AFS Cinema Announces Its September/October 2025 Program Calendar
August 7, 2025, AUSTIN, TX— The Austin Film Society announces its September and October 2025 calendar featuring a new, diverse lineup of films from around the globe that filmgoers can only see at the AFS Cinema, including AFS Founder and Artistic Director Richard Linklater’s upcoming film, Nouvelle Vague, which opens October 31 at AFS Cinema with a special 35mm engagement. The full calendar of signature programs, special screenings and events can be found at www.austinfilm.org.
The Austin Film Society will present two new programs of Essential Cinema. The first in September will be The Epic Kink of Cecil B. DeMille, focused on the director’s wilder, historically inspired films, including The Sign of the Cross shown in 35mm. The second Essential Cinema series, John Woo: Heroic Bloodshed, will also focus on a single director’s work, this time the pioneering Hong Kong action titan known for films like Hard Boiled, which will be shown in a new 4K restoration. Leading up to Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague, opening October 31 at AFS Cinema, the filmmaker has programmed a series called Eternal Youth: New Wave & French Cinemas of Tomorrow. The six-film series spans October and highlights his favorites from the French New Wave, including Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless, which is the inspiration for Linklater’s new film. The series also serves as a lead-up to New French Cinema Week, AFS’s annual festival of new francophone films, which will kick off on November 20, 2025. AFS’s Paper Cuts series with Alienated Majesty Books will include two new films, each paired with a complementary literary selection, post-film discussion and pop-up shop in the AFS Cinema lobby: in September, Steven Soderbergh’s post-modern noir, The Limey, will be paired with Poor Cow by Nell Dunn; and in October, Iván Zulueta’s Arrebato will be shown in 35mm and paired with Throat Sprockets by Tim Lucas. In the days before Halloween, AFS will show Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre, and AFS’s Fright Club series will present the Hammer horror film Taste the Blood of Dracula in 35mm starring Christopher Lee. In September, AFS’s Queer Cinema: Lost & Found series will include the new transgender epic Castration Movie, followed by an in-person Q&A with filmmaker and star Louise Weard and series programmer Elizabeth Purchell. The series continues with the newly discovered video art project Highway Hypnosis in October. The Austin Film Society will also host a variety of special events and screenings throughout September and October. On September 4 and 5, AFS will show American Southwest, the new Texas nature documentary from Ben Masters (The River and the Wall, Deep in the Heart), who will attend select screenings with members of his crew. Director Maureen Gosling and producer Jed Riffe will also attend screenings of their latest documentary The 9 Lives of Barbara Dane on September 15 and 17. On October 20, the film-inspired game show Movie Moxie will take the AFS stage for a live arthouse edition hosted by Maxim Pozderac (Fantastic Feud, TriviaDome, QRANK) and his brother Nick.
As a part of its effort to exhibit and celebrate 35mm film prints, AFS will also show the following films in this format:
- The Sign of the Cross (9/9, 9/13)
- The 400 Blows (10/1, 10/3)
- Arrebato (10/11–10/13)
- Taste The Blood Of Dracula (10/27, 10/30)
- Nouvelle Vague (10/31)
Calendar highlights in detail:
Throughout September, the Austin Film Society will present Essential Cinema: The Epic Kink of Cecil B. DeMille, showcasing three works by one of the most successful Hollywood filmmakers of the 20th century. The titles chosen all explore sex and violence on the big screen, using biblical or historical properties and large-scale productions to sneak in more salacious subject matter. Kicking off the series on September 9 and 13 is The Sign of the Cross in 35mm, starring Claudette Colbert, Charles Laughton and Fredric March as ancient Romans. Following on September 16 and 20 will be the five-time Academy Award®-nominated Cleopatra, with Claudette Colbert as the titular queen and Henry Wilcoxon as Mark Antony. Closing out the series on September 23 and 27 will be the innovative Technicolor epic Samson and Delilah, with Hedy Lamarr and Victor Mature as the title characters.
