Austin Film Society Announces July/August 2019 Film Program

Hyenas

MEDIA CONTACT
Brady Dyer, Communications Manager
brady@austinfilm.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2019

 

Austin Film Society Announces July/August Program
Includes the films of Jean Arthur, John Doe Presents, World Animation series, newly restored selections, and more.

AUSTIN, TX — AFS announces its July and August signature programs, and select new releases. As the temperature begins to skyrocket, we invite you to join us for a new, diverse lineup of films at the AFS Cinema this summer. Highlights include:

For our Essential Cinema program this August, AFS presents Half Angel: The Films of Jean Arthur, showcasing one of the great comedy actresses of the 1920s and 30s. A star of classical Hollywood cinema, Arthur is well known for her enormous comedic range and roles that championed the everyday heroine. We’ve selected five films that showcase her signature talent.

World Animation is the focus of our July Essential Cinema, celebrating select animated films from around the globe. This year we present Zarafa (France/Belgium), Tito and the Birds (Brazil), Pom Poko (Japan), and shorts by the Quay Brothers (London/US).

AFS will partner with punk legend John Doe, of seminal L.A. band X, to present a special weekend of films in August including, X: The Unheard Music, Rockers, and Georgia. Come early and stay late as Doe will be in attendance all weekend.

Master filmmaker, poet, and novelist of mid-century Italy, Pier Paolo Pasolini, will be featured in two AFS programs this summer: in World Cinema Classics with his 1971 great epic The Decameron, and in the Modern Masters program as the subject of Abel Ferrara’s new film, Pasolini, starring Willem Dafoe.

Among the newly restored selections is the 1928 silent screen gem, Shiraz: A Romance of India, and Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now—winner of the Palme d’Or and numerous other awards — to coincide with the 40th anniversary of its release.  

The full announcement, including new releases and other signature programs, continues below. Ticket prices range from $9 to $11.25, with discounts for AFS members. Special pricing is noted if applicable.

For a complete list of film screenings and special events, please visit ​www.​austinfilm​.org.​ A digital press kit, including the two-month calendar PDF and high-res images, is available.

AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY JULY AND AUGUST 2019 CALENDAR

Doc Nights

The Raft

Marcus Lindeen, Sweden, Denmark, USA, Germany, 2018, DCP, 97 min. In English, French, German, Japanese, Swedish, and Spanish with English Subtitles.

July 10, July 15

In 1973, Mexican anthropologist Santiago Genovés decided to put some of his theories about human behavior to the test by gathering a group of highly diverse people and setting them afloat on a raft for a 101-day sea voyage. The results were not necessarily the ones he expected. This new documentary brings together the surviving volunteers to recount the story and provide their own recollections about the project that came to be known as “The Sex Raft.”

And With Him Came the West

Mike Plante, USA, 2019, DCP, 77 min.

July 17

The gunfight at the OK Corral was a legend made famous by Hollywood studio westerns over many decades, from John Ford’s MY DARLING CLEMENTINE (1946) all the way to George Cosmatos’ ‘90s blockbuster, TOMBSTONE. In his provocative documentary, filmmaker Mike Plante examines the Hollywood legacy of Wyatt Earp through the many films that rewrote history to immortalize him. Director Mike Plante in attendance.

Chulas Fronteras & Del Mero Corazón

Les Blank, USA, 1976, DCP, 58 min. In English and Spanish with English Subtitles.

July 27, July 28

Les Blank’s CHULAS FRONTERAS is a complex, insightful look at the Chicano experience as mirrored in the lives and music of the most acclaimed Norteño musicians of the Texas-Mexican border, including Flaco Jímenez and Lydia Mendoza. This screening will be preceded by DEL MERO CORAZÓN, Blank’s lyrical short film about Norteño love songs and the musicians who perform them.

Ingrid

Morrisa Maltz, USA, 2018, DCP, 51 min.

July 31

A hidden gem of the 2018 independent film festival circuit, INGRID reveals the unusual life of Ingrid Gipson, a German immigrant turned successful fashion designer in the 1980s, who suddenly and unexpectedly disappeared from the corporate fashion world for an unusual calling: solitary life in the woods. With Dallas-based filmmaker and AFS Grant recipient Morissa Maltz in attendance.

A Bigger Splash

Jack Hazan, UK, 1975, DCP, 106 min.

