Austin Film Festival's On Story

This week on On Story, a conversation with the up and coming visionary, So Young Shelly Yo. 

Shelly is an award-winning filmmaker whose work has been supported by HBO, CAAM, SFFILM, the Sloan Foundation and others. Shelly's feature film, SMOKING TIGERS, was the winner of Tribeca x AT&T’s Untold Stories and was awarded best screenplay, best performance and a special mention for the Nora Ephron prize at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. Prior to SMOKING TIGERS, Shelly wrote and directed many short films including SOFT SOUNDS OF PEELING FRUIT and MOONWALK WITH ME. She is currently in development for her next project.

Shelly will discuss transitioning from writing and directing short films to her debut feature, the visually stunning and emotionally rich multi-language film Smoking Tigers.

Clips of Smoking Tigers courtesy of Max.

This week on On Story, we explore finding the source material for a period piece, making decisions about historical accuracy versus creative liberties, and successfully marrying a modern audience with a bygone era.

AFF moderator Fabienne Harford speaks with Alison Eakle, Chief Content Officer at Shondaland and executive producer on Bridgerton, and Evan Romanksy, co-creator of Ratched about what it takes to research and create period pieces that maintain integrity and entertainment.

Alison Eakle oversees all Netflix streaming content for Shondaland. She joined Shondaland in 2013, helping develop the ABC dramas “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Station 19,” “For the People,” and “The Catch.” Prior to her time at Shondaland, Eakle was at Ellen DeGeneres’ production company, A Very Good Production. She began her career in features, working in development and production at Paramount Vantage and Columbia Pictures, as well as in marketing at Paramount Pictures. In 2016, Eakle was named one of Marie Claire’s New Guard: America’s 50 Most Influential Women, and in 2019 she was named an Ojai Fellow as part of CAA’s Convene. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and The University of Texas at Austin.

She’s joined by Evan Romanksy the co-creator and executive producer of Netflix's Emmy and Golden-Globe nominated series RATCHED. A graduate of Ohio University and Loyola Marymount University, Evan has sold both film and TV projects to Amazon and MakeReady Studios and is currently developing with Jason Bateman's Aggregate Films as well as Margot Robbie's LuckyChap Entertainment.

Both Evan and Allison have learned to successfully marry a modern audience with a bygone era.  

Ratched, Queen Charlotte, and Bridgerton clips courtesy of Netflix.

This week on On Story, we’re joined by the film industry experts who connect Texas filmmakers with funding and resources including President of the Texas Association of Film Commissions, Drew Mayer-Oakes, Director of the Texas Film Commission, Stephanie Whallon, Director of the San Antonio Film Commission, Kimberly LeBlanc, and Director of the Houston Film Commission, Alfred Cervantes. The discussion of their professional histories and organizational goals shines a light on the many different ways these structured bodies provide support for Texas creators while simultaneously invigorating local economies. 

This week on On Story, a conversation with Lee Eisenberg about the launch of his comedy writing career. Eisenberg and his writing partner Gene Stupnitsky broke into the industry with their adventure-comedy screenplay, Year One, an irreverent retelling of the Book of Genesis in which they collaborated with the iconic comedian and filmmaker, Harold Ramis, who went onto direct the film for the Apatow Company. In tandem writing with Year One, Lee and Gene were staffed on season two of the notorious comedy television hit, The Office, where they wrote for five hilarious seasons. Masters of craft and discomfort comedy, stories that bring audiences right to the edge of unbearable cringe before easing them with a laugh, Lee and Gene wrote many celebrated teleplays for The Office, including Dinner Party, The Lover, and audience favorite Scott's Tots, in which Michael Scott realizes he cannot fulfill his long-time promise to pay the college tuition of local students.  Eisenberg discusses his process of co-writing these scripts and the importance of leaving pathos and humanity into the most cringey comedic protagonists. Eisenberg also expands on his and Gene's process creating the out-of-the-box reality hoax sitcom, Jury Duty, in which Ronald Gladden, appearing as himself, was unaware that the entire case and jury proceeding had been staged. The one-of-a-kind comedy series was nominated for both Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.  Lastly, Eisenberg elaborates on his latest project: developing the historical drama miniseries Lessons in Chemistry, based on the bestselling book of the same name. Eisenberg reveals how the artistry of the novel not only sparked his genre switch, but inspired him to subtly impart aspects of his lived experience into the Apple TV series. The Office clips courtesy of NBC. Jury Duty clips courtesy of Amazon Freevee. Good Boys clips courtesy of Universal Pictures. Lessons in Chemistry clips courtesy of Apple TV.

This week on On Story, Austin Film Festival moderator Harrison Glaser speaks with Karyn Kusama about her filmography, the evolution of her storytelling, and her focus on strong female protagonists.

In her debut feature, Girlfight, Kusama drew from her own experiences training in a boxing gym and living in New York City, building Michelle Rodriguez’s character from young women she encountered on the subway. Kusama discusses connecting to their guarded nature and writing a protagonist that her audiences could root for. 

