout the world.Todd and his wife Jan would go on to co-found the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports at the University of Texas at Austin.
The newly announced second wave of the 2021 AFF lineup can be found below:
- THE COMMISSIONER OF POWER (Written/Directed by Todd Sansom) – World Premiere
- JOCKEY (Written by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, Directed by Clint Bentley) – Austin Premiere
- THE KING OF NORTH SUDAN (Written by Danny Abel and Brett Blake, Directed by Daniel Abel) – USA Premiere
- THE ONE YOU’RE WITH (Directed by Bailey Werner) – World Premiere
- CUSP (Directed by Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt) – Texas Premiere
- RANCH WATER (Written/Directed by Sophie Miller) – World Premiere
- Addict Named Hal (Written/Directed by Lane Michael Stanley) – Texas Premiere
- LARRY FLYNT FOR PRESIDENT (Written by Nadia Szold and Tchavdar Georgiev, Directed by Nadia Szold) – Texas Premiere
- BUCK ALAMO (Written/Directed by Ben Epstein) – North American Premiere
Learn more about these films here
Feature documentary CUSP from SHOWTIME® examines the lives of three girls living in a rural Texas town where their summer break serves as a small window into their lives as the audience watches them grow, struggle with relationships, and navigate life as a modern teenager. CUSP is the feature directorial debut from directors Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt.
Ailing musician Buck spends his final days trying to reconnect with his estranged family while dueling with death in BUCK ALAMO. Shot in Austin, the film captures the spirit of the city and its growing pains. In THE ONE YOU’RE WITH, explore romance during quarantine as a first date leads to spending 60 days in quarantine together. Written and directed by Austin native and AFF alumni C. Bailey Werner, this comedy explores their romance during is forged in turbulent times.
Jeremiah Heaton embarks on the journey of a lifetime in the feature documentary THE KING OF NORTH SUDAN, directed by Daniel Abel and Executive Produced by Danny McBride and David Gordon Green. Heaton’s brash quest to make his daughter a princess by claiming a plot of land in Sudan and trying to get unspeakably rich in the process is full of twists and turns.
From Sony Pictures Classics comes JOCKEY, written by Austin local Greg Kwedar, which explores the world of horse racing as an aging jockey attempts to win one last title while young rookie guns for his crown.
ADDICT NAMED HAL explores the everyday lives of a group of addicts in a halfway house through the lens of a young woman who enters treatment for the first time. From first-time feature filmmaker Lane Michael Stanley comes a personal film that reminds us of what is most needed, empathy.
From Nadia Szold comes LARRY FLYNT FOR PRESIDENT. Following the dynamic figure during his presidential run in 1983, when Flynt took his defense of free speech to the national stage.
The complete list of programming, including hundreds of films and panels, will be announced later this month. Tickets and passes are currently on sale at www.austinfilmfestival.com
Press accreditation is now open through October 8, 2021. Press can apply at https://austinfilmfestival.com/contact/press-inquiries/
Austin Film Festival has enhanced health and safety protocols for this year’s event. Current policies can be found here.
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ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL:
Austin Film Festival (AFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television and new media. AFF champions the work of aspiring and established writers and filmmakers by providing unique cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation, and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships. AFF is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts. Badges and passes are available for purchase online at www.austinfilmfestival.com or by phone at 1-800-310-FEST.