Austin Film Festival's On Story
On Story Episode 1653: America Ferrera and June Squibb

This episode of On Story, actress and producer America Ferrera and theatre film and television actress June Squibb discuss their work in film and on television.

America Ferrera is best known for her work on the ABC comedy-drama, Ugly Betty. The role garnered her a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding lead Actress in a Comedy Series. America Ferrera’s numerous film credits include Real Women Have Curves, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, End of Watch and How to Train Your Dragon. America Ferrera returned to television in 2015 as a regular and co-producer on the NBC comedy, Superstore.

Actress June Squibb got her start in musical theatre in the 1950’s. She made her Broadway debut as Electra in the original 1960 production of Gypsy starring Ethel Merman. June Squibb made her transition to film in the late 1980’s with Woody Allen’s Alice and went on to roles in Scent of a Woman, The Age of Innocence, Meet Joe Black, and Far From Heaven. She’s since worked twice with director Alexander Payne, first on the film About Schmidt, and later, co-starring with Bruce Dern in Nebraska, which earned her the Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her recent credits include the critically acclaimed film I’ll See You in my Dreams with Rhea Pearlman, Mary Kay Place and Sam Elliot as well as television appearances in Getting On, Girls, Glee, The Big bang Theory and Modern Family.

Direct download: AMERICA_FERRERA_AND_JUNE_SQUIBB_adjusted.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 11:01pm CDT

On Story Episode 1652: John Patrick Shanley

On today’s episode, filmmaker and playwright, John Patrick Shanley on writing memorable characters. Shanley won the Oscar with his screenplay for Moonstruck, as well as a Pulitzer and a Tony for his play, Doubt, which he later adapted for the screen.

Filmmaker and playwright John Patrick Shanley’s credits include the stage plays Prodigal Son, Outside Mullingar (Tony nomination), Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Savage in Limbo, Dirty Story, Defiance, and Beggars in the House of Plenty. His theatrical work is performed extensively across the United States and around the world. His play, Doubt, received both the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. He later adapted and directed Doubt for the screen. The film, starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis, was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay. Shanley’s other films include Five Corners, Alive, Joe Versus the Volcano, and of course, Moonstruck, for which he received both the Writers Guild of America Award and an Academy Award for best original screenplay.

Direct download: JOHN_PATRICK_SHANLEY_adjusted.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 9:25pm CDT

On Story Episode 1651: Jungle Book and Hook

This week’s On Story, two modern family adventure films. First we hear from The Jungle Book screenwriter Justin Marks, and later, Hook screenwriter Jim Hart and the actor who played one of the film’s beloved Lost Boys, Rufio, Dante Basco.

The 2016 Disney film The Jungle Book is based on the Rudyard Kipling classic, and inspired by the 1967 animated film of the same name. The Jungle Book features an all-star cast including Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley and Idris Elba as well as newcomer Neel Sethi and was directed by Jon Favreu.

The 1991 fantasy adventure, Hook, depicts an adult Peter Pan who forgot Neverland and grew up. The film stars the late Robin Williams as Peter, Dustin Hoffman as the title character and co-stars the late Bob Hoskins, Julia Roberts, Maggie Smith and Dante Basco as Lost Boy, Rufio.

Direct download: THE_JUNGLE_BOOK_AND_HOOK_adjusted.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 9:05pm CDT

On Story Episode 1650: Bleed for This and Rocky vs Creed

On today’s episode, writer-director Ben Younger on his new boxing Biopic, Bleed for This, followed by Creed screenwriter Aaron Covington on the legacy of the original Rocky and his latest entry in the franchise.

Younger made his first film, Boiler Room in 2000 and his last film, Prime, in 2005. Bleed for this, produced by Martin Scorsese, and written and directed by Younger, represents his comeback to filmmaking.

The 2015 film Creed is a spinoff of the Rocky film series directed by Ryan Coogler and co-written by our next guest Aaron Covington. The film depicts the journey of Adonis Johnson into the boxing world. Johnson is the son of former heavyweight champion and Rocky Balboa opponent-turned-trainer Apollo Creed. In the film, the younger Creed, whose father died in the ring, seeks the help and guidance of aging former champion Rocky Balboa.

Direct download: BLEED_FOR_THIS_AND_ROCKY_VS_CREED_adjusted.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 10:04pm CDT

On Story Episode 1649: James Franco and Chris Cooper

This episode of On Story, actor and filmmaker James Franco describes his experiences working with Judd Apatow and Danny Boyle and Academy Award® winner Chris Cooper discusses his work in film and on television.

Actor and filmmaker James Franco first rose to prominence on the cult sensation Freaks and Geeks and has since followed with unforgettable roles in films both large and small. He won a Golden Globe early in his career for his portrayal of film icon James Dean and was nominated for an Academy award in the best actor category for his role in 127 hours. James Franco is currently starring in the Hulu original mini-series 11.22.63 along with today’s other guest, Chris Cooper. The series is adapted from a Stephen King novel of the same name and centers around a time traveler who attempts to prevent the assassination of John F Kennedy.

Chris Cooper is known for his broad range of work in supporting roles from July Johnson in TV’s Lonesome Dove to Robert Hanson in Breach, Colonel Fitts in American Beauty to Al Templeton in this year’s Hulu original miniseries 11.22.63. Chris Cooper won both an Academy Award® and a Golden Globe in 2003 for his portrayal of John Laroche in the film Adaptation and his other film credits include August Osage County, Syriana, Jarhead and Capote.

Direct download: FRANCO_COOPER_REFEED_adjusted.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 2:54pm CDT

On Story Episode 1648: The Doctors of Docs

This week’s On Story, we feature three documentary storytellers and their new films. Keith Maitland discusses Tower, about the 1966 mass shooting at the University of Texas. Later, Steve Mims on Starving the Beast, which examines the philosophical shift in public higher education and Andrew Shea talks Wrestling Alligators, his film on James Billie and Seminole Indian life before and after the rise of casino gambling.

The new documentary, Tower, examines the mass shooting at the University of Texas on August 1st 1966 from the perspective of the victims, survivors and first responders. The film combines archival footage with rotoscopic animation, interviews, and scripted performances and is based on a Texas Monthly article by Pamela Colloff titled 96 minutes

Starving the Beast is the new documentary from director Steve Mims and producer Bill Banowsky. The film examines the philosophical shift in public higher education through market-based reform, and whether such measures are a solution to the problem of skyrocketing tuition costs, or the systematic elimination of federally mandated public research universities, which have provided affordable education for decades.

Wrestling Alligators, examines the rise of Native American held casinos through the lens of controversial Seminole Indian leader James Billie, who is often called the father of Indian Gaming. James Billie is a one-time alligator wrestler and Grammy-nominated recording artist who opened a first-of-its-kind high-stakes bingo hall in Hollywood Florida in 1972. The success of the gambling operation has spread the practice beyond the Seminole Tribe, forever changing the lives of Native Americans throughout North America.

Direct download: THE_DOCTORS_OF_DOCS_adjusted.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 10:20pm CDT

On Story Episode 1647: Loving and Edge of Seventeen

This week’s On Story, we’ll hear from the writer-director behind the new film, Loving, Jeff Nichols followed by Kelly Fremon Craig and James L. Brooks on their new film, The Edge of Seventeen.