After the release of Girlfight, Kusama received critical praise and went onto direct her first studio film, Aeon Flux, co-written by Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay. Hay would become her husband and life partner, and her creative partnership with both Hay and Manfredi would lead to The Invitation and Destroyer. 

Kusama also discusses her experiences in episodic storytelling. Her television credits include Halt and Catch Fire, Billions, and the genre-bending hit, Yellowjackets. She delves into the ways that directing television keeps her craft sharp, and discusses how she and Yellowjackets co-creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson infuse cinematic sequences into shorter film storytelling.

Throughout her illustrious career, Kusama has perhaps been best-known for the cult classic Jennifer’s Body, the black comedy horror film written by Diablo Cody and starring a young Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried. In conversation at the Austin Film Festival, Kusama recounts her connection with Cody’s voice and their creative exploration of female friendship as the emotional core of that story.

Girlfight clips courtesy of United Artists.

Jennifer’s Body clips courtesy of 20th Century Studios.

The Invitation clips courtesy of The Invitation, LLC.

Yellowjackets clips courtesy of Showtime.

This week on On Story, a conversation with Jeff Nichols, the acclaimed filmmaker behind Mud and Loving, to discuss his most recent film The Bikeriders, a moving character drama based on journalist Danny Lyons’ photobook by the same name. The Bikeriders chronicles the rise and fall of a Chicago motorcycle gang in the 1960s through the lens of bikerider wife Kathy, an open book played by Jodie Comer. Led by the strong and silent Johnny, embodied by Tom Hardy, the club devolves from a surrogate home for outsiders with no place to go to a violent crime organization. Its members, especially Austin Butler’s strong-willed, reckless Benny, are forced to grapple with their club’s decaying principles, their role in the organization, and by extension, their place in a changing world. The film captures distinct nostalgia from a bygone era, and summons enormous affection for its deeply flawed characters.

In conversation with the Austin Film Festival, Nichols recounts how he connected with the photobook’s images and anecdotes, and listened to voice recordings of the real-life vandals, to build a rich world and craft compelling characters.

The Bikeriders clips courtesy of Focus Features.

This week on On Story, a conversation with the team behind The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, a western that follows a ranch foreman's extraordinary trek to Mexico to bury his best friend's body in his hometown. Actor and director Tommy Lee Jones worked with writer Guillermo Arriaga to develop a moving, character-driven story inspired by true events about the shared border between Texas and Mexico. Jones, alongside 1st Assistant Director Phil Hardage, Unit Production Manager Eric Austin Williams, Post-Production Supervisor Larry Madaras, and actor Julio Cedillo discuss their decision to tell the story in a non-linear fashion, their experience filming on location, and how they incorporated sound effects and scoring to build the film's world and define its characters. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada clips courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

This week on On Story, we're having a conversation with Katrin Benedikt. Co-writer of the non-stop political action thrillers Olympus Has Fallen, London Has Fallen, and Expendables 3, Benedikt lends a behind-the-scenes look into the realities of breaking into Hollywood as a writer, from pitching the same story for years on end, navigating relationships with co-writers, agents, and producers, to completing last-minute rewrites on set. A true lover of action movies, Benedikt discusses crafting characters for star-studded casts and working with genre experts Antoine Fuqua and Sylvester Stallone. Olympus Has Fallen clips courtesy of Film District. London Has Fallen clips courtesy of Millennium Media. Expendables 3 clips courtesy of Lionsgate Media.

This week on On Story, a conversation with Brian Helgeland, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter who penned acclaimed movies including L.A. Confidential and Mystic River, and the director who brought to life beloved films such as A Knight’s Tale and 42. He lends a behind the scenes look at the making of Finestkind, a film mined from his relationship with his father and their experiences as deep sea fishermen.

The film, set in Helgeland’s own hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts, tells the story of two estranged brothers’ navigating a splintered relationship in the high-stakes world of commercial fishing and drug dealing. Helgeland discusses grounding the story in setting, crafting character backgrounds with Tommy Lee Jones (who plays the boys’ father) and imbuing the film with his personal touch. Finestkind is now streaming on Paramount Plus. 

Finestkind clips courtesy of Paramount Plus.

This week on On Story, AFF moderator Harrison Glaser speaks with Celine Song about her feature debut, Past Lives. Inspired by Song’s own experiences, Past Lives tells the story of two childhood friends who reunite as adults and reckon with the nature of the enduring bond between them. This multi-language film is a deeply personal exploration of the modern immigrant experience, unflinchingly confronting the “what-ifs” that plague lost love and paths not taken. 

Celine Song began her writing career as a playwright in New York City, and joined fantasy series The Wheel of Time as a staff writer before her feature debut. The bittersweet romance premiered to critical acclaim and soared to Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. 

In conversation at the 30th annual Austin Film Festival, Song discusses creating complex identities for her characters, writing dialogue that feels true to life, and transitioning from playwright to filmmaker.

Past Lives clips courtesy of A24.