The Austin Film Society will present John Woo: Heroic Bloodshed in October, a series of Essential Cinema spotlighting five of the iconic director’s films, all newly restored in 4K. Woo is considered to be one of the major figures in Hong Kong action cinema and is widely known for his collaborations with Chow Yun-fat and the huge gun battles in many of his films. The series begins with his breakthrough A Better Tomorrow (September 30 and October 4) and its sequel A Better Tomorrow 2 (October 7 and 11). Following these films will be Woo’s highly influential The Killer (October 14–19), inspired by Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï. On October 21 and 25, the series continues with Bullet in the Head, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai (In the Mood for Love), and Hard Boiled on October 28–November 1, Woo’s final Hong Kong film before coming to Hollywood, starring both Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung Chiu-wai.
From October 1–November 1, AFS will present Eternal Youth: New Wave & French Cinemas of Tomorrow, programmed by AFS Founder and Creative Director Richard Linklater. The six films chosen for this series are those that led Linklater to make his new feature, Nouvelle Vague, which will open at the AFS Cinema on October 31 in 35mm. Linklater’s new film tells the story of making Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless, which many consider to be the film that kicked off the “Nouvelle Vague,” also known as the French New Wave of cinema — an experimental era of filmmaking that freed many directors from the conventional techniques of the art form. The first film in the series is François Truffaut’s coming-of-age tale The 400 Blows (October 1 and 3), which will be shown in 35mm. Following this film is Jacques Rozier’s newly rediscovered Adieu Philippine (October 8), exploring three characters in a love triangle played by non-professional actors. Next will be Jean Eustache’s The Mother and the Whore (October 11), which won the Grand Prix at Cannes when it came out in 1973. On October 15 and 18, the series will screen Alain Resnais’ story of an ambiguous affair, Last Year at Marienbad, starring Delphine Seyrig. The series concludes with two films by Jean-Luc Godard, one of the leaders of the French New Wave: Masculin Féminin (October 19 and 25) and Breathless (October 29–November 1), the director’s feature film debut, which will run concurrently with Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague. Following this series will be AFS’s New French Cinema week — bringing Austin audiences award-winning selections and festival favorites from across the French-speaking world — which begins on November 20.
The full September/October lineup continues below, and a complete list of all film screenings announced to date and special events are on the AFS website at austinfilm.org. Ticket prices range from $11 to $13.50, with discounts for AFS members. Special pricing is noted if applicable.
AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER CALENDAR
ESSENTIAL CINEMA: THE EPIC KINK OF CECIL B. DEMILLE
For a long time, producer/director Cecil B. DeMille was the most famous filmmaker in the world and was only knocked off that pedestal by Alfred Hitchcock in the ’60s. His imperious personal style has become part of the director archetype in the public mind. DeMille made a wide variety of films throughout his career, but the ones he was best known for were his biblical and historical epics. These films were heavily promoted by school and church groups as enriching moral entertainment for the whole family. Meanwhile, the canny showman had recognized that sex and violence were the ultimate selling points for any film, and if he could wrap them in a veneer of scriptural and historical respectability, he could have it both ways. He could sell tickets with scantily clad (sometimes nude) actresses and sexually provocative situations without being seen as a smut peddler. This series presents three of DeMille’s most outrageous and successful films — a smorgasbord of bare midriffs, S&M, violent spectacle, and more made on the grandest scale Hollywood could imagine at the time.
THE SIGN OF THE CROSS
Cecil B. DeMille, USA, 1932, 35mm, 125 min.
9/9, 9/13
This pre-code biblical epic is probably best known for its salacious sequence in which Claudette Colbert takes a milk bath, but even more shocking is the climactic, snuff-film-like spectacle in the Roman Colosseum. With Charles Laughton as a ripe, camp Emperor Nero and Fredric March. In 35mm.
CLEOPATRA
Cecil B. DeMille, USA, 1934, DCP, 100 min.
9/16, 9/20
Claudette Colbert stars as the Queen of Egypt, and stolid, iron-jawed Henry Wilcoxon is Antony in Cecil B. DeMille’s art deco history pageant. This was state-of-the-art epic filmmaking in 1934, and it still entertains and delights. Colbert and Wilcoxon have good chemistry and both seem in on the joke, which makes everything a lot more fun.
