Austin Film Festival 2023 Schedule Revealed – IndieWire

The Austin Film Festival has announced its 30th anniversary lineup, running October 26 through November 2—and IndieWire can exclusively share it here.

Highlights of the program include the opening premiere of Emerald Fennell’s sweeping tribute to Patricia Highsmith, “Saltburn,” starring Fennell, and the closing bow of the Venice premiere of British actor and filmmaker Jack Huston’s “Day of the Fight,” his directing debut with Michael Pitt in the lead role. Huston will be at the festival for a question and answer session. Austin will also host a screening of Jeff Nichols’ revealing Midwestern motorcycle gang drama “The Bikeriders,” starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy. Writer/director Nichols will be on hand for a question and answer session. The festival also brings Lena Headey to Austin for her feature film “The Trap.”

Other hot fall festival titles heading to Austin include “All of Us Strangers,” “Finestkind,” “Fingernails” and “The Holdovers.” The film program of the 30th festival also includes the world premieres of the drama “Re: Uniting”, the Texas film “ImPossible” and “The Problem with People” by and with Paul Reiser, who will be present and speak at the authors’ conference.

Austin will host a costumed (?!?) retrospective of Iron Man 3, with writer/director Shane Black leading a post-screening discussion about the making of the film. Other films planned include “The Promised Land,” “Sunlight,” “Studio One Forever” and a screening of the pilot episode of the upcoming Paramount+ series “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” executive produced by Oscar nominee Taylor Sheridan, Chad Feehan, who also created the show for television, and series lead David Oyelowo.

The Austin Film Festival is also celebrating the launch of its new Writer’s Writer Awards, honoring both established storytellers and emerging voices. The Austin Film Festival will present Cord Jefferson with its first prize to honor his groundbreaking new film “American Fiction,” which won the People’s Choice Award at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

The Austin Film Festival also unveiled the full schedule of the Writers Conference, which will take place the first four days of the festival, October 26-29. Also scheduled to appear at this year’s conference are Dan Erickson, Tracy Oliver, Damon Lindelof, Lauren Shuler Donner, Lee Eisenberg, Celine Song, Karyn Kusama, Charmaine DeGraté, Nicole Perlman, Meg LeFauve, Joanna Calo, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.

Features of the marquee:

Salt burn – USA/UK
SELECTION OF THE OPENING EVENING
Writer/Director: Emerald Fennell
Present: Emerald Fennell

The trap – Great Britain
SELECTION OF THE CENTERPIECE/WORLD PREMIERE
Writer/Director: Lena Headey
Present: Lena Headey

Day of the fight – UNITED STATES
SELECTION OF THE FINAL EVENING
Writer/Director: Jack Huston
Present: Jack Huston

The Bike Riders – UNITED STATES
Writer/Director: Jeff Nichols
Present: Jeff Nichols

American fiction – UNITED STATES
Writer/Director: Cord Jefferson
Present: Cord Jefferson

Problem with people – USA/Ireland
WORLD PREMIERE
Authors: Paul Reiser, Wally Marzano-Lesnevich
Director: Chris Cottam
Present: Paul Reiser, Wally Marzano-Lesnevich and Chris Cottam

The leftovers – UNITED STATES
Author: David Hemingson
Directed by: Alexander Payne

We are all strangers – Great Britain
Writer/Director: Andrew Haigh

Finest kind – UNITED STATES
Writer/Director: Brian Helgeland
Present: Brian Helgeland

Not an artist – UNITED STATES
WORLD PREMIERE
Authors: Alexi Pappas, Jeremy Teicher, Matt Walsh
Directors: Alexi Pappas, Jeremy Teicher

Smoking tigers – UNITED STATES
Writer/Director: So Young Shelly Yo
Present: So Young Shelly Yo

Bucky F*cking Dent – USA
Writer/Director: David Duchovny

chestnut – UNITED STATES
Writer/Director: Jac Cron

fingernails – UNITED STATES
Writer/Director: Christos Nikou

Last straw – UNITED STATES
Author: Taylor Sardoni
Director: Alan Scott Neal

Law Enforcement Officer: Bass Reeves – UNITED STATES
Author/Creator: Chad Feehan
Director: Christina Alexandra Voros

