The Austin Film Society announced the opening programs of their new AFS Cinema, the organization’s first ever two-screen arthouse theater. The opening of the new theater in late May means AFS returns with its classic programming, including repertory series, new restorations, documentaries, independent films, and premieres. AFS has added a program of new releases and will be offering full schedule runs of the best in international and independent films that are new in theaters.
AFS previously operated the space as a single screen art house before the renovations in November. AFS hired a new General Manager for the space and a head chef renovated the kitchen and lobby, and added a second screen in one of the building’s vacant event halls. AFS announced a first look at their menu. The announcement of the program comes several weeks before the opening of the doors to the public on May 26th.
“Opening the AFS Cinema is an enormous accomplishment involving a large, committed team of professionals and volunteers. This move allows AFS to vastly increase our signature film programming, add a much-needed program of new releases, and claim total control over our space, including a lobby that will become Austin’s living room for cinema lovers. Like with our artist services programs and Austin Studios, the Austin Film Society is setting a tone nationally and demonstrating what can happen for a community when it really gets behind the culture and production of film. We are so excited and grateful that this moment has finally come.” – Rebecca Campbell, CEO of the Austin Film Society
AFS Head of Film & Creative Media Holly Herrick and Lead Programmer Lars Nilsen put together the program that sees a return of AFS’ beloved long-running repertory programs such as Essential Cinema and Doc Nights, in addition to some new monthly programs, new guest programmers, programming partnerships with archives and local organizations, and filmmakers in person for special event screenings. The AFS Programmers will be at the cinema for a free, in-person “Ask Me Anything” Q&A on Monday, June 5th at 7:30PM. This will be a chance to discuss the films and AFS Cinema programming in general.
The first series at the new theater will appropriately be a “Texas Film Christening.” Five classic films that show the depth and breadth of Texas film culture and history. The series includes 35mm screenings of Rio Bravo, Tender Mercies, August Evening (AFS Grant supported) and Sugarland Express, as well as a screening of the Director’s Cut of The Last Picture Show (digital restoration), and will be introduced by Richard Linklater at the May 27th screening.
Upcoming highlights of the opening repertory program include the Essential Cinema series “Comedy, Italian Style” a 6-film review of the vibrant 1960s Italian comedies that provided equal amounts hilarity and social critique, and featured brilliant actors of the period such as Marcello Mastroianni (Divorce, Italian Style), Vittorio Gassman (Il Soprasso), Sophia Loren and Anita Ekberg (Boccaccio ’70) and Alberto Sordi (Mafioso, The Witches). “The Noir Canon” repertory series will present four films from the classic period of American Film Noir and will include all 35mm screenings of Angel Face, Detour, The Blue Dahlia, and Kiss Me Deadly. AFS present several new DCP (digital) restorations, including the Japanese masterpiece, Ugetsu, Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, and mod/avant garde feature, Funeral Parade of Roses.
John Pierson and special guests will present an evening of “Split Screen,” Pierson’s 90s “magazine-style” show about the era’s American independent filmmakers, also recently restored by the Criterion Collection. Several exciting new releases are already scheduled, and more will be announced each week after the opening. Director Onur Tukel will come to Austin in person for the Austin premiere of his black comedy, Catfight, starring Sandra Oh and Anne Heche. Other announced new releases include Ken Loach’s Palme D’Or Winning feature, I, Daniel Blake, which will open for a full run June 2nd, and the Moroccan western Mimosas, winner of Cannes Critic’s Week.
AFS is introducing several new monthly series beginning in June, including an all-ages program for families, taking place on select Sundays, entitled “Sunday School”. The program is created to introduce children and youth to great works of global cinema that the adults in their lives will want to see, too. The first title in “Sunday School” is Little Fugitive (1953). The series is guest programmed by Stacy Brick.
“Cinema of Resistance” is a monthly program that pairs important films about community organizing and social movements with informative post-screening discussions. The first selection of the series is How to Survive a Plague, followed by a discussion led by AFS Founding Board Member Chale Nafus and former ACT UP NYC activist, Brian Zabcik. Deep End is a new art-cult screening series, guest programmed by Jazmyne Moreno. The inaugural title On the Silver Globe, the jaw-droppingly strange and beautiful — and banned — sci-fi epic by Possession director Andrzej Żuławski.