Loving depicts the real-life story of interracial couple Richard and Mildred Loving who married in 1958 and were then sentenced to one year in prison for violating Virginia’s anti-miscegenation statute, the Racial Integrity Act of 1924. Their civil rights case, Loving vs. Virginia, went all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 1967 determined that all race-based restrictions on marriage were unconstitutional. Loving is written and directed by Jeff Nichols, and stars Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga and Michael Shannon. Jeff Nichols is the writer-director behind the films Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter, last year’s Midnight Special and the critically acclaimed 2012 film, Mud starring Matthew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon and Michael Shannon.

The Edge of Seventeen is written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig and produced by veteran TV and film icon James L. Brooks. This coming of age comedy drama stars Hailee Steinfeld as the film’s acerbic yet endearing protagonist and co-stars Haley Lu Richardson, Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick.

The Edge of Seventeen hits theatres November 18th and has already received praise from critics both for the contribution of the film’s writer-director, and for the performances by the cast of relative newcomers and familiar faces.

Kelly Fremon Craig wrote the screenplay for the 2009 film Post Grad. James L Brooks career spans over fifty years and his credits include The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, Lou Grant, Taxi, Terms of Endearment, Say Anything, and of course, The Simpsons.

Direct download: LOVING_AND_THE_EDGE_OF_SEVENTEEN.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 10:10pm CDT

On Story Episode 1646: Rectify and Justified

On today’s episode, the character actor turned show-runner behind the Sundance TV legal drama, Rectify, Ray McKinnon followed by the writing team behind FX’s Justified and the actor who portrays the show’s enigmatic antagonist, Walton Goggins.

Ray McKinnon's filmography as a character actor reads like an encyclopedia of great film and TV over the past thirty years from appearances on In the Heat of the Night, Driving Miss Daisy and Designing Women to Apollo 13, NYPD Blue and O’ Brother, Where Art Thou? to Justified, Sons of Anarchy and Mud and of course Deadwood. He won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short for his 2001 film The Accountant, and created the soon-to-be-concluded legal drama, Rectify.

Walton Goggins's acting credits include appearances on The Shield, Lincoln, Django Unchained, Sons of Anarchy and of course Justified. He co-produced the Academy Award-winning short, The Accountant, with today’s other guest, Ray McKinnon and appeared most recently in The Hateful Eight and the HBO series Vice Principals.

Direct download: OS_RECTIFY_AND_JUSTIFIED.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 2:02pm CDT

On Story Episode 1645: Halloween Episode

On today’s episode, On Story delves deep into the horror genre with the filmmakers behind Blair Witch, I Am Legend, The Walking Dead and The Conjuring.

We begin this special Halloween edition of On Story with the filmmakers behind Blair Witch. This reboot of the found footage horror classic opened in theatres in September of this year and picks up the story twenty years after the events depicted in the original film when a group of college students and their local guides venture into the Black Hills Forest in Maryland to uncover the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of Heather Donahue, the sister of one of the characters. We recently caught up with the film’s director Adam Winguard and screenwriter Simon Barrett who begin by discussing memorable scenes from the original that inspired their reboot. 

Film and television writers Carey and Chad Hayes are the duo behind the screenplays for two films in The Conjuring universe. The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2 are directed by James Wan and are based on the real-life experiences of paranormal investigators Edward and Lorraine Warren. The first film, The Conjuring grossed 318 million dollars worldwide, making it one of the most profitable in the horror genre. The Conjuring stars Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor. The Conjuring 2 was released in summer of 2016. The Hayes brothers, Carey and Chad, got their start in screenwriting in the 1990’s writing several made for TV and direct to video movies before teaming up with legendary producer Joel Silver and writing the screenplay for the reboot of the 50’s horror classic, House of Wax.

Mark Protosevich is a screenwriter whose credits include The Cell, Poseidon, I Am Legend, Thor and Old Boy. The Cell starred Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, and Vincent D’Onofrio, and was the feature film debut of director Tarsem Singh.  Roger Ebert listed The Cell as one of the ten best films of 2000. I Am Legend starred Will Smith and was based on the novel of the same name by acclaimed author Richard Matheson. 

Angela Kang got her start on the FX series Terriers. She’s been on the writing staff for AMC’s The Walking Dead since the show’s second season in 2011. The seventh season of The Walking Dead premiered on October 23rd 2016. 

Direct download: HALLOWEEN_EPISODE.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 5:16pm CDT

On Story Episode 1644: Live from AFF 23 and Season 2 Preview

This week, On Story brings you a look inside the 23rd Austin Film Festival and Conference, which happened from October 13th through 20th 2016.

Marta Kauffman is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning television writer, producer and show-runner. She got her big break in the 1990’s with the HBO series Dream On, and the enormously popular smash success, Friends. Her new Netflix series Grace and Frankie features an all-star cast including Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, and is currently streaming its second season.

With six novels that produced over sixty adaptations for the screen, the talents of Jane Austen have lived on long past her time on earth. At a panel titled Deconstructing Jane Austen, the filmmakers behind Sense and Sensibility, The Jane Austen Book Club, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and What Jane Saw discussed how they adapted these beloved novels for various storytelling mediums, and why they think Austen’s themes and stories remain so powerful today. We begin with University of Texas Academic Jane Barchas discussing  “that shirt” worn by Collin Firth in the 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and which is now on display in the Folger Shakespeare Library. In this segment, we’ll also hear from Memoirs of a Geisha screenwriter Robin Swicord, Former President and COO of United Artists Pictures Lindsay Doran and our own Barbara Morgan.

Creed co-writer Aaron Covington compare the two films Rocky and Creed, and discuss what it was like to work alongside writer/actor Sylvester Stallone, actor Michael B Jordan and director Ryan Coogler.

Jeff Nichols is the writer-director behind the films Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter and the critically acclaimed 2012 film, Mud starring Matthew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon and Michael Shannon. Jeff Nichols’s latest film, Loving, depicts the real-life story of interracial couple Richard and Mildred Loving who married in 1958 and were then sentenced to one year in prison for violating Virginia’s anti-miscegenation statute, the Racial Integrity Act of 1924.

Filmmaker Jason Segel got his start on the beloved series Freaks and Geeks. His other credits include Undeclared, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, How I Met Your Mother and his portrayal of David Foster Wallace in The End of the Tour. Next up, AFF Film Competition Director Harrison Glaser speaks with Jason Segel at a special screening of Segel’s beloved 2011 musical comedy, The Muppets.

The Edge of Seventeen is written and directed by Kelly Freemon Craig and produced by film and television legend James L Brooks. The film stars Hailee Steinfeld, Haley Lu Richardson, Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick. The Edge of Seventen hits theatres in November of this year. In this final segment, Barbara Morgan speaks with Kelly Freemon Craig and James L Brooks at a special screening of their film.

Direct download: Live_from_AFF_23_.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 12:09am CDT

On Story Episode 1643: Norman Lear

This episode of On Story, television legend Norman Lear discusses his experiences creating and running some of the greatest sitcoms of all time.

Norman Lear began his television career as a writer in the 1950’s and went on to create some of the most celebrated network television comedies in history, among them, All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son, Good Times, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time and Mary Hartman Mary Hartman. We were honored to present Norman Lear with the 2015 Outstanding Television Writer Award at the 22nd Austin Film Festival where we also hosted a live reading of his un-produced pilot Guess Who Died. Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal spoke with Norman Lear at the historic Driskill Hotel in Austin Texas on November 1st of last year. 

Direct download: NormanLear_Encore.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 8:21pm CDT

On Story Episode 1642 Terry George and Jim Sheridan

This week’s On Story features two highly celebrated Irish filmmakers, Terry George and Jim Sheridan. First, Terry George discusses his collaboration with Sheridan and the second film in the pair’s Irish trilogy, In the name of the Father. Later, Jim Sheridan on his life, and work from the theatre stage to the big screen.

