AFS Cinema Announces Its November/December 2026 Program Calendar
October 8, 2026, AUSTIN, TX— The Austin Film Society announces its November and December 2026 calendar, featuring a diverse lineup of films available only at the AFS Cinema. The full calendar can be found at www.austinfilm.org.
Highlights include the return of New French Cinema Week, AFS’s annual festival of new international films by up-and-coming Francophone filmmakers, from November 12 to 15. The festival is a partnership between AFS, the 400 Coups Cinema and Premiers Plans Festival, both of Angers, France (Austin’s French sister city), Villa Albertine, and Cultural Services of the French Embassy. Since it began in 2015, New French Cinema Week has brought Austin audiences award-winning selections and festival favorites from across the French-speaking world, many of which have yet to be distributed in the US, and welcomed international guests and filmmakers to the AFS Cinema. The opening-night film, Wild Foxes, follows a champion boxer at a French boarding school for elite athletes whose ideas about the future are called into question after a terrible accident changes the course of his training. The film was a selection of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and the Premiers Plans Festival of Angers, where it won the Best Actor award. Writer/director Valéry Carnoy will be at opening night for an in-person Q&A after the screening. The festival continues with Marine Atlan’s feature debut, La Gradiva, which took home the top prize at Cannes Critics’ Week last May, and Emmanuel Marre’s A Man of His Time, about a Vichy government loyalist in Nazi-occupied Paris, which won Best Screenplay at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. See the full New French Cinema Week lineup below. The lineup, festival passes, and individual tickets are available at austinfilm.org/french. AFS members will receive additional discounts on passes and tickets.
Also in November, AFS will present Once Upon a Time in South Central LA: John Singleton’s Hood Trilogy as part of its Essential Cinema series, all exhibited on 35mm film. The series features three films from trailblazing director John Singleton that explore Black urban life in the South Central Los Angeles community where he was raised. His 1991 debut feature, Boyz n the Hood (screening November 10 and 14), starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Ice Cube, and Angela Bassett, catapulted Singleton to fame and earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director, making him the youngest person and the first Black director to be nominated in the category (he was also nominated for Best Screenplay). The trilogy continues with Poetic Justice (November 17 and 21), starring Janet Jackson as an up-and-coming poet alongside Tupac Shakur, and concludes with Baby Boy (November 24 and 28), a film starring Tyrese Gibson as a young man on the cusp of adulthood who is struggling to find his place in the world. Dr. Mark D. Cunningham, department chair of Radio-Television-Film at Austin Community College, and author of the new book, Once Upon a Time in South Central LA: John Singleton’s Hood Trilogy, will appear for the first screening of each title to discuss the stories behind the films and to help the audience digest their cultural import.
In December, AFS’s annual Home for the Holidays series returns with a collection of non-traditional holiday films for those who stay in town to celebrate the holiday season. This year features the return of the William Powell and Myrna Loy starrer, The Thin Man (December 24-27), which has become a staple in the annual series, as well as 4K restorations of the director’s cut of Brazil, the dystopian black comedy directed by Terry Gilliam, on December 24 and 29, and Rex: A Dinosaur’s Story, the family-friendly Japanese Christmas cult classic, on December 25 and 28. Other films in the series include the Christmas-set romances Bell, Book and Candle (December 24-29) and A Holiday Affair (December 25 and 27). In a turn from the more lighthearted holiday films, the series also includes Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s searing In a Year of 13 Moons about a transwoman who has been spurned by her lover.
In addition to the John Singleton Trilogy, the following films will be exhibited on 35mm film prints in November and December:
- If…. with Nathan Gelgud (November 23 & 25)
- My Winnipeg with C. Rees (December 10 & 13)
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (December 19 & 20)
The full November/December lineup continues below and is also at austinfilm.org. Ticket prices range from $12 to $15, with discounts for AFS members. Special pricing is noted if applicable.
AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER CALENDAR
ESSENTIAL CINEMA: ONCE UPON A TIME IN SOUTH CENTRAL LA:
JOHN SINGLETON’S HOOD TRILOGY
Mark D. Cunningham, department chair of Radio-Television-Film at Austin Community College, joins us for a special screening series commemorating his new book, Once Upon a Time in South Central LA: John Singleton’s Hood Trilogy. Cunningham will appear for the first screening of each title to discuss the stories behind the films and to help us all digest their cultural import.
