Lone Star Silver Screen

The Billy the Kid Film Festival is taking place in Hico, TX from Nov. 6 - 8. Austin interviewed the founder of the festival, Luci DiGiorgio, about the fest and the file was promptly corrupted and unusable. HOWEVER. The festival itself is an awesome (AFFORDABLE) event taking place each year that Austin really believes people should seek out. To that end, listen for a brief introduction to the Billy...

Austin is joined by filmmaker Nick Paul White to discuss his new feature, Autofiction . The film is a genre-bending meta exploration of memory, truth, and art - and it'll be playing the Lone Star Film Festival this month! Listen in as Austin and Nick discuss the movie's long road from conception to release, how living in Austin, TX shaped Nick as an artist, and the subtle differences between Nick...

Austin is joined by filmmaker and educator Ya'Ke Smith to discuss his latest documentary, Cycles of Resilience: A Journey Through Austin's Black History . They talk about the many hats Ya'Ke wears in his life and career, the importance of physical media in a world of intangibles, and our role as standard bearers for the historical record. https://exodusfilmworks.com/ Black History Ride / Cycles of...

Austin is joined by filmmaker Gene Gallerano and Bob Ray to discuss their recent documentary, Thank You For Listening , which charts musician Joshua Ray Walker's battle with cancer and ensuing performance at the Grand Ole Opry. The guys talk about Texas Monthly 's support of the film, how Gene's mom made the movie possible, and the importance of celebrating the journey in a creative endeavor - esp...

San Antonio-based producer and filmmaker Vanessa Rae Lerma joins Austin to discuss her latest short film, SweetNess , and what it took to mount a short film musical. They talk about her desire to accurately reflect life in San Antonio, how her work as a theater educator has helped in her filmmaking journey, what it takes to get a bakery's worth of cupcakes onscreen in a movie, and the allure of a...

Austin is joined by the president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Critics Association, Todd Jorgenson, for a chat about Jorgenson's career, the power of film criticism, and his other great passion: sports. What are the best sports movies? Is baseball the best sport to make movies about? Find out in our new episode! Read Todd's Reviews @ Cinemalogue: https://cinemalogue.com/ Check out the DFWCA: https://d...

Austin is joined by filmmaker and VFX artist Matthew Ward to discuss Ward's career, spanning from his early days working on the Star Wars prequels, The Matrix sequels, and a lot of films with Robert Zemeckis, to his pivot in the 2010s to work on video game cinematics for beloved titles like Destiny and Borderlands . It's a fun, fast-moving talk about the arc of an artist, changing technology in fi...

Filmmaker (and musician) McKinley Argyle joins Austin this week to discuss her new short film A Place We Can Go. The movie looks at the legacy of now-shuttered DIY space 1919 Hemphill, celebrates DIY venues as inclusive community spaces, and explores the relationship Texans have with their state when they don't conform to conservative norms. While diving into the film itself, Austin and McKinley t...

Austin is joined by Flatland Film Festival's Kea Beasley to discuss the long road from Oklahoma City to Lubbock, TX, the magic of classic sci-fi/horror flicks, whether or not Lubbock really does have more restaurants per capita than any other city in the U.S., and the great work being done by the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts. Flatland Film Festival: September 24 - 26, 2026 FFF Inst...

Austin is joined by Ray L. Perez, the president of the GTX Film Festival, to discuss the evolution of the event and its upcoming outing on September 26, 2026. They cover the joy of programming a good comedy, the importance of a clean sound mix, and the magic of audiences being able to connect directly with a filmmaker about their work - and much more! GTX Film Festival Website: https://gtxfilm.org...

Austin is joined by Festival Director Craig O'Daniel to discuss the upcoming Tyler Film Festival, taking place in Tyler, TX September 18 - 19, 2026. They talk about the city of Tyler, the blossoming film community in East Texas, films Craig's excited to show off, and how the festival has evolved over the past several years! Tyler Film Festival Website: https://www.tylerfilmfest.com/ Tyler Film Fes...

Austin is joined by returning guest Cait Kennedy to discuss Fantastic Fest! They talk about what sets this festival apart from others, what Cait loves about attending, dipping into a state of temporary psychosis when trying to balance pet care with the demands of a weeklong film festival, and (obviously) some of the movies scheduled for the festival that Cait is excited to see! Cait's Simply Cinem...