August 17, August 20

A surprisingly intimate documentary/narrative hybrid portrait of the British artist David Hockney as his relationship with his partner and muse Peter Schlesinger disintegrates. Beautifully shot and featuring a who’s who of the art world at the time.

Barbara Rubin and the Exploding NY Underground

Chuck Smith, USA, 2019, DCP, 78 min.

August 18, August 21

Though her name is little known now, Barbara Rubin is one of the most influential underground filmmakers of the late 20th century. An artistic catalyst and scene-maker (she introduced Andy Warhol to the Velvet Underground), she was also an artist of great note and high repute before converting to Hasidic Judaism and retiring. Here, at last, is her story.

Evergreens

Once Upon a Time in the West

Sergio Leone, Italy, USA, 1969, 165 min. In Italian and Spanish with English Subtitles.

July 6, July 7

One of the most beautiful and rewarding film epics ever made. As much opera as it is western, this film continues to impress 50 years later. Directed by Sergio Leone, at the top of his game, and written by Bernardo Bertolucci, Dario Argento, and others. Starring Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, and Henry Fonda. A must-see.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Werner Herzog, USA, 2009, Digital, 122 min. In English and Spanish with English Subtitles.

July 26, July 28, July 31

We’re still not quite sure how this film happened, but we’re so glad it did. A fairly by-the-book script by a prolific TV cop show writer, directed by Werner Herzog and starring Nicolas Cage at his sweaty, twitchy peak—it’s just too good to be true and boy is it good. The supporting cast includes Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer, Xzibit, Fairuza Balk, Brad Dourif, and a pair of iguanas that only Cage’s character can see.

Ed Wood

Tim Burton, USA, 1994, 35mm, 127 min.

August 2, August 5

Johnny Depp stars as the titular cult filmmaker deemed ‘the worst director of all time’ in this fictionalized portrait by Tim Burton. Co-starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Bill Murray, Patricia Arquette, and, in an Oscar-winning performance, Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi.

Homo Arigato

The Queen

Frank Simon, USA, 1968, DCP, 68 min.

August 27

Two decades before PARIS IS BURNING, this groundbreaking doc introduced audiences to competitive drag, taking them behind the scenes of the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Pageant. Featuring drag stars Flawless Sabrina and Crystal LaBeija, with Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick as celebrity judges. New 4K restoration.

Family Style

The 400 Blows

François Truffaut, France, 1959, DCP, 99 min. In English and French with English Subtitles.

July 27, July 30

Thirteen-year-old Antoine Doinel is mischievous and adventurous, but mostly just misunderstood. 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. The film was the first feature for François Truffaut.

Lates

The Reflecting Skin

Philip Ridley, UK, Canada, 1990, DCP, 96 min.

July 5, July 6

Children’s author Philip Ridley directs this series of grotesqueries wrapped up in a coming-of-age nightmare for adulthood. It’s enough to turn its Idaho wheat fields black. Newly restored, a ‘90s cult great returns.

A Snake of June

Shin’ya Tsukamoto, Japan, 2003, Digital, 77 min. In Japanese with English Subtitles.

July 12, July 13

In this perverse vision from TETSUO director Shinya Tsukamoto, it’s a long summer for a married phone counselor blackmailed into wearing a pleasure module remotely controlled by a crazed stalker.

Betty Blue

Jean-Jacques Beineix, France, 1986, 35mm, 120 min. In French with English Subtitles.

July 26, July 27

Best remembered for a poster that adorned many a dorm wall, this arthouse sensation from the director of DIVA and starring Béatrice Dalle brings new meaning to “amour fou.”

Trash Humpers

Harmony Korine, UK, France, and USA, 2009, 35mm, 78 min.

August 9, August 10

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Harmony Korine gets his hands dirty with this shot on VHS-wonder about a gang of geriatrics who, as the title says, hump trash. Take our advice: “Make it. Don’t fake it.”

Holy Motors

Leos Carax, France and Germany, 2012, DCP, 115 min. In English, Chinese, and French with English Subtitles.

August 16, August 17, August 19

Leos Carax takes the audience on a dizzying ride through the many lives of Monsieur Oscaracrobat, vagrant, assassin, tramp-for-hire. We dare you to be bored. Kylie Minogue co-stars.

Eraserhead

David Lynch, USA, 1978, 35mm, 89 min.

August 23, August 24, August 26

In the original midnight movie, David Lynch lays down the blueprint for weird with the surreal horrors of shock-quiffed Henry Spencer, his girlfriend, and their mutant baby. Lynchian indeed.

