The Austin Film Society Will Show Three Films That Inspired Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City Leading Up to a Sneak Preview of the Film

MEDIA CONTACT
Will Stefanski
Will@austinfilm.org

Download poster here.

May 30, AUSTIN, TX— The Austin Film Society will present a selection of films on June 9 and 10 that have been cited by Wes Anderson as influences on his newest film, Asteroid City. The series of films will end with a sneak preview of Asteroid City on June 10 at AFS Cinema. Asteroid City features a large ensemble cast including Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright and previous Wes Anderson collaborators Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton and Adrien Brody, among others. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May to rave reviews. A new book about the mid-century cinematic influences on Asteroid City, published by Pushkin Press, will be available for purchase at the events.  

This series of films is free, and tickets will be available to the public on Tuesday, May 30. To reserve tickets to these events, click here or visit austinfilm.org. 

AFS will present three films that have been cited by Wes Anderson as influences on Asteroid City. The films that will be shown include On The Waterfront (dir. Elia Kazan) screening on Friday, June 9, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (dir. Steven Spielberg), also on June 9, and The Misfits (dir. John Huston) on Saturday, June 10. The sneak preview of Asteroid City will follow The Misfits on June 10 at 8:30 p.m.

A forthcoming book from Pushkin Press called Do Not Detonate Without Presidential Approval, edited by Jake Perlin, will also be on sale in the AFS lobby throughout the weekend of the sneak preview. The book focuses on mid-century cinema by compiling essays, photography and a new conversation between Perlin and Wes Anderson. The materials collected for the book serve as inspiration to Asteroid City, and the book’s wide release will coincide with that of the film.

For more information on the book, click here or visit the Pushkin Press website.

To watch the trailer of Asteroid City, click here.

About Asteroid City
Asteroid City takes place in a fictional American desert town circa 1955. The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

About Pushkin Press
Founded in 1997, their list encompasses novels, non-fiction, crime, children’s books – everything from timeless classics to the urgent and contemporary. They publish some of the twentieth century’s most widely acclaimed and brilliant authors, including Stefan Zweig, Antal Szerb and Gaito Gazdanov, as well as award-winning current writers like the Dorthe Nors, Benjamín Labatut, Ayelet Gundar-Goshen and Perumal Murugan. Their authors have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the International Booker Prize, and even won the Nobel Prize.

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.

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