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 25^th 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 4^th 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 14^th 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 14^thAustin Film Festival.

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.

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Final Draft

Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Final Draft

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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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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

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

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

This episode of On Story, film-making brothers Jay and Mark Duplass describe their early days in Austin, Texas and their rise to success from The Puffy Chair to HBO's Togetherness. In the second half of our show, Jeff Nichols, the film-maker behind Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey discusses his creative style of movie creation.

Jay and Mark Duplass have come a long way since being associated with the low budgets and naturalistic dialogue of the indie film movement known as mumblecore. The two have since collaborated on the films Cyrus , Jeff Who Lives at Home , and most recently, the HBO series Togetherness .   Actor John Merriman moderated this conversation with the Duplass Bothers on October 22nd 2011 at the 18th Austin Film Festival.

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. His next film, Midnight Special is slated to open in 2015. Screenwriter Christopher Boone spoke with Jeff Nichols in 2013 at the 20th 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

Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa are the screenwriting duo responsible for rebooting the Planet of the Apes franchise.  This conversation reveals their inspiration and travails in the creation two iconic films in the "Apes" cannon.  Adding to their credits is this summer's release, Jurassic World which recently had the highest grossing opening weekend in box office history.

The second half of our program features Danny Boyle. The Academy Award® winning director needs little introduction with a filmography including Trainspotting , 28 Days Later  and Slumdog Millionaire . His next film is slated to be the Steve Jobs biopic starring Michael Fassbender. This conversation was recorded in 2008 at the 15 ^th  Austin Film Festival and was moderated by film critic Christopher Kelly.

Screenplay competitions are a fantastic way to get started in the business, and AFF is surely no exception. Troy Anthony Miller recently signed an option with Frank Darabont's production company, Darkwoods Productions, for his winning AFF script The Hitch. Earlier this summer, AFF’s screenplay alum Oren Uziel found success in theatres nationwide after penning 22 Jump Street. And during the Festival this year, Rachel Long and Brian Pittman will present the world premiere of Dawn Patrol, a screenplay that originated out of AFF's screenplay competition and was produced by Dan Petrie, Jr, and Rick Dugdale's production company, Enderby Entertainment. These alum will provide insight into how the competition has launched their film careers, and how it can do the same for you.

Today on Austin Film Festival’s On Story Podcast, Demystifying the Development Process with Carrie Gillogly, Jessica Julius, Lauren Neustadter, Erika Weinstein. We usually feature writers on the On Story Podcast. This episode, four executives from film and television share their perspectives on the development process. Aspiring writers get ready. These people mean business and you need to know how best to work with them. Today’s panel was recorded at the 21^st Austin Film Festival and was moderated by Pam Golum.

We’re highlighting three Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition success stories on this episode. Our panelists will discuss the ins and outs of the festival and offer advice on the path to the writer’s room.

Nkechi Okoro is a writer/co-producer on Bones and was a 2011 Austin Film Festival One-Hour Teleplay Pilot Finalist with her original drama, The Fed.

Christine Boylan is a writer/producer who has worked on the shows Leverage, Off the Map, Castle and Once Upon A Time. She’s currently a co-executive producer on NBC’s Constantine. Christine Boylan was Austin Film Festival’s 2004 One-Hour Teleplay Spec Winner with her Six Feet Under Spec Script titled The Strike.

Stephen Falk is the Creator/Showrunner of You’re The Worst, on FX and served as co-executive producer on both Weeds and Orange is the New Black.  Stephen Falk was Austin Film Festival’s 2000 Comedy Screenplay winner with his feature script, You Down With OCD?

This panel was recorded at the 21^st Austin Film Festival in 2015 and was moderated by our own Marcie Mayhorn.

Writer-director Jay Duplass has collaborated with his brother, Mark Duplass throughout his career. The two rose to prominence with their DIY shorts This is John and Scrapple, which garnered high praise at Sundance. The two followed up with a string of features in the mumblecore movement including The Puffy Chair, Cyrus and Baghead. Jay Duplass is now acting in the Amazon Studios comedy-drama Transparent and with his brother Mark, shares the helm of the HBO series Togetherness, which has been renewed for a second season. This conversation was recorded at the 21^st Austin Film Festival in 2014 and was moderated by Austin American Statesman reporter Matthew Odam.

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 stars Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan, and returns for its third season later in 2015. 

 Scott Frank's screenwriting credits include Little Man Tate, Get Shorty, Minority Report, Marley and Me and A Walk Among the Tombstones. He’ll be joining us this Sunday March 1^st 2015 for live discussion on writing, and to mark the event, we dug into the AFF vault for a recording from way back in 1999 at the sixth Austin Film Festival.   

Academy Award® winning director Danny Boyle needs little introduction with a filmography including Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and Slumdog Millionaire. Most recently, Boyle is the executive producer and co-creator of the Channel 4 comedy/drama Babylon and his next film is slated to be the Steve Jobs biopic starring Michael Fassbender. This conversation was recorded in 2008 at the 15^th Austin Film Festival and was moderated by film critic Christopher Kelly.

Larry Wilmore is the host of Comedy Central's brand new 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 PJs with Eddie Murphy and The Bernie Mac Show, and was consulting producer and guest star on the American version of The Office. Larry Wilmore is well known as the senior black correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stuart.   

Today’s podcast was recorded at the 14^th annual Austin Film Festival on October 12^th 2007. This content is an encore presentation of our episode from 2013.

Today on the podcast, Orange Is The New Black staff writers Lauren Morelli and Stephen Falk take us deep inside the writer’s room for a look at the process of making this beloved show.

Filmmaker Terry George is known for his true-life depictions of real characters and events. He made his screenwriting debut in1993 with In the Name of the Father, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards including best-adapted screenplay. He went on to write and direct the film Some Mother's Son, starring Helen Mirren and later, earned his second Oscar nomination for the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda. Terry George also served as executive producer of the CBS series, The District, and his numerous credits include the 2007 film Reservation Road, and the Oscar winning short film, The Shore. This episode was recorded on October 25^th 2014 at the 21^st Austin Film Festival.

Writer / Director Richard LaGravanese is known for the screenplays to The Fisher King, The Bridges of Madison County, The Ref, Beloved, Behind the Candelabra, Water for Elephants and Unbroken.  Among his directing credits are the films Beautiful Creatures, The Last Five Years, P.S. I Love You, and the documentary A Decade Under The Influence. Today’s episode was recorded on October 23^rd 2014 at the twenty first Austin Film Festival. 

Dallas Buyers Club depicts events in the life of Ron Woodroof who was diagnosed with AIDS in the 1980s.  In order to obtain treatment for the disease, he began smuggling and distributing drugs that had not yet been approved by the FDA into the United States.

Craig Borten never imagined that after spending time with Ron Woodroof in 1992, the resulting script, Dallas Buyer’s Club, would take twenty years to get made. The film was nominated for several Academy Awards® including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, and garnered Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards for Mathew McConaughey and Jared Leto respectively.

This panel was recorded on October 24^th 2014 at the 21^st Austin Film Festival.

John Ridley's credits include the novels Those Who Walk in Darkness, A Conversation with the Mann, 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 showrunner for the much anticipated ABC series, American Crime which is due to premiere in 2015. This conversation was moderated by screenwriter and Austin Film Festival favorite, Alvaro Rodriguez.

This episode begins our third season and by popular demand, we'd like to open with a completely uncut panel titled The Ten Hour Movie: Anthology Television with True Detective's Cary Fukunaga and Fargo's Noah Hawley. This panel is moderated by none other than Austin Film Festival Founding Executive Director, and our own Executive Producer, Barbara Morgan.

Academy Award® nominee John Whitney Stillman is best known for his films Metropolitan, Last Days of Disco, Barcelona and Damsels in Distress. Most recently, he wrote and directed the pilot for the Amazon original series The Cosmopolitans, which is available to stream now. Today’s podcast was recorded on October 20^th 2011 at the 18^th Austin Film Festival.

In anticipation of the twenty-first Austin Film Festival this October 23^rd through the 30thWe’ve prepared a series of episodes featuring returning panelists. 

Randall Wallace is the Oscar®-nominated screenwriter behind such critical and box-office hits as Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, Pearl Harbor, Secretariat, and Heaven is for Real. Randall Wallace will be joining us for a special screening of Braveheart and two panels at the conference this year.

24 Creator and X-Files alum Howard Gordon, the Academy Award® winning screenwriter of Silence of the Lambs, Ted Tally, and Austin Film Festival favorite and screenwriting icon Shane Black. Today’s podcast was recorded on October 21^st 2005 at the 12^th Austin Film Festival.

Noah Hawley is the showrunner for the FX series Fargo, which is based on the Cohen 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. We begin with Noah Hawley giving us some background, and discussing writing for Hollywood outside of Hollywood.

 Novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer Caroline Thompson is credited with the screenplays for Tim Burton's films Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Corpse Bride as well as adaptations of The Secret Garden and Black Beauty, which she also directed. Caroline Thompson begins by describing her background, early writing experiences and her first film, Edward Scissorhands.

Among their many other credits, Ray McKinnon and Christopher Cantwell are the showrunners of the Sundance Channel's Rectify and AMC's Halt and Catch Fire, respectively. Mark Johnson, who has numerous film and T.V. credits is the executive producer working to pull together both of these fantastic cable television shows. This episode, we look at the dynamics that make it all happen and gain insight on the process of making great television.