This project is supported in part by an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment.
BOYZ N THE HOOD
John Singleton, USA, 1991, 35mm, 112 min.
11/10, 11/14
Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Ice Cube, and Angela Bassett headline the stacked cast in this coming-of-age story set in South Central LA of the mid-’80s and early ’90s. This is a film that truly immerses you in its world. Written and directed by John Singleton. The first screening will be introduced by Singleton biographer Mark D. Cunningham. In 35mm.
This project is supported in part by an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment.
POETIC JUSTICE
John Singleton, USA, 1993, 35mm, 109 min.
11/17, 11/21
Set against the backdrop of a traumatic loss, POETIC JUSTICE stars Janet Jackson as an up-and-coming poet who finds her solace in words. As she begins to heal, she finds romance with Tupac Shakur. The poems read by Jackson are written by Maya Angelou, who also appears in the film as herself. Written and directed by John Singleton. The first screening will be introduced by Singleton biographer Mark D. Cunningham. In 35mm.
This project is supported in part by an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment.
BABY BOY
John Singleton, USA, 2001, 35mm, 130 min.
11/24, 11/28
In a role originally intended for Tupac Shakur, Tyrese Gibson plays a young man on the cusp of adulthood who is struggling to find his place in the world, a task made even harder in the context of South Central LA’s pressures. Written and directed by John Singleton. The first screening will be introduced by Singleton biographer Mark D. Cunningham. In 35mm.
This project is supported in part by an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment
ESSENTIAL CINEMA: TECHNICOLOR MUSICALS
Nowadays we may think of classic Hollywood musicals as lightweight and frivolous and, well, they are. That’s one of the reasons we love them. At their best, they also represent the most extraordinary collection of intellect and technical know-how this side of the Manhattan Project. This is a collection of some of the best, most diverting, most visually nourishing, and most purely entertaining musical films of the Technicolor era, when the films looked more real than real, and the extraordinarily bold color set a new standard for the visual vocabulary of cinema.
FUNNY FACE
Stanley Donen, USA, 1957, DCP, 103 min.
12/1-12/5
In this charming musical comedy featuring songs by George and Ira Gershwin, Audrey Hepburn plays a Greenwich Village bookstore clerk who is discovered by a sophisticated fashion photographer and whisked away to Paris to model on the haute couture circuit. Richard Avedon staged the photo sequences, Givenchy provided the clothing, and Stanley Donen and Astaire choreographed the dance numbers, so you know it’s top shelf.
MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID
Mervyn LeRoy, USA, 1952, DCP, 115 min.
12/8, 12/12
Swimmer Esther Williams was one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and all her films featured intensively crafted water ballets. This is her magnum opus, the story of the original swimming superstar, Australia’s Annette Kellerman, and it’s a wild time at the movies. The water ballets are by the great Busby Berkeley, and they are arguably the most remarkable utilization of water since Niagara Falls.
GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES
Howard Hawks, USA, 1953, DCP, 91 min.
12/15-12/19
Tough guy director Howard Hawks may seem like an odd choice to direct a musical comedy, but the material, a novel by Anita Loos, is every bit as raw and individualistic as one of Hawks’ noirs or westerns. Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell star as two friends who are looking for very different kinds of men. Eye-popping music and dance sequences by Jack Cole.
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
Vincente Minnelli, USA, 1951, DCP, 115 min.
12/22-12/27
It wouldn’t be a proper Technicolor Musicals series without director Vincente Minnelli and choreographer/star Gene Kelly. Here, Kelly plays an American painter agog in the land of great art, with Leslie Caron as the French object of his affections. The music is by George Gershwin and the whole thing will carry you away on a cloud of melody, movement, and art.
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
The holidays are a period of travel for many of us as we venture to far-off homes and hearths. For some of us though, Austin is our home, and we are staying home for the holidays. With that in mind, we are presenting some of our favorite Hollywood holiday classics on the big screen.
BRAZIL
Terry Gilliam, UK, 1985, DCP, 142 min.