SAMSON AND DELILAH
Cecil B. DeMille, USA, 1949, DCP, 134 min.
9/23, 9/27
One of Cecil B. DeMille’s biggest films, and a gigantic hit and critical success. Also, a completely bizarre pageant of sex, violence, and bad taste under the cover of its biblical precedent. Thrill to Hedy Lamarr as a slinky, sexy, whip-wielding Delilah and Victor Mature as a musclebound Samson who kills an army — gorily — with the jawbone of an ass. DeMille fills the frame with color and expensive sets. Never less than entertaining.
ESSENTIAL CINEMA: JOHN WOO: HEROIC BLOODSHED
Like a walking amalgam of Sam Peckinpah, Jean-Pierre Melville, and Akira Kurosawa, John Woo pointed the way to a new path for action filmmakers. His operatic, hyper-violent “gun fu” films took the examples of these masters and transposed their lessons into a vibrant and exciting new vision. His adherents have called it “heroic bloodshed.” In this series, we present the best of Woo’s Hong Kong films, long absent from theater screens, in new 4K restorations.
A BETTER TOMORROW
John Woo, Hong Kong, 1986, DCP, 95 min. In Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles.
9/30, 10/4
After kicking around the Hong Kong film industry for years without any copious success, John Woo hit the mainline with this story of brothers on opposite sides of the law, setting the tone for the next couple of decades of Hong Kong (and international) action cinema. It made Chow Yun-fat and teen idol Leslie Cheung major box office stars and positioned Woo as the director to emulate. New 4K restoration.
A BETTER TOMORROW 2
John Woo, Hong Kong, 1987, DCP, 105 min. In Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles.
10/7, 10/11
The main players are back in this sequel to John Woo’s breakthrough. What it may lack in plausibility, it makes up for in action, as John Woo piles on the bullet squibs and further refines his filmmaking technique with the additional budget and cred gained from A BETTER TOMORROW’s smash box office success. New 4K restoration.
THE KILLER
John Woo, Hong Kong, 1989, DCP, 111 min. In Cantonese, Mandarin, and Japanese with English subtitles.
10/14–10/19
John Woo’s masterpiece, inspired by Melville’s LE SAMOURAÏ, stars Chow Yun-fat as a disillusioned mob hitman who is responsible for the blinding of a nightclub singer. When his plan to make things right goes awry, he teams up with an obsessed cop to clean things up. Operatic in its scope, unapologetic in its melodramatic bromance, this is one of the top five or six action films ever made. New 4K restoration.
BULLET IN THE HEAD
John Woo, Hong Kong, 1990, DCP, 136 min. In Cantonese, Vietnamese, and French with English subtitles.
10/21, 10/25
No Chow Yun-fat this time, but Tony Leung Chiu-wai is a pretty good consolation prize as John Woo tells the story of three petty criminals in 1967 who, fleeing a powerful mob boss, go from the frying pan into the fire as they flee to wartime Saigon. Woo considered this his APOCALYPSE NOW, and you’ll see why. New 4K restoration.
HARD BOILED
John Woo, Hong Kong, 1992, DCP, 128 min. In Cantonese with English subtitles.
10/28–11/1
Not only an exciting, escapist crime movie but also a textbook of action set-pieces. Chow Yun-fat is back as a cop named Tequila who CAN play the clarinet but CAN’T play by the rules. Tony Leung Chiu-wai is his partner in ultraviolence, an undercover detective who specializes in deep-cover operations. Hong Kong Cinema icon Anthony Wong is here too as the top boss. The film is very, very violent. Like, it will revise your whole definition of what a violent film is. New 4K restoration.
ETERNAL YOUTH: NEW WAVE & FRENCH CINEMAS OF TOMORROW
This fall at AFS, experience French cinema’s reinvention through the ages, starting with a tour of the French New Wave programmed by Richard Linklater and ending in the cutting edge of francophone cinema with November’s return of New French Cinema Week. In anticipation of his latest film NOUVELLE VAGUE, a love letter to Godard’s BREATHLESS, Linklater curates a selection of New Wave classics that epitomize that period. NOUVELLE VAGUE opens October 31 at AFS Cinema with a special 35mm engagement.
