Austin Film Society Announces the March/April 2022 Film Program
(Dennis Hopper’s Out of the Blue, 1980)
MEDIA CONTACT
Brady Dyer, Communications Manager
brady@austinfilm.org
AFS Announces March/April 2022 Program Calendar
Includes new films from the Middle East, the ‘Lost Films from Taiwan’ in partnership with the Austin Asian American Film Festival, Newly-restored selections including The Conversation, Evergreen classics Mulholland Drive, Eve’s Bayou, The Wicker Man, and much more on the big screen.
February 8, 2022—Austin Film Society announces its March and April 2022 calendar featuring our signature programs, special screenings and events, and a new, diverse lineup of films from around the globe that filmgoers can only see at the AFS Cinema. The full calendar and more information can be found at www.austinfilm.org. Here are a few of the highlights:
For our Essential Cinema Series this April, AFS presents the latest installment of Children of Abraham/Ibrahim celebrating new films from the Middle East. In partnership with the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the series features these recent works from the region, all from 2021: Hit the Road (2021), Brother’s Keeper (2021), The Perfect Candidate (2019), and Ahed’s Knee (2021)—co-winner of the jury prize at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.
Among the Newly-restored films we’ll be presenting are Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 portrait of paranoia and follow up film to The Godfather, The Conversation, Dennis Hopper’s seminal drama of teenage rebellion Out of the Blue from 1980, Barney Platts-Mills’ 1970 debut feature Bronco Bullfrog, and Vittorio De Sica’s 1951 Miracle in Milan—the AFS free Member Monday screening on March 21.
Our Evergreens selections this spring offer something for everyone with Mamoru Oshii’s anime classic Ghost in the Shell (1995), David Lynch’s surreal mystery thriller Mulholland Drive (2001), Carol Reed’s post-war European noir The Third Man (1949), Andrei Tarkovsky’s sci-fi masterpiece Stalker (1979), Kasi Lemmons’ haunting Southern gothic tale Eve’s Bayou (1997), and the unforgettable 1973 British folk-horror film The Wicker Man.
Also this April, AFS teams up with the Austin Asian American Film Festival to present Unleashed Desires: Lost Films of Taiwan, a series focusing on Taiyupian, films made in Taiwan from approximately 1955 to 1981 that were produced in Taiwanese—the first language of the country’s majority—rather than in Mandarin. We will present four recently-restored Taiyupian that showcase the imagination and invention of this fascinating genre: The Fantasy of the Deer Warrior (1961), The Husband’s Secret (1960/1965), The Bride Who Has Returned from Hell (1965), and Dangerous Youth (1965).
Continuing this spring is Queer Cinema Lost & Found, a series hosted by Austin-based queer film historian and archivist Elizabeth Purchell. On March 29 and April 2, we present Shortbus, John Cameron Mitchell’s 2006 follow up to Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Robert Altman’s Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean from 1982 on April 26, featuring stellar performances by Cher, Sandy Dennis, and Karen Black. Following the screenings, Purchell will join us for audience discussion about the films and their social impact then and now.
Additional highlights this season include new restorations of Kaizo Hayashi’s ode to silent cinema To Sleep So as To Dream (1986), part of our Lates series, and The Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors (2000) by South Korean director Hong Sang-soo, part of our Modern Masters program.
Lastly, two not-to-be missed events coming up at the AFS Cinema are SXSW 2022 and Indie Meme 2022. AFS will host SXSW Film 2022 (March 11 – 19) as a Satellite venue featuring selections from this year’s festival, and will partner with Indie Meme to host their seventh annual film festival (April 14 – 17) presenting the best of South Asian Cinema.
The full March/April lineup continues below and a complete list of all film screenings and special events are on our website at www.austinfilm.org. Ticket prices range from $10.50 to $13, with discounts for AFS members. Special pricing is noted if applicable.
AFS’ Essential Cinema is sponsored by MUBI.
AUSTIN FILM SOCIETY MARCH AND APRIL 2022 CALENDAR
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Essential Cinema: Children of Abraham/Ibrahim
Our annual series continues to look at films from an area rich in tumultuous history, art and literature, but often mired in war and misunderstanding among the three religions that trace their roots back to a shared progenitor—Abraham/Ibrahim. Filmmakers from the Middle East, north Africa and the diasporic communities continue to hunt for a common humanity. We share in their efforts with our screening series, enhanced by guests and discussions. Films are selected from the most recent releases in Middle Eastern cinema. Presented in partnership with the University of Texas Center for Middle Eastern Studies
Hit the Road
Panah Panahi, Iran, 2021, DCP, 93 min, In Farsi with English subtitles
April 7
The debut film from Panah Panahi (son of Jafar) is, on the surface, a road movie about a family taking a trip through the ruggedly beautiful landscape of northwestern Iran, but there’s a larger message here about life and death itself.