12/24, 12/29
Director’s Cut! Kafka meets Orwell meets IDIOCRACY in this classic dystopian black comedy directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam and Tom Stoppard. Starring Jonathan Pryce, Ian Holm, Bob Hoskins and Robert De Niro. New 4K restoration.
THE THIN MAN
W.S. Van Dyke, USA, 1934, DCP, 93 min.
12/24-12/27
William Powell and Myrna Loy star as one of the screen’s most effervescent couples as they navigate a Christmas in New York and try to solve a murder in this adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s sly, gin-soaked novel. Pure fun.
BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE
Richard Quine, USA, 1958, DCP, 106 min.
12/24-12/29
Kim Novak stars as a beatnik witch with a Siamese cat named Pyewacket and a warlock brother played by Jack Lemmon in this freaked-out and very funny Christmas season romance. Jimmy Stewart plays the object of her love potions. With Ernie Kovacs and Elsa Lanchester.
REX: A DINOSAUR’S STORY
Haruki Kadokawa, Japan, 1993, DCP, 106 min. In Japanese with English subtitles.
12/25, 12/28
Girl meets dinosaur in this deranged Japanese Christmas cult classic. When a paleontologist’s daughter discovers a baby T. rex, she and her newfound dino-friend go on the run from profiteers. Featuring an adorable creature designed by the legendary Carlo Rambaldi, the special effects artist behind ALIEN, POSSESSION, and E.T., it’s wholesome holiday fun for the entire family. So, this year, why not give the gift of cinema? Presented in a new 4K restoration.
A HOLIDAY AFFAIR
Don Hartman, USA, 1949, DCP, 87 min.
12/25, 12/27
Secret shopper and single mom Janet Leigh inadvertently gets department store salesman Robert Mitchum fired just in time for Christmas. When they see each other again, it’s an unstoppable case of love, even though she already has a very nice boyfriend. The chemistry is not only in the script, it’s all over Leigh and Mitchum’s faces in every shot together. Were it not for the wonderful performers here, this might be a little corny, but as it is, it’s that rare Christmas romance that really works.
IN A YEAR OF 13 MOONS
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, West Germany, 1978, DCP, 124 min. In German with English subtitles.
12/26, 12/28
We have plenty of lighthearted, fun holiday films this year. This is not one of them. The brilliant writer-director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, in the wake of a crushing personal tragedy, felt he had two choices: to commit suicide, or to make this film. The Christmas connection, in the great AFS tradition, is rather minimal, as the protagonist, Elvira, a newly transitioned transwoman, tries to make sense of her life and situation after her lover abandons her.
NEWLY RESTORED
CENTER STAGE
Stanley Kwan, Hong Kong, 1991, DCP, 154 min. In Cantonese, Mandarin, and English with English subtitles.
11/5, 11/7
She captivated a nation and came to embody the modern woman in pre-war China, but her life off screen was more colorful than anything on the silver screen. Maggie Cheung (IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, IRMA VEP) is Ruan Lingyu, the “Greta Garbo of China,” whose life ended by her own hand at 24 after intense media scrutiny. Hong Kong New Wave auteur Stanley Kwan’s “most thrilling and dazzling achievement” (Chicago Tribune) is a daring blend of period drama, archival footage, and documentary, as beguiling as its subject. Co-starring Tony Leung Ka-fai (THE LOVER). In a new 4K restoration in honor of its 35th anniversary.
WHITE NIGHTS
Luchino Visconti, Italy, 1957, DCP, 101 min. In Italian with English subtitles
11/16-11/21
Marcello Mastroianni and Maria Schell star in Luchino Visconti’s emotionally resonant adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s novella. As always, Visconti leads the viewer into the emotional world of the characters with subtlety, tenderness, and precision.
RAISE THE RED LANTERN
Zhang Yimou, China/Hong Kong, 1991, DCP, 125 min. In Mandarin with English subtitles.
Opens 11/13
One of the defining works of Chinese cinema and a touchstone of ’90s international film, Zhang Yimou’s Academy Award-nominated adaptation of Su Tong’s novella takes us over the high walls of Master Chen’s estate, where concubines vie for power, and one woman seeks to defy her fate. Gong Li stars in this sumptuous lesson in intrigue, “subtly exploring the politics of power and control” (The New York Times), full of “voluptuous physical beauty and angry passions” (Chicago Tribune). New 4K restoration.
