SUZHOU RIVER AND THE UNVARNISHED REALISM OF SIXTH GENERATION CHINESE CINEMA
Written by Andrea Cardenas, AFS Creative Careers Intern This May, AFS Cinema presents Lou Ye’s newly restored SUZHOU RIVER, one of the defining films of the Sixth Generation film movement in China. In a post-Mao, rapidly evolving cultural landscape, the filmmakers of the Sixth Generation — Ye included — sought to create films that eschewed […]
Watch AFS’s Episode of “Art-House America” by the Criterion Channel
On May 1, we finally got to share our episode of Art-House America with the world, and before we geek out about how cool this thing is, a little background. The Criterion Channel has been publishing the docushorts in this series for a while now, each one profiling a different independent cinema, some for their […]
Sternberg and Dietrich, Exiles on Santa Monica Boulevard
Written by Lars Nilsen, AFS Lead Programmer Many film directors become closely identified with an actor — we might think of Scorsese and De Niro, or Hitchcock and James Stewart — these stars are their director’s avatars. Such connections just feel right and bring out the best in front of and behind the camera. It’s […]
THE ENDURING WORLD OF PARTY GIRL
Written by Joshua Bippert, AFS Creative Careers Intern Vivienne Westwood bustiers, house music, Natasha! This month, Austin Film Society is bringing the new 4K restoration of Daisy von Scherler Mayer’s 1995 cult classic, PARTY GIRL, to audiences. It’s a film that found its life (and survived on) the internet from its debut until now. […]
Video: Ethan Hawke On Paul Newman’s Trailblazing Westerns
Ethan Hawke came to visit AFS Cinema, and not just for a screening or two: the ever-busy actor/director/producer/writer presented five films over the course of a weekend (March 24–26) to sold-out crowds. The occasion was a programming series called Paul Newman’s West, which he co-curated with AFS Head of Film Holly Herrick with participation […]
The AFS Guide to SXSW 2023
March in Austin means SXSW, and SXSW means figuring out one’s schedule to pack in as much cutting-edge programming as possible. At the Austin Film Society, we understand that it takes time to figure out what you’re going to (and how you’re getting there), so we want to make things as simple as we can […]
Exploring the Madness of Art and Film in 1980s Japan
Fast approaching AFS Cinema is Hachimiri Madness, our programming series of 11 experimental Japanese features and shorts from the country’s “punk years.” Many of today’s biggest Japanese filmmakers burst out of this time period (roughly the 1980s, give or take a few years on each end) with ferocity and unfettered DIY sensibilities — directors […]
Agnès Varda’s Impressions of America
This month on the AFS calendar is Documentary & Beyond: Agnès Varda, the latest in our Essential Cinema series. In it, we’re highlighting four non-narrative titles — including two shorts combined into a single screening — from the “Grandmother of the French New Wave.” While the series aims to showcase some of Varda’s documentary […]
Celebrating a Successful First Year of Creative Careers
We at the Austin Film Society pride ourselves on the role we play in the world of Texas film. As a nonprofit, we operate programs that help filmmakers get the funds, equipment, and training they need; give them access to studio space; and provide them with a cinema to screen their finished projects. Creative […]
THE 2022 AFS HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
The Holiday season is upon us, and at AFS, that means it’s a time of giving (and sharing great cinema). With Black Friday and Giving Tuesday freshly behind us and the December holidays ahead, we figured we’d make your job as a gift-giver easy with a handy guide, including a few items handpicked by […]
The “Beautifully Sculpted and Quietly Shattering” AFTERSUN Opens November 4 at AFS Cinema
“Rumors of something remarkable have circled around AFTERSUN since its première … and guess what? The rumors are true.” —Anthony Lane, The New Yorker It’s rare that a nearly unknown filmmaker lands so squarely in the middle of the zeitgeist as director Charlotte Wells has with her arthouse smash AFTERSUN. Until recently, she was best […]
PERFECT BLUE celebrates its 25th anniversary, screening September 16-22
Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival in 1997, forever changing the landscape of animated film as well as influencing many filmmakers to this day. The film operates as a psychological thriller with key horror aspects, yet what stands out most from Perfect Blue is its themes regarding fame, identity, and obsession, […]