Brother’s Keeper
Ferit Karahan, Turkey/Romania, 2021, DCP, 85 min, In Turkish and Kurdish with English subtitles
April 14
This highly acclaimed new film is set at a remote boarding school in the Anatolian region of Turkey where a Kurdish pupil contracts a mysterious illness and his best friend tries to secure treatment against the stultifying tide of bureaucracy.
The Perfect Candidate
Haifaa Al-Mansour, Saudi Arabia, 2019, DCP, 104 min, In Arabic with English subtitles
April 21
From pioneering woman Saudi filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour (Wadjda) comes this dramedy about a female doctor who runs for local office, with the expected accompanying angst from her family and community.
Ahed’s Knee
Nadav Lapid, Israel, 2021, DCP, 109 min, in Hebrew, French and German with English subtitles
April 28
The latest film from Israeli writer-director Nadav Lapid (Synonyms) follows a celebrated filmmaker in Israel, very much an alter ego of the auteur himself, who encounters subtle but powerful censorship when he tries to present work critical of the government. Ahed’s Knee was the co-winner of the jury prize at Cannes.
Newly Restored
The Conversation
Francis Ford Coppola, USA, 1974, DCP, 113 min
March 1 – March 6
Francis Ford Coppola’s follow up to The Godfather has proven to be one of the definitive statements about the age of paranoia. Gene Hackman plays a weird, lonely surveillance expert for whom a routine job, spying on a pair of clandestine lovers, plunges him into a larger quandary. Sound design and editing by Walter Murch.
Miracle in Milan
Vittorio De Sica, Italy, 1951, DCP, 100 min, In Italian with English subtitles
March 21 – March 24
Vittorio De Sica’s hybrid of neorealism and fantasy has a crowd-pleasing fairytale energy. A shanty town on the outskirts of Milan, under siege by heartless townspeople, is aided by a magical orphan. Free Member Monday—all AFS members are invited to attend the March 21 screening for free.
Out of the Blue
Dennis Hopper, Canada, 1980, DCP, 93 min.
March 30 – April 6
Linda Manz is iconic as a rebellious teenager in Dennis Hopper’s seminal drama of rebellion. Extraordinary in its sympathy for the young girl’s slashing rejection of the dead-end lives of her family and community. Newly restored from the original film elements.
Bronco Bullfrog
Barney Platts-Mills, UK, 1970, DCP, 86 min.
April 6 – April 10
Short on cash, a group of youths join up with a boy fresh from Borstal to pull off a job, though one of them goes on the run with his teenage love to escape living life to a dead-end street. Barney Platt-Mills’ first feature film spearheads the Suedehead subculture using a cast of non-professional actors and soundtrack by Audience.
Science on Screen
National Evening of Science on Screen®: Dope is Death
Mia Donovan, Canada, 2020, DCP, 82 min.
March 22
In the 1970s, as drug addiction ravaged New York City, an extraordinary joint venture between the Black Panthers and Young Lords brought acupuncture detoxification to community clinics, under the leadership of Dr. Mutulu Shakur—Tupac Shakur’s stepfather. This new doc examines the legacy of this program. For this screening we will be joined by medical and natural health experts for a special panel about the issues raised in the film. Science on Screen® is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Classical Mexican Cinema
The Exterminating Angel
Luis Buñuel, Mexico, 1962, DCP, 95 min, Spanish with English subtitles
March 31, April 2
Charles Ramírez Berg, Professor in Media Studies at the University of Texas and author of The Classical Mexican Cinema, joins us to present Luis Buñuel’s surrealist satire of the hypocritical aristocratic class in the age of totalitarianism. The first screening will be introduced by Professor Ramírez Berg and will be followed by an audience discussion.
Evergreens
Ghost in the Shell
Mamoru Oshii, Japan and UK, 1995, DCP, 83 min, In Japanese with English Subtitles
March 4 – March 7
Cyborg agent Major Kusanagi is hot on the trail of a hacker known as “The Puppet Master.” The closer she gets the more questions she has about the case and her existence. Director Mamoru Oshii (Dallas, Patlabor) questions what it means to be human in his critically acclaimed adaptation of the hit manga series.
Mulholland Drive
David Lynch, US, 2001, DCP, 147 min.
March 23 – March 27
A woman survives a car crash, only to find herself in an increasingly surreal and terrifying mystery with as many twists and turns as the road she was found on. Adapted from a television pilot by Director David Lynch.
The Third Man
Carol Reed, UK, 1949, DCP, 108 min.
