This week on On Story we’ll hear playwright and screenwriter Sofia Alvarez discuss the difference between writing for the stage and screen and the process of adapting Jenny Han’s young adult book series into the Netflix romantic comedy TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE. And later Catherine Reitman discusses creating the International Emmy Award nominated series WORKIN’ MOMS.

This week on On Story, CHERNOBYL creator Craig Mazin discusses his HBO five part mini-series. The series tells the true story of the world’s worst nuclear disaster and the remarkable acts of bravery and sacrifice that followed. Mazin’s previous writing credits include IDENTITY THIEF, THE HANGOVER 2 and 3 and THE HUNTSMAN: WINTERS WAR. Mazin spoke at the 26th Austin Film Festival about transitioning from comedy to drama, the difference between writing for film and television, and the responsibility behind fictionalizing a true event.

Clips of Chernobyl courtesy of Home Box Office, Inc.

On Story is part of a growing number of programs in Austin Film Festival’s On Story Project, including the On Story PBS series, The On Story radio program and podcast and the On Story book series. To find out more about On Story and Austin Film Festival, visit onstory.tv or austinfilmfestival.com.

On Story is brought to you in part by the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, a Texas family providing innovative funding since 1979.

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the US Institute of Museum and Library Services and Texas Library and Archives Commission.

This program is also made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

On Story is supported in part by DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts and TooFar Media, immersive story experiences by Rich Shapero.

The show is produced by myself, Barbara Morgan, our associate producers are Colin Hyer, Maya Perez, and Kaetie Turner. Our editors are Jamal Knox and Travis Neeley. Audio capture by Travis Kennedy. Music is by Brian Ramos. Production assistance comes from Sound Lab Inc, Travis Kennedy and KUT 90.5 in Austin. Go to AustinFilmFestival.com to find out more about the Austin Film Festival & Conference in October.

This week on On Story we pay tribute to legendary comedy writer Buck Henry, who co-created the series Get Smart with Mel Brooks and was twice nominated for an Academy Award®- first in 1968 for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Graduate and again in 1979 for Best Director for the film Heaven Can Wait. In this episode we’re featuring a panel recorded in 2005 featuring comedy luminaries Buck Henry, Judd Apatow and Harold Ramis. And later we’ll hear from Emmy Award winner Larry Wilmore

Legendary writer – actor – director Buck Henry passed away at the age of 89. A frequent Austin Film Festival panelist and the recipient of AFF’s 1997 Distinguished Screenwriter Award, Buck was unparalleled in his humor and generosity giving back to the writing community. On Today’s episode we’re featuring a conversation on comedy writing with Henry, Judd Apatow, and Harold Ramis that was recorded at the 2005 Austin Film Festival. 

Buck Henry got his start in television in the early 1960’s. Buck Henry co-created the series Get Smart with Mel Brooks and was twice nominated for an Academy Award®- first in 1968 for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Graduate and again in 1979 for Best Director for the film Heaven Can Wait.

Producer, director, actor, comedian and screenwriter Judd Apatow is best known for the television shows Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, and Girls. His extensive filmography includes the hit movies, Anchorman, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Bridesmaids and the 2015 film Trainwreck starring Amy Schumer, Tilda Swinton and Bill Hader. 

The late Harold Ramis wrote, directed and starred in some of the most beloved comedies of the past forty years including Caddyshack, Animal House, Ghostbusters, High Fidelity and Groundhog Day. He got his start as a joke editor for Playboy Magazine and went on to become a performer and head writer on the sketch comedy series SCTV.

Producer Barry Josephson spoke with these comedy luminaries at the 12th Austin Film Festival

Emmy Award winner Larry Wilmore has been a television producer, actor, comedian, and writer for more than 25 years. He started his career as an actor and stand-up comedian before writing and producing on the early nineties classic television shows In Living Color, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and The Jamie Foxx Show. He co-created The PJ’s with Eddie Murphy, The Bernie Mac Show with Bernie Mac, and was a consulting producer and guest star on the American version of The Office. This segment was recorded at the 14th annual Austin Film Festival and at a special event at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, TX in 2013. We begin with comedian and satirist Larry Wilmore discussing his comedic roots.

This week on On Story we’ll hear from screenwriter Andrew Lanham and celebrated character actor Tim Blake Nelson on their new film JUST MERCY and later we’ll hear from screenwriters Guinevere Turner and Michael Werwie for a discussion on adapting true crime events into feature films.

First up we’ll hear from screenwriter Andrew Lanham and actor Tim Blake Nelson discussing their new film JUST MERCY. JUST MERCY  tells the true story of Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and social justice activist, who has devoted his life to defending wrongly convicted inmates. Tim Blake Nelson, an actor with over 80 credits to his name, is best known for his role as Delmar O’Donnell in O BROTHER WHERE ART THOUGH, and is a current lead in HBO’s WATCHMEN series. Andrew Lanham co-wrote JUST MERCY with director Destin Daniel Cretton. In 2010 Lanham broke into the industry when his script THE JUMPER OF MAIN won Austin Film Festival’s Drama Screenplay Award. I spoke with Nelson and Lanham after the Closing Night screening of JUST MERCY at the 2019 Austin Film Festival.

Clips of Just Mercy courtesy of Warner Bros.

The True Crime genre has recently dominated entertainment but crafting narratives based on actual crime can be a tricky path to navigate. I spoke with screenwriters Michael Werwie, who wrote the Ted Bundy Netflix film EXTEMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE and Guinevere Turner who wrote the Manson Family movie CHARLIE SAYS, about crafting compelling entertainment while respecting the human stories at the heart of the horror.

Clips of Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile courtesy of Netflix.

Clips of Charlie Says courtesy of IFC Films and Shout! Factory.

