Watch This: Richard Nixon Opens for Elaine May & Mike Nichols in 1959
The Emmy Awards were a wild proposition in 1959. Here, Vice President and 1960 Presidential Contender Richard Nixon drops a characteristically awkward, tone-deaf speech about the “freedom to change the channel” or something like that, before yielding the stage to Elaine May and Mike Nichols, who tear it down. Their “Total Mediocrity Award” sketch is […]
Ferrara/Noé: The Maddening Audio Interview We’ve All Been Waiting For
Abel Ferrara and Gaspar Noé are both polarizing filmmakers who take major risks and seem to live on the edge at all times in their professional lives. From Ferrara’s arthouse/grindhouse beginnings to his current residency in Italy making biographical films about Pasolini and Padre Pio, he has both attracted and alienated audiences with his choices and […]
One of the Greats, Luchino Visconti, Born on this Day in 1906
Luchino Visconti, who began making films as Jean Renoir’s assistant in 1935 and went on to a career as one of the world’s greatest filmmaking masters, was born on this date on 1906. He did not make as many features as many of his contemporaries but he really made his work count, with epics such […]
Watch This: THE ENDLESS NIGHT – The Ultimate Noir Valentine
A few years ago, at one of his many tremendous Noir City screenings, writer/historian/programmer Eddie Muller introduced an evening of film noir classics with this short film, painstakingly assembled by someone who calls herself RubyTuesday717. I have often thought about this short since and was happy to stumble across it again today. Enjoy:
AFS Viewfinders Podcast: Filmmaker Kat Candler on the Creative Life, Horror Movies & More
I sat down yesterday with Kat Candler, mainly to talk about her new short THE RUSTED, which will screen at AFS’ MAKE WATCH LOVE Party on November 12 (don’t forget to RSVP.) Naturally the discussion went every which way and we ended up talking about life choices, the importance of actors, the relative warmth of […]
Watch This: The Winning Entrant in the Austin Polish Film Festival’s Shorts Competition
The 10th Annual Austin Polish Film Festival was held this past weekend at the Marchesa Hall and Theatre. Along with their screenings of feature films, short film blocks, parties and Polish poster exhibition, there was a judged short film competition. We are proud to share the winner of the competition with you. It is Alison […]
Start Spreading The News: 7 Weeks of Arthouse Classics Hosted By Richard Linklater
Our Jewels In The Wasteland series, in which AFS Artistic Director Richard Linklater presents a selection of his favorite films from the ’80s along with thorough introductions and audience discussions, has proven over its first two years to be (no surprise) one of AFS’ most beloved and popular programs. It’s no wonder that the young […]
Happy Birthday to Screen Legend Catherine Deneuve, Revisit her Chanel n°5 Commercials
Catherine Deneuve, certainly one of the most talented and fascinating stars in film history, has appeared, and left iconic impressions in films by Truffaut, Buñuel, Polanski, Demy, Melville, Ferreri, Aldrich, Tony Scott, Carax, Ruiz, Von Trier, Ozon and, of course, many others. Consider this body of work, and then reflect that it only represents a fraction […]
50 Pieces of Advice for Filmmakers from Wim Wenders
In January and February of next year we will be presenting an 8-film retrospective of Wim Wenders films. In anticipation of that we would like to share these important and valuable tips for filmmakers as related by the master himself. You can read the original article here or watch Wenders on video sharing some of […]
Happy 90th Birthday to the Legendary Angela Lansbury
Happy 90th Birthday to the truly great Dame Angela Lansbury. Here she is singing “Goodbye, Yellow Bird” from THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY 70 (!) years ago. There are stars who are gifted with personalities that shine through everything they do, and she is certainly so gifted. Then there are performers so intelligent and hard-working […]
Watch This: John Carpenter talks Directorial Style, Hawks, Ford & Horror Films
“Style is all about instinct. It’s all about how a director sees things. If you watch any of the directors that you admire… you can see what their concerns are and how they approach things, how they approach the characters, how they approach the world they’re in. So it’s an instinctual type thing. A director […]
Nappy Birthday to Director Mira Nair
Director Mira Nair, born on this day in India in 1957, first came to international prominence with her striking 1988 feature SALAAM BOMBAY!, which takes viewers into the streets of Mumbai to observe the particulars of life of homeless children. The film won a number of awards and was widely screened in art houses around […]