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
Milos Forman, USA, 1975, DCP, 135 min.
11/27-11/30
Jack Nicholson is Randle Patrick McMurphy, a small-time crook who pulls his biggest scam yet when he gets himself transferred to a mental institution, then leads its patients in rebellion against the domineering Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). Based on Ken Kesey’s bestselling novel, the film swept the Academy Awards, winning all five major prizes, including Best Director for Miloš Forman (AMADEUS). Co-starring Brad Dourif, Will Sampson, Danny DeVito, and Christopher Lloyd, this classic returns in a new 4K restoration.
IN WHICH ANNIE GIVES IT THOSE ONES
Pradip Krishen, India, 1989, DCP, 114 min.
12/20, 12/23
1974, New Delhi. Architecture student Anand “Annie” Grover is sticking it to the man, and failing in the process. Now in his fifth year (for the fourth time), he’ll need a miracle to pass, or maybe just a little help from his friends. The first screenplay by celebrated writer Arundhati Roy, inspired by her own university experiences, and directed by her husband Pradip Krishen, this delightful portrait of youthful inertia is available for the first time in North America. Like DAZED AND CONFUSED, it captures the zeitgeist of its era with an unmatched cool. New 4K restoration.
BEST OF THE FESTS
JIMMY
Yashaddai Owens, USA, 2024, DCP, 61 min.
12/5, 12/7
At 24, James Baldwin left New York for Paris, where he would spend the next decade writing his early books and immersing himself in the artistic community of the Left Bank. This impressionistic first feature from photographer and filmmaker Yashaddai Owens reimagines a young Baldwin as a flaneur guided by his desires, discovering the city through his senses.
WORLD CINEMA CLASSICS
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
Sergio Leone, Italy, 1966, DCP, 174 min.
11/3-11/8
Sergio Leone brought grand opera and western adventure together with a tough, cynical, noir-inspired view of the old West. In this, his most perfect statement, he has the benefit of a perfect cast. Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and (UT grad) Eli Wallach. Ennio Morricone provides the epochal music score.
DANGER: DIABOLIK
Mario Bava, Italy, 1968, DCP, 105 min.
11/28, 12/3
Italian genre specialist Mario Bava brings his technical mastery and trademark moody lighting to an adaptation of the European superhero/thief comic series Diabolik. Heists, chases, and an underground lair: It’s all here and it’s so cool.
CINEMA PARADISO
Giuseppe Tornatore, Italy, 1988, DCP, 155 min. In Italian with English subtitles.
12/13, 12/16
CINEMA PARADISO is a movie about devotees of the Cinema made for devotees of the Cinema. Through flashbacks, a famous movie director relives his childhood and young adulthood, watching (and later projecting) films at his neighborhood theater under the tutelage of the longtime projectionist. If you love the Cinema and the people who make it happen, this film is guaranteed to grab you.
DOC NIGHTS
SOUL PATROL
J.M. Harper, USA, 2026, DCP, 100 min.
11/11
The Vietnam War’s only all-Black special operations unit reunites to tell their stories for theT first time. Entering the war at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, where they endured the double traumas of war and racism, these men hold a piece of that era’s history that is all their own. SOUL PATROL takes a fresh and delicate approach to bringing their memories to life, sharing a critical piece of American history. Winner of the Best Director award at the Sundance Film Festival and a 2026 AFS Doc Days selection.
MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS: PART II — EXILE
Julia Loktev, USA, 2026, DCP, 355 min. In various languages with English subtitles.
11/29
Those of you who have seen the first section of this doc have been on pins and needles waiting to see what happens to the truth-seeking Russian journalists who have crossed Vladimir Putin and have every reason to fear for their lives and freedom. This sequel follows the journalists into exile as they try to make sense of everything that has happened to them and their country.
MARY OLIVER: SAVED BY THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD
Sasha Waters, USA, 2026, DCP, 91 min.
12/9
This documentary about Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver tells her story from the bottom up, as she develops her love of and skill for the written word. It includes archival readings by Oliver herself and testimonials from some famous fans, including John Waters, Stephen Colbert, and many others.
