2022 in Austin film information contains SXSW premieres, movie star visits
As soon as upon a time, we referred to as Austin “the Third Coast,” a promised land of movie tradition and manufacturing burgeoning beneath the air house between New York and Los Angeles. Personally, I’ve not heard anybody use that nickname in years, or in dialog, ever.
As Austin continues to growth (for good, for in poor health), it won’t want the comparability anymore. The capital of Texas has change into, to paraphrase Beyoncé, the place that causes all that dialog. It has been extra seen on the massive and small screens than maybe ever. Main business occasions like South by Southwest rebounded after the darkest days of the pandemic. And, frankly, well-known individuals hold shifting right here to maintain Matthew McConaughey firm.
As we flip the calendar to January, let’s revisit the largest Austin movie information of 2022.
Alamo Drafthouse turns 25
You may’t say “Austin” and “films” in the identical sentence with out pondering of Alamo Drafthouse, the nationally in style cinema chain nonetheless primarily based within the Texas capital. This yr, the house of Bizarre Wednesday, Buffalo cauliflower and “don’t discuss or textual content” PSAs turned 25 years old.
For subscribers:Alamo Drafthouse at 25 years: A history of cult classics and queso
Co-founders Tim and Karrie League in 1997 turned a former parking storage on Colorado Road right into a single-screen house for midnight films and repertory favorites. In an incredibly brief period of time, their firm helped reshape the movie-going expertise in America, popularizing the dinner-and-a-show mannequin, championing style filmmaking and infrequently going viral for its typically star-studded “don’t discuss” PSAs that play earlier than each present.
Drafthouse officially marked the milestone with a collection of Rolling Roadshow screenings. The corporate continued to evolve, too. In February, employees on the South Lamar location introduced they had unionized beneath the identify Drafthouse United. In June, Drafthouse sold Mondo, its artwork and collectibles arm, to Washington-based firm Funko. In September, its annual Fantastic Fest fully returned after two years of pandemic pivots.
There are presently 5 Austin places, on South Lamar Boulevard, West Anderson Lane, Slaughter Lane, Aldrich Road within the Mueller district and U.S. 183 within the Lakeline space.
Massive premieres and Austin sneak peaks
You get to see issues early, Austin, since you’re particular. South by Southwest in March noticed the opening evening world premiere of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” an indie scif-fi heartwarmer that went on to runaway theatrical success and loads of Oscar buzz for 2023. Additionally making their world premieres at SXSW: “The Lost City,” “Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood,” “X,” “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” the ultimate season premiere of FX collection “Atlanta” and extra.
In September, Implausible Fest scored the world premiere of “Smile” and the U.S. premieres of “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “The Menu,” “Determination to Depart” and “Triangle of Unhappiness,” in addition to a sneak peak of “Bones and All.”
Austin Movie Pageant attendees in October acquired early seems at buzzy films like “The Whale,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “Aftersun,” “The Inspection” and “Ladies Speaking.”
Celebrities come to city
C’mon, we don’t want Musk and Rogan to assert starry standing. This yr, the College of Texas’ Harry Ransom Heart honored Robert De Niro with a brand new endowment in his identify. De Niro and pal Meryl Streep lit up a gala on campus to mark the moment in September.
The purple carpets, although, had the very best celeb sightings this yr. Earlier within the yr, SXSW welcomed names like Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sandra Bullock, Daniel Radcliffe, Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Donald Glover, Anne Hathaway, Jared Leto, Child Cudi and Lee Tempo to the purple carpets.
Dustin Hoffman and Sissy Spacek swung by means of in October for the world premiere of their movie “Sam & Kate” on the Paramount Theatre throughout Austin Movie Pageant, and director Darren Aronofsky appeared in assist of “The Whale.”
Heck, if you wish to get technical, pop star Lizzo is a TV star now, because of her actuality collection “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Massive Grrrls”; she talked about the Emmy-winning show in her SXSW keynote. And her pal Harry Types was a part of Hollywood’s greatest drama because the star of “Don’t Fear Darling” — he additionally starred in a historic six-night residency at the Moody Center in the fall.