The Promised Land – Denmark
Author: Nikolaj Arcel, Anders Thomas Jensen
Director: Nikolaj Arcel

Monsters – Japan
Author: Yuji Sakamoto
Directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu

Robot dreams – Spain
Writer/Director: Pablo Berger

scab seller – USA
Directors: Lucas de Barros, Mariana Robles Thome

The disappearance of Shere Hite – UNITED STATES
Director: Nicole Newnham

Narrative features

Grapefruit – UNITED STATES
WORLD PREMIERE
Writer/Director: Chase Joliet

Autumn – Portugal
WORLD PREMIERE
Writer/Director: António Sequeira

Lightning from the blue – UNITED STATES
WORLD PREMIERE
Writer/Director: Jack Martin

Christmas – Australia
WORLD PREMIERE
Writer/Director: Heath Davis

Invaders from Proxima B – UNITED STATES
WORLD PREMIERE
Writer/Director: Ward Roberts

The highest Brazil – Ireland
WORLD PREMIERE
Writer/Director: Jeremy Curl

Subject: Unite – Canada
WORLD PREMIERE
Writer/Director: Laura Adkin

Midnight in paradise – Canada
Author: Bill Robertson
Director: Vanessa Matsui

Secret art of human flight – UNITED STATES
Author: Jesse Orenshein
Director: HP Mendoza

Summer of violence – UNITED STATES
Writer/Director: Nicki Micheaux

sunlight – Ireland
Author: Ailbhe Keogan
Director: Claire Dix

The fight – Brazil
Writer/Director: Vera Egito

Documentary features:

Born to fly – Sweden
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Directed by Brennan Robideaux

Studio One forever – UNITED STATES
Director: Marc Saltarelli

The Philadelphia Eleven – UNITED STATES
Director: Margo Guernsey

This is not financial advice – UNITED STATES
Directors: Chris Temple, Zach Ingrasci

First we bombed New Mexico – UNITED STATES
Author: Joel Marcus
Directed by: Lois Lipman

Home is a hotel – UNITED STATES
Director: Kevin Wong

Susan Feniger. FORKED – USA
Director: Liz Lachman

Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the sun – Canada
Director: Banchi Hanuse

Dark matter:

Wild-eyed and evil – UNITED STATES
WORLD PREMIERE
Screenplay/Director: Gordon Shoemaker Foxwood

residents – USA
WORLD PREMIERE
Writer/Director: Matt McClung

The veil – UNITED STATES
Writer/Director: Cameron Beyl

Jonah – Canada
Authors: Trevor Vandelac, Ben Van Kleek
Director: Ben Van Kleek

Unfinished business from the afterlife – Mexico
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Author: Eduardo Espindola
Director: Ian Martin

Cannibal mukbang – UNITED STATES
Writer/Director: Aimee Kuge

Comedy Vanguard:

Don’t tell Larry – UNITED STATES
WORLD PREMIERE
Writers/Directors: Greg Porper, John Schimke

In case you get lost – UNITED STATES
WORLD PREMIERE
Author: Jennifer Sorenson
Director: Michelle Steffes

Soweto Blaze – South Africa
WORLD PREMIERE
Writer/Director: Brad Katzen

Egghead & Twinkie – UNITED STATES
Writer/Director: Sarah Kambe Holland

Rogues Inc. – UNITED STATES
Authors: Matt Moen, Jason Gray, Jeremy Warner
Directed by: Jeremy Warner

Sour party – UNITED STATES
Writers/Directors: Amanda Drexton, Michael A. Drexton

All the wrong ingredients – UNITED STATES
Writer/Director: Nicholas Livanos

Texas features:

I’ll be there – UNITED STATES
WORLD PREMIERE
Author: Cindy McCreery
Director: Andrew Shea

The stars in the night – UNITED STATES
WORLD PREMIERE
Writer/Director: Elizabeth Buckley

Impossible – UNITED STATES
WORLD PREMIERE
Authors: Brandon Lewis, Seckita Lewis
Director: Seckita Lewis

Home free – UNITED STATES
Author: Lenny Barszap
Director: Aaron Brown