CLOSURE
Michael Marczak, Poland, 2026, DCP, 105 min. In Polish with English subtitles
12/19, 12/21
A devastating documentary that follows a family in Poland that spends their days hoping to find their missing son who was last seen standing on a bridge over the rushing Vistula River. As they vacillate between hope and a need to mourn, the search goes on, and is caught by the filmmakers’ cameras. A 2026 AFS Doc Days selection.
BIG SCREEN CLASSICS
THE LAST WALTZ
Martin Scorsese, USA, 1978, DCP, 117 min.
11/25, 11/27
Martin Scorsese set a new standard in the technical and artistic quality of concert documentaries with THE LAST WALTZ. The setting is Thanksgiving, 1976. Robbie Robertson and the Band are having a farewell concert and they invite an all-star roster of their friends including Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Staples Singers, and too many other all-time greats to list. A magical music film, and a natural choice for Thanksgiving.
TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A.
William Friedkin, USA, 1985, DCP, 116 min.
12/12, 12/16
William Friedkin’s neon-noir is renowned for its over-the-top car chase, but the whole film is breathlessly tense. The colorful hyper-’80s aesthetic is aided immeasurably by the camerawork of Wim Wenders’ collaborator Robby Müller. William Petersen stars as the Secret Service agent hero, and Willem Dafoe reaches new heights as the psychotic villain.
THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING
Philip Kaufman, USA, 1988, DCP, 171 min.
12/14-12/18
Based on Milan Kundera’s celebrated novel, this is the story of Tomas (Daniel Day-Lewis), a gifted surgeon who puts his skillful hands to use outside the operating room, bed-hopping between Sabina (Lena Olin), an uncompromising free spirit, and Tereza (Juliette Binoche), a devoted photographer, during the Prague Spring. Their lives are a sensuous roundelay until the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia brings their passions to a crushing end. Directed and co-written by Philip Kaufman (HENRY & JUNE) with Jean-Claude Carriere (BELLE DE JOUR, BIRTH), and photographed by Ingmar Bergman collaborator Sven Nykvist, this luminous study of sex, art, and politics is as thrilling today as ever. 4K restoration.
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
Wes Anderson, USA, 2009, 35mm, 87 min.
12/19, 12/20
Wes Anderson finds his match in a classic from Roald Dahl. Meet Mr. Fox. His life wasn’t perfect, so he made it fantastic. When his home is threatened, he teams up with a group of bandits who embrace their animal instincts to rise up against three of the “meanest, nastiest, ugliest” farmers ever seen. Featuring the voice talents of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, and Michael Gambon in a caper, as sly — no, as clever — as a fox. In 35mm.
PAPER CUTS
IF…. with Nathan Gelgud
Lindsay Anderson, UK, 1969, 35mm, 112 min.
11/23, 11/25
Join us for a special conversation with cartoonist and illustrator Nathan Gelgud on Monday, November 23. This film’s book pairing, Reel Politik by Nathan Gelgud, is available for purchase at Alienated Majesty Books, in person or online.
This is an English public school. The leaders of tomorrow are built here — and they’re coming for today. Malcolm McDowell leads a revolt against the values that built the empire in Lindsay Anderson’s strange flight of fantasy turned violent rejection of the schoolboy ruling order. In 35mm.
QUEER CINEMA: LOST & FOUND
DRINKING AND DRIVING
Avalon Fast & Jillian Frank, USA, 2026, DCP, 105 min.
11/29, 12/3
Early twentysomethings Iris (Jillian Frank) and Palmer (Avalon Fast) never left their hometown. They work at the same restaurant, share the same bed, and both have a habit of drinking and driving. They run into Levi (Ethan Hawksworth), a guy they used to know. They spend time with him and his cousin, Phoenix (Henri Gillespi), in cars, backyards, and other people’s bedrooms. When Levi shares a dream he had with Iris, things change between the four of them. The reality of the summer becomes faded, the parties die. The four end in a field of unified confusion. Austin theatrical premiere.
MY FATHER IS COMING
Monika Treut, USA, 1991, DCP, 82 min.