Today on Austin Film Festival’s On Story Podcast Writer Producer Michael Green, Thor and X-Men First Class screenwriter Ashley Miller, The Avengers and The Incredible Hulk screenwriter Zak Penn and writer Producer John Turman.

In the second half of our show, Rodrigo Garcia who has directed several award winning independent films as well as episodes of many major television series including Six Feet Under, Carnivale and Big Love and In Treatment. Rodrigo Garcia’s next film Last Days In The Desert is now in post-production and is slated for release later in 2014. Rodrigo Garcia answers the question, “How does a writer make it work?”

Actor, Producer, Director Sydney Pollack has over one hundred film credits spanning six decades. He directed a number of highly memorable films including Tootsie, Michael Clayton, The Firm and Out Of Africa, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director. Austin Film Festival honored Sydney Pollock with the Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award in 2006.

In addition to working on sixty-nine episodes of Hill Street Blues, Writer/Producer David Milch also created the shows, Deadwood, NYPD Blue, Luck, The Big Apple and John from Cincinnati. He got the Outstanding Television Writer Award at the Austin Film Festival in 2006.

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 earned Austin Film Festival’s Distinguished Screenwriter Award in 2006.

Recommended Viewing: Lethal Weapon, Out Of Africa and Deadwood.

Literary works have always been fodder for the screen and with the summer film and television season in full swing, we dug around in the vault for some of the writers who've adapted two of the most exciting releases out now. We even found Tom Perrotta who, with screenwriter Damon Lindelof, has adapted his own novel The Leftovers for HBO. 

We also feature Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver who breathed new life into the Planet of the Apes franchise which was originally adapted from the novel La Planète des singes by novelistPierre Boulle.

Today on Austin Film Festival’s On Story Podcast, The Writer Director, with Steve Zallian, and the late, great Paul Mazursky.

Steve Zaillian is responsible for the screenplays to a large number of great films including Awakenings, Schindler’s List, The Gangs of New York and Moneyball. As a Writer/Director, he’s given us the films, Searching For Bobby Fischer, A Civil Action and All the King’s Men.

Actor, Writer, Director Paul Mazursky passed away in June. His career spanned more than fifty years with over two hundred film credits. He was nominated for an Academy Award® five times including once for Best Picture in 1978 for his film, An Unmarried Woman, which he wrote and directed. We were fortunate to have him on hand way back in 2000 where we honored him with the Distinguished Screenwriter award at the Seventh Austin Film Festival, and where he sat down with Steve Zaillian for this panel.

George Pelecanos is the author of  more than 20 crime novels and is also known for his work on HBO’s The Wire, Treme and The Pacific. Peter Craig's filmography includes 2010's The Town starring Ben Affleck and two forthcoming installments of The Hunger Games. Writer Director Rian Johnson's films include Brick, The Brothers Bloom and Looper. He's slated to write and direct Star Wars Episode VIII.

Today's podcast was recorded at the Taking the Write out of Crime panel at the 20^th Austin Film Festival in 2014.

Academy Award winning screenwriter Eric Roth is responsible for such films as Forrest Gump, The Insider, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Munich, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Ali, The Good Shepherd and many others.  Eric Roth received the 2012 distinguished screenwriter award at the 19^th annual Austin film festival.  

Jeff Nichols is the writer director behind the films Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter and last year's critically acclaimed Mud Starring Mathew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon Sam Shepard and Michael Shannon. His next film, “Midnight Special” is now in post-production and is slated to open in 2015. Jeff Nichols talks about his process when creating what he calls "experimental" films.

Two of the most talented showrunners in the business talk about what it is to make a great show.

Today's Podcast was recorded at KLRU studio 6A during our On Story Season 4 release party and live taping on April 16^th 2013.

Writing competitions can be a lucrative venue to break into the industry and have yielded countless success stories. Special thanks to the Writer's Guild for their collaboration on this episode.

Matt Weiner and Mike Judge each talk about their paths to creating great television.

We are heartbroken at the recent passing of Filmmaker Harold Ramis who made us laugh for more than a generation. His iconic films are an enormous part of the American comic vocabulary- from Animal House to Ghostbusters and Vacation to Groundhog Day. Today’s podcast was recorded in 2005 at the 12^th Austin Film Festival.

Filmmaker Terry George discusses writing, directing and his body of work.

Rob Thomas, Chris Lowell and the forthcoming Veronica Mars Movie.

Jason Reitman, Barry Josephson, Callie Khourie, Eric Roth and Oliver Stone.

House of Cards season 2 is right around the corner. We talk with screenwriter and showrunner Beau Willimon.

Jonathan Demme describes his filmmaking journey in a conversation moderated by fellow Director Paul Thomas Anderson.

Film legend Ron Howard talks writing, film making and a lifetime in the movie business.

