Austin Film Festival 2018: The First Wave of Films Announcement

Source: AFF

Here are the first wave of films to be included in the 25thAnniversary Celebration this October 25 to November 1.

THE BLACK STRING

World Premiere

Writers: Brian Hanson, Richard Handley

Director: Brian Hanson

Starring: Frankie Muniz, Cullen Douglas, Chelsea Edmundson

When a lonely 7-11 clerk has sex with a mysterious woman, his world begins to unravel in a horrifying fashion. Plagued by illness and nightmarish visions, the clerk believes he’s the target of a sinister occult plot.

Theodore Pellerin stars as “Xavier” and Lucas Hedges stars as “Jared” in Joel Edgerton’s BOY ERASED, a Focus Features release.

BOY ERASED

Writer/Director: Joel Edgerton

Starring: Lucas Hedges, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Joel Edgerton

BOY ERASED tells the story of Jared (Hedges), the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, who is outed to his parents (Kidman and Crowe) at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a conversion therapy program – or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith. Boy Erased is the true story of one young man’s struggle to find himself while being forced to question every aspect of his identity.

Melissa McCarthy in the film CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? Photo by Mary Cybulski. © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?

Writers: Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty

Director: Marielle Heller

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Julie Ann Emery

In CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?, Melissa McCarthy stars as Lee Israel, the best-selling celebrity biographer (and cat lover) who made her living in the 1970’s and 80’s profiling the likes of Katherine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead, Estee Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen.  When Lee found herself unable to get published because she had fallen out of step with the marketplace, she turned her art form to deception, abetted by her loyal friend Jack (Richard E. Grant).

FATHERS OF FOOTBALL

World Premiere

Director: Bradley Beesley

Fathers of Football follows the triumphs and struggles of life in a small Oklahoma town, where high school football is not only the brightest stage, but also the best ticket out.

FISHBOWL

World Premiere

Writers: Stephen Kinigopoulos, Piero Iberti, Bennett Elliott

Directors: Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Kinigopoulos

Starring: Rick Kain, Belle Shickle, Emily Peachey, Caroline Coleman

In a small town filled with secrets, a struggling family prepares for the Rapture.

LITTLE WOODS

Writer/Director: Nia DaCosta

Starring: Tessa Thompson, Lily James, Lance Reddick

A modern Western that tells the story of two sisters, Ollie and Deb, who are driven to work outside the law to better their lives.

THE LONG DUMB ROAD

Writers: Hannah Fidell, Carson Mell

Director: Hannah Fidell

Starring: Tony Revolori, Jason Mantzoukas, Taissa Farmiga, Ron Livingston,

College-bound teenager Nat offers itinerant 30-something mechanic Richard a ride during a stop-over in small-town Texas.

ROCK ALL NIGHT (1957) PRESENTED BY ROGER CORMAN AND ROBERT RODRIGUEZ

Writer: Charles B. Griffith

Director: Roger Corman

Cloud Nine, the local teen hangout, has been taken over by a pair of escaped killers, who hold the local teens hostage. The bartender realizes it’s up to him to save the kids.

SHOPLIFTERS

Writer/Director: Hirokazu Koreeda

Starring: Lily Franky, Ando Sakura, Matsuoka Mayu

After one of their shoplifting sessions, Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold. At first reluctant to shelter the girl, Osamu’s wife agrees to take care of her after learning of the hardships she faces. Although the family is poor, barely making enough money to survive through petty crime, they seem to live happily together until an unforeseen incident reveals hidden secrets, testing the bonds that unite them…

SPEAKING IN TONGUES

World Premiere

Writers: Nathan Deming, Lawrie Doran

Director: Nathan Deming

A lonely college student grieving the loss of his mother finds purpose at a local mega church’s summer internship evangelizing the ‘lost.’ As the summer continues, his new faith is put to the test.

Want to see these films and 150 others not yet announced? Get your Badge or Film Pass today! Film Passes are only $75 for a limited time.

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