12/20
Vicky (Shelley Kästner) is a German expat working as a waitress in the East Village while also dreaming of making it as an actor. She’ll have to give the performance of a lifetime when her stodgy father (Alfred Edel) hastily makes plans to visit her. As Vicky rushes to hide the aspects of her lifestyle that she doesn’t think he’ll approve of—namely, her gay roommate Ben (David Bronstein) and lesbian lover Lisa (Mary Lou Grailau)—only to become involved with a handsome stranger with a mysterious past (Michael Massee) in the process, Pops winds up tangled up with “post-porn modernist” Annie Sprinkle.
A supremely kinky (yet surprisingly wholesome) sex comedy, MY FATHER IS COMING is also a loving tribute to the East Village and notable for being one of the first feature films to prominently feature a trans man character.
LATES
OFFICE KILLER
Cindy Sherman, USA, 1997, DCP, 83 min
11/27-12/1
Working here is murder. After sixteen years without a promotion, Dorine (Carol Kane) is forced out of the office by budget cuts. Now the paper-pusher is taking the axe to her colleagues and punching out the competition in what writer Dahlia Schweitzer called a “comedy/horror/melodrama/noir/feminist statement/art piece” from internationally acclaimed photographer Cindy Sherman. Co-starring Molly Ringwald, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Barbara Sukowa, with a score by Lounge Lizards co-founder Evan Lurie, OFFICE KILLER is fresh off a performance improvement plan and restored in 4K.
LIES
Jang Sun-woo, South Korea, 1999, DCP, 112 min.
12/4, 12/5
Some limits are meant to be pushed. Y, a high school student, meets J, a 38-year-old married sculptor, and the pair soon quit their lives to hop from hotel to hotel in an increasingly dangerous sadomasochistic obsession. Adapted from Jang Jung-il’s banned novel Tell Me a Lie, LIES is “sly, witty, and at once perceptive, moving, queasy, and comically relentless” (Village Voice) and confirmed Jang Sun-woo (TIMELESS, BOTTOMLESS, BAD MOVIE) as “Asian cinema’s most provocative talent” (Time Out). New 4K restoration.
ROY FROM SPACE
Héctor López Carmona, Rafael Ángel Gil, and Ulises Pérez Aguirre, México, 1983, DCP, 64 min. In Spanish with English subtitles.
12/11, 12/12
“I’m Roy from Space. I come from Earth.” Lost for more than forty years, one of the earliest animated features ever made in Mexico reenters the atmosphere as a newly minted wonder of outsider animation, one that has to be seen to be believed. Watch our forever-helmeted hero battle robots, flying saucers, and lusty ladies in the far reaches of the galaxy. Such is the out-of-this-world life of ROY FROM SPACE. New restoration.
NOIR ET BLANC
Claire Devers, France, 1986, DCP, 80 min. In French with English subtitles.
12/18, 12/19
Two men. One Black, one white. Todd Haynes meets Fassbinder meets Genet in this tale of a mild-mannered white accountant who finds release at the hands of a dutiful Black masseur, who deals out pain and pleasure in equal measure. Freely adapted from a short story by Tennessee Williams, Claire Devers’s NOIR ET BLANC is a forgotten masterpiece, haunting and immaculate, featuring work by cinematographer Christopher Doyle and an early appearance by Isaach de Bankolé. “Utterly singular, both in subject and form” (Fabrice Revault d’Allonnes). New 4K Restoration.
SPECIAL EVENTS
The Nobelity Project presents BUILDING HOPE
Turk Pipkin, USA, 2011, DCP, 80 min.
11/22
The culmination of the Nobelity Project’s Global Change Trilogy follows Turk Pipkin’s promise to help build the first high school for a remote African community, connecting Americans and Kenyans in a true story of BUILDING HOPE. Through challenges and triumphs, BUILDING HOPE chronicles the construction of Mahiga Hope High and the connection between a thousand people in the U.S. and an African community working to create a better future for their children.
The film includes appearances by Kenyan youth counselor Auma Obama, sister of President Barack Obama, and by Cameron Sinclair, founder of Architecture for Humanity, and features music by Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Eliza Gilkyson, Kat Edmonson, and Ayub Ogada.