Austinites on display screen
Richard Linklater is again, child. The person who put Austin on the cinematic map launched his newest movie, the animated “Apollo 10 1/2: A Area Age Childhood,” on Netflix.
From March:SXSW is back, and so is Richard Linklater. Next stop: the moon, in ‘Apollo 10 1/2’
One in all Austin’s different heavyweight administrators, Robert Rodriguez, lent his directing and producing skills to the “Star Wars” spin-off collection “The Guide of Boba Fett.” He additionally revealed plans for a return to the “Spy Youngsters” franchise.
Beloved native celeb Sandra Bullock produced and starred in “The Misplaced Metropolis,” and he or she additionally had a memorable cameo in (spoilers) “Bullet Prepare.”
This was Austin native Glen Powell’s breakout yr. He was maybe essentially the most memorable a part of mega-hit “High Gun: Maverick,” because the cocky pilot Hangman. He additionally starred within the movie “Devotion” and lent his voice to Linklater’s “Apollo 10 1/2.”
Extra:Glen Powell is one of the best parts of ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’ First, Austin helped him soar
Generally-Austinite Ethan Hawke had a giant yr on display screen, starring in “The Black Telephone” (written by Austinite C. Robert Cargill), “The Northman,” “Raymond & Ray” and the Disney+ collection “Moon Knight.” (He additionally had a bit half in “Glass Onion.”) And that’s not all! Hawke additionally directed the HBO Max documentary “The Final Film Stars,” which debuted at SXSW.
Extra:Ethan Hawke on SXSW, why he loves Austin and Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s heroic love
Austin native Mehcad Brooks joined the forged of NBC’s “Legislation & Order” as Detective Jalen Shaw.
Guitar god Gary Clark Jr. had a small however memorable half as real-life bluesman Arthur “Massive Boy” Crudup in the biopic “Elvis.”
UT alum Renee Zellweger starred in NBC true-crime miniseries “The Factor About Pam.”
Austin-born Dakota Johnson starred in “Cha Cha Actual Clean,” “Persuasion” and “Am I OK?”
“Friday Night time Lights” alum Taylor Kitsch (whom Texas Month-to-month says has flown the Austin coop) co-starred within the Amazon Prime Video collection “The Terminal Record.”
Austin resident James Marsden starred in “Disenchanted” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” on the massive display screen and the newest seasons of “Lifeless to Me” and “Westworld” on the small display screen.
This occurred in late December 2021, however we wish to squeeze it in: Austin artist Deborah Roberts’ art was featured in an episode of“And Just Like That,” the “Intercourse and the Metropolis” sequel on HBO Max.
Look, ma, we’re onscreen
Based on the Austin Movie Fee, a number of tasks filmed on the town got here out in 2022. Filmed in 2019 and 2020: “Apollo 10 1/2,” “Evinced” and “Lover, Beloved.” And filmed right here in 2021: “Blood Relations,” Season 7 of “Concern the Strolling Lifeless” on AMC, “Look Each Methods,” “The Ultimatum: Marry or Transfer On” and Season 2 of “Walker” on the CW.
Preserve your eyes peeled for future releases filmed in Austin in 2022, in keeping with the movie fee. A number of notables: “The Final Factor He Instructed Me,” “Love and Loss of life,” “Spy Youngsters: Armageddon,” “Anyone Feed Phil,” “Pawn Stars” and Season 3 of “Walker.”
Hometown Oscar noms
In February, companions Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons scored nominations for finest supporting actress and finest supporting actor for his or her roles in Jane Campion’s “The Energy of the Canine.” Dunst and Plemons have lengthy stored ties to the Austin space. In January, Dunst talked to CBS Information about residing in Austin with Plemons and their two youngsters throughout the pandemic.
They finally misplaced these awards to Ariana DeBose for “West Facet Story” and Troy Kotsur for “CODA,” respectively.
Hyperreal Movie Membership blows up
Since 2016, Hyperreal Movie Membership founders David McMichael, Jenni Kaye and Tanner Hadfield have constructed up a DIY group for cinema lovers, beginning with a screening of “The Holy Mountain” in a downtown basement. However in 2022, they actually took off, taking over residency at East Austin rock membership Lodge Vegas, the place they now current cult classics weekly-ish.