Marquis

Henri Xhonneux, Belgium and France, 1989, 83 min. In French with English Subtitles.

August 30, August 31

From the mind behind FANTASTIC PLANET comes a wild mix of live action, puppetry, and claymation which sees a dog-faced Marquis de Sade imprisoned in the Bastille with only his talking penis for company.

Essential Cinema: World Animation

Continuing a summer tradition, we are again showcasing select animated films from around the world, both older and contemporary. We celebrate those filmmakers who have expanded our idea of what ‘cartoons’ can be.

Zarafa

Rémi Bezançon and Jean-Christophe Lie, France and Belgium, 2012, Digital, 78 min. In French with English Subtitles.

July 6

This French/Belgian film relates the early 19th-century story of how Zarafa, the first giraffe ever to be kept in a French zoo, came to live there with the assistance of a Sudanese boy and a Bedouin who rescued him from slavery. This film confronts colonialism and slavery more directly than you may be accustomed to seeing in animation.

The Quay Brothers in 35mm

July 11, July 13

Stephen and Timothy Quay, identical twins from London via Norristown, PA, have brought something special to their oeuvre of stop-motion films. Starting with the raw materials of such pioneers as Ladislas Starevich, they contribute their own outsider sensibility. This package of shorts includes Christopher Nolan’s documentary tribute to their work, QUAY (2015).

Tito and the Birds

Gabriel Bitar, André Catoto, and Gustavo Steinberg, Brazil, 2019, DCP, 73 min. In English and Portuguese with English Subtitles.

July 18, July 20

From Brazil comes this story of ten-year-old Tito, son of an eccentric scientist who studies bird-calls. When his father goes missing and a mysterious disease begins to spread, Tito embarks upon a quest to find his dad and stop the epidemic.

Pom Poko

Isao Takahata, Japan, 1995, Digital, 119 min. In English and Japanese with English Subtitles.

July 25, July 28, July 29

Japan’s Studio Ghibli is perhaps best known in the west as the home base of its co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, but he was not the only master at work there. Another Ghibli co-founder was the late Isao Takahata, who directed a number of extraordinary films of his own. This one, about a group of magical raccoon dogs in rapidly modernizing Japan, is among his best.

Essential Cinema: Half Angel: The Films of Jean Arthur

We are proud to present this five-movie showcase of one of the great women of the screen, a dynamic performer of comedy, an actress of real emotional resonance, and a star whose low-key cult continues to grow: the phenomenal Jean Arthur.

If You Could Only Cook

William A. Seiter, USA, 1935, 35mm, 72 min.

August 1, August 3

In this screwball comedy, Herbert Marshall plays a weary industrialist who, on a walk in the park, is mistaken by an unemployed young woman (Jean Arthur) as a fellow job-seeker. They contrive a ruse to pose as a husband and wife butler-cook duo and take a job in the suburbs. A suitable showcase for Arthur’s volcanic charm and comic timing.

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Frank Capra, USA, 1936, DCP, 115 min.

August 8, August 10

About as good as Hollywood movies have ever gotten. Frank Capra’s story of a perfectly content young man (Gary Cooper) who inherits a fortune he doesn’t especially want, and the baggage that goes with it. Features Jean Arthur in one of her best roles, as the newspaper reporter dispatched to get the real story.

Easy Living

Mitchell Leisen, USA, 1937, 35mm, 88 min.

August 15, August 17

Briskly directed by Mitchell Leisen from a script by Preston Sturges, this represents Jean Arthur in full flower, known and loved by the public, and enjoying every second of it. The farce begins when annoyed tycoon Edward Arnold tosses his wife’s sable coat over the balcony wall. It lands many stories below in the lap of shop-worker Arthur. When she tries to return it, the misunderstandings begin.

Only Angels Have Wings

Howard Hawks, USA, 1939, DCP, 121 min. In English and Spanish with English Subtitles.

August 22, August 24

This macho Howard Hawks drama is something entirely different than the other films in the series. Jean Arthur plays a young nightclub entertainer, delayed in a South American port, who falls in with a group of rough-and-ready mail pilots, that live and sometimes die by a curious code of honor. Co-starring Cary Grant, cast against type as the airmen’s darkly sardonic leader.

The More the Merrier

George Stevens, USA, 1943, DCP, 104 min.

