A Conversation with Craig Mazin
Austin Film Festival's On Story
This week on On Story, a conversation with writer, director, producer and industry frontrunner, Craig Mazin. Mazin is perhaps best known for his Emmy award-winning historical Drama, Chernobyl. The HBO miniseries captivated audiences with its story of the aftermath of the 1986 disaster and earned Mazin the Emmy for Outstanding Writing on a Limited Series. Prior to his television work, Mazin gained recognition as a sharp comedy writer through features such as Scary Movie 3 and 4, Superhero Movie, The Hangover parts 2 and 3, and Identity Theif. The prolific writer is a...
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A Conversation with Kathleen Kennedy
Austin Film Festival's On Story
This week on On Story, a conversation with legendary producer, Katheleen Kennedy on her impressive producing career. Kennedy has produced or executive-produced more than 70 feature films, which have collectively garnered 120 Academy Award nominations and 25 wins. Among her credits include blockbusters and classics such as Jurassic Park, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, The Sixth Sense, the Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Goonies, Poltergeist, Empire of the Sun, Schindler’s List, and The Color Purple….just to name a few! Not to mention, Kennedy has...
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On World Building with Damon Lindelof and Dan Erickson
Austin Film Festival's On Story
This week on On Story, AFF moderator Casey Baron speaks with leading TV writers Damon Lindelof and Dan Erickson on the art of world building. Damon Lindelof is a three-time Emmy Award-winning writer and producer, best known for creating and showrunning hit supernatural and science-fiction dramas such as ABC's Lost, the HBO series The Leftovers and Watchmen, as well as Peacock's limited series Mrs. Davis. Prior to showrunning, Lindelof wrote on the crime dramas Nash Bridges and Crossing Jordan. One of television's most prolific and pre-eminent writers, Lindelof has created some of TV's most...
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Film to TV Adaptations: A Conversation with Noah Hawley
Austin Film Festival's On Story
This week on On Story, a conversation with lauded TV writer, Noah Hawley, whose expansive writing career includes creating and showrunning the FX series Fargo and Legion. Fargo, the award-winning anthology series, is Hawley's adaptation of the 1996 film of the same name. Each season of the comedy-crime series follows murder investigations in various midwestern towns. Since the series debuted in 2014, the star-stacked cast has included Jon Hamm, Chris Rock, Jessie Buckley, Ben Wisham, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor, Patrick Wilson, Jean Smart, and Kirsten Dunst, to name just a few. The...
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Watchmen, with Damon Lindelof and Cord Jefferson
Austin Film Festival's On Story
This week on On Story, AFF moderator Harrison Glaser speaks with Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof and writer Cord Jefferson about the collaborative process of adapting the beloved comic book and writing the series' Emmy Award-winning episode. Watchmen, a critically and commercially celebrated limited series, tells the story of racially motivated violence and vigilantism in the world of Alan Moore’s graphic novel by the same name. Damon Lindelof is a WGA, PGA, and Emmy award-winning writer who has created some of television’s most iconic shows,...
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A Conversation with So Young Shelly Yo
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...
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Adapting Period Pieces, with Alison Eakle and Evan Romansky
Austin Film Festival's On Story
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...
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Tales from Texas Film Offices, Presented by TXAFC
Austin Film Festival's On Story
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...
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A Conversation with Lee Eisenberg
Austin Film Festival's On Story
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...
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A Conversation with Karyn Kusama
Austin Film Festival's On Story
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...
info_outlineThis week on On Story, a conversation with legendary producer, Katheleen Kennedy on her impressive producing career. Kennedy has produced or executive-produced more than 70 feature films, which have collectively garnered 120 Academy Award nominations and 25 wins. Among her credits include blockbusters and classics such as Jurassic Park, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, The Sixth Sense, the Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Goonies, Poltergeist, Empire of the Sun, Schindler’s List, and The Color Purple….just to name a few! Not to mention, Kennedy has collaborated with some of Hollywood’s most infamous directors including Steven Spielberg, David Fincher, Martin Scorsese, and Clint Eastwood. Today, Kennedy is the president of Lucasfilm where she produced Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), the highest grossing domestic feature of all time.
I sat down with Kennedy, AFF’s 2024 Recipient of the Polly Platt Award for Producing, to discuss her vast career trajectory. Kennedy reflects on her journey from a green, yet visionary, producer to one of the most successful and respected producers in the film industry today. Kennedy outlines how she continues to find inspiration for each of her projects even after decades of experience.
Listen closely, it’s time to learn from one of the best.
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial clips courtesy of Universal pictures
Empire of the Sun clips courtesy of Warner Brothers
The Acolyte courtesy of Disney