New French Cinema Week, our annual festival of new francophone films, will kick off on November 20, 2025.
THE 400 BLOWS
François Truffaut, France, 1959, 99 min, 35mm. In French with English subtitles.
10/1, 10/3
François Truffaut’s first film and the beginning of his autobiographical Antoine Doinel cycle. Thirteen-year-old Antoine Doinel is mischievous and adventurous, badly in need of a creative outlet. We follow along as he ditches school to ride the “Wheel of Death” at a carnival and engage in petty theft until his rebellion catches up with him. A seminal work of Cinema. In 35mm.
ADIEU PHILIPPINE
Jacques Rozier, France, 1962, 111min, DCP. In French with English subtitles.
10/8
In this freshly rediscovered French New Wave classic, two friends find themselves involved in a love triangle with the same soldier and watch as their playful tryst turns messy against the backdrop of war. Featuring a non-professional cast in first-time acting roles and direction from little-known master Jacques Rozier.
THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE
Jean Eustache, France, 1973, 219 min, DCP. In French with English subtitles.
10/11
A young man forms a love triangle between his girlfriend and a nurse in Jean Eustache’s drama, which sees the revolution move from the streets to the sheets in the wake of May ‘68. Starring Nouvelle Vague icons Jean-Pierre Léaud (here a far cry from Truffaut’s Antoine Doinel) and Bernadette Lafont (OUT 1, LE BEAU SERGE) alongside Françoise Lebrun (VORTEX).
LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD
Alain Resnais, France/Italy, 1961, 94min, DCP. In French with English subtitles.
10/15, 10/18
This enigmatic narrative, written by Alain Robbe-Grillet and directed by Alain Resnais, was one of the most impactful art films of the ’60s, setting a tone of sexy, stylish inscrutability that still echoes through the halls of cinephilia to this day. In it, a nameless woman, played by Delphine Seyrig (DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS), is haunted by a similarly anonymous man (Giorgio Albertazzi), who insists that the pair shared a rich history together, which she has no memory of.
MASCULIN FÉMININ
Jean-Luc Godard, France, 1966, DCP, 103 min. In French with English subtitles.
10/19, 10/25
Jean-Luc Godard’s seminal film — one of his most entertaining — dissects social mores among Parisian youth amidst the radical cultural shifts of the mid-1960s. Jean-Pierre Léaud in one of his most iconic roles.
BREATHLESS
Jean-Luc Godard, France, 1960, 90 min, DCP. In French with English subtitles.
10/29–11/1
Jean-Luc Godard’s feature debut made Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg stars as they play the parts of beautiful, doomed Parisian lovers. It’s hard to overstate the impact of BREATHLESS on cinema history. Dozens of filmmakers were unshackled by Godard’s loose, seemingly untethered style, and the international cinema of youth in revolt was born. Historical import aside, BREATHLESS is a wonderful piece of screen entertainment.
WORLD CINEMA CLASSICS
OLDBOY
Park Chan-wook, South Korea, 2003, DCP, 120 min. In Korean with English subtitles.
9/12–9/18
Drugged and held captive for fifteen years without understanding why, a man (Choi Min-sik) lives for revenge when he is finally freed. But that’s only the beginning. Winner of the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and one of the cinematic landmarks so far of this century.
CITY OF GOD
Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, Brazil/France/Germany, 2002, DCP, 130 min. In Portuguese with English subtitles.
9/22–9/28
1970s, Rio de Janeiro. Fifteen miles from paradise, two young men from the favelas learn that in the war between rich and poor, there is no right or wrong. Based on the autobiographical novel by Paulo Lins, this Brazilian arthouse smash is a relentless, blood-soaked masterpiece from start to finish.
POSSESSION
Andrzej Żuławski, France/West Germany, 1981, DCP, 124 min. In English, French, and German with English subtitles.
10/2, 10/4, 10/5
Marriage makes monsters of Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill in this cult art-horror classic from director Andrzej Żuławski (ON THE SILVER GLOBE). An unforgettable experience, a film that will get under your skin and make itself at home there.
NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE
Werner Herzog, West Germany, 1979, DCP, 107 min. In German, English, and Romany with English subtitles.
10/24–10/26
This remarkably faithful remake of Murnau’s pioneering silent horror film stars Klaus Kinski as the rat-faced Prince of Darkness who brings his pestilence to Britain from far-off Transylvania. With Bruno Ganz as Jonathan Harker and Isabelle Adjani as Lucy Harker. Herzog achieves a cold distance that makes the vampire’s evil almost palpable. A perfectly nightmarish Halloween treat.
PAPER CUTS
THE LIMEY
Steven Soderbergh, USA, 1999, DCP, 89 min.
9/20, 9/21
Terence Stamp’s weathered English ex-con, Wilson, crosses the Atlantic to hunt his daughter’s killer (Peter Fonda) in Soderbergh’s fractured L.A. noir. Profound and challenging, its innovative editing scrambles memory and reality, transforming a deceptively complex revenge thriller into a haunting exploration of guilt, regret, and the price of violence.
Featuring a post-film discussion and a pop-up shop on Saturday, September 20. Poor Cow by Nell Dunn is available for purchase at Alienated Majesty Books, in-person or online.
ARREBATO
Iván Zulueta, Spain, 1980, 35mm, 105 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
10/11–10/13
Vampires need more than blood in this drug-fueled cult classic from Almodóvar-collaborator Iván Zulueta — a hypnotic tale of obsession and altered perception. A filmmaker wrestles with the ecstatic pull of cinephiles and the consuming grip of addiction in all its forms. In 35mm.
Featuring a post-film discussion and a pop-up shop on Saturday, October 11. Throat Sprockets by Tim Lucas is available for purchase at Alienated Majesty Books, in-person or online.
LATES
ROSA LA ROSE, FILLE PUBLIQUE
Paul Vecchiali, France, 1986, DCP, 92 min. In French with English subtitles.
9/5, 9/6
A hidden gem worthy of discovery, the vibrant ROSA LA ROSE from Paul Vecchiali (THE STRANGLER) follows a young sex worker whose idyllic world fractures when a working man glimpses her true self. What unfolds is a subtle, vibrant, and compelling study of longing, identity, and class tension. Like a musical stripped of its score, it hums with a quiet emotional power. New 2K restoration.
DEPRISA, DEPRISA
Carlos Saura, Spain, 1981, DCP, 107 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
9/12, 9/13
Rebeldes sin causa: three boys and a girl from fractured homes get up to no good — petty crime for kicks and survival — until a heist gone south shatters their world. Like a primetime PSA, Carlos Saura asks, “Do you know where your kids are?” in this searing look at nihilistic youth in post-Franco Spain. New 4K restoration.
THE ICE TOWER
Lucile Hadžihalilović, France/Germany/Italy, 2025, DCP, 103 min. In French with English subtitles.
10/24–10/26
From Lucile Hadžihalilović (INNOCENCE), hot off its premiere at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival, comes a frostbitten fairy tale starring Marion Cotillard, Gaspar Noé, and August Diehl. In 1970s France, runaway Jeanne seeks refuge in a film studio and becomes entranced by Cristina, the enigmatic star of THE SNOW QUEEN. Their bond deepens into a chilling spiral — mesmerizing, dangerous, and as cold as winter.
NEWLY RESTORED
THE FRIENDS
Shinji Sômai, Japan, 1994, DCP, 113 min. In Japanese with English subtitles.
9/3, 9/7
During a sweltering summer, three mischievous boys fixate on a reclusive old man, expecting to witness his lonely demise. Instead, they unravel his past and forge an unlikely bond. An exuberant and poignant story of youth and the ravages of time — from Shinji Sômai, acclaimed director of TYPHOON CLUB and P.P. RIDER.
HAPPINESS
Todd Solondz, USA, 1998, DCP, 139 min.
9/6–9/8
Todd Solondz’s (WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE) brilliantly empathetic yet darkly comic portrait dissects three sisters and their poisoned New Jersey suburban lives. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jane Adams, Ben Gazzara, Dylan Baker, and Lara Flynn Boyle form a stunning ensemble as society’s broken misfits hungering for connection in this merciless examination of middle-class desperation. Endlessly disturbing. Undeniably human.