The Nobelity Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to basic rights for all children. Proceeds from the film benefit their Kenya Schools Fund, building classrooms, libraries, computer labs, and water systems at rural Kenyan schools.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
URGH! A MUSIC WAR with The Professors of Urgh!
Derek Burbridge, USA, 1981, DCP, 96 minutes plus live content.
11/19
With introduction and discussion by the Professors of Urgh!, Chaki & Chris Slusarenko, who have amassed over 55 podcast episodes about the wheres, whys, and hows of this epic ‘80s concert film. Considered one of the most ground-zero documents of the late ‘70s/early ‘80s New Music Scene, URGH! A MUSIC WAR has rarely been seen on the big screen. Featuring 34 bands ranging from the well-known (The Police, Devo, X, Joan Jett, XTC, The Go-Gos & Gary Numan) to the true underground (Dead Kennedys, Magazine, The Cramps, Pere Ubu, Au Pairs, Klaus Nomi), the film is beautifully shot and recorded, allowing each band to sound and perform completely authentically.
MY WINNIPEG with C. Rees
Guy Maddin, Canada, 2007, 35mm, 80 min.
12/10, 12/13
Guy Maddin channels the ghosts of silent cinema and the real and imagined specters of his hometown. An impressionistic, psychogeographical map through the “heart of the continent” and its director, this is a “documentary” by one of cinema’s greatest poets. Join us on Thursday, December 10, for a conversation with poet C. Rees about the film, poetic cinema, and how it influenced their debut collection, NOCTUARY. Presented in 35mm.
POUND
Robert Downey, Sr., USA, 1970, DCP, 92 min.
12/13
Only the great Robert Downey Sr., the clown prince of art cinema, could make a film like POUND. In the city animal shelter, a group of dogs, played by human actors, wait to find out if they will live or die. And it’s a comedy! With a wonderful cast including the debut of Downey’s son, Robert Jr. Austin filmmaker Don Swaynos will join us to present.
SPACEFLIGHT RECORDS PRESENTS
THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN
Robert Wise, USA, 1971, DCP, 130 min.
12/5
Our friends at Austin’s own non-profit, multi-award-winning Spaceflight Records present this suspenseful sci-fi thriller about the race to contain a sci-fi pathogen that has returned on a crashed military satellite. The first screening will be preceded by a live mini-concert by one of Spaceflight’s many live bands (to be announced).
LIVE SCORE
FAUST with a live score by The Invincible Czars
F.W. Murnau, Germany, 1926, DCP, 106 min. Silent with live musical accompaniment.
11/4
The Invincible Czars celebrate 100 years of the silent masterpiece FAUST by performing their tastefully modern soundtrack live with the movie. Their brand-new electrifying score marries new and old elements of classical music, bossa nova, and even a touch of heavy metal to bring the movie to life for contemporary audiences and incorporates a mix of instruments like flute, violin, and electric guitar.
JOE BOB BRIGGS PRESENTS
JOE BOB BRIGGS PRESENTS: SATAN’S WORKSHOP II
11/21, 11/22
Joe Bob Briggs returns for another weekend of “Satan’s Workshop.” Two completely different double features of secret exploitation flicks — one double feature on Saturday night and another one on Sunday afternoon. Joe Bob and Darcy the Mail Girl need the AFS crowd to decide which of these forgotten titles make the cut for their new 2027 show. Be part of the curation process for the next generation of cult cinema. Come see these amazing Joe Bob selected films and meet Joe Bob and Darcy.
NEW FRENCH CINEMA WEEK
Our annual festival of new work by rising voices from around the Francophone world returns to the AFS Cinema on Thursday, November 12–Sunday, November 15. A partnership between AFS, the 400 Coups Cinema and Premiers Plans Festival, both of Angers, France (Austin’s French sister city), Villa Albertine, and Cultural Services of the French Embassy.
WILD FOXES
Valéry Carnoy, Belgium/France, 2025, DCP, 92 min. In French with English subtitles.
11/12
With writer/director Valéry Carnoy in attendance.
In his critically acclaimed first feature film, writer/director Valéry Carnoy has crafted a propulsive narrative with a stellar ensemble cast, sensitively examining a group of young athletes facing dramatic life changes. Camille is a champion boxer at a French boarding school for elite athletes. A terrible accident changes the course of his training, and his ideas about the future are called into question. A selection of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and the Premiers Plans Festival of Angers, where it won the Best Actor award.