Filmmaker Terry George made his screenwriting debut in 1993 with the semi-biographical courtroom drama, In the Name of the Father. The film was the first of three collaborations between Terry George and writer-director Jim Sheridan depicting the ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century, commonly referred to as The Troubles. 

In the Name of the Father is based on the true-life story of the Guilford Four, who were falsely convicted of the 1974 IRA bombings, which killed five people and was partly adapted from the autobiography of the film’s main character Gerry Conlon. In the Name of the Father received seven Academy Award® nominations including Best Actor for Daniel Day Lewis, Best Supporting Actor for the late Pete Postlethwaite, Best Supporting Actress for Emma Thompson, Best Director- Jim Sheridan and even Best Picture. 

Following a distinguished career in the theatre between the 1960s and the 1980s, Jim Sheridan wrote and directed his first critically acclaimed feature My Left Foot in 1989. He followed in 1990 with The Field, which he also wrote and directed and in the same year he wrote the screenplay Into The West. Jim Sheridan collaborated with today’s other guest, Terry George on three films, In the Name of the Father, Some Mother’s Son and The Boxer. His films have garnered a remarkable sixteen Academy Award nominations and two wins and his latest film, The Secret Scripture is slated for release later this year.

Direct download: TERRY_GEORGE__JIM_SHERIDAN.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 2:54pm CDT

On Story Episode 1641: Die Hard Versus Lethal Weapon and Robert Kamen

The 1987 blockbuster Lethal Weapon is the first writing credit in Shane Black’s filmography. He went on to act in, write or write and direct over 30 films including The Long Kiss Goodnight, Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, slated for release in May of 2016. 

Jeb Stuart wrote the screenplay for the action classic, Die Hard. The film was nominated for 4 Academy Awards® and voted the Best Action Film of All Time by Entertainment Weekly in 2007. Jeb Stuart’s other credits include the screenplays for The Fugitive, nominated for 7 Academy Awards® including Best Picture and the action-comedy Another 48 Hrs.

Robert Mark Kamen’s screenwriting credits begin with the script for the 1981 film Taps which was adapted from Devery Freeman’s novel Father Sky, and which stars George C Scott, Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn and Tom Cruise in his first major role in a motion picture. He went on to create The Karate Kid, starring Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio, and collaborated with filmmaker Luc Besson on The Fifth Element, as well as the Transporter and Taken franchises.  

Direct download: DIE_HARD_VS_LETHAL_WEAPON_AND_ROBERT_KAMEN.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 12:17pm CDT

On Story Episode 1640: Matthew Weiner and Vince Gilligan

Writer-producer-director Vince Gilligan got his start as an independent filmmaker before being invited to join the writing team on the X-Files. He went on to co-create the short run X-Files spinoff, The Lone Gunmen and later, created the hugely successful AMC series, Breaking Bad. Vince Gilligan’s current series, the Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul recently garnered multiple Emmy nominations including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Bob Odenkirk and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Jonathan Banks. Producer Barry Josephson spoke with Vince Gilligan at the 20th Austin Film Festival, shortly after the release of the final episode of Breaking Bad.

Matthew Weiner is the creator and executive producer of the multiple Emmy Award-winning AMC drama, Mad Men, which concluded in 2015. 

Before Mad Men, Matthew Weiner was an executive producer and writer on HBO’s The Sopranos and produced various television series, including The Naked Truth, Becker, and Andy Richter Controls the Universe. New York Times Magazine Editor Robert Draper spoke with Matthew Weiner in 2014 at the 21st Austin Film Festival. We begin with Matthew Weiner reflecting on Mad Men, shortly after the end of production on the series.

Direct download: VINCE_GILLIGAN_AND_MATTHEW_WEINER.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 2:42pm CDT

Emmy Episode Featuring Beau Willimon & John Ridley

In anticipation of the 2016 Emmy Awards, this week’s On Story from Austin Film Festival and Public Radio International features House of Cards Beau Willimon discussing his Netflix political drama which has garnered 13 nominations, followed by John Ridley, creator of ABC’s American Crime, which is nominated for 4 awards.

Beau Willimon is a screenwriter, playwright and show-runner of Netflix’s highly acclaimed political drama, House of Cards. His play Farragut North, became the basis for the motion picture screenplay Ides Of March, which he co-wrote with George Clooney and Grant Heslov. The film earned Willimon the Academy Award® nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. House of Cards is set in present day Washington DC. The show starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as Frank and Claire Underwood is based on a novel by Lord Michael Dobbs and adapted from a BBC mini-series by the same name. House of Cards has racked up a total of 46 Emmy nominations in its four season run, including this year’s nominations for Outstanding Drama Series as well as Outstanding Lead Actor and Outstanding Lead Actress for Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, respectively. Steve Scheibal spoke with Beau Willimon at the 20th Austin Film Festival in 2013. 

Writer-Director John Ridley’s credits include the novels Those Who Walk in Darkness, A Conversation with the Man, and Stray Dogs, the graphic novel The American Way and the screenplays for the films Red Tails, U Turn, Three Kings, and Undercover Brother.  His script for 12 Years A Slave won the 2014 Academy Award® for Best Adapted Screenplay and he’s the creator of the ABC series, American Crime. The series has garnered three Emmy nominations this year including one for Outstanding Limited Series, a second for Outstanding Supporting Actress for Regina King and a third for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series for Felicity Huffman. This conversation was recorded at the 21st Austin Film Festival in 2014 and was moderated by screenwriter Alvaro Rodriguez. 

Direct download: BEAU_WILLIMON_AND_JOHN_RIDLEY_EMMY_WEEK.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 3:45pm CDT

Luke Wilson and Texas Mavericks

This episode of On Story, actor Luke Wilson, followed by Castaway screenwriter Bill Broyles, Lonesome Dove screenwriter and producer Bill Wittliff and Saving Mr Banks filmmaker John Lee Hancock.

Actor Luke Wilson is known for his roles in Bottle Rocket, Idiocracy, Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums, Legally Blond, and this summer’s Showtime series Roadies. Screenwriter Fred Strype spoke with Luke Wilson in 2014 at the 21st Austin Film Festival. 

Bill Broyles co-created the Emmy-Award-winning television series China Beach, and wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for Apollo 13, Cast Away, Jarhead, Unfaithful, The Polar Express, and Flags of Our Fathers. 

John Lee Hancock is the writer/director of The Blind Side and The Alamo, and the director behind The Founder, Saving Mr. Banks, and The Rookie, as well as the screenwriter behind Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, A Perfect World, and Snow White and the Huntsman. 

Bill Wittliff’s screenwriting and producing credits include The Perfect Storm, The Black Stallion, and Legends of the Fall, as well as the groundbreaking Lonesome Dove mini-series, for which he won a Writers Guild of America Award. 

Direct download: TEX_MAVS_LUKE_WILSON.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 9:20am CDT

Oliver Stone and John Milius

This episode of On Story, we hear from Oliver Stone on his life from Vietnam veteran to activist filmmaker and later, screenwriting legend John Milius joins Oliver Stone to go deep into the genre of war films.

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone has written and directed over 20 feature films, including Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, JFK, Natural Born Killers, Nixon, and The Doors. Before attending NYU film school, Stone served in the US Army 25th Infantry Division, having requested combat duty in Vietnam. He won his first Academy Award in 1979 for his adaptation of MidnightExpress, and has since garnered several nominations as well as wins for Best Director for both Platoon and Born on the 4th of July. His other films include Any Given Sunday, Alexander, W., Wall Street, U Turn and Savages. Oliver Stone’s latest film is the biographical political thriller, Snowden. The film depicts the events surrounding its eponymous main character’s leaking of classified information from the National Security Agency to The Guardian newspaper in 2013. The following segment was recorded in 2007 at the 14th Austin Film Festival where Oliver Stone spoke with film programmer Jesse Trussell.

