25th Annual Austin Film Festival

Vox Lux – Natalie Portman and Writer/Director Brady Corbet on the Red Carpet Opening Night. Portman told us what she did to prep for the role as a pop star. Cooper told us why it it was harder to shoot two people talking than the concert scenes. And why he cast the same young actress to play young Celeste and Celeste’s daughter.

Boy Erased – We saw the film with Lucas Hedges’ father Director Peter Hedges in the audience. Writer, Director, actor Joel Edgerton takes on three roles making the tense, troubling story of gay conversion therapy. Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe in stellar performances. This is one tough film to sit through, but Edgerton handles the material with sensitivity and respect for each one of his characters.

Wild Honey – Talked with Rusty Schwimmer and Director Francis Stokes telling us about making the film, including the prep for her role of a sex phone operator who falls for one of her clients.

Beyond the Night – Zane Holtz talks about how he approached his role as the father of a boy who has supernatural leanings that uncover dark information that could be dangerous. Adrian Grenier told us why he wasn’t in the film and how much he enjoys being a producer as well as an actor.

Original Sin – Talked with Writer/Director Jean Lee, and the cast, including the composer of this absurdist Spanish language comedy about a frustrated wife who buys a progressive piece of art from an artist who delivers more than the painting. Sensual and sexual. The cast tells us how physical acting in the film was, embarrassing moments and the message of the film.

The Long Dumb Road – Red Carpet interviews with Writer/Director Hannah Fidell and Actor/Comedian, Jason Mantzoukas. Mantzoukas and Al bonded over both growing up on the North Shore of Boston. He told us about being in the car a lot with co-star Tony Revolori. Fidell told us about her inspiration for the film, putting opposites together, and funniest scenes.

Friends from College – Interview with Co-Writer/Directors, Nicholas Stoller (Neighbors, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Francesca Delbanco, who based this Netflix series on an amalgamation of their own friends in college. The tell us about working together as a husband and wife team, developing the characters and the story for Season 2, and why they felt this project was better as a TV series than as a feature film on the big screen.

The Dancing Dogs of Dombrova – A brother and sister from Toronto travel to Poland in this dark comedy to find the bones of their grandmother’s dog to fulfill her last wish. We spoke with Director Zack Bernbaum and actress Katherine Fogler about shooting the film in cold Poland. Good acting ensemble. Female taxi driver has one line, but is a scene stealer.

F/11 and Be There – Burk Uzzle is a world renown photographer who worked for Life Magazine among other national and international publications. This is a documentary on his extraordinary work and his extraordinary way of working. Uzzle narrates most of the film detailing his meticulous set ups, including his way of using light, to capture his subjects. This is truly the work of a master photographer who has photographed everything from Dr. Martin Luther King’s Funeral and Robert, Ted, John and Jackie Kennedy, to a gang member who changed his ways to become a family man, and landscapes with a message.