Austin Film Festival's On Story

This week on On Story, a conversation with Gia Coppola on her process directing The Last Showgirl. This dazzling drama follows the sunset years of Shelly Gardner, a middle-aged Las Vegas showgirl, played by Pamela Anderson. Shelly faces an uncertain future after the iconic revue she’s been starring in for decades stages its final performance. At the same time, Shelly must navigate her relationships with her fellow dancers, and her estranged daughter, played by Billie Lourd. The film had its Texas premier at the 2024 Austin Film Festival, and went on to receive nominations at the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards.  Gia Coppola is a director and screenwriter who made her directorial debut in 2013 with Palo Alto, a coming-of-age drama following a group of self-destructive teenagers in a California suburb.  I sat down with Coppola to talk about her collaborations with her star–studded cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, and John Bautista, and her process bringing the glitz and glam of The Las Vegas Strip to the big screen.  Clips of The Last Showgirl provided by Roadside Attractions. 

This week on On Story, a conversation with screenwriter Mark L. Smith on writing Twisters – the 2024 summer film that took audiences by storm…literally! The action-packed, thrilling adventure directed by Lee Isaac Chung is a standalone sequel to the 1996 film Twister starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton and produced by Austin Film Festival awardee Kathleen Kennedy. Yet, as the plurality suggests, stakes are raised in Twisters as meteorologist Kate Copper, played by Daisy Edgar Jones, tests a groundbreaking storm tracking system. Copper’s world spirals when she crosses paths with cowboy, social media superstar Tyler Owens, played by Glen Powell as the two storm chasers fight for their lives in the plains of Oklahoma.    Mark L. Smith is best known for writing the screenplays The Revenant, starring Leonardi Di Caprio whose performance in the film earned him the Academy award for Best actor, The Midnight Sky, directed and starring George Clooney, and The Boys in the Boat, produced and directed by Clooney. Simply put, Smith is a mastermind at crafting stories that are sure to keep audiences at the edge of their seats.    I sat down with Smith at our annual Writers Conference to discuss writing captivating action sequences and his process of writing a script which both honors and builds off the original 90s blockbuster.  Twisters clips courtesy of Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures.

This week on On Story,  a conversation with the creator and showrunner Tanya Saracho on her process crafting the hit Starz television series Vida. Saracho is a critically-acclaimed playwright and television writer known for featuring authentic latine storylines. In fact, Saracho co-founded the Untitled Latinx Project (ULP), whose mission is to increase Latine representation in television through content created by Latine writers and directors. Further, Saracho also launched the Ojalá Ignition Lab, an incubator program aimed to nurture, amplify, guide, and empower intersectional Latine voices.  With her roots in Theatre, Saracho formed Chicago's Teatro Luna in June 2000. This ensemble of all latina women helped establish Saracho as a theater artist before she ultimately co-founded The Alliance of Latinx Theater Artists (ALTA) of Chicago. Saracho’s dedication to diverse stories carried over to her television work as she wrote on popular female-driven shows such as Devious Maids, Girls, and How to Get Away with Murder before Saracho created Vida for Starz.   Vida, the heartwarming family drama, quickly became a critical success upon its release, charming critics and audiences alike with its tale of two mexican-american sisters who return home to Boyle Heights, Los Angeles after the death of their mother. The show, which aired for three seasons, artfully tackled gentrification in LA, fraught family dynamics, and sexuality from an authentic latine point of view. AFF moderator and writer herself Marcelena Campos Mayhorn sat down with Saracho to discuss creating the pioneering series.  Vida clips courtesy of Starz Entertainment. 

This week on On Story, a conversation with screenwriter Meg LeFauve on her career as a writer at Pixar, where she co-wrote Inside Out and Inside Out 2, as well as The Good Dinosaur. Inside Out follows the personified emotions of Riley, a young girl who struggles to fit in after her family relocates from Minnesota to San Francisco. Riley’s emotions are stored as memories, and her most impactful experiences become core memories, which each define a central part of her personality. The story follows the chaos that ensues after Joy and Sadness go missing in the depths of Riley’s mind, leaving Fear, Anger, and Disgust in control of Riley’s emotional reactions. Inside Out 2 picks up when Riley is entering high school and follows the clash between Riley’s original emotions, and four new additions: Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui. Both films were Oscar nominated, including a nomination for LeFauve for Best Original Screenplay for her work on Inside Out.  LeFauve began her film career as a producer and president of Jodie Foster’s production company Egg Pictures. LeFauve produced The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, which won the 2003 Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. I spoke with LeFauve about her experience taking the leap and moving from her stable producing career into the chaotic world of writing for Pixar. After Inside Out she went on to work as a writer on Captain Marvel, Onward, and My Father’s Dragon. LeFauve also co-hosts the Podcast, The Screenwriting Life, which is dedicated to the craft and profession of screenwriting.  I sat down with Meg LeFauve to discuss her journey from producer to Oscar nominated writer.  Clips for Inside Out courtesy of Disney Plus and Disney Enterprises, Inc

This week on On Story,  a conversation with director Juel Taylor and writer-producer Tony Rettenmaier on the making of their debut, genre-bending feature, They Cloned Tyrone. The science fiction-comedy-myster-thriller stars John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx (who also served as producer) as this unlikely trio attempts to uncover a government cloning operation. The film first premiered at the American Black Film Festival before a successful Netflix release. Ever since, the film has wowed audiences and critics alike with its poignant socio-political commentary and ability to break out beyond typical genre boxes.  Longtime writing partners, Taylor and Rettenmaier met during their time at the University of Southern California’s graduate School of Cinematic Arts before co-writing the feature screenplays for Creed II and Space Jam: A New Legacy.   AFF moderator Alex Mitchell sat down with the writer-director due to talk process and collaboration. They Cloned Tyrone clips courtesy of Netflix.  