John Milius wrote the legendary screenplay Apocalypse Now, which was released to theaters in 1979.  Apocalypse Now was nominated for the 1980 Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.  Apocalypse Now was also honored as one of the Writers Guild of America’s 101 Greatest Screenplays. Milius also wrote Jeremiah Johnson, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, The Wind and the Lion, Big Wednesday, Clear and Present Danger, The Hunt for Red October, Flight of the Intruder, and Geronimo.  In 1982, Milius co-wrote and directed the cult classic Conan the Barbarian, and his other film credits include Red Dawn and Farewell to the King. Film programmer Jesse Trussell spoke with John Milius and Oliver Stone at a panel titled Writing the War Film in 2007 at the 14thAustin Film Festival.

Direct download: OLIVER_STONE_AND_JOHN_MILIUS.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 6:31pm CDT

Dog Day Afternoon and Se7en

This episode of On Story, filmmakers Robin Swicord and Peter Craig deconstruct the bank heist classic, Dog Day Afternoon, followed by Andrew Kevin Walker taking his screenplay for the noir thriller Se7en from script to screen.

The 1975 bank heist classic Dog Day Afternoon remains one of the most influential films of all time. Frank Pierson’s screenplay has been studied by generations of screenwriters and the film, directed by Sidney Lumet, stands as one the most talked-about portrayals of gritty 1970’s New York City ever produced.

The screenplay was inspired by a Life Magazine article describing the events of August 22nd 1972 when John Wojtowicz attempted to rob a Brooklyn branch of Chase Manhattan Bank, resulting in a 14-hour hostage stand off with police. Prior to shooting the film, director Sydney Lumet is said to have conducted extensive rehearsals with the cast including Al Pacino and John Cazale. These rehearsals were incorporated into the final drafts of the film by screenwriter Frank Pierson, earning him the Academy Award® for Best original Screenplay.

Memoirs of a Geisha screenwriter Robin Swicord and Hunger Games screenwriter Peter Craig deconstructed Dog Day Afternoon with moderator Scot Meyers in front of a live audience at the 20th Austin Film Festival in 2013. Clips used in this portion of our program, courtesy Warner Brothers Inc. A word to our listeners, the following discussion includes strong themes related to crime, violence and sexual identity.

Andrew Kevin Walker is best known for the screenplay to the 1995 psychological thriller, Se7en. Se7en focuses on a pair of detectives played by Bradd Pitt and Morgan Freeman, tasked with apprehending a serial killer played by Kevin Spacey who uses the seven deadly sins as themes in his murders. The film’s director David Fincher describes Se7en as “Psychologically Violent”. Andrew Kevin Walker conceived the script for Se7en after moving to New York City and working various jobs as an assistant and in retail in the early 1990’s. Screenwriter Christopher Boone spoke with Andrew Kevin Walker about his film at the 22nd Austin Film Festival in 2015. Clips used in this portion of our program, courtesy New Line Cinema. A word to our listeners, the following discussion includes strong themes related to crime and violence.

Austin Film Festival's On Story Podcast is made possible by

Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

City Of Austin Cultural Arts Division

Texas Commission on the Arts

U.S.Institute of Museum and Library Services

Texas Library and Archives Commission

Applied Materials

Humanities Texas

Final Draft

Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television

Direct download: DOG_DAY_AND_SE7EN.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 1:40pm CDT

 

On this episode of On Story from Austin Film Festival and Public Radio International, we hear from Beasts of No Nation filmmaker Cary Fukunaga on his diverse filmography. We’ll also speak with Academy Award® winner Brian Helgeland on his films LA Confidential, 42 and Legend starring Tom Hardy. 

Cary Joji Fukunaga is the writer-director and cinematographer behind the 2015 film Beasts of No Nation. The film is adapted from the debut novel by Uzodima Iweala, and depicts the experiences of a child-soldier in the midst of a horrific war in West Africa.     

Fukunaga won high praise early in his career, first for his short film, Victoria para Chino in 2004 and his first feature Sin Nombre, both of which shed light on the struggles of immigrants coming to the Unites States from Latin America.  

Cary Fukunaga also directed the 2011 adaptation of Jane Eyre starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender and the entire first season of HBO’s crime-drama True Detective. 

Academy Award winning screenwriter, film producer and director Brian Helgeland is best known for the films L.A. Confidential, Mystic River, A Knight’s Tale, 42, the Jackie Robinson biopic and the 2015 film Legend, starring Tom Hardy as London’s notorious twin gangsters, Reggie and Ronald Kray. 

 

Austin Film Festival's On Story Podcast is made possible by

Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

City Of Austin Cultural Arts Division

Texas Commission on the Arts

U.S.Institute of Museum and Library Services

Texas Library and Archives Commission

Applied Materials

Humanities Texas

Final Draft

Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television

 

Direct download: CARY_FUKUNAGA_AND_BRIAN_HELGELAND_REFEED.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 11:00am CDT

This week's On Story radio and podcast, Planet of the Apes screenwriters Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa describe the journey from writing room notion to big screen reboot, followed by Academy Award® winning filmmaker Danny Boyle on his work from 28 Days Later to Trainspotting to Slumdog Millionaire.

 

On Story is brought to you by

The Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

The City of Austin Cultural Arts Division

The Texas Commission on the Arts

The US Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Texas Library and Archives Commission

Applied Materials

 

Additional support for On Story comes from

Final Draft

Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television

 

Direct download: AMANDA_SILVER_RICK_JAFFA_AND_DANNY_BOYLE.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 3:01pm CDT

Streaming Television!

This episode of On Story, the creator and writers of Orange is the New Black, the team behind Hulu’s Casual and Wet Hot American Summer’s David Wain discuss new frontiers in television dramedy.

On Story is brought to you by

The Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

The City of Austin Cultural Arts Division

The Texas Commission on the Arts

The US Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Texas Library and Archives Commission

Applied Materials

 

Additional support for On Story comes from

Final Draft

Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television

Direct download: STREAMING_TELEVISION.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 5:26pm CDT

Carl Reiner and Mitch Hurwitz with Paul Feig

This episode of On Story, the great Carl Reiner discuses a lifetime in comedy and his classic sitcom from the golden age of television, The Dick Van Dyke Show, followed by director Paul Feig in a conversation with Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz.

Carl Reiner is best known as the creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Interviewer of The 2000 Year Old Man and the director of the feature films The Jerk, All of Me Oh, God and Where’s Poppa. In 1961, Carl Reiner conceived The Dick Van Dyke Show, which would become one of the most famous and best loved sitcoms in television history. Reiner’s numerous directing credits include Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, The Man With Two Brains, Summer Rental, starring the late John Candy, Summer School, with Mark Harmon, and Fatal Instinct, starring Armand Assante, Sherilyn Fenn and Sean Young. Carl Reiner played the role of Sol in Oceans 11, 12 and 13 and he’s continued his work in television, more recently on The Cleveland Show, Two and a Half Men, Bob’s Burgers, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, American Dad and Family Guy. Producer Barry Josephson spoke with Carl Reiner from Reiner’s home in California and their discussion was simulcast live at the 22nd Austin Film Festival in 2015.

Television writer and producer Mitch Hurwitz is best known as the creator of Arrested Development. Hurwitz got his start in television on the writing staff of The Golden Girls, and he co-created The Ellen Show with Ellen DeGeneres as well as the brand new Netflix series Lady Dynamite starring Maria Bamford, and he serves as executive producer on Neflix’s Will Arnett series, Flaked. Ghostbusters director Paul Feig spoke with Mitch Hurwitz at the 18th Austin Film Festival in 2011.

 

On Story is brought to you by

The Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

The City of Austin Cultural Arts Division

The Texas Commission on the Arts

The US Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Texas Library and Archives Commission

Applied Materials

 

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Final Draft

Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television

Direct download: Carl_Reiner_Mitch_Hurwitz_w_Paul_Feig.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 4:42pm CDT

This episode, Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Rachel Getting Married, Philadelphia) and Imagine Entertainment co-founder, Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, In the Heart of the Sea) offer up an epic master class of story, redemption and entertainment.

Academy Award® winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme has given us the feature films Silence of the lambs, Rachel Getting Married and Philadelphia… documentaries featuring Talking Heads, Spalding Grey and Neil Young, and television work as recent as 2013’s The Killing, going as far back as the 70’s tv classic Columbo. Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson Moderates this conversation with Jonathan Demme, recorded at the 20th Austin Film Festival in 2013.

Ron Howard began his acting career in 1956 at age two, and came to prominence playing Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show in the 1960’s. Under the careful tutelage of his father, film and television legend Race Howard, Ron Howard went on to build extensive acting credits before directing his first short film, OLD PAINT in 1969. Since then, Ron Howard has gone on to act in, direct or produce more than one hundred and thirty films and television series including some of the most memorable of the past forty years. This conversation with Ron Howard was moderated by Castaway and Apollo 13 screenwriter Bill Broyles on October 24th 2009 at the 16th Austin Film Festival.

 

On Story is brought to you by

The Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

The City of Austin Cultural Arts Division

The Texas Commission on the Arts

The US Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Texas Library and Archives Commission

Applied Materials

 

Additional support for On Story comes from

Final Draft

Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television

Direct download: PAUL_THOMAS_ANDERSON_JONATHAN_DEMME_AND_RON_HOWARD.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 10:51am CDT

Original Ghostbuster Harold Ramis

The original 1984 Ghostbusters was directed by Ivan Reitman and stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson and Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the film with Dan Aykroyd.

Harold Ramis passed away in 2014, and his film legacy is an enormous part of the American comedic vocabulary- from Animal House to National Lampoon’s Vacation to Groundhog Day and of course, Ghostbusters. Comedy impresario Judd Apatow spoke with Harold Ramis at the 12th Austin Film Festival in 2005 where we also held a special screening of Ramis’s thriller comedy, The Ice Harvest.

 

On Story is brought to you by

The Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

The City of Austin Cultural Arts Division

The Texas Commission on the Arts

The US Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Texas Library and Archives Commission

Applied Materials

 

Additional support for On Story comes from

Final Draft

Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television

Direct download: HAROLD_RAMIS_UP_CLOSE_AND_PERSONAL.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 12:16am CDT

Harold Ramis, Buck Henry, Judd Apatow and Larry Wilmore

This episode of On Story goes deep into hilarity with the comedic geniuses behind the original Ghostbusters, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Graduate, and In Living Color! Judd Apatow, Harold Ramis, Buck Henry, and Larry Wilmore take us on a gut-busting ride through their journeys in iconic film and television comedy. Tune in, sit back, and get ready to laugh.

Writer- actor-director 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. Buck Henry has appeared in more than one hundred films and television shows, including Defending Your Life, The Player, Catch-22, 30 Rock, and Saturday Night Live, which he hosted ten times.

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. Judd Apatow’s book Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy was released in summer 2015.

The late Harold Ramis wrote, directed and or 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. Upon his passing, President Barack Obama said of Ramis, "when we watched his movies – from Animal House and Caddyshack to Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day – we didn’t just laugh until it hurt. We questioned authority. We identified with the outsider. We rooted for the underdog. And through it all, we never lost our faith in happy endings."

Larry Wilmore is the host of Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore. 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 Austin Film Festival and at a special event at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, TX in 2013. We begin with Larry Wilmore discussing his comedic roots.

 

On Story is brought to you by

The Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

The City of Austin Cultural Arts Division

The Texas Commission on the Arts

The US Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Texas Library and Archives Commission

Applied Materials

 

Additional support for On Story comes from

Final Draft

Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television

 

Direct download: HENRY_RAMIS_APATOW_WILMORE_-_COMEDY_LEGENDS.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 12:30pm CDT

This episode of On Story, we feature Hustle & Flow filmmaker and Legend of Tarzan screenwriter Craig Brewer followed by Boyz n the Hood writer-director John Singleton.

Memphis filmmaker Craig Brewer is the writer-director behind the films The Poor & Hungry, Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan. His filmography includes the MTV series 5$ Cover, the 2011 reboot of Footloose, and several stints in the director's chair for TV on the series The Shield, Terriers and Empire. Craig Brewer is credited with t he screenplay to this summer's The Legend of Tarzan which opens July 1st. Austin Film Festival Senior Film Program Director Liz Mims spoke with Craig Brewer at a special screening of his first film, The Poor and the Hungry on April 26th 2016.

John Singleton made his film-making debut in 1991 as the writer-director of the groundbreaking urban drama Boys N The Hood, which he wrote and directed. The film earned him Academy Award® Nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director, the latter of which made him the youngest person as well as the first African-American to enjoy that distinction. Singleton’s other films include Poetic Justice starring Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur, Four Brothers with Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson and Andre Benjamin and Rosewood starring John Voight, Ving Rhames and Don Cheadle. As we heard earlier in the program, Singleton also produced our other guest Craig Brewer’s Hustle & Flow. John Singleton’s latest project, Snowfall for FX Networks is currently filming in Los Angeles California. Screenwriter Fred Strype spoke with john Singleton at the 22nd Austin Film Festival in 2015.

 

Direct download: BREWER_AND_SINGLETON.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 2:56pm CDT

This episode of On Story, we hear from Gary Ross on his new film Free State of Jones and his career as a storyteller. Later, Academy Award® winner Steve Zaillian discusses his work from The Falcon and the Snowman to Schindler’s List to American Gangster.

Free State of Jones is the new film from writer-director Gary Ross. The film is inspired by events surrounding an armed rebellion against the confederacy in Mississippi during the American Civil War. Free State of Jones stars Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali, Keri Russell and Brendan Gleeson. We recently spoke with Gary Ross over the phone about his new film. Ross is a four-time Academy Award® nominee and his other film credits include Big, Pleasantville, Seabiscuit and The Hunger Games, which he co-write and directed. Barbara Morgan spoke with Gary Ross at the 22nd Austin Film Festival in 2015.

Academy Award® winning filmmaker Steven Zaillian’s vast filmography includes the screenplays to The Falcon and the Snowman, Awakenings, Schindler’s List, and Moneyball. He wrote and directed Searching for Bobby Fischer, A Civil Action and All the King’s Men and he wrote and produced American Gangster, and the American version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Steven Zaillian received the Distinguished Screenwriter Award at the 16th Austin Film Festival in 2009 where filmmaker and journalist Sacha Gervasi moderated this conversation.

 

Direct download: Gary_Ross_and_Steve_Zaillian.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 3:58pm CDT

Lonesome Dove

The 1989 western miniseries Lonesome Dove is adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel written by Larry McMurtry. During its original run, an estimated twenty six million homes tuned in to watch Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones and an all-star cast start out in a South Texas border town and make their way north on a cattle drive to Montana. On Story was part of a very special event this past March, and we’ve edited the discussions we recorded at the Lonesome Dove Reunion and Trail in Fort Worth Texas to bring you this episode. We’d like to extend very special thanks to Bill and Sally Wittliff, The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University, Texas State University, Texas Christian University, Performing Arts Fort Worth, Inc. for all of their efforts. 

Direct download: LONESOME_DOVE.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 10:04am CDT

Now You See Me 2, Ed Solomon, Jon Chu, Scott Frank

This episode of On Story, we catch up with Now You See Me 2 screenwriter Ed Solomon and the film’s director Jon M Chu. Later we hear from Ed Solomon on his work Bill and Ted’s to Men In Black and screenwriter Scott Frank discusses his work adapting classic pulp novels for the screen.

The film Now You See Me 2 opens in theatres June 10th. This magic caper thriller sequel with an all-star cast features Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Daniel Radcliffe, Lizzy Caplan, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman. We caught up with the film’s writer Ed Solomon over the phone and the film’s director Jon Chu in person last week.

At age 21, Ed Solomon was a staff writer on Laverne and Shirly and the youngest person to be accepted into the Writers Guild of America. He spent three years on the writing team for Showtime’s It’s Gary Shandling’s Show and his other credits include two films in the Bill and Ted franchise, Levity which he wrote and directed starring Billy Bob Thornton, Holly Hunter, Morgan Freeman and Kirsten Dunst, the Sci-Fi comedy, Men in Black, and Now You See Me 1 and 2, the second of which opens in theatres this weekend. We open with Ed Solomon describing his arrival to Men In Black.

Writer-director Scott Frank’s credits include Little Man Tate, Get Shorty, Minority Report, Marley and Me, Wolverine, Out Of Sight and A Walk Among the Tombstones, which he also directed.

Direct download: NYSM_2_Solomon_Chu_Frank.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 7:37am CDT

A Conversation with Norman Lear

This episode of On Story, television legend Norman Lear discusses his experiences creating and running some of the greatest sitcoms of all time.

Norman Lear began his television career as a writer in the 1950’s and went on to create some of the most celebrated network television comedies in history, among them, All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son, Good Times, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time and Mary Hartman Mary Hartman. We were honored to present Norman Lear with the 2015 Outstanding Television Writer Award at the 22nd Austin Film Festival where we also hosted a live reading of his unproduced pilot Guess Who Died. Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal spoke with Norman Lear at the historic Driskill Hotel in Austin Texas on November 1st of last year.

Direct download: CONV_W_NORMAN_LEAR.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 9:49pm CDT

The Nice Guys, Shane Black, Sydney Pollack and David Milch

On today’s episode, we catch up with writer-director Shane Black the soon to be released summer blockbuster The Nice Guys starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, and later in our program, Shane Black is joined by actor-producer-director Sydney Pollack and Deadwood, Luck and NYPD Blue creator David Milch.

Writer-director Shane Black redefined the buddy movie genre in the late 1980’s with the screenplay for Lethal Weapon. He later became known for creating memorable and complex characters not usually associated with the action genre and in his own distinct cinematic voice, gave us the screenplays to The Last Boyscout, and The Long Kiss Goodnight, as well as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3, both of which he also directed. Shane Black’s latest film, The Nice Guys stars Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. We recently caught up with Shane Black over the phone and discussed the creation of his new movie.

Writer-producer David Milch is best known as the screenwriter behind 69 episodes of Hill Street Blues, for creating the cop drama NYPD Blue and possibly most of all, the HBO series, Deadwood. Set in 1870’s South Dakota, Deadwood won numerous awards in its three seasons including eight Emmy’s and a Golden Globe for the show’s lead actor Ian McShane.

Actor, Producer, Director Sydney Pollack has over one hundred film credits spanning six decades. Before his passing in 2008, Sydney Pollack was one of the most influential and highly respected filmmakers in the world. He directed a number of memorable films including Tootsie, Michael Clayton, The Firm and Out Of Africa, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director.

Barry Josephson spoke with Shane Black, David Milch and Sydney Pollack at the Paramount theatre in Austin Texas during the 13th Austin Film Festival. We’d like to extend special thanks to Rebecca and Rachel Pollack and the Pollack estate for allowing us to use this recording.

Direct download: BLACK_POLLACK_MILCH.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 6:31pm CDT

Whit Stillman and Rodrigo Garcia

On this week’s On Story, writer-director Whit Stillman and his new film, Love and Friendship and filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia and his new movie Last Days In The Desert.

Writer-director Whit Stillman is known for the films Metropolitan, Barcelona, The Last Days of Disco and Damsels in Distress. He wrote and directed the pilot episode for the Amazon original The Cosmopolitans in 2014 and his new film, Love and Friendship opens in the US in May of 2016. Love and Friendship is an adaptation of the Jane Austen novella Lady Susan. This film adaptation set in the 1790s marks Whit Stillman’s first departure from original material. Love and Friendship stars Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny.

Writer, director and cinematographer Rodrigo Garcia is best known for the films Mother and Child, Nine Lives and Albert Knobbs. His television work as a director includes episodes of The Sopranos, Six Feet Under and Big Love as well as the HBO series In Treatment, which he adapted from the Israeli series BeTipul. Rodrigo Garcia’s latest film Last Days in the Desert stars Ewan McGregor, Tye Sheridan and Ciaran Hinds. Last Days in the Desert opens in May of 2016.

Direct download: STILMAN_GARCIA_FOR_PODCAST.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 12:00pm CDT

Launching Your Writing Career In 2016

On Saturday, March 26th, Austin Film Festival presented a series of panels focusing on how writers can launch their careers through screenplay competitions, fellowships and labs and how they can navigate their way through television and new media.  Presented in partnership with the Academy Education and Nicholl Fellowships Programs, the event took place at the Linwood Dunn Theatre in Hollywood.  The panels featured various industry gatekeepers, executives, and producers who shared what they look for in a script, the anatomy of a meeting, how to respond to notes, ways to position yourself for success, and what to do once you get your foot in the door. In anticipation of the rapidly approaching late deadline for Austin Film Festival’s screenplay competition, we’ve decided to bring you the highlights.

Today’s featured panelists in order of appearance include:

  1. Matt Dy – The Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition Director
  2. Greg Beal – The Director of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting
  3. Ilyse McKimmie – Labs Director for the Feature Film Program at Sundance Institute
  4. Angela C. Lee – Artist Development Manager at Film Independent
  5. Karen Kirkland – Vice President of Talent Development and Outreach for Nickelodeon
  6. Rebecca Windsor – Manager of the Warner Bros. Television Workshop
  7. Amy Berg – Writer-Producer for Film and Television
  8. Barry Josephson – President of Josephson Entertainment
Direct download: LAUNCHING_YOUR_WRITING_CAREER_IN_2016.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 6:53pm CDT

This episode of On Story, actress and producer America Ferrera and theatre film and television actress June Squibb discuss their work in film and on television.

America Ferrera is best known for her work on the ABC comedy-drama, Ugly Betty. The role garnered her a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding lead Actress in a Comedy Series. America Ferrera’s numerous film credits include Real Women Have Curves, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, End of Watch and How to Train Your Dragon. America Ferrera returned to television in 2015 as a regular and co-producer on the NBC comedy, Superstore. Marcie Mayhorn spoke with America Ferrera in 2012 at the 19th Austin Film Festival.

