AFS Flashback: Richard Linklater Tells His Best Dennis Hopper Stories

Austin Film Society Founder & Artistic Director Richard Linklater hosted a screening and discussion series in 2014 called Jewels In The Wasteland. It featured 35mm film screenings of films that were released between 1980 and 1983, mainly films that Rick had seen as a nascent film lover and had not revisited since. All kinds of films were featured, from KING OF COMEDY to FANNY & ALEXANDER, and there were lengthy introductions and audience discussions each night.

Here’s a listing of all the films shown in the series. And here is Linklater’s “Further Viewing List” of films from the same period, some of which no longer had available 35mm and some of which we could not show due to scheduling restrictions.

One of the high points of the series was the screening of Dennis Hopper’s fantastic OUT OF THE BLUE. Linklater had attended Hopper’s 1983 presentation of the film in Houston, which ended up being a really memorable night.

Here’s Linklater to tell the story: