Austin Film Festival's On Story

This week we’ll hear from David Kessler, writer & producer of the docu-drama Minamata starring Johnny Depp. David Kessler began his career as a stand-up comedian in the early 2000s before quickly deciding to focus on writing. After penning a spec script for Will & Grace, he switched over to drama, and optioned the life rights and book titled Minamata, written by Aileen Mioko Smith and W. Eugene Smith.  The film stars Johnny Depp as W. Eugene Smith, an American photographer who documented the effects of mercury poisoning on the citizens of Minamata, Kumamoto, Japan in the early 1970s. The film went through various stages of development over many years before finally getting picked up by Johnny Depp’s production company. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with David about the film’s journey to the big screen following it’s US release.  Clips of Minamata courtesy of Minamata Film, LLC

This week on On Story we’re joined by The Humans writer & director Stephen Karam for a conversation on adapting a play for the big screen. Stephen Karam is a playwright, screenwriter, and director. His plays Sons of the Prophet, a comedy-drama about a Lebanese-American family, and the subject of today’s episode, The Humans were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2012 and 2016, respectively. The Humans won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play, leading to Karam adapting the play for the big screen in 2021. The film was shown at the 2021 Austin Film Festival. Set inside a pre-war duplex in downtown Manhattan, The Humans follows the course of an evening in which the Blake family gathers to celebrate Thanksgiving. As darkness falls outside the crumbling building, mysterious things start to go bump in the night and family tensions reach a boiling point. Moderator Casey Baron sat down with Stephen Karam for a panel about his work at the Austin Film Festival. Clips of The Humans courtesy of A24.

This week on On Story we’re taking a retrospective look at Donnie Darko with screenwriter Richard Kelly.  Richard Kelly is a screenwriter and director best known for writing the 2001 cult film, Donnie Darko. Known for its mind-bending themes and enigmatic ending, along with a stellar ‘80s soundtrack, Donnie Darko remains a cult phenomenon. Featuring a young, up-and-coming Jake Gyllenhall and exploring elements of time travel, mental health, and even a scary bunny-man, Richard Kelly’s 2001 film was not an immediate success but slowly wormed its way into the minds of teenagers all across the nation. Moderator Christopher Boone spoke with Richard Kelly about the film at a panel at the Austin Film Festival. Clips of Donnie Darko courtesy of Flower Films

This week on On Story we’re joined by The Sopranos creator David Chase for a conversation on writing a hit television show. David Chase is a screenwriter, showrunner, director, and producer, best known for writing and producing the HBO drama The Sopranos. Chase has also produced and written for such shows as The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure. He created the original series Almost Grown and has won seven Emmy Awards. Chase's film debut came in 2012 with Not Fade Away, followed by 2021’s The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel film to The Sopranos.   The Sopranos ran for six seasons from 1999 and 2007, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest television shows of all time. It is the first cable show to ever be nominated for, and win, the best drama series Emmy, and it helped to put HBO on the map and ushered in what some regard as the platinum age of television, which featured a slew of new shows and showrunners that could hold their own against the big screen.   Moderator Barry Josephson spoke with Chase about his work on the show at the Austin Film Festival.   Clips of The Sopranos courtesy of Home Box Office Television.

This week on On Story we’ll join Breaking Bad creator & showrunner Vince Gilligan for a retrospective look at the 1971 cult-classic The French Connection.    Based on a true story, William Friedkin's 1971 hit The French Connection, gave audiences its first taste at what a truly realistic cop film could be. Starring Gene Hackman as detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, the film follows the story of a driven New York cop whose intuitive street sense allows him to sniff out the secret players in a colossal heroin import operation, bringing the drugs into New York from Marseille. At a time where drug addiction was at an all time high, The French Connection brought a sense of realism to Hollywood’s law enforcement films by throwing the proverbial book at them.   Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, an avid fan of Friedkin’s work, sat down with me after a retrospective screening of the film at the Austin Film Festival.   Clips of The French Connection courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

This week on On Story we’ll hear from screenwriter Craig Borten on writing the 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club which starred Matthew McConaughey. Borten is best known for his Oscar-nominated script for the 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club.    After hearing about Ron Woodroof, the original founder of the "Dallas Buyers Club" for the distribution of unapproved HIV medications, in the early 1990s, and interviewing Woodroof in 1992, Borten decided to write a screenplay about Woodroof and his buyer's club. He successfully sold the script in 1996, but shortly afterward the production company that had bought it dissolved. In 2001, he rewrote the script with Melisa Wallack and in 2009, Borten and Wallack were able to cast Matthew McConaughey and secure funding for the film's production. The film was released in 2013, more than two decades after Borten met Woodroof, and more than 15 years after selling his first version of the script. Dallas Buyers Club received numerous accolades, including Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.   Moderator Fred Strype spoke with Borten at the Austin Film Festival. Clips of Dallas Buyers Club courtesy of Truth Entertainment & Dallas Buyers Club, LLC