August 29, August 31

Director George Stevens brings his usual intelligent touch to this comedy set during the WWII housing shortage in Washington. The story centers around an apartment occupied by a very patient young single woman (Jean Arthur, of course), a worldly wise old gentleman (Charles Coburn), and an upstanding, handsome young man (Joel McCrea).

John Doe Presents

As one of the leaders of the seminal Los Angeles punk band X, John Doe has carved out a special place for himself in music history. But that’s only half the story. The same love of storytelling and characterization that makes his songwriting come alive has also produced a multi-decade career as an actor, often in small but important character roles. We are honored to welcome John Doe to the AFS Cinema to present a special weekend of films. Presented by KUTX.

X: The Unheard Music

W.T. Morgan, USA, 1986, 35mm, 84 min.

August 3

What a band. What a concert movie. John Doe joins us to present a 35mm screening of one of the best music films of the punk era. Shot over the course of five years, this documentary presents spectacular live performances interspersed with interviews with the band members and associates. Fair warning: we’ll be playing this one loud.

Rockers

Ted Bafaloukos, Jamaica, 1978, DCP, 100 min.

August 3

In what is probably the best reggae movie ever made, Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace stars as himself, a drummer who buys a motorbike in order to hustle wholesale records between gigs. When his bike is stolen—echoing de Sica’s BICYCLE THIEVES—he goes all out to get it back. Amazing music, scenery and dialogue from a dream cast including Gregory Isaacs, Big Youth, Burning Spear, Robbie Shakespeare, and Jacob Miller.

Georgia

Ulu Grosbard, USA and France, 1995, 35 mm, 115 min. In English and Hebrew with English Subtitles.

August 4

Jennifer Jason Leigh stars in this deeply personal film, written by her mother, Barbara Turner. Leigh and her childhood best friend Mare Winningham play a pair of sisters, both singers, with very different lifestyles. A moving experience featuring a highly acclaimed central performance from Leigh. John Doe co-stars as a friend and member of Leigh’s backing band.

Modern Masters

Hyenas

Djibril Diop Mambéty, Switzerland, France, Senegal, UK, 1992, DCP, 110 min. In Wolof, French, and Japanese with English Subtitles.

July 8, July 14

One of the crown jewels in Senegal’s rich narrative film tradition, HYENAS is Djibril Diop Mambéty’s 1992 masterpiece, an elegant, witty and tragic satire that skewers the colonial exploitation of the African continent long after liberation. A village has fallen on bad times. The townspeople’s only hope is that an elderly former resident, Linguère, a woman “richer than the World Bank”—will return to save the village from economic despair.

Grass

Sang-soo Hong, South Korea, 2018, DCP, 66 min. In Korean with English Subtitles.

July 22, July 24

A chamber piece involving the patrons of a small café in Seoul where artists and writers come to dream. The inimitable Korean director Hong Sang Soo (CLAIRE’S CAMERA, WOMAN ON THE BEACH), crafts a film about overheard conversations, chance meetings, and the circular paths that artists travel.

Pasolini

Abel Ferrara, France, Belgium, and Italy, 2019, DCP, 84 min. In English, French, and Italian in English Subtitles.

August 12, August 14

Abel Ferrara pays homage to another visionary, the poet and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini. Willem Dafoe is outstanding as Pasolini, whom we see in his last weeks of life as he prepares for the release of his final film SALO; OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM, and begins work on his nextalas, never to be madefilm.

World Cinema Classics

The Decameron

Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy, France, and West Germany, 1971, 35mm, 111 min. In Italian and Neapolitan with English Subtitles.

August 16, August 18

Master filmmaker, poet and novelist of mid-century Italy, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s late-career included a trilogy of great epics: ARABIAN NIGHTS, THE CANTERBURY TALES and THE DECAMERON. In taking on these classic tales, Pasolini sought to uncover a pre-modern morality, an essential humanity that he felt was forever lost in the era of post-war capitalism. In the short stories of THE DECAMERON, Pasolini imagines a sense of personal freedom, sensuality and eroticism of daily existence, all the while finding amusing ways to satirize religion and the church. An essential art house classic.

History of Television

Murder Can Hurt You

July 22

Author and TV scholar Amanda Reyes joins us again to present a surprising and obscure TV movie treasure. MURDER CAN HURT YOU is something like a farcical MAD Magazine parody of all the cop shows of the time, with parodic analogs of Kojak, Colombo, Starsky & Hutch, and many others. We’ll also discuss the history and inner-workings of the made-for-television movie at this free event.

