Austin Film Society Announces Programming Series “Paul Newman’s West” with Ethan Hawke
MEDIA CONTACT
Will Stefanski
Will@austinfilm.org
Actor/Director/Producer/Writer Ethan Hawke Will Appear at AFS Cinema in March to Present Five Western Films Starring Paul Newman
February 22, AUSTIN, TX— Over the weekend of March 24–26, audiences will be joined at AFS Cinema by actor/director/producer/writer Ethan Hawke who will present Paul Newman’s West, a series of five films that highlight Newman’s boundary-pushing work in the Western genre. The series is intended to extend topics discussed in Hawke’s six-part HBO documentary series The Last Movie Stars, which is about actors and life partners Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.
On Friday, March 24, the series will begin with The Left Handed Gun, directed by Arthur Penn (Bonnie and Clyde). On Saturday, March 25th, the series continues with Hombre, based on the Elmore Leonard novel of the same name, and Hud, based on a novel by Texas author Larry McMurtry. On Sunday, the series concludes with John Huston’s The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean and Robert Altman’s Buffalo Bill and the Indians. Ethan Hawke will introduce each of the five screenings. Additionally, Hombre and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean will be followed by audience discussions with Ethan Hawke and filmmaker/curator Adam Piron (Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and Mohawk), Director of the Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Program.
Tickets will be available to the public on Friday, February 24, at 11 AM and can be purchased at austinfilm.org.
Click here or on the image below to watch a trailer for the complete programming series.
About Paul Newman’s West
In the 20th Century, America’s cultural imagination was shaped by the ever popular Western, a genre constructed from colonial fantasies and the myth of the heroic individualism of the American male. Hollywood Westerns often traded on tropes that further marginalized and erased Native Americans and the crimes against them for the drama and redemption of white heroes. In Paul Newman’s “new” Hollywood, Westerns offered a chance to create and perform anti-archetypal characters, and an opportunity to critique the hypocrisy — and the absurdity — of white America’s concepts of the Western Frontier. In some ways, these films are “ahead of their time,” in others, their cultural perspectives are dubious. What Newman accomplished was to push traditional boundaries of genre and representation to offer something new, all the while stretching himself as a performer and leading man.
About Adam Piron
Adam Piron (Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and Mohawk) is a filmmaker, writer, and member of the Sundance Film Festival’s Short Film Programming Team. He is also the Director of Sundance Institute’s Indigenous Program where he oversees the organization’s investment in Indigenous filmmakers globally. He is also a filmmaker and co-founder of COUSIN: a film collective dedicated to supporting Indigenous artists experimenting with and pushing the boundaries of the moving image. His films have screened in MoMA Doc Fortnight, MOCA Los Angeles, True/False Film Festival, ESPN’s 30 for 30, The New Yorker’s Documentary showcase, San Francisco International Film Festival, Camden International Film Festival, and various other festivals and programs.
About The Last Movie Stars
The Last Movie Stars is a six-part documentary from CNN Films and HBO Max that chronicles Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s iconic careers and decades-long partnership. Director Ethan Hawke brings life and color to this definitive history of their dedication to their art, philanthropy, and each other. Academy Award®-winning director, writer, and producer Martin Scorsese serves as executive producer.
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 is committed to racial equity and inclusion, with an objective to deliver programs that actively dismantle the structural racism, sexism and other bias in the screen industries. 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.
Media Contact
Will Stefanski
will@austinfilm.org
