AFS to Honor Booksmart and Unbelievable Star Kaitlyn Dever with Rising Star Award at the 2020 Texas Film Awards, Parker Posey to Host as Master of Ceremonies, Grammy Award winner Adrian Quesada to perform, Annual Event to take place March 12, 2020 at Austin Studios
MEDIA CONTACT
Brady Dyer, Communications Manager
brady@austinfilm.org
Austin, TX – (February 4, 2020) Today the Austin Film Society (AFS) announced they will honor actress Kaitlyn Dever, star of Unbelievable and Booksmart with the Rising Star Award at the 20th anniversary of the Texas Film Awards. This award honors an actor who has made a lasting impact with their work early in their career. Previous recipients have included Tye Sheridan (Ready Player One, the X-Men franchise), Jesse Plemons (Fargo, Breaking Bad) and Amber Heard (Aquaman), among others. The 2020 Texas Film Awards will take place on Thursday, March 12th at Austin Studios.
In addition, it was announced that independent film icon and author Parker Posey will serve as the event’s Master of Ceremonies, and Grammy Award Winner Adrian Quesada, half of this year’s Best New Artist Grammy Nominated band, Black Pumas, will be the band leader for the 20th Anniversary Awards and perform live at the event.
“Over 20 years, 90 artists and films who shaped the face of Texas film have taken their place in the Texas Film Hall of Fame. We are preparing for a banner year in March, with the Awards showcasing the art and craft of film and television as one of Texas’ most important exports to the world,” said Rebecca Campbell, CEO of AFS. “2020 also marks the 35th Anniversary of the Austin Film Society, and the Texas Film Awards will be a celebratory kick off to another milestone year in AFS’s history, as we continue to build Austin’s film culture and film production ecosystem.”
Raised in Dallas, Texas, Kaitlyn Dever has given some of the most dynamic and impactful performances in both film and television. She recently starred in Olivia Wilde’s critically acclaimed debut, Booksmart, for which she was recognized by the Hollywood Critics Association as the 2020 Breakthrough Artist Under the Age of 23, and was named a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Rising Star Nominee. Dever also starred in the Netflix drama series Unbelievable. Her standout performance earned her nominations in the Lead Actress of a Limited Series category for both the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards. Previously, Dever showcased her talent and versatility appearing in films such as Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit, Jason Reitman’s Men, Women, & Children, James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now, Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar, and a breakout role in Short Term 12, which premiered at SXSW 2013, winning the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative and Audience Award.
Actress and author Parker Posey’s long relationship with AFS and the Austin film community goes back many years—she starred in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused (1993) in her breakout role as Darla, and appeared in subsequent Texas-shot films including Linklater’s Suburbia and Christopher Guest’s Waiting for Guffman.
Grammy Award Winner Adrian Quesada is a multi-instrumentalist and music producer, who previously co-founded Grammy Award winning band Grupo Fantasma as well as Brownout and Spanish Gold. He has performed with artists including Prince, GZA (Wu Tang Clan), Alex Mass (The Black Angels), Israel Nash, Graham Reynolds, and many more.
2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the Texas Film Awards—the biggest event in Texas film. This year, the Awards will return to Austin Studios with a red carpet and cocktail party, followed by dinner and an awards ceremony in the newly renovated Stage 7. The Texas Film Awards directly supports regional filmmakers and sustains AFS’s efforts to catalyze Austin and Texas as creative hubs.
The full program for the Texas Film Awards and additional honorees will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event.
Download headshots: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6tknafvwlab0ibx/AAC1KbDoecfau_Wkav2a49EHa?dl=0
Tickets and tables available for purchase at https://www.austinfilm.org/texas-film-awards/overview/
About Kaitlyn Dever
Golden Globe and Critic’s Choice nominee, Kaitlyn Dever has become one of Hollywood’s top emerging young actresses.
Dever’s banner year began in a starring as Amy in Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, Booksmart, opposite Beanie Feldstein and Billie Lourd in the Annapurna Pictures produced, SXSW Festival premiere hit.
Dever followed Booksmart with her critically acclaimed role as Marie Adler in the Netflix limited series Unbelievable, which follows the true story of a teenager who is charged with lying about being raped.
She recently wrapped production on Hulu’s upcoming anthology series, Monsterland, opposite Jonathan Tucker. Dever also recently wrapped production on the pilot of B.J. Novak’s upcoming anthology series Platform for FX Networks.
Previously, Dever has appeared in Jason Reitman’s The Front Runner, Lynn Shelton’s Outside In and the 2013 SXSW Grand Jury Prize for “Best Narrative” winner, Short Term 12. In August 2017, Dever starred in the Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal collaboration film Detroit alongside John Boyega and Will Poulter. Later in October 2018, she appeared opposite Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet in the Amazon Studios film Beautiful Boy.
On the small screen, Dever co-stars in Last Man Standing as the youngest, toughest and most athletic daughter of the Baxter Family. Recently moved to FOX for its seventh season, the Tim Allen and Nancy Travis starring show will return for its eighth season.
Additional film credits include Paramount’s Men, Women, and Children, A24’s Laggies and the critically acclaimed The Spectacular Now. Dever’s television credits also include FX drama Justified, CBS crime drama The Mentalist, Starz comedy Party Down, ABC’s Modern Family and Private Practice, and critically acclaimed HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm.
About Parker Posey
Parker Posey is a Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award nominated actress who has become an icon of American independent film. Currently, she stars in the second season of the hit Netflix series Lost In Space, for which she is earning critical acclaim for her take on the reimagined, iconic character of “Dr. Smith.” Parker also just wrapped production on the scripted podcast Hunted: Texas, which she stars in and executive produces with Dick Wolf.
Parker’s first book You’re on an Airplane: A Self-Mythologizing Memoir is a National Best Seller and has received generous critical acclaim from publications such as Vogue, Elle Magazine, and Esquire.
Parker’s most recent film, Columbus, premiered at Sundance in 2017 to rave reviews. She stars alongside John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson. The film was nominated for Best Screenplay and Breakthrough Director awards at the Gotham Independent Film Awards and has also received Independent Spirit Awards’ nominations for Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay and Best Cinematography.
In filmed work, Parker starred in Mascots for writer-director Christopher Guest, and Café Society for Woody Allen opposite Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, and Steve Carrell. Café Society was Parker’s second collaboration with Woody Allen. In her first, Irrational Man, she starred opposite Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone, and was met with rave reviews.
Parker’s previous work includes Chris Guest’s classic mockumentaries as well as classic independent cinema like The House of Yes, Party Girl and Personal Velocity. She also co-starred with Louis CK in the critically-acclaimed series Louie.
About the Texas Film Awards
The Texas Film Hall of Fame—founded by Evan Smith and Louis Black in 2001—honors those who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of the Texas film and creative media industry. Now in its 20th year, the Texas Film Awards brings together legends of cinema and television and inducts industry icons into the Texas Film Hall of Fame. Proceeds from the unforgettable evening benefit the artistic and educational programs of the Austin Film Society, a 501c3 nonprofit.
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 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, special 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.
