It has been twelve years since the release of AFS Artistic Director Richard Linklater’s triumphant BOYHOOD. Twelve is an important number because it is the number of years the film was in production, lending an otherwise impossible veracity to its coming-of-age narrative about a boy who becomes a young man. For this special event, Linklater and the principal cast return to Austin in person to reflect on 12 years of BOYHOOD.

In partnership with Independent Film Company, AFS Cinema will host the July 18 reunion event, including a live Q&A taping that will screen alongside the film when it returns to arthouse theaters (including AFS Cinema) nationwide on July 31.

Written and directed by Richard Linklater, BOYHOOD stars Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, and Lorelei Linklater. Filmed over the course of 12 years between 2002 and 2013, BOYHOOD chronicled the real-life growth of its cast while telling the story of Mason Evans Jr.’s journey from childhood to adulthood. Upon its release in 2014, the film became a cultural phenomenon and a defining theatrical success for IFC Films and independent film, earning widespread critical acclaim and resonating with audiences around the world.

The film will also have additional screenings at AFS Cinema in late summer and early fall, with access to the recorded Q&A as part of the film’s nationwide theatrical re-release beginning July 31. Follow AFS on Instagram @austinfilm or sign up for their newsletter for updates.