The Austin Film Festival has released the first batch of films that will be shown at the festival, which begins on October 27. The festival lasts for eight days, during which time it celebrates innovative storytellers from across the world, whether they work in cinema, television, or new media. The festival has chosen The Whale as the film to screen to the public and critics on the first night of the event. It’s likely that Darren Aronofsky’s (mother!) The Whale, which he directed, may make it all the way to the 2023 awards season after garnering traction at film festivals throughout the world. A 600-pound gay guy and his efforts to mend fences with his estranged daughter provide the story’s central conflict (Sadie Sink).
Brendan Fraser, best known for his role in The Mummy films, has been mostly absent from pop culture for some time and plays the guy. A 6-minute standing ovation from the Venice Film Festival crowd for the actor’s performance had him in tears earlier this week. Armageddon Time, the newest feature film from acclaimed director James Gray, was just added to the lineup of films playing at the Austin Film Festival (Ad Astra). The film is a coming-of-age narrative inspired by the director’s upbringing in Queens, New York, and stars Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables) and Anthony Hopkins (The Father).
At AFF, Gray will receive the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting in his presence. Screenwriters like Tony Gilroy (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and Lawrence Kasdan (Network) have won the prize in the past (Raiders of the Lost Ark). The Wild Man, a film by local director Riley Cusick about a kid caring for his mentally ill father, is another title at this year’s AFF. Patricia E. Gillespie’s The Fire That Took Her is one of the rare examples of a person testifying in their own murder trial, while Jonathan Dekel’s Checkout is a dark comedy based on true accounts of Mossad operatives.
Next month, the Austin Film Festival will announce the complete lineup of films and conversations that will be a part of the 2022 edition. On the official website of the Austin Film Festival, you can now find the first batch of films that will be screened.
Details about the second phase of the festival schedule are provided below.
A CHOICE FROM THE WHALE’S PREMIERE NIGHT LINEUP
Filmed under Darren Aronofsky’s direction
Author: Samuel D. Hunter
The Whale is Darren Aronofsky’s narrative about a solitary English teacher who is severely obese and tries to make amends with his estranged teenage daughter. With Brendan Fraser in the lead role, this film is adapted on Samuel D. Hunter’s critically acclaimed play.
Author Samuel D. Hunter was present.
TIME OF THE END
James Gray directed and wrote the script.
ARMAGEDDON TIME, directed by James Gray and starring Danny Pudi as a young Jewish kid growing up in 1980s Queens, is a very intimate study on the power of family, the complexities of friendship, and the realities of class and privilege. Some of the film’s A-list cast members are Anthony Hopkins, Anne Hathaway, and Jeremy Strong.
Present: Director/Writer James Gray
International Premiere of “The Wild Man”
Riley Cusick helmed/wrote the film.
The plot centres on a son’s caring for his father, who has a mental illness that causes him to think he is a wild beast.
DON’T MISS THE INTERNATIONAL DEBUT
Jonathan Dekel directed and wrote the script.
Shai Satran
Dov (Josh Pais) is a desperate agent who, in Checkout, must convince his colleagues that he is speaking the truth about a feared terrorist. Dov faces the hard realities that are about to retire him as he makes one final attempt to become the myth he always believed he would be. He will stop at nothing to win them over. Checkout is a black comedy inspired on the actual deceptions of Mossad agents.
HOW THE FIRE KILLED HER
Patrica E. Gillespie is the director.
Judy Malinowski, a mother of two, was doused in gasoline and set on fire by her deranged ex-boyfriend; she was the first witness in a case of self-murder. Inside this historic case, THE FIRE THAT TOOK HER poses an issue that is as relevant today as it was then: How much pain do women have to endure before they are believed?
SHE MUST HAVE YOU FOLLOW HER.
Sylvia Caminer is the director.
A psychosexual thriller, FOLLOW HER has the following plot summary. Actress and live streamer Jess Peters has discovered her niche by discreetly capturing weird interactions she meets via online job advertisements and riding the coattails of other people’s quirks to success. She has been recruited to complete the screenplay’s last act at a luxurious lodge in the woods for her upcoming show. When they arrive, the charming self-proclaimed screenwriter gives her a script in which they play the lead roles. The customer isn’t who he seems to be, and while the cash is substantial, she may have to risk her life for it.
BECAUSE WE’RE BESTIES
Cinematography and script by Cara Consilvio
In 1986, Brent Nicholson Earle runs throughout the United States to bring attention to the AIDS issue and to remember his deceased friends. For 20 months, Brent runs nearly a marathon a day in The American Run for the End of AIDS. He goes home to find out he has HIV after suffering through blisters, tiredness, ignorance, and anxiety. Brent’s advocacy continues even after the marathon is over.
PURE GOLD in flavour
Filmmaker Jason Karman is at the helm.
Produced by: Gorrman Lee
In this modern update on the classic coming-of-age tale, Asian-Canadian teen Jake tries out for the basketball team to attract the attention of basketball-obsessed new neighbour Aleks.