2017 Austin Film Festival Announces Film and Panel Slate

Austin Film Festival Announces Full Film and Conference Schedule

Slate Includes Closing Night Film Chappaquiddick, Call Me By Your Name, The Darkest Hour, The Upside, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing the writers’ contributions to film, television, and new media, announced the full schedule of films and panels for the 24th annual event, this October 26-November 2, 2017. AFF’s feature film slate includes over 25 World, North American and US Premieres, a robust retrospective series, and highly anticipated marquee titles, including Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, WWII drama The Darkest Hour featuring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, The Upside starring Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart, and Armie Hammer romance Call Me By Your Name.

AFF has also announced Chappaquiddick as its Closing Night Film. A drama recounting Ted Kennedy’s infamous 1969 car accident resulting in the death of his campaign worker, writers Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan will be in attendance.

A staple of the Festival, AFF’s retrospective series will feature seminal 1987 action film Predator presented by Shane Black who is currently working on the film’s reboot. Additionally, Extraordinary Contribution to Film awardee Walter Hill will present his cult classic The Warriors.

In addition to the slate of 150+ films, AFF will present premieres and retrospectives of television programming, including the season 2 premiere of Hulu’s darkly comedic psychic drama Shut Eye with executive producers Mark Johnson, Melissa Bernstein, John Shiban and Amy Berg in attendance, the premiere of YouTube Red’s new comedy series Do You Want to See a Dead Body? with creator Rob Huebel in attendance, and the premiere of the Season Finale of HBO’s drama The Deuce with creators David Simon and George Pelecanos in attendance.

Also confirmed to attend is Dan Rather, who will help present the World Premiere of the documentary Fail State, chronicling the rise of predatory for-profit colleges. Writer/producer Gale Anne Hurd will also be in attendance for AFF’s screening of documentary Mankiller about barrier-breaking female Cherokee leader Wilma Mankiller.

Other World Premieres include Wild Honey, Coming to My Senses, and Transformer. Making its US Premiere is comedy Don’t Talk to Irene, written and directed by Pat Mills, which also won AFF’s Comedy Screenplay Award in 2013.

The full Film and Conference schedule can be found at www.austinfilmfestival.com.


ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL:
Austin Film Festival (AFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television and new media. AFF is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts. All attendees and events are based on permitting schedules and are subject to change and/or cancellation without notice.

-----------------------------------