New Releases

Dates and ticket information available soon.

In the Aisles

An affecting and bittersweet glimpse into the shared connections of a motley group of big-box store workers, quietly celebrating the beauty in the day-to-day and the collective pride we take in our jobs with dark humor and nuance. Starring Franz Rogowski (TRANSIT) and Sandra Huller (TONI ERDMANN).

Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love

Renowned filmmaker Nick Broomfield’s most personal and romantic film follows the enduring relationship between Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen, with never-before-seen footage shot by Broomfield and legendary documentarian D.A. Pennebaker.

The Mountain

An introverted young photographer (Tye Sheridan) joins a renowned lobotomist (Jeff Goldblum) on a tour to promote his dubious procedure. As he increasingly identifies with the asylum’s patients, he becomes enamored with a rebellious young woman. From Rick Alverson, the director of ENTERTAINMENT and THE COMEDY.

2019 Sundance Shorts

The Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour returns with a 96-minute theatrical program of seven short films selected from the 2019 festival. A selection of fiction, documentary and animation from around the world features something for all tastes, from sharply-written comedy and drama to edgy genre and an intimate family saga.

Newly Restored

Shiraz: A Romance of India

Franz Osten, India, UK, and Germany, 1929, DCP, 106 min.

August 4, August 7

This 1928 silent film is one of the treasures of world cinema. Made entirely on location in India by pioneering Indian producer-star Himansu Rai and German director Franz Osten, it depicts the adventurous love story between the Mughal Emperor and Empress who inspired the building of the Taj Mahal.

Jane B Par Agnès V

Agnès Varda, France, 1988, DCP, 97 min. In French with English Subtitles.

August 10, August 11

In the 1970s, model, actress and singer Jane Birkin was a high-flying sex symbol, but her friend and confidante Agnès Varda saw beyond the iconic face and figure captured in the lens of the era’s fashion magazines. In this unusual, endlessly surprising biography, Varda explores the full possibilities of the two-dimensional portrait and sneakily creates one of the great feminist films of the era.

Apocalypse Now

Francis Ford Coppola, USA, 1979, DCP, 183 min. In English, French, and Vietnamese with English Subtitles.

August 23, August 24, August 25, August 28

At the time of its making, Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam-set APOCALYPSE NOW was seen as the height of self-indulgence. In the 40 years that have followed, it has joined the pantheon of Great Films. In the midst of some of the most spectacular location work of all time, an unbeatable cast gives outstanding performances—Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, “Larry” Fishburne, and many others.

La Religieuse

Jacques Rivette, France, 1966, DCP, 140 min. In French with English Subtitles.

August 25, August 28, August 30

Jacques Rivette’s 1966 film about a nun sadistically tortured in a religious convent, based on an 18th-century Diderot novella. Starring French New Wave idol Anna Karina in one of her most memorable performances, the film, now in its restored version, is a breathtaking cinematic work whose themes of personal freedom and resistance to an oppressive society are as relevant now as in its year of release.

AFA Cine-Club

July 21, August 18

Spend your Sunday morning enjoying the best classic and contemporary French films, often featuring post-screening discussions, brought to you by the Alliance Française Ciné-Club.

Noir Canon

With this ongoing series, we hope to share some of the foundational films of film noir and, in our introductions to these screenings, help people understand what characterizes the genre, what it meant to audiences of its time, and what it still says to us today.

The Lady from Shanghai

Orson Welles, USA, 1947, DCP, 87 min.

July 3

Strapped for cash, Orson Welles made a spur-of-the-moment deal with Columbia Pictures honcho Harry Cohn to direct and star—alongside Welles’ wife at the time, Rita Hayworth—in an adaptation of a pulp novel. As you would expect with Welles, he turns the story of a convoluted murder plot into something of much greater import than the novel presupposes. The hall-of-mirrors climax of this film is rightly celebrated as one of the greatest moments in all of Hollywood cinema.

Scarlet Street

Fritz Lang, USA, 1945, 35mm, 102 min.

July 5, July 7

Fritz Lang’s perverse film of amour fou between a stolid middle age clerk named Chris Cross, played by crime-film stalwart Edward G. Robinson, and a young woman with dishonest intentions (Lang favorite Joan Bennett) is a haunting master class in shifting perspectives. The masterful Dan Duryea completes the love triangle and, as always, plays the heel with zeal.