LA GRADIVA
Marine Atlan, France/Italy, 2026, DCP, 145 min. In French and Italian with English subtitles.
11/13
A timeless, humanist tale with its roots in the cinema of Jacques Rozier and the Italian neo-realists, this stunning and layered feature debut by Marine Atlan (celebrated cinematographer from last year’s GIRL IN THE SNOW) took home the top prize at Cannes Critics’ Week last May. A high school trip to Naples brings a group of 17-year-olds face to face with ancient history. Personalities clash and family histories collide with the present as the trip drives each student on an inward voyage to better understand the adults they are becoming, and in turn, who they’ll be to each other.
A MAN OF HIS TIME
Emmanuel Marre, France/Belgium, 2026, DCP, 155 min. In French with English subtitles.
11/14
Writer-director Emmanuel Marre exposes the fine lines between ambition and sin in this fresh and imaginative story about a Vichy government loyalist during France’s Nazi occupation. In the early 1940s, businessman Henri Marre (a brilliant Swann Arlaud) arrives in the new seat of the collaborationist French government in Vichy, France, armed with a self-published manifesto on government management practices and intent on making a name for himself in the newly formed cabinet of Marshal Pétain. Abandoning his wife and children in Nazi-occupied Paris, Marre’s restless ambition will bring him to the brink as the Vichy government incrementally takes on the Nazi agenda. Winner of Best Screenplay at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
SHANA
Lila Pinell, France, 2026, DCP, 80 min. In French with English subtitles.
11/14
Shana is a girl who’s got problems. So many, it turns out, that she might be contending with the biblical plagues. When her abusive dealer boyfriend gets out of prison to find a stack of his money gone missing, Shana’s in danger of being on the wrong side of a criminal gang, with only a magic ring (inherited from her Moroccan-Jewish grandmother) to protect her. A dark comedy featuring a messy heroine who can do no right, SHANA is a captivating vision and a true collaboration between rising director Lila Pinell and her star, Eva Huault.
THAT SUMMER IN PARIS
Valentine Cadic, France, 2025, DCP, 77 min. In French with English subtitles.
11/15
Director Valentine Cadic shows off her mastery of indie filmmaking craft in this bright and winning fish-out-of-water chronicle, set against the backdrop of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Blandine is a soft-spoken 30-year-old from a small town in Normandy who heads to Paris with a few dreams in mind: see her favorite swimmer dominate at the games, and reconnect with her estranged Parisian half-sister. After a few strokes of bad luck and more than a few expectations shattered, the journey will challenge Blandine to face what she really wants from her trip, and from life.
FLESH & FUEL
Pierre Le Gall, France/Poland, 2026, DCP, 90 min. In French, Polish, and English with English subtitles.
11/15
A middle-aged man’s life is turned upside down after a coup de coeur with a fellow long-distance truck driver in this neo-realist queer romance. Etienne is a seasoned long-hauler who has sacrificed relationships and a personal life for his profession. One night on the road, what seems to be a random hook-up with a Polish trucker turns into an unforeseen connection, but Etienne will have to contend with his identity as a committed workaholic for the relationship to go anywhere. FLESH & FUEL features a nuanced observation of a modern middle-aged gay romance that doesn’t come with a map, and outside the truck windows, a rapidly changing Europe.
About Austin Film Society
Founded in 1985 by filmmaker Richard Linklater, AFS creates life-changing opportunities for filmmakers, catalyzes Austin and Texas as a creative hub, and brings the community together around great film. AFS supports filmmakers from all backgrounds towards career leaps, encouraging exceptional artistic projects with grants and support services. AFS operates Austin Studios, a 20-acre production facility, to attract and grow the creative media ecosystem. Austin Public, a space for our city’s diverse mediamakers to train and collaborate, provides many points of access to filmmaking and film careers. The AFS Cinema is an ambitiously programmed repertory and first run arthouse with broad community engagement. By hosting premieres, local and international industry events, and the Texas Film Awards, AFS shines the national spotlight on Texas filmmakers while connecting Austin and Texas to the wider film community. AFS is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. More at austinfilm.org.