PEKING OPERA BLUES
Tsui Hark, Hong Kong, 1986, DCP, 104 min. In Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles.
9/6–9/10
The setting is Beijing in 1913. The colorful, bustling Peking Opera is presented as a macrocosm of the culture at large, complete with political and romantic intrigues among the performers and audiences. Tsui Hark’s follow-up to SHANGHAI BLUES is a perfect combination of farce, romance, and political subversion
LINDA LINDA LINDA
Nobuhiro Yamashita, Japan, 2005, DCP, 114 min. In Japanese with English subtitles.
9/26–10/2
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Nobuhiro Yamashita’s beloved cult classic charts a high school girl band gearing up for a school festival. Fueled by music from James Iha (The Smashing Pumpkins) and covers of songs from punk band The Blue Hearts, it stars Bae Doona (THE HOST) alongside familiar faces from BATTLE ROYALE and DEATH NOTE. Charming and infectious, this film rocks. New 4K restoration.
HIGH ART
Lisa Cholodenko, USA/Canada, 1998, DCP, 101 min.
10/9, 10/12
Lisa Cholodenko’s coolly confident debut tracks a troubled photographer (Ally Sheedy) and an ambitious newcomer (Radha Mitchell) whose electric connection — sparked while on assignment for a major magazine — spirals into obsession and ruin. One of the defining films of New Queer Cinema, HIGH ART is a sleek, incisive look at love, ambition, and self-destruction.
FRIGHT CLUB
TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA
Peter Sasdy, UK, 1970, 35mm, 91 min.
10/27, 10/30
This Hammer horror film reflects some of the generational strife of its era. A group of bad Victorian dads buy a vial of Dracula’s blood to use as an aphrodisiac or something, and Dracula himself is accidentally resuscitated to seduce the men’s daughters. Christopher Lee is the best on-screen Dracula ever, and it is proven again here. In 35mm.
DOC NIGHTS
BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM
Chelsea Hernandez, USA, 2019, DCP, 75 min.
9/1
Across Texas, an unstoppable construction boom drives urban sprawl and luxury high-rises. Its dirty secret: the abuse of immigrant labor. The AFS Grant-supported documentary BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM captures a turning point as a movement forms to fight widespread construction industry injustices. Free Member Monday — free admission for all AFS members on Monday, September 1. Preceded by a showcase of short films and a panel. See austinfilm.org for details.
MILISUTHANDO
Milisuthando Bongela, South Africa/Columbia, 2023, DCP, 128 min.
9/14, 9/18
A stunning, poetic essay film that invites the audience on a journey to the aftermath of South African apartheid and acutely reveals the enduring spectre of racism. Director, writer, and artist Milisuthando Bongela recalls early memories of life inside the segregated Transkei region and the hopes and dreams of a country eager to put apartheid behind them.
THE 9 LIVES OF BARBARA DANE
Maureen Gosling, USA, 2023, 107 min.
9/15, 9/17
From documentary legend Maureen Gosling comes a portrait of the great folk and protest singer Barbara Dane, whose collaborators included Lightnin’ Hopkins, Earl Hines, and Louis Armstrong — and whose enemies included the CIA. With tons of archival material and interviews with her friends and admirers, including Jane Fonda, Bonnie Raitt, and others.
VIDEOHEAVEN
Alex Ross Perry, USA, 2025, DCP, 173 min.
9/21, 9/27
Alex Ross Perry (PAVEMENTS, HER SMELL) tells the story of the great video store years using clips culled from hundreds of sources. Maya Hawke narrates this massive (nearly three hours long) cultural history project. A must for all who remember the heyday of video rental outlets fondly.
BEST OF THE FESTS
DICIANNOVE
Giovanni Tortorici, Italy/UK, 2024, DCP, 108 mins. In Italian with English subtitles.