Double Indemnity

Billy Wilder, USA, 1944, 35mm, 107 min.

July 12, July 14

Billy Wilder’s adaptation of James M. Cain’s slim novel of sex, murder, and the art of the insurance investigation provided a template for many subsequent noir films. With Barbara Stanwyck as the rapacious and determined suburban wife, Fred MacMurray as the tough-talking but weak-willed insurance agent, and Edward G. Robinson as the patron saint of pencil pushers deliver an unbeatable triumvirate of canonical performances.

Partner Events

General Magic

Sarah Kerruish and Matt Maude, USA, 2018, DCP, 90 min.

July 9

Described by Forbes as the “most important dead company in Silicon Valley,” GENERAL MAGIC tells the story of how great vision, grave betrayal, and epic failure changed the world as we know it. Featuring a panel discussion after the film with former General Magic project team members.

Contrast Fest

July 18 – 21

Contrast is a three-day festival of film, music, and performance, highlighting boundary-pushing, genre-defying, and forward-thinking filmmaking—with an emphasis on female and queer artists.

The Austin Chronicle Presents: Between the Lines

Joan Micklin Silver, USA, 1979, DCP, 101 min.

August 6

A little-known catalyst of the Austin Chronicle’s founding: director Joan Micklin Silver’s 1975 drama about the young writers at a Boston alternative weekly, facing the prospects of a corporate takeover. Starring Jeff Goldblum (in one of his earliest roles), John Heard and Lindsay Crouse. Presented in partnership with the Austin Chronicle.

Where in the Hell is the Lavender House? The Longmont Potion Castle Story

David Hall and Thomas Rotenberg, Canada, USA, Norway, and UK, 2018, 95 min.

August 14

The good folks from End Of An Ear join us to present this new documentary about the mysterious, transgressive prank phone call master who calls himself “Longmont Potion Castle.” After the film, we will be joined via Skype by LPC himself for some live prank calls.

Member Sneak Preview

One Child Nation

Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang, 2019, DCP, 85 min.

July 23

Filmmaker Nanfu Wang (HOOLIGAN SPARROW) explores the effects of China’s decades-long one-child policy and how this affected millions of families over this long period as parents unwittingly became hunted criminals and a semi-official black market for Chinese children was created. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Documentaries at Sundance Film Festival 2019.

Anniversary Screening

Crank: High Voltage with co-director Brian Taylor

Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, USA, 2009, DCP, 96 min.

July 27

We’ll have you know that, while this is not Truffaut, it is a film with a truly special vision, made with a variety of jerry-rigged camera mounts and with an average shot length of about .7 seconds, it displays madness in both form and function as it depicts the vengeful journey of a despicable hitman, reanimated by Chinese scientists, who must continually recharge his adrenaline reserves in order to stay alive. Co-director Brian Taylor will join us for this special 10th Anniversary screening.

The Sister Street Fighter Trilogy

Sister Street Fighter

Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, Japan, 1974, Digital, 92 min. In English and Japanese with English Subtitles.

August 4

Etsuko “Sue” Shihomi, undoubtedly one of the most skilled martial arts performers in all of film, stars in this spinoff from Sonny Chiba’s STREET FIGHTER movies. Here she faces off against some of the most colorful, full-on gonzo opponents in action movie history.

Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread

Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, Japan, 1974, Digital, 85 min. In English and Japanese with English Subtitles.

August 11

Shihomi’s acrobatic karate avenger is back for more kinetic, colorful, and somewhat surprisingly gory action. This time a wildcard is added to the mix, an opponent worthy of Shihomi’s own skills and screen presence, played by the great Yasuaki Kurata.

Return of Sister Street Fighter

Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, Japan, 1975, Digital, 77 min. In English and Japanese with English Subtitles.

August 18

The third and final installment of the series finds Shihomi and Kurata back in action as the Yakuza once again goes too far and Shihomi finds herself in combat with even more colorful kung fu villains.

 

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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’ career leaps through grants, support services, and professional development programs. Austin Studios, a 20-acre production facility, attracts and grows the creative media ecosystem. Austin Public, a space for our city’s diverse media makers to train and collaborate, provides many points of access to filmmaking and film careers and offers youth programming. The AFS Cinema is an ambitiously programmed, non-profit arthouse cinema with broad community engagement. By hosting premieres, special events, 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. To learn more about the AFS Cinema or about Austin Film Society’s mission visit: www.austinfilm.org and follow @AustinFilm on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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