This week on On Story, a conversation with science-fiction extraordinaire Ronald D. Moore on his process creating and showrunning the Battlestar Galactica series. The 2004 Syfy episodic is a fresh take on the 1979 series created by Glen A. Larson. Set in a distant star system, a civilization of humans live among a group of planets known as the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. Together, they must navigate attacks from their enemies, the Cylons, whose primary goal is to eliminate the human race. Through four critically-acclaimed seasons, Moore crafted the series for a modern audience all while paying homage to the original source material.  Moore's early writing career started in the writers room of Star Trek: The Next Generation, during which he co-wrote twenty-seven episodes. In 1994, Moore joined the writing staff of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as a supervising producer, and was elevated to co-executive producer the following year. Now, through an overall deal with Sony, Moore's production company Tall Ship Productions produces the lauded series Outlander and For All Mankind. I sat down with Ronald D. Moore, a recipient of Austin Film Festival's Outstanding Television Writing Award, to discuss his journey reimagining Battlestar Galactica. Battlestar Galactica clips courtesy of Universal City Studios, Inc.

This week on On Story,  a conversation with screenwriter Guinevere Turner on her process writing American Psycho. Though polarizing upon its release, for over two decades American Psycho has remained a cornerstone of horror cinema.   Turner herself has a dynamic career as a writer, director and actor.  Beyond American Psycho Turner wrote the films The Notorious Bettie Page, Charlie Says and her upcoming feature The Highway that Eats People. Turner also served as a story editor and played the recurring character Gabby Deveaux on Showtime’s hit queer television series, The L Word.  AFF Moderator and journalist Michael MacCambridge sat down with Turner to discuss her process adapting the 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellis, capturing zeitgeist within the script, and blending a unique and pioneering tone of satirical horror.  American Psycho clips courtesy of Starz Entertainment.  

This week on On Story, AFF Senior Film Programer Andy Wolk sits down with writer-producer Clint Bentley and producer Monique Walton to deep-dive into the making of Sing Sing. Based on the real-life Rehabilitation through the Arts program at New York’s Sing Sing Maximum security prison, the powerful film follows a group of incarcerated men who find purpose and creativity through their prison theater troupe. The feature earned wide-spread critical acclaim, not only for the feature’s moving portrayal of change and exploration of human expression, but also for the cast’s inclusion of real-life formerly incarcerated men who were alumni of the program. The formerly incarcerated men perform alongside starring actor Colmon Domingo.  Clint Bentley co-wrote Sing Sing with the film’s director, Greg Kwedar. Bentley is known for his previous feature screenplays, Transpecos and Jockey which was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. Monique Walton is a leading indie producer and a recipient of a Film Independent Spirit Awards Producers Award. Prior, Walton produced Annie Silverstein’s award-winning debut feature Bull which premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.  Bentley and Walton discuss their process of crafting and capturing a story based on authentic life experiences and having faith the project will come together.  Sing Sing Clips courtesy of A24.

This week on On Story, a conversation with writer, director, producer and industry frontrunner, Craig Mazin. Mazin is perhaps best known for his Emmy award-winning historical Drama, Chernobyl. The HBO miniseries captivated audiences with its story of the aftermath of the 1986 disaster and earned Mazin the Emmy for Outstanding Writing on a Limited Series. Prior to his television work, Mazin gained recognition as a sharp comedy writer through features such as Scary Movie 3 and 4, Superhero Movie, The Hangover parts 2 and 3, and Identity Theif.  The prolific writer is a long-time friend of Austin Film Festival and often hosts live recordings of his industry-insider podcasted, Scriptnotes,  co-hosted with fellow writer John August, during AFF’s Annual Writers Conference each October. Eager to inform and support up-and-coming writers, the podcast discusses all things current in screenwriting. The Last of Us Clips courtesy of HBO Max.

This week on On Story, a conversation with legendary producer, Katheleen Kennedy on her impressive producing career.  Kennedy has produced or executive-produced more than 70 feature films, which have collectively garnered 120 Academy Award nominations and 25 wins. Among her credits include blockbusters and classics such as Jurassic Park, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, The Sixth Sense, the Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Goonies, Poltergeist, Empire of the Sun,  Schindler’s List, and The Color Purple….just to name a few! Not to mention, Kennedy has collaborated with some of Hollywood’s most infamous directors including Steven Spielberg, David Fincher, Martin Scorsese, and Clint Eastwood.  Today, Kennedy is the president of Lucasfilm where she produced Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), the highest grossing domestic feature of all time.  I sat down with Kennedy, AFF’s 2024 Recipient of the Polly Platt Award for Producing, to discuss her vast career trajectory. Kennedy reflects on her journey from a green, yet visionary, producer to one of the most successful and respected producers in the film industry today. Kennedy outlines how she continues to find inspiration for each of her projects even after decades of experience.  Listen closely, it’s time to learn from one of the best.    E.T. The Extra Terrestrial clips courtesy of Universal pictures Empire of the Sun clips courtesy of Warner Brothers The Acolyte courtesy of Disney