April 1 – April 5
This post-war European noir is one of the most satisfying examples of the form. Joseph Cotten plays an American writer summoned to Vienna by his friend Harry Lime only to receive news that Lime is dead. His investigation leads him into a shifting demi-monde of black market war profiteering. With Orson Welles and Alida Valli.
Eve’s Bayou
Kasi Lemmons, US, 1997, 35mm, 109 min.
April 8 – April 12
“The summer I killed my father I was ten years old.” When Eve makes the discovery that her home is built upon a series of illusions, it leads an affluent family to ruin in this Southern gothic coming of age tale from director Kasi Lemmons. Starring Samuel L. Jackson. In 35mm.
Stalker
Andrei Tarkovsky Soviet Union, 1979, DCP, 161 min. In Russian with English Subtitles
April 20, April 23, & April 24
In the heart of “The Zone,” there exists a room where one can find their heart’s true desire. A guide leads a writer and a professor into the forbidden wasteland in search of it. An unparalleled sci-fi masterpiece from the minds of Andrei Tarkovsky and the legendary Strugatsky brothers.
The Wicker Man
Robin Hardy, UK, 1973, DCP, 94 min.
April 29 – May 3
Just in time for May Day, this seminal folk horror film about odd doings on the Scottish outpost Summerisle. A police inspector (Edward Woodward) sent to investigate a missing person case is soon up to his neck in the mysterious rituals of the old ways. With Christopher Lee and Britt Ekland.
Doc Nights
The Velvet Queen
Vincent Munier & Marie Amiguet, France, 2021, DCP, 92 min, In French with English subtitles
March 23 – March 26
High in the Tibetan mountains, photographer Vincent Munier and author Sylvain Tesson track the seldom observed fauna of the highlands, including the elusive snow leopard, all the while philosophizing about the state of man in nature. Aided immeasurably by the music score, composed and performed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.
Best of the Fests
The Sleeping Negro
Skinner Myers, USA, 2021, DCP, 73 min.
March 28, March 30
Skinner Myers writes, directs, and stars in this drama of ideas as a young black man whose consciousness of his own rage must be integrated with his own humanity as he encounters a number of incidents that test his ability to maintain his sanity and equilibrium.
Special Event
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched
Kier-la Janisse, USA/Canada, 2021, DCP, 193 min
April 24
Writer, critic and film programmer Kier-la Janisse’s comprehensive survey of the folk horror genre leaves no stone unturned in mining the complex transit of stories from the unconscious mind through international storytelling traditions and into the cinema. Introduced via Skype by Janisse.
Modern Masters
The Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors
Hong Sang-soo, South Korea, 2000, DCP, 126 min, In Korean with English Subtitles
April 19 – April 23
Love shifts perspective between illusion and reality when a wealthy man begins an awkward courtship of a young woman met through a mutual friend. In this — his third film — the arthouse juggernaut, South Korean director Hong Sang-soo perfects the soju-soaked formula for his career to come complete with his trademark, and cleverly wry, look at the interplay between the sexes. Newly restored.
Queer Cinema: Lost & Found
Shortbus
John Cameron Mitchell, Canada, 2006, DCP, 101 min.
March 29 – April 2
The lives of a group of sexually and emotionally frustrated New Yorkers — including a couples’ therapist who can’t climax and a gay couple seeking a third — intersect at a weekly salon in John Cameron Mitchell’s exuberantly pansexual follow-up to Hedwig and the Angry Inch. While mostly remembered for its explicit sexual content, Shortbus is so much more — an indelible portrait of Bush-era New York nightlife and queer resilience. Newly restored.
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
Robert Altman, US, 1982, 35mm, 109 min.
April 26
The dreams, failures, and regrets of a group of small-town Texas women come to fore when the Disciples of James Dean reunite to honor the 20th anniversary of their icon’s death in Robert Altman’s film adaptation of Ed Graczyk’s play. Featuring knockout performances by Cher, Sandy Dennis, and Karen Black, Come Back to the 5 & Dime is a classic tale of sisterhood and a rare example of positive trans representation in Hollywood cinema. In 35mm.
Lates
To Sleep So as To Dream
Kaizo Hayashi, Japan, 1986, DCP, 80 min, In Japanese with English Subtitles
March 25, March 26
Where is Bellflower? When a detective receives a call from a silent film star, he becomes embroiled in both a kidnapping plot and the mystery of an unfinished film in this forgotten ode to silent cinema from the mind of Kaizo Hayashi. Featuring music by Morio Agata. Newly restored.
