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MADE IN TEXAS FILM SERIES
Presented by The Austin Film Festival

Click HERE for Texas Spirit Theater showtimes.

There is no late seating in the Texas Spirit Theater. 

The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and The Austin Film Festival present the Made inTexas Film Series, six movies made by Texans or in Texas, or both. The series runs the second Wednesday of every month through September of 2009.

A PERFECT WORLD
September 9, 7:30 pm
Writer/director John Lee Hancock in attendance.
A Perfect World, set in 1963, tells the story of eight year old Phillip, the son of a devout Jehovah’s Witness, who is taken hostage by prison escapee, Butch Haynes (Kevin Costner). The two take the Texas backroads on the run from Police Chief Red Garnett (Clint Eastwood) in his sleek Populux Airglide trailer or “mobile command headquarters.” Butch and Phillip form a strong bond that echoes a father-son relationship that neither character has. Often overlooked in Eastwood’s directing cannon, A Perfect World is one of his most cinematic and honest films the filmmaker has ever made. Cahiers du Cinema named A Perfect World as the best film of 1993. Directed by Clint Eastwood. Written by John Lee Hancock. Also starring Laura Dern, T.J. Lowther, Ray McKinnon, and Bradley Whitford, A Perfect World was shot in and around Austin and Lockhart.

Previous Films in the Series include:

SONGWRITER
April 8, 7:30 pm
Post show discussion with Bud Shrake led by Ray Benson, who also appears in the film.
Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson star in this 1984 film classic,a look into the joy, sorrow, and craft of songwriting. Doc Jenkins (Nelson) is a singer who tries to leave his songwriter roots to be a music mogul, and gets tangled up in a bad publishing deal. He enlists a team of cronies, including a young singer and his former singing partner, Blackie Buck (Kristofferson), and together they execute his plan to get out of the deal.Nelson and Kristofferson not just turn in solid performances, basically playing themselves, but also wrote the songs featured in the film. Also starring Melinda Dillon, Lesley Ann Warren, and Rip Torn. Shot in Willie’s backyard of Austin, Songwriter is Texas writer Bud Shrake’s original script and is directed by Alan Rudolph.

FANDANGO
May 13, 7:30 pm
Writer/director Kevin Reynolds in attendance.
Kevin Costner, Judd Nelson, and Sam Robards star in this quintessential Texas road-trip film. In the shadow of the Vietnam War, five college buddies, the self-styled "Groovers", skip out on their graduation from the University of Texas. Facing uncertain futures, they embark on a final odyssey across the Mexican border intending to stop at a notorious roadhouse and dig up someone - or something - named "Dom" buried on the shores of the Rio Grande. Writer-director Kevin Reynolds based the 1985 film on his undergraduate college days in Texas. The film was shot all over the state including Austin, Marfa, El Paso and Big Bend National Park. Also starring Brian Cezak, Chuck Bush, and Glenne Headly.

BLOOD SIMPLE
June 10, 7:30 pm
The Coen Brothers first feature, their own reinterpretation of film noir, Blood Simple tells the story of a Texas bar-owner (Dan Hedaya) who is certain his wife (Frances McDormand) is cheating on him. He hires a private detective (M. Emmet Walsh) to follow her, but this is just the beginning of a complex road full of misunderstanding, double-crossing and deceit. With deadpan dialogue and the sweaty backdrop of a Texas summer, the film gained immediate cult status. One of the Coen’s richest films that rewards repeat viewings and will never let you hear the Four Tops’ ''It's the Same Old Song'' the same way again. Written by Joel and Ethan Coen. Directed by Joel Coen. Blood Simple was shot in and around Austin, including an unrecognizable 6th Street.

True Stories
July 8, 7:30 pm

Director David Byrne (of Talking Heads) takes an outside-looking-in glance at Texas and Texans in True Stories. Casting himself as the protagonist/narrator, Byrne adopts what he thinks is "standard" western garb and drives his red convertible into the small town of Virgil; a typical (and fictional) Texas town, on the eve of the town's celebration of the state's sesquicentennial. He meets various colorful local characters, most notably Lewis Fyne, a big-hearted bachelor in search of matrimony

 

 

CHALK
August 12, 7:30 pm
Mike Akel (writer/director) and Chris Mass (writer/lead actor) in attendance.
This acclaimed 2006 film proves that for students high school can be hell, but it can be worse for the teachers. Chalk follows the frenetic and awkwardly painful journey of three novice teachers as they navigate one memorable public school year. As former teachers, writers Mike Akel and Chris Mass are able to offer a unique, firsthand view of life as an educator, and along with the cast, they dive headfirst into the absurd and often volatile world of public education. In a country where 50% of teachers quit within the first three years, Chalk delivers an enormous dose of heart, hilarity, and hope for America’s most important institution. This film pulled the rare double win of both the Jury and Audience award at the 2006 Austin Film Festival. Directed by Mike Akel. Starring Troy Schremmer, Shannon Haragan, Janelle Schremmer, Chris Mass. Chalk was shot at Travis High School in Austin.

The Made in Texas Film Series is sponsored by the Texas Film Commission. Tickets for each film in the Made in Texas Film Series are FREE to Austin Film Festival and Museum Members; $5 for general admission. Reservations are not required, but recommended, and can be made by calling (512) 936-TSHM. Tickets are also available at the door. The Texas Spirit Theater is located in the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum at 1800 N. Congress Avenue at the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. For more information, call (512) 936-TSHM.