The full program announcement can be found below.
Texas Christening Series
AUGUST EVENING with cast and crew!
Chris Eska, USA, 2007, 35mm, 127 min.
Sun, May 28, 2017 at 7:30 PM
RIO BRAVO
Howard Hawks, USA, 1959, 35mm, 141 min.
Sat, May 27, 2017 at 7:00 PM
TENDER MERCIES
Bruce Beresford, USA, 1983, 35mm, 92 min.
Mon, May 29, 2017 at 7:30 PM
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW Director’s Cut,
Presented by Richard Linklater
Peter Bogdanovich, USA, 1971, DCP, 127 min.
Sat, May 27, 2017 at 4:00 PM
THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS
Steven Spielberg, USA, 1974, 35mm 110 min.
Tue, May 30, 2017 at 7:30 PM
New Releases
I, DANIEL BLAKE
Ken Loach, UK, 2016, DCP 100 min.
Opens June 2 (anticipated)
ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL
Steve James, USA, 2017, DCP, 88 min.
Sat, Jun 10, 2017 at 4:30 PM, Sun, Jun 11, 2017 at 7:00 PM
Wed, Jun 14, 2017 at 7:30 PM
CATFIGHT with Writer-Director Onur Tukel in Person (Friday only)
Onur Tukel, USA, 2017, DCP, 96 min.
Sat, Jun 3, 2017 at 7:30 PM, Tue, Jun 6, 2017 at 9:30 PM
METAMORPHOSES – co-presented by OUTsider Fest
Chistophe Honoré, France, 2014, DCP, 102 min. In French with English subtitles.
Sun, Jun 4, 2017 at 7:00 PM, Wed, Jun 7, 2017 at 10:00 PM
MIMOSAS
Oliver Laxe, 2016, Morocco, DCP, 96 min. In Arabic with English subtitles.
Fri, Jun 2, 2017 at 10:00 PM, Fri, Jun 9, 2017 at 10:00 PM
Sat, Jun 10, 2017 at 10:00 PM
Sat, Jun 3, 2017 at 10:00 PM
Sun, Jun 11, 2017 at 8:00 PM
Special Event
Split Screen with John Pierson and special guests in person
John Pierson, Digital, 90 min.
Sun, Jun 11, 2017 at 5:00 PM
Essential Cinema: Comedy, Italian Style
AFTER THE FOX
Vittorio De Sica, Italy/UK, 1966, 35mm, 103 min. In Italian and English with English subtitles.
Sat, Jul 1, 2017 at 2:00 PM, Thu, Jun 29, 2017 at 7:30 PM
BOCCACCIO ’70
De Sica, Fellini, Monicelli, Visconti. Italy, 1962, Digital, 208 min. In Italian with English subtitles.
Sat, Jun 3, 2017 at 3:00 PM
DIVORCE, ITALIAN STYLE
Pietro Germi, Italy, 1961, 35mm, 105 min. In Italian with English Subtitles
Fri, May 26, 2017 at 7:30 PM, Sun, May 28, 2017 at 2:00 PM
IL SORPASSO
Dino Risi, Italy, 1962, 35mm, 105 min. In Italian with English subtitles.
Sun, May 28, 2017 at 5:00 PM, Thu, Jun 1, 2017 at 7:30 PM
MAFIOSO
Alberto Lattuada, Italy, 1962, 35mm, 105 min. In Italian with English subtitles.
Sat, Jun 17, 2017 at 4:30 PM, Thu, Jun 15, 2017 at 7:30 PM
THE PASSIONATE THIEF
Mario Monicelli, Italy, 1960, 35mm, 106 min. In Italian with English subtitles.
Sat, Jun 24, 2017 at 2:00 PM, Thu, Jun 22, 2017 at 7:30 PM
THE WITCHES (LE STREGHE)
Bolognini, De Sica, Pasolini, Rossi, Visconti, Italy, 1967, 35mm, 110 min. In Italian with English subtitles.
Thu, Jun 8, 2017 at 7:30 PM, Sat, Jun 10, 2017 at 2:00 PM
Doc Night
THE SEVENTH FIRE – director in person!
Jack Pettibone Riccobono, USA, 2015, DCP, 76min.