Morgiana
Juraj Herz, Czechoslovakia, 1972, DCP, 106 min, In Czech with English Subtitles
April 1, April 2
The cat sees all in when Victkoria (Iva Janžurová) is overcome with jealously and murderous rage over the good fortunes of her twin, Klara (Iva Janžurová). Truly, a surreal tale unlike any other from Czech New Wave director Juraj Herz (The Cremator).
Himizu
Sion Sono, Japan, 2011, DCP, 130 min, In Japanese with English Subtitles
April 8, April 9
A boy’s dream to live a peaceful life fishing is shattered by his resentful father, his loan sharks, natural disaster, and the most disruptive thing of all: love. Directed by Sion Sono (Suicide Club, Love Exposure). Adapted from the manga by Minoru Furuya.
Romance
Catherine Breillat, France, 1999, DCP, 99 min, In French with English Subtitles
April 22, April 23
“Love is desolate. Romance is temporary. Sex is forever.” This infamous provocation from the controversial Catherine Breillat lays waste to idealism as a woman’s search for thrills sparks a series of affairs. Starring Caroline Ducey and Rocco Siffredi.
Sound and Fury
Jean-Claude Brisseau, France, 1988, DCP, 95 min, In French with English Subtitles
April 29, April 30
Sex, gangs, and phantoms are on the curriculum when fourteen-year-old Bruno goes to live in the suburbs of Paris, where he meets Jean-Roger, the classroom terror who teaches him an education is best gotten outside the classroom in this genre mish-mash from Jean-Claude Brisseau (The Exterminating Angels).
Unleashed Desires: Lost Films of Taiwan
From 1955 to 1981, some 1,200 films, known in Mandarin as Taiyupian, were produced in Taiwanese—the first language of the country’s majority. Though wildly popular at first, Taiyupian received little of the official support given to films in Mandarin, the so-called “national language” imposed by the former martial-law regime, and were later dismissed as cheap, tacky, and faintly embarrassing. But after decades of neglect, ongoing preservation of the 200-odd surviving Taiyupian has uncovered a pop cinema of tremendous vitality and imagination—not to mention an often-startling frankness—that rewrites the history of Taiwanese film. AFS teams up with the Austin Asian American Film Festival to present four recently-restored Taiyupian that demonstrate the dizzying range and invention of this fascinating genre. This series is made possible by the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute’s Taiwan Cinema Toolkit and the Taiwan Academy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston.
The Fantasy of the Deer Warrior
Chang Ying, Taiwan, 1961, 87 min, DCP, In Taiwanese with Chinese and English subtitles
April 4
A completely unique Taiwanese fantasy-fable-melodrama about the interactions between various animals in the forest. What makes this so unique is that the animals are played by actors dressed in rather inexpensive costumes. Oddly fascinating and involving. This screening will be followed by a Skype Q&A with Dr. Ming-Yeh T. Rawnsley, founding editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Taiwan Studies and co-organizer of the touring retrospective “Taiwan’s Lost Commercial Cinema.”
The Husband’s Secret
Lin Tuan-chiu, Taiwan, 1960/1965, 102 min, DCP, In Taiwanese with Chinese and English subtitles
April 11
Don’t let the singular title fool you—hubby has more than one secret to hide after his wife unwittingly reunites him with his now-destitute ex, shaking up their comfortably middle-class marriage.
The Bride Who Has Returned from Hell
Hsin Chi, Taiwan, 1965, DCP, 117 min, In Taiwanese with Chinese and English subtitles
April 18
The spirit of Daphne du Maurier haunts this Gothic mystery, about a young woman who infiltrates a rich family to find her missing sister and discovers plenty of skeletons rattling around their closets. Free Member Monday—free for all AFS members.
Dangerous Youth
Hsin Chi, Taiwan, 1969, DCP, 94 min, In Taiwanese with Chinese and English subtitles
April 25
A conniving Don Juan introduces a naïve girl to the neon sights and swingin’ sounds of urban nightlife, but he may have met his match on the less glamorous field of sexual politics. This screening will be followed by a Skype Q&A with Dr. Chun-chi Wang, specialist in film and television critical theory and Executive Director of the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute.
Community Events
SXSW 2022
March 11 – March 19
AFS Cinema plays host to SXSW 2022 as a Satellite Venue. The SXSW Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent from behind and in front of the camera. Featuring provocative dramas, documentaries, comedies, genre standouts and more, the festival is known for its high caliber and diverse program and its smart, enthusiastic audiences. For more information, visit sxsw.com.
Indie Meme 2022
April 14 – April 17
Indie Meme brings the seventh annual festival to AFS Cinema, presenting the best of South Asian Cinema. Indie Meme invites you to enjoy curated cinema from South Asia, film premieres, filmmakers & crew discussions, and networking. For more information, visit indiememe.org.
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.
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