2013 Outstanding Television Writer Awardee Vince Gilligan talks writing, THE X FILES and BREAKING BAD.

In anticipation of the debut of Frank Darabont's Mob City on TNT this Deceber 4th, we speak with one of our favorite Writer/Directors.

We talk filmmaking with one of our favorite writer/directors.

Paul Feig moderates a conversation with the creator of one of our favorite shows!

The Duplass Brothers talk about their journey from indie underdogs to bug budget filmmakers.

Michael Green, Ashley Miller, Zak Penn, John Turman

The screenwriters  behind the films THOR, THE AVENGERS, HULK, X-MEN  and more discuss origin stories, Comic book dynasties and writing super hero blockbusters for the big screen.

Maggie Carey talks about writing, directing and her new film, The To Do List.

At a time when Hollywood has seen a reimagining of the “Horror” genre, we examine the nature of terror , the craft of making films that play on audience’s primal fears and the state of an industry that is sometimes confused about things that go bump in the night. Filmmaker and screenwriter Mick Garris is best known for his adaptations of Stephen King stories and as the creator of the Showtime series Masters of Horror. British-born writer-producer-director Pen Densham gave us television revivals of The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone. Eric Heisserer is the emerging screenwriter behind the reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street with contributions to John Carpenters prequel to The Thing and the fifth film in the Final Destination franchise.

Screenwriters, Scott Rosenberg, Terry Rossio and Ashley Miller, discuss the creation of the emotional "hook" that can make or break a film pitch.

We talk with writer/director and cast about the creation of this indie hit!

Screen comedy genius, Paul Feig talks television, writing, directing and his roots in comedy.

Writer/Producer Damon Lindlof discusses everything from Dante to Star Trek.

Damon Lindleof talks "Lost". Spoiler Alert!

Writer Director Shane Black talks about the creative process and his philosophy as a screenwriter.

Academy Award winning screenwriter, film producer and director Brian Helgeland is best known for the screenplays for L.A. Confidential, Mystic River and A knight's Tale. Today's podcast was recorded on April 10th 2013 at a special screening of the recent hit biopic "42" which Helgeland wrote and directed. "42" tells the story of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

Larry Wilmore started his career as an actor and stand-up comedian before writing and producing on early nineties classic television shows such as “In Living Color,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and “The Jamie Foxx Show.” He later co-created “The PJs” with Eddie Murphy and “The Bernie Mac Show.” Wilmore was consulting producer and appeared in “The Office” and returned to performing in earnest as the Senior Black Correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stuart and numerous other acting roles.  In January 2009, Hyperion published Wilmore's I'd Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts, a political humor book described by Booklist as "a faux collection of articles, essays, radio transcripts, and letters exploring the more ludicrous angles on race."  In 2012, Wilmore hosted the Showtime series Race, Religion and Sex, a "town hall" style comedy special where Wilmore prescribes to a "passionate centrist" point of view, allowing him to instigate a provocative dialogue as he dissects race, religion and sex in America.

Today’s podcast was recorded at the 14^th annual Austin Film Festival on October 12^th 2007.

Today on Austin Film Festival’s On Story Podcast, A conversation with James Franco.

Actor, filmmaker, author and educator 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.  In addition to his contributions in the industry, Franco teaches a course in short film production at the University of Southern California and a course in screenwriting at UCLA where he is an adjunct professor of English.

Today’s podcast was recorded at the 19^th annual Austin Film Festival as part of our ongoing “A CONVERSATION WITH” series.

With a career spanning more than 30 years in television, David Chase’s work as a writer, director and producer has cut a wide swath contributing to such shows as The Rockford Files and Northern Exposure and as creator of HBO’s The Sopranos. Portions of today’s podcast were recorded at the 7^th annual Austin Film Festival and at the 19^th annual Austin Film Festival as part of our on going A Conversation With series. Chase’s new film Not Fade Away is in theatres now.

Austin Film Festival’s On Story Podcast is brought to you by  Austin Film Festival. Our executive producer is Barbara Morgan. Today’s podcast was produced and edited by Brian Ramos. For more information on the podcast, On Story the television show, and Austin Film Festival, go to www.onstory.tv or www.austinfilmfestival.com.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, BODY HEAT THE BIG CHILL, SILVERADO, THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, RETURN OF THE JEDI. Lawrence Kasdan  has written, directed, or produced more than twenty-four motion pictures, among them, some of the most successful films of all time. Today’s podcast was recorded at the 18^th annual Austin Film Festival on October 20^th 2011 as part of AFF’s on going “A Conversation With” series.

The heroes and monsters from the B-movies of yesteryear have experienced a rebirth as films like ZOMBIELAND and RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES reinvigorate the tried-and-true monster movie formula. Today on the the Austin Film Festival Podcast we’ll explore the evolution of the monster genre, and how filmmakers continue to find new ways to interpret to their old favorites.