This week on On Story we’ll hear from screenwriter April Shih who has worked on shows like Dave, You’re The Worst, and This is America and Tripper Clancy who wrote the script for 2019’s Stuber, and has worked on Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This.   April Shih is a screenwriter and producer, known for You're the Worst, Mrs. America,starring Cate Blanchett and most recently served as supervising producer on FX’s Dave, which follows the semi-autobiographical story of American rapper Lil Dicky. April has also produced several films and plays including the Ovation Award-winning revival of Kiss of the Spiderwoman: The Musical.   Tripper Clancy is a screenwriter known for writing the scripts for Stuber which starred Kumali Nanjiani and Dave Bautista as well as Die Hart starring Kevin Hart and John Travolta. After working in the Fox Writers Studio in 2011, Tripper went on to write comedies and dramas of all shapes and sizes for Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Amazon, and is currently a writer on season one of I Am Not Okay With This, a half-hour show for Netflix.   Moderator Harrison Glaser spoke with the pair about their journeys as writers at the Austin Film Festival.   Clips of Dave courtesy of FX Productions, LLC.   Clips of You’re The Worst courtesy of Bluebush Productions, LLC.   Clips of I Am Not Okay With This courtesy of Netflix Studios, LLC.   Clips of Stuber courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

This week on On Story we’re taking a look back at the 1972 cult classic, Greaser’s Palace with Legendary filmmakers Paul Thomas Anderson & Jonathan Demme.   In 1972, following a succession of truly unruly underground films, including 1968’s Putney Swope, Robert Downey Sr. gave the world a new take on the holy story of Jesus Christ in the form of the acid-western Greaser’s Palace. Featuring a brilliant mix of offbeat character actors and willing amateurs, Downey weaves a New Testament allegory against the backdrop of an absurdist Western parody.     Paul Thomas Anderson, director of 2021’s Licorice Pizza and the Silence of the Lambs joined director Jonathan Demme to pay tribute to Robert Downey Sr. 's cult classic after a retrospective screening at the Austin Film Festival.  Clips of Greaser’s Palace courtesy of Greaser’s Palace Company

This week on On Story we’ll join queens of comedy Katie Dippold, Liz Meriwether, & Paula Pell for a conversation all about writing for laughs.   Actress, comedian, and screenwriter, Katie Dippold, wrote for NBC’s hit comedy series Park and Recreation as well as the comedy films, The Heat, starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy, and the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot.    Liz Meriwether is a writer, producer and television showrunner known for creating the Fox sitcom New Girl, and for writing the romantic comedy film No Strings Attached. She also created the ABC sitcoms Bless This Mess and most recently, Single Parents   Paula Pell got her start working in the writers room at Saturday Night Live in 1995 where she wrote for nearly 20 years before also working as a writer and producer for 30 rock. You may recognize from her cameos as “Paula”, Pete Hornberger’s wife, or as Parks and Rec’s “Tammy Zero,” Ron Swanson’s mother and very, skilled drinker. She performed in the 2015 Oscar-winning Birdman and Anchorman 2. Her body of work also includes writing credits on Bridesmaids, This is 40, and The Heat as well as the Tina Fey & Amy Pohler comedy, Sisters.   Moderator Paul Feig sat down with this panel of writers at the Austin Film Festival.   Clips of Bridesmaids courtesy of Universal City Studios LLC Clips of The Heat courtesy of  Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Hi podcast listeners, I’m Barbara Morgan and you’re listening to Austin Film Festival’s On Story. This week on On Story we’re joined by screenwriting duo Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis discussing their journey writing films such as Five Feet Below, and the recent Netflix adaptation of the J.A. White fantasy-horror novel, Nightbooks. Mikki Daughtry is a screenwriter and young adult fiction author. She is best known for writing, along with writing partner Tobias Iaconis, the films The Curse of La Llorona, Five Feet Apart, and Netflix’s Nightbooks.    Tobias Iaconis is also a screenwriter best known for his work with Daughtry, as well as 2009’s Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia. In 2012 he partnered with Daughtry for an adaptation of the Jack Kilborn action-horror novel Afraid.  Moderator Harrison Glaser sat down with the pair to discuss their process at the Austin Film Festival. Clips of The Curse of La Llorona courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures Clips of Five Feet Apart courtesy of CBS Films