This week on On Story we’ll hear conversations from two writer/directors from the 26th annual Austin Film Festival. First up, Texas born, Trey Edward Shults, will discuss his emotional new film WAVES, which stars Sterling K. Brown, Taylor Russell and Kevin Harrison, Jr. And later, we’ll hear from Australian filmmaker Zak Hilditch, whose new horror film RATTLESNAKE is streaming now on Netflix.

Writer/director Trey Edward Shults’ new film WAVES traces the emotional journey of a suburban African-American family as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a loss. The film stars Sterling K. Brown, Taylor Russell, and Kelvin Harrison, Jr.. This is Shults’ third feature film; previously he wrote and directed 2015’s KRISHA and 2017’s IT COMES AT NIGHT, which were also released by A24. I spoke with Shults at the 2019 Austin Film Festival after a screening of WAVES.

Clips of Waves courtesy of A24.

Next up, a conversation with writer/director, Zak Hilditch. Hilditch’s new film RATTLESNAKE, is a psychological horror film about a mother wrestling with the morality of paying a debt to a mysterious woman who saved her daughter’s life. The film is now streaming on Netflix after having it’s world premiere at the Austin Film Festival. Hilditch spoke about writing and directing the project with author and filmmaker Owen Egerton.

Clips of Rattlesnake courtesy of Netflix and Campfire.

Clips of 1922 courtesy of Netflix and Campfire.

This week on On Story we’ll hear from showrunners Shawn Ryan and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas on their CBS original series, S.W.A.T. And later, we explore the horror genre with writers Andrew Kevin Walker, C. Robert Cargill and Alvaro Rodriguez.

Shawn Ryan and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas are the showrunners behind the new procedural television series reboot, S.W.A.T. Set in Los Angeles, the crime drama is based on the 1975 television series of the same name and follows a locally born and bred S.W.A.T. lieutenant. The series premiered on CBS in 2017 and is currently slated for a 3rd season premiere in October. I spoke to Shawn Ryan and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas during a joint programming year-round event in partnership with Humanitas in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Clips of S.W.A.T courtesy of CBS Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television

Next up, we explore the horror genre with writers Andrew Kevin Walker, C. Robert Cargill and Alvaro Rodriguez.

Andrew Kevin Walker is the writer behind Se7en, Brainscan, and Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. He’s also written for HBO's Tales from the Crypt and Perversions of Science. Robert Cargill is a novelist, former film critic, and co-writer on Marvel’s Doctor Strange and both Sinister films. Alvaro Rodriguez is the writer behind Robert Rodriguez’s breakthrough film El Mariachi and Machete. Rodriguez is executive producer/co-creator of Seis Manos, a Netflix original adult-animated series, premiering in October. The three spoke with Fantastic Fest co-founder Paul Alvarado-Dykstra during a panel held during the 25th Anniversary of Austin Film Festival. 

Clips of Seven courtesy of New Line Productions, Inc.

Clips of Poltergeist courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Film Company & SLM Entertainment, Ltd.

Clips of Sinister courtesy of Alliance Films

Clips of The Thing courtesy of Universal City Studios, Inc.

This Special Presentation of On Story is a closer look at some of the incredible films chosen to screen at the 26th Annual Austin Film Festival. We talked with the filmmakers whose work represent some of the most original voices in filmmaking from around the world about the challenges they faced in their creative process, and the breakthroughs that led them to The Austin Film Festival.

This week on On Story, director, Elizabeth Coffman, discusses her documentary feature which chronicles the life and work of acclaimed author and novelist Flannery O’Connor. O’Connor was a Southern writer who often wrote in a Southern Gothic style that relied heavily on regional settings and characters. Coffman spoke about developing the documentary and the connections between the O’Connor’s writing and personal experiences.

Flannery premieres at the Hideout Theatre on Sunday, October 27th. 

This Special Presentation of On Story is a closer look at some of the incredible films chosen to screen at the 26th Annual Austin Film Festival. We talked with the filmmakers whose work represent some of the most original voices in filmmaking from around the world about the challenges they faced in their creative process, and the breakthroughs that led them to The Austin Film Festival.

This week on On Story, director, Zach Lamplugh, discusses his comedy, The Vice Guide to Bigfoot. The film tells the story of a Vice clickbait reporter sent to the Appalachian foothills to follow a crypto zoologist on the trail of the infamous Bigfoot.  

I spoke to Zac ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Alamo Drafthouse Village on Friday, October 25th. 

This Special Presentation of On Story is a closer look at some of the incredible films chosen to screen at the 26th Annual Austin Film Festival. We talked with the filmmakers whose work represent some of the most original voices in filmmaking from around the world about the challenges they faced in their creative process, and the breakthroughs that led them to The Austin Film Festival.

This week on On Story, writer and director, Danish Renzu, discusses his film, The Illegal. The film stars Life of Pi actor Suraj Sharma and explores his journey living as an immigrant in Los Angeles and chasing the American Dream. A native of Kashmir and an alum of UCLA, Danish Renzu has directed several award-winning short films.

I spoke to Danish ahead of the film’s premiere at the Rollins Theatre on Saturday, October 26th. 

On this Special Presentation of On Story we're taking a closer look at some of the incredible films chosen to screen at the 26th Annual Austin Film Festival. We talked with the filmmakers whose work represent some of the most original voices in filmmaking from around the world about the challenges they faced in their creative process, and the breakthroughs that led them to The Austin Film Festival.

This week on On Story, co-writers and directors Alexandra Kotcheff and Hannah Leder discuss the process of making their feature film, The Planters. The film is a whimsically stylized comedy about a woman who buries treasure in the desert and  befriends another young woman with a multitude of personalities. Kotcheff and Leder both star in the film.