The “Writers Festival” packs a lot of heat in its film slate.
Due to a confluence of events, this year’s 2017 Austin Film Festival will host a series of top-notch films over its eight days (October 26-November 2), as indie flicks and interesting documentaries play all over town.
LADY BIRD
Opening night sees the directorial debut of Greta Gerwig in the form of Lady Bird. Gerwig first broke onto the scene as the it girl of the “mumblecore” movement. She’s now switched roles and directs Saoirse Ronan in a family drama that also features Laurie Metcalf and Tracy Letts.
THE DUECE — Season Finale
HBO’s successor to The Wire has its finale on Sunday, but festival-goers will get to see it a couple of days early. This first season has been a slow build, but a solid cast of characters and a killer setting give hope for the future.
THE WARRIORS Presented by Walter Hill
A classic in every sense of the word comes to AFF with its creator, Walter Hill.
THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
Originally set to play this year’s Fantastic Fest, Three Billboards dropped out of that due to the controversy over sexual assault and harassment. The film quickly moved to AFF, where audiences will get to see Frances McDormand at her fiercest. Sure to be one of the most talked about movies of the fall.
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
Co-written by James Ivory of Ivory and Merchant fame, Call Me by Your Name has already generated lots of buzz with both Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet garnering praise for their work. This looks to be an intense piece set in a gorgeous European backdrop.
ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ.
Denzel Washington is back with a character as quirky as any he’s played, and the film looks to have plenty of action, too. Dan Gilroy of Nightcrawler fame helms this story of a man caught between activism and cashing in.
MUDBOUND
Set during World War II, Mudbound explores the deep south from the perspective of two families on opposites sides of a racial and economic divide that threatens to destroy them both.
I, TONYA
Along with O.J., the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan incident was ‘90s sports scandal at its best/worst. Margot Robbie gets the lead role here in a period piece from a time many would like to forget.
CHAPPAQUIDDICK
Following last year’s Jackie, Chappaquiddick explores the darker side of the Kennedy clan, with Jason Clarke as Ted Kennedy in his worst moment, a drunken escapade that ended up with a young woman dead. An exploration of power and consequences, or lack thereof.
For a complete list of movies, venues, and showtimes, please visit austinfilmfestival.com.