Austin became a film city because a young Richard Linklater started a film society in 1985 and never stopped. The Austin Film Society now runs AFS Cinema — the city’s essential arthouse, screening new independents, world cinema and repertory treasures — and the creative campus at Austin Studios, where productions from Friday Night Lights to indie features keep Texas crews working.
The Texas Film Awards each spring induct the state’s cinema legends into the Texas Film Hall of Fame, in a gala that doubles as the industry’s family reunion. Grants, fiscal sponsorships and the AFS Grant for Texas filmmakers seed the next Linklaters — many of them premiering their first features right at AFS Cinema.
Slacker changed American independent film from this city. AFS is the institution that made sure it wasn’t a one-off.