Tue, Jun 6, 2017 at 7:00 PM
The Noir Canon
ANGEL FACE
Otto Preminger, 1953, USA, 35mm, 91 min.
Fri, Jun 2, 2017 at 7:30 PM, Sun, Jun 4, 2017 at 2:00 PM
DETOUR
Edgar G. Ulmer, USA, 1945, 35mm, 67 min.
Fri, Jun 9, 2017 at 7:30 PM, Sun, Jun 11, 2017 at 2:00 PM
KISS ME DEADLY
Robert Aldrich, USA, 1955, 35mm, 106 min.
Fri, Jun 23, 2017 at 7:30 PM, Sun, Jun 25, 2017 at 3:30 PM
THE BLUE DAHLIA
George Marshall, USA , 1946, 35mm, 96 min.
Fri, Jun 16, 2017 at 7:30 PM, Sun, Jun 18, 2017 at 1:00 PM
Science On Screen
THE UNCANNY
Denis Héroux, Canada,1977, Digital, 89 min.
Tue, Jun 20, 2017 at 7:00 PM
World Cinema Classics
BLACK ORPHEUS
Marcel Camus, Brazil/France, 1959, 35mm, 100 min. In Portuguese with English subtitles.
Fri, Jun 16, 2017 at 10:00 PM, Sat, Jun 17, 2017 at 7:00 PM
Sun, Jun 18, 2017 at 3:30 PM
Newly Restored
FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES
Toshio Matsumoto, Japan, 1969, DCP 107 min. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Fri, Jun 30, 2017 at 10:00 PM, Sat, Jul 1, 2017 at 7:30 PM
Sun, Jul 2, 2017 at 2:00 PM
Thu, Jun 29, 2017 at 10:00 PM
PAN’S LABYRINTH
Guillermo del Toro, Spain, 2007, DCP, 118 min. In Spanish with English Subtitles.
Sat, Jun 10, 2017 at 7:00 PM, Tue, Jun 13, 2017 at 7:30 PM
UGETSU
Kenji Mizoguchi, Japan, 1953, DCP, 96 min. In Japanese with English subtitles
Sat, Jun 24, 2017 at 5:00 PM, Sun, Jun 25, 2017 at 6:00 PM
Tue, Jun 27, 2017 at 7:30 PM
Avant Cinema
LES HAUTES SOLITUDES
Philippe Garrel, France, 1974, DCP, 80 min. Silent
Sun, Jun 11, 2017 at 4:30 PM, Wed, Jun 7, 2017 at 7:30 PM
Classical Mexican Cinema presented by Charles Ramírez Berg
SALON MEXICO
Emilio Fernández, Mexico, 1948, 35mm, 95 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Sun, Jun 18, 2017 at 6:00 PM
American Genre Film Archive Presents
A HERO NEVER DIES
Johnnie To, Hong Kong, 1998, 35mm, 98min. In Cantonese with English subtitles.
Sat, May 27, 2017 at 10:15 PM
TEENAGE GANG DEBS
Sande N. Johnson, USA, 1966, 35mm, 75min.
Fri, May 26, 2017 at 10:00 PM
Texas Archive of the Moving Image Presents
CAPTURE THE VISION – 1964-1987
A series of obscure, archival industrials and commercials
Various, 85 min.
Sun, Jun 4, 2017 at 4:30 PM
Deep End – new monthly series highlighting art-cult films
ON THE SILVER GLOBE
Andrzej Zulawski, Poland, 1988, DCP, 166 min. In Polish with English subtitles.
Sat, Jun 17, 2017 at 10:00 PM
Cinema Of Resistance – new monthly program & discussion series
HOOLIGAN SPARROW
Nanfu Wang, China/USA, 2016, Digital, 84 min. In English and Mandarin with English subtitles.
Mon, Jun 19, 2017 at 7:30 PM, Wed, Jun 21, 2017 at 7:30 PM
HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE
David France, USA, 2012, Digital 110 min.
Wed, May 31, 2017 at 7:30 PM
Sunday School – New monthly program for youth & families
THE LITTLE FUGITIVE
Morris Engel, Ruth Orkin, Raymond Abrashkin, USA, 1953, 35mm, 80 min.
Sun, Jun 25, 2017 at 1:00 PM, Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 7:00 PM