On prime of that, they introduced dozens of exhibits at venues throughout city, together with the Paramount Theatre (notably, they booked Robert Rodriguez there to introduce his cult traditional “The College” in October), Blue Starlite Mini City Drive-In, Austin Movie Pageant and extra.
“We wish to present artwork home, esoteric, out-there films, however we additionally wish to present ‘Quick and Livid.’ We wish to make every part really feel prefer it’s on a fair taking part in subject, and accessible, and make films enjoyable once more,“ Kaye informed us in November.
Extra:Hyperreal Film Club runs the coolest, weirdest movie night in Austin
The native video retailer would possibly come again
Rewind! Within the fall of 2020, I Luv Video, the final main video rental retailer nonetheless working in Austin, shut down for good. Since its nearest competitor, Vulcan Video, had closed that spring, I Luv Video took with it a complete model of traditional Austin bizarre.
However in October, native Macy Cotton and a gaggle of collaborators formally kicked off a marketing campaign to relaunch the shop as a nonprofit. They named their dream We Luv Video.
Extra:This Austinite wants to rewind time and bring back I Luv Video’s film archive
“The gathering is insane. We simply need that to have the ability to stay in circulation. It was such a cool a part of Austin, and we have been simply so unhappy to see it go,” Cotton informed the Statesman.
The group exceeded their crowdfunding objective, elevating $112,494 as of early December. They’re now in search of volunteers to start out the following chapter of We Luv Video.
Altering of the guard
In October, SXSW introduced that Janet Pierson, the longtime director of the SXSW Movie & TV Pageant, would step away from her function and change into director emeritus. Pierson had led the movie fest since 2008. Taking her place on the helm of the pageant: Claudette Godfrey, a local Austinite who was Pierson’s deputy as movie pageant programming director.
Health fanatic makes a film
Erica Nix, the beloved native health character whose body-positive, queer-inclusive train experiences have stored the town shifting for years, made a film. And oh, what a film. “Erica’s First Holy Sh!t” is a hallucinatory hero’s journey impressed by Nix’s personal experiences. (Loosely.)
“A number of it’s about being an artist in Austin and feeling prefer it’s not sustainable, otherwise you’re not in a position to really be right here as an artist,” she says.
The movie screened this yr at Distribution Corridor and at aGLIFF, Austin’s annual LGBTQ movie fest. On Jan. 9, it can open up Hyperreal Movie Membership’s 2023 season at Lodge Vegas.
Extra:Austin has to find a way to keep its weirdos, says fitness and film star Erica Nix
Cinema shakeups
After virtually twenty years of screening films that you simply could not discover anyplace else on the town, North Austin’s Regal Arbor 8 closed its doors for good, due to monetary woes for its dad or mum firm. The arthouse theater first turned on its projectors in October 2003.
The ever-evolving Blue Starlite Mini City Drive-In in August set out for the open sea — er, lake. A weekly screening collection put movie-goers on a waterfront platform with a 20-foot film display screen, with choices to paddle in by yourself craft. And in April, proprietor Josh Frank held a vigil via projector for the people of war-torn Ukraine on the cinema’s flagship East Austin location.
Extra:You could own Doc’s Drive-In movie theater for almost $4M
The McConaughey of all of it
In case you can imagine it, Austin’s most notable actor didn’t have a single film or TV function this yr, in keeping with IMDB. Matthew McConaughey did, nonetheless, narrate the Texas nature documentary “Deep Within the Coronary heart.”
McConaughey nonetheless stayed busy within the public eye, in fact. In April, he helped open the new Moody Center arena in Austin. He was recruited for the undertaking as a part of his “minister of tradition” function with UT.
In the summertime, the tragedy of the Robb Elementary Faculty mass taking pictures spurred Uvalde native McConaughey to return ahead and advocate for bipartisan gun reform. He gave a stirring speech on the White Home on June 17.
This month, UT introduced that he will co-teach a new class subsequent semester referred to as Script to Display screen: Commercials.
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