Actress June Squibb got her start in musical theatre in the 1950’s. She made her Broadway debut as Electra in the original 1960 production of Gypsy starring Ethel Merman. June Squibb made her transition to film in the late 1980’s with Woody Allen’s Alice and went on to roles in Scent of a Woman, The Age of Innocence, Meet Joe Black, and Far From Heaven. She’s since worked twice with director Alexander Payne, first on the film About Schmidt, and later, co-starring with Bruce Dern in Nebraska, which earned her the Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her recent credits include the critically acclaimed film I’ll See You in my Dreams with Rhea Pearlman, Mary Kay Place and Sam Elliot as well as television appearances in Getting On, Girls, Glee, The Big bang Theory and Modern Family. June Squibb spoke with journalist Jane Sumner at the 22nd Austin Film Festival in 2015.

Direct download: AMERICA_FERRERA_JUNE_SQUIBB.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 1:52pm CDT

Jason Reitman and Jack Burditt

This episode of On Story, filmmaker Jason Reitman discusses his work from Thank You For Smoking to his Amazon original series, Casual. In the second half of our program, Emmy Award® winning television writer and producer Jack Burditt describes life in the writer’s room from Frasier and Mad About You to 30 Rock and The Mindy Project.

Jason Reitman made his feature film debut with the 2006 Sundance hit Thank You For Smoking. He earned Academy Award® nominations for best director for the films Juno and Up in the Air, the latter of which earned him a Golden Globe and a WGA Award for Best Screenplay. Jason Reitman’s other films include Young Adult, Labor Day, and Men, Women and Children as well as the Oscar® winning film, Whiplash for which her served as executive producer. Reitman co-created the Amazon original series, Casual and he’s currently slated to write and direct an adaptation of Dan Santat’s Caldecott Award wining children’s book Beekle.

Television writer and producer Jack Burditt’s credits include Mad About You, Frasier, 30 Rock, The Mindy Project, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.  He also, created the NBC sitcom Last Man Standing, starring Tim Allen and co-created NBC’s DAG, starring David Alan Greir. 

 

Direct download: JASON_REITMAN_AND_JACK_BURDITT.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 1:28pm CDT

Comic Books on Screen

Nicole Pearlman is the co-writer behind the screenplay for Guardians of the Galaxy and is slated to write other coming titles in the Marvel Universe.

Angela Kang got her start on the FX series Terriers. She’s been on the writing staff for AMC’s The Walking Dead since the show’s second season in 2011.

Ashley Miller and his writing partner Zack Stentz have written or produced well over a hundred hours of television, from their start on Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda, The Twilight Zone revival on UPN, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Fringe. Their first feature credit was 2003′s Agent Cody Banks, and most recently Thor and X-Men: First Class. Ashley Miller is currently working on the new Power Rangers movie, as well as the Acme Looney Toons movie. 

Michael Green serves as executive producer of Starz's American Gods, based on the Hugo Award–winning novel by Neil Gaiman. Green was also the creator and executive producer of NBC’s Kings and ABC’s The River. He has written and produced other television shows, including Heroes, Everwood, Jack & Bobby, Smallville, Cupid, and Sex and the City. Green’s feature work includes co-writing the Warner Bros./DC Comics adaptation of Green Lantern.

Zak Penn is known for his work on numerous films in the Marvel universe, including two films in the X-Men franchise, The Incredible Hulk, and The Avengers. His first script was the original screenplay for The Last Action Hero, and he’s since collaborated with filmmaker Werner Herzog on the films, Incident at Loch Ness and The Grand and is credited with the screenplays for the upcoming films, Pacific Rim: Maelstrom, Transformers 5 and the much anticipated Ready Player One.

John Turman is a writer-producer and story board artist whose credits include The Hulk, Fantastic Four: The Rise of Silver Surfer and Ben 10: Alien Swarm.

Direct download: COMIC_BOOKS_ON_SCREEN.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 12:06pm CDT

Mike Judge and Jim Dauterive

This episode of On Story, Mike Judge and Jim Dauterive discuss their work in TV animation and big screen comedy.

Filmmaker Mike Judge created the MTV animated series Beavis and Butthead in the early 1990’s and went on to create King of the Hill on Fox, which ran for thirteen seasons from 1997 to 2010. His filmography includes Beavis and Butthead Do America, the cult classic Office Space and Idiocracy. Mike Judge is also the co-creator of HBO’s Silicon Valley, the third season of which, premieres in April of 2016. King of the Hill writer and producer Jim Dauterive spoke with Mike Judge way back in 2005 at the 12th Austin Film Festival.

Writer-producer Jim Dauterive worked on more than eighty episodes of King of the Hill. He went on to help develop the Fox animated series Bob’s Burgers with Loren Bouchard. The series won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program in 2014 as well as a Writer’s Guild award for Best Television Writing in Animation in 2016. Bob’s Burgers, now in its 6th year, premiered in 2011 and has been renewed for both a seventh and eighth season. Barbara Morgan spoke with Jim Dauterive at a special event at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin Texas in 2014.

Direct download: JUDGE_DAUTERIVE.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 2:32pm CDT

This episode of On Story, actor and filmmaker James Franco describes his experiences working with Judd Apatow and Danny Boyle and Academy Award® winner Chris Cooper discusses his work in film and on television.

Actor and filmmaker James Franco first rose to prominence on the cult sensation Freaks and Geeks and has since followed with unforgettable roles in films both large and small. He won a Golden Globe early in his career for his portrayal of film icon James Dean and was nominated for an Academy award in the best actor category for his role in 127 hours. James Franco is currently starring in the Hulu original mini-series 11.22.63 along with today’s other guest, Chris Cooper. The series is adapted from a Stephen King novel of the same name and centers around a time traveler who attempts to prevent the assassination of John F Kennedy. Producer Barry Josephson spoke with James Franco at the 19th annual Austin Film Festival in 2012.

Chris Cooper is known for his broad range of work in supporting roles from July Johnson in TV’s Lonesome Dove to Robert Hanson in Breach, Colonel Fitts in American Beauty to Al Templeton in this year’s Hulu original miniseries 11.22.63. Chris Cooper won both an Academy Award® and a Golden Globe in 2003 for his portrayal of John Laroche in the film Adaptation and his other film credits include August Osage County, Syriana, Jarhead and Capote. Writer Michael Noll spoke with Chris Cooper at the 22nd Austin Film Festival in 2015.

Direct download: James_Franco_and_Chris_Cooper.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 2:54pm CDT

In honor of women’s history month, this week’s On Story features Callie Khouri, (Thelma and Louise, Nashville) Michelle Ashford, (Masters of Sex) and Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands).

Filmmaker Callie Khouri won the Academy Award in 1992 for her first screenplay, Thelma & Louise. The film, starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis in the title roles, was directed by Ridley Scott and included performances by Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen and Brad Pitt in one of his earliest appearances on the big screen. Thelma & Louise was once considered controversial for its feminist overtones, but has since achieved classic status even inspiring songs by Tori Amos (Me and a Gun) and Argentinean Fito Paez (Dos Dias En La Vida) as well as countless parodies of it’s final scene on television and even video games. Callie Khouri’s other films include Something To Talk About, Divine Secrets of the Ya-YA Sisterhood and the series, Nashville.

Screenwriter Michelle Ashford is best known for her work on the 2010 miniseries, The Pacific. Her current series, Masters Of Sex is based on Thomas Maier’s biography of legendary sex researchers Dr William Masters and Virginia Johnson. The Showtime drama set in the 1950’s and 60’s stars Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan, and has been renewed for a fourth season to air in later in 2016. Michelle Ashford spoke with New York Times Magazine contributor Robert Draper on October 24th 2014 at the 21st Austin Film Festival. A word of warning, the next segment may not be appropriate for some of our younger listeners.

Novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer Caroline Thompson is credited with the screenplays for films Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and The Addams Family as well as adaptations of The Secret Garden and Black Beauty, which she also directed. Caroline Thompson’s other credits include the films Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, and Snow White: The Fairest of Them All.

Direct download: KHOURI_ASHFORD_THOMPSON.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 3:29pm CDT

Tom McCarthy

Actor-writer-director Tom McCarthy is known for his performances in the films Meet the Parents and Goodnight and Good Luck, and on the television series Boston Public, Law and Order and The Wire. As a writer-director, he’s given us the films The Station Agent, The Visitor, Win Win, Up, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award® and of course, Spotlight which got him nominated in this year’s category for Best Director and for which he just won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. To celebrate his win, we dug into the Austin Film Festival archives for this discussion from way back in 2004, shortly after the release of his film The Station Agent, starring a very pre-Game of Thrones Peter Dinklage. Journalist Robert Draper spoke with Tom McCarthy on October 15th 2004 at the 11th Austin Film Festival.

Austin Film Festival's On Story Podcast is made possible by

Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

City Of Austin Cultural Arts Division

Texas Commission on the Arts

U.S.Institute of Museum and Library Services

Texas Library and Archives Commission

Applied Materials

Humanities Texas

Direct download: TOM_MCCARTHY.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 6:42pm CDT

Cary Fukunaga and Brian Helgeland

On this episode of On Story from Austin Film Festival and Public Radio International, we hear from Beasts of No Nation filmmaker Cary Fukunaga on his diverse filmography. We’ll also speak with Academy Award® winner Brian Helgeland on his films LA Confidential, 42 and Legend starring Tom Hardy. 

Cary Joji Fukunaga is the writer-director and cinematographer behind the 2015 film Beasts of No Nation. The film is adapted from the debut novel by Uzodima Iweala, and depicts the experiences of a child-soldier in the midst of a horrific war in West Africa.     

Fukunaga won high praise early in his career, first for his short film, Victoria para Chino in 2004 and his first feature Sin Nombre, both of which shed light on the struggles of immigrants coming to the Unites States from Latin America.  

Cary Fukunaga also directed the 2011 adaptation of Jane Eyre starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender and the entire first season of HBO’s crime-drama True Detective. 

Academy Award winning screenwriter, film producer and director Brian Helgeland is best known for the films L.A. Confidential, Mystic River, A Knight’s Tale, 42, the Jackie Robinson biopic and the 2015 film Legend, starring Tom Hardy as London’s notorious twin gangsters, Reggie and Ronald Kray. 

 

Austin Film Festival's On Story Podcast is made possible by

Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

City Of Austin Cultural Arts Division

Texas Commission on the Arts

U.S.Institute of Museum and Library Services

Texas Library and Archives Commission

Applied Materials

Humanities Texas

Direct download: CARY_FUKUNAGA_AND_BRIAN_HELGELAND.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 1:12pm CDT

Peter Gould and Noah Hawley

On this episode of On Story from Austin Film Festival and Public Radio International, Better Call Saul co-creator Peter Gould on bringing Breaking Bad shady lawyer Saul Goodman to life and Fargo show-runner Noah Hawley describes the creation of his hit FX series based on the Coen brothers beloved film of the same name. 

Peter Gould is the co-creator of AMC’s Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul. Gould was a writer, producer and occasional director on Breaking Bad for the show’s five-season run. Better Call Saul focuses on the character of Jimmy McGill played by actor Bob Odenkirk. The show is set in 2002, six years before the character’s appearance on Breaking Bad as the shady attorney Saul Goodman. The second season of Better Call Saul premieres on February 15th 2016.

Noah Hawley is the show-runner for the FX series Fargo, which is based on the Coen brothers film of the same name. He was a writer and producer on the series Bones, and created the shows, The Unusuals, and My Generation. The series won three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes, one for best mini-series, and the other for best actor in a miniseries for Billy Bob Thornton.

Austin Film Festival's On Story Podcast is made possible by

Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

City Of Austin Cultural Arts Division

Texas Commission on the Arts

U.S.Institute of Museum and Library Services

Texas Library and Archives Commission

Applied Materials

Humanities Texas

Direct download: GOULD_HAWLEY.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 11:14am CDT

Beau Willimon and John Ridley

This week’s On Story from Austin Film Festival and Public Radio International, House of Cards show-runner Beau Willimon discusses his Netflix political drama, followed by 12 Years a Slave and American Crime filmmaker John Ridley.

Beau Willimon is a screenwriter, playwright and show-runner of Netflix’s highly acclaimed political drama, House of Cards. His play Farragut North, became the basis for the motion picture screenplay Ides Of March, which he co-wrote with George Clooney and Grant Heslov. The film earned Willimon the Academy Award® nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. House of Cards is set in present day Washington DC. The show starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as Frank and Claire Underwood is based on a novel by Lord Michael Dobbs and adapted from a BBC mini-series by the same name. The fourth season of House of Cards will be available to stream on Netflix in March of 2016. Steve Scheibal spoke with Beau Willimon at the 20th Austin Film Festival in 2013.

Writer-Director John Ridley’s credits include the novels Those Who Walk in Darkness, A Conversation with the Man, and Stray Dogs, the graphic novel The American Way and the screenplays for the films Red Tails, U Turn, Three Kings, and Undercover Brother.  His script for 12 Years A Slave won the 2014 Academy Award® for Best Adapted Screenplay and he’s currently the show-runner for the ABC series, American Crime. This conversation was recorded at the 21st Austin Film Festival in 2014 and was moderated by screenwriter and Austin Film Festival favorite, Alvaro Rodriguez.

Austin Film Festival's On Story Podcast is made possible by

Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

City Of Austin Cultural Arts Division

Texas Commission on the Arts

U.S.Institute of Museum and Library Services

Texas Library and Archives Commission

Applied Materials

Humanities Texas

Direct download: ON_STORY_1605_PODCAST.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 11:30am CDT

Lawrence Kasdan and Chris Carter

This week’s On Story from Austin Film Festival and Public Radio International, The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars Episode VII – The Force Awakens co-writer Lawrence Kasdan describes his career in film and his early work with George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg. We’ll also hear screenwriter Damon Lindelof speaking with X-Files creator Chris Carter about Carter’s ground-breaking TV series.

Lawrence Kasdan has written, directed, or produced more than twenty-four motion pictures, among them, some of the most successful films of all time. Lawrence Kasdan was nominated for the Oscar® for Best Original Screenplay with The Big Chill and Grand Canyon as well as Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture for The Accidental Tourist which he wrote and directed. He’s recently co-written Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens as well as other coming films in the Star Wars universe. Lawrence Kasdan spoke to an audience of enthusiastic screenwriters at the 18th Austin Film Festival in 2011.

Chris Carter is best known for creating The X Files. The show originally ran for nine seasons and spawned two feature films, the spin-off series The Lone Gunmen and even crossed over with one of Carter’s other series, Millennium. Chris Carter’s revival of The X Files is set to premiere on January 24th 2016. Star Trek Into Darkness co-writer and The Leftovers co-creator Damon Lindelof spoke with Chris Carter at the 19th Austin Film Festival in 2012.

Austin Film Festival's On Story Podcast is made possible by

Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

City Of Austin Cultural Arts Division

Texas Commission on the Arts

U.S.Institute of Museum and Library Services

Texas Library and Archives Commission

Applied Materials

Humanities Texas

 

Direct download: CARTER_KASDAN.mp3
Category:Film and Television -- posted at: 11:23am CDT

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