9/11, 9/14
Dubbed “a freewheeling Gen Z bildungsroman” (SIFF), Giovanni Tortorici’s audacious debut follows Leonardo, a teen entering the world of higher learning, as he spars with academia — and even himself. Produced by Luca Guadagnino, it’s restless, raw, and undeniably now.
NO SLEEP TILL
Alexandra Simpson, USA/Sweden, 2024, DCP, 93 min.
9/21, 9/28
As a hurricane nears Atlantic Beach, most flee, but a few remain, gripped by obsession, hope, or quiet rebellion. Dreamers, a teen, and a storm chaser face the gathering winds in Alexandra Simpson’s haunting debut: a lyrical, slow-burning disaster film — eerie and charged, like a coming storm.
SOULEYMANE’S STORY
Boris Lojkine, France, 2024, DCP, 93 min. In French, Fulah, and Malinka with English subtitles.
10/6–10/12
In Paris, a young Guinean immigrant hustles together a living doing bicycle food deliveries and living in a shelter while trying to navigate the labyrinthine visa system. Anchored by a wonderful performance from Abou Sangaré and made with considerable technical flair by veteran French writer-director Boris Lojkine. Free Member Monday — free admission for all AFS members on Monday, October 6.
QUEER CINEMA: LOST & FOUND
CASTRATION MOVIE
Louise Weard, USA, 2024, DCP, 275 min.
9/24
CASTRATION MOVIE is a labyrinthine post-modern epic about gender. A trans woman named Michaela “Traps” Sinclair (filmmaker Louise Weard) is a sex worker in Vancouver who splits her time between seeing clients and hanging out with her group of trans friends. As the weight of the world piles up on her, she decides to reclaim some sense of control by seeking out a back-alley orchiectomy.
The first part of Castration Movie (running 275 minutes with an intermission) contains two chapters:
In Chapter i. Incel Superman, a production assistant named Turner Stewart (Noah Baker) sees his world spiral out of control as he uncompromisingly attempts to shape his life into the one he feels he deserves.
In Chapter ii. Traps Swan Princess, a trans sex worker named Michaela “Traps” Sinclair (Louise Weard) finds her relationships becoming increasingly strained as she decides to pursue motherhood.
Screening with a special in-person Q&A with filmmaker Louise Weard, moderated by Queer Cinema: Lost & Found programmer Elizabeth Purchell.
HIGHWAY HYPNOSIS
Ken Camp, USA, 1984, 63 min.
10/19, 10/24
The Los Angeles Freeway Killer (Leonard Lumpkin) takes a drive to Las Vegas — and back. This video by Ken Camp (AS THE WORLD BURNS) is both trancelike and troubling, taking the viewer across the desert of California, through Nevada, and into “the frightening zone where lay the genetic codes and memories that make us all killers.”
Unseen since its 1984 premiere at West Hollywood’s EZTV Video Gallery, Ken Camp’s HIGHWAY HYPNOSIS is a disturbing meditation on the eroticism of violence and a major work of both narrative video art and queer horror.
Screening with a video introduction by Queer Cinema: Lost & Found programmer Elizabeth Purchell.
SPECIAL EVENTS
MOVIE MOXIE
Live event, approx. 90 min.
10/20
The popular and long-running live game show comes to AFS with a special arthouse film edition. Movie Moxie features contestants from Austin’s film and cinephile community battling for mental dominance and your amusement! Three teams will face a variety of motion picture questions from two literal giants of trivia: host Maxim Pozderac (Fantastic Feud, TriviaDome, QRANK) and co-host Nick Pozderac (Movie Maxie’s little brother). Fun will be had, egos will be inflated and/or crushed, obscure facts will be learned and quickly forgotten, and prizes will be won by select audience members able to prove their Movie Moxie™.
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST
Ben Masters, USA, 2025, DCP, 102 min.
9/4, 9/5
The feature-length film follows the Colorado River from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains, through lush forests and iconic canyons, and down diversion tunnels and irrigation canals on its 1,400-mile journey to sustain both the natural world and humanity. Director Ben Masters (THE RIVER AND THE WALL, DEEP IN THE HEART) and crew members in attendance for select screenings.
MEDIA CONTACT
Will Stefanski
Will@austinfilm.org
