Entertainment Industry Professionals Join the Austin Film Society Board of Directors
September 21, 2018
Austin, TX – The Austin Film Society (AFS) is proud to announce the election of two new members to its Board of Directors: Mehcad Brooks, an Austin born-and-raised actor, and Kat Candler, an independent filmmaker, AFS Grant alumna, and showrunner of the OWN television show Queen Sugar.
The Board of Directors are an integral part of the Austin Film Society, serving in a governance role and supporting AFS’s mission to make, watch and love film. Their leadership includes cultivating relationships in the community and providing valuable resources and knowledge to aid in the advancement of the organization. Board member terms last three years.
Download hi-res images. Bios for the new AFS Board members are below.
WHO: Austin Film Society
WHAT: Entertainment Industry Professionals Join the Austin Film Society Board of Directors
WEB: austinfilm.org
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Christine Lee | christine@austinfilm.org | 512-322-0145 x 3213
Mehcad Brooks
From bringing characters to life on screen, to writing and producing films, and recording soulful music under an alias, award-winning actor and musician Mehcad Brooks has become known in the entertainment industry for his raw and refined talent, charisma and moving presence. In 2018 Mehcad can be seen starring on DC Comic’s superhero action-adventure series Supergirl (The CW) opposite Melissa Benoist. The series debuted in 2015 to critical acclaim, being called “a damn good time” by The New York Observer, “bright, fun, exciting” by Forbes and “just great television” by The Los Angeles Times. Over the last three seasons Mehcad has been a fan favorite as friend, mentor and object of affection to Supergirl (Benoist), James “The Guardian” Olsen. Supergirl has remained one of the top series on the network and will debut season four on October 14, 2018.
Mehcad landed his first big break in television in 2005, securing the role of Matthew Applewhite (Alfre Woodward’s son) on the award-winning series Desperate Housewives for ABC. During his time on the show he won a SAG Award for “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series,” and also secured a NAACP Image Award nomination for “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.” Mehcad went on to co-star on the critically acclaimed Alan Ball HBO series True Blood as Benedict ‘Eggs’ Talley opposite Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer from 2008-2010. When his time on True Blood came to an end, he quickly booked a lead role on USA’s drama series Necessary Roughness, which was based on the true story of a female psychologist who worked for the New York Jets. Mehcad was a scene stealer as football player Terrence ‘TK’ King, a star wide receiver who becomes notorious for his frequent fumbles and regular run-ins with the law. The series ran for three seasons, from 2011-13. In between True Blood and Necessary Roughness Mehcad tried his hand at modeling, landing one of the most notorious Calvin Klein global campaigns to date, making international headlines as one of the four faces of their CK X underwear line.
On the film front Mehcad can soon be seen starring in the Tyler Perry film Nobody’s Fool (2018) opposite Whoopi Goldberg, Tiffany Haddish, Omari Hardwick and Missi Pyle. Additional film credits include In the Valley of Elah opposite Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron, Disney’s Glory Road produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Just Wright opposite Queen Latifah, Common and Paula Patton for Fox Searchlight Pictures, Adulterers opposite Sean Faris and Danielle Savre for RLJ Entertainment and About Last Night opposite Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy and Regina Hall for Screen Gems.
Kat Candler
Candler’s award winning feature Hellion starring Aaron Paul and Juliette Lewis, played in competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically through IFC Films. Hellion was a Sundance Creative Producing Lab participant and San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Grant recipient. Candler was a 2015 Sundance Institute Women’s Initiative Fellow and second time San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Grant recipient. In 2015 Candler led the Canon Project Imagination campaign by writing and directing the short film The Rusted executive produced by Ron Howard and starring Josh Hutcherson and Jena Malone. Candler’s work in television includes directing seven episodes of Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey’s highly acclaimed Queen Sugar, an episode of 12 Monkeys, two episodes of 13 Reasons Why. She oversaw Season 2 of Queen Sugar as the producing director and Season 3 as the Showrunner.
For a complete list of AFS Board of Directors, please visit the AFS website.
About Austin Film Society
Founded in 1985 by filmmaker Richard Linklater, the Austin Film Society’s mission is to empower our community to make, watch, and love creative media. AFS curates and screens hundreds of repertory, international, and art house films annually at the AFS Cinema; delivers financial support to Texas filmmakers through the AFS Grant; operates Austin Studios, a 20-acre production facility, and Austin Public, a space for our city’s diverse media makers to train and collaborate. Through its award-winning after school classes, intern training, and the Ed Lowry Student Film program, AFS encourages media and film literacy and provides a place for youth of all backgrounds to learn the craft of filmmaking and gain access to tools for media production. 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. 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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