This week, Austin is joined by Jessica Irvine Drake, the founder and director of She Speaks Film Festival, which comes to Taylor, TX September 18-19, 2026! The festival is dedicated to providing a platform for women's voices in film - something Jessica knows a lot about. She and Austin talk about her own career as an actor (and her circuitous route from Canada to Texas), what she's learned while p...

Austin is joined by filmmaker Brenden Hubbard to discuss his new short film Hide , playing the South Texas International Film Festival this month. Starring Alejandro Rose Garcia (better known as Shakey Graves), the film follows a father and daughter trying to survive in a town stalked by a malevolent force. Brenden and Austin discuss Brenden's work in the music industry, location scouting, working...

We're soft launching our return from a brief hiatus with a special episode where Austin speaks with Christina Hahn, director of the Dallas Asian American Film Festival. Christina talks about the importance of representation, how she and her collaborators curated the first ever Dallas Asian American Film Festival, and the beautiful diversity of Texas. DAAFF Website: https://www.daaart.org/daaff

Austin is joined by filmmaker John Moore today to discuss his new documentary, When We Were Live , which will play the Oak Cliff Film Festival this weekend. They talk about John's decision to let found footage from Austin's public access television scene tell its own story, the process he went through to turn that footage into a coherent film, and the importance of taking constructive criticism. T...

Austin is joined by filmmaker Joe Salinas to discuss his new documentary about pioneering punk band Big Boys. They discuss the band's music, the legacy of Austin punk, and how bringing on Andrew Leeper as an additional editor helped him get the project over the finish line. YCCOTL OCFF Tickets: https://ocff2026.eventive.org/schedule/6a35af954f6a2d50da54d818/tickets Joe Salinas' Instagram: https://...

Austin is joined by director Matty Wishnow to discuss his new feature, The Last Critic , which will be playing at the Oak Cliff Film Festival later this month. They discuss the life and career of music critic Robert Christgau, how Matty was able to get some of the sharpest cultural commentators on the planet to take part in his debut documentary, and the pleasures of breakfast tacos. The Last Crit...

Austin has a dream guest on today with editor extraordinaire and SMU alum Chris Tonick joining to talk about his career and, more specifically, the work he did on one of the most exciting movies of 2026, the Hong Kong action film The Furious ! Don't miss Chris explaining how Hong Kong action films are edited, how he worked his way through the ranks to find himself on this project, and what the guy...

Austin is joined by...another Austin! Director Austin Sayre is on the show this week, discussing his new documentary, 'The Man with the Big Hat,' about the life and work of musician Steven Fromholz. They discuss Sayre's introduction to Fromholz, how a broken pelvis nearly threw a wrench in their initial schedule, and the evolution of Austin as a musical mecca in Texas! 'The Man with the Big Hat' W...

Austin is joined by festival director Eugenio Del Bosque to discuss CineFestival, which is celebrating 50 years of spotlighting latino/a films for their audience in San Antonio. They discuss the festival's evolution, the role they can play in young filmmakers' development, adapting to unexpected programming challenges, and more! CineFestival runs from July 9-12 in San Antonio, TX. More information...

This week, Austin is joined by writer/director Justice Hardy and Executive Producer Lindsey Barnes to discuss their new film, Mantis , a sci-fi/horror/thriller. They discuss the origins of Mantis ' heady concept (interviewing murder suspects up to 36 hours after they die), the role of an EP on an indie film, what films influenced Mantis (and which ones would make a killer double feature with it),...

Austin is joined by writer/director J.T. Walker to discuss his new film, Broken Land . The movie is Texas to its core, tackling timely issues and showcasing the rugged beauty of the Lone Star State. During their conversation, Austin learns how J.T. conceived of the film and brought it to life, as well as how they crafted an authentic, emotional experience on set. Rent Broken Land : https://athome....

Austin is joined by the co-directors of the El Paso-based Femme Frontera Film Festival, which runs from June 11-14. It is FREE to the public and dedicated to providing a platform for female and gender-expansive filmmakers; Manis also helps lead the La Frontera Film Lab, which seeks to amplify voices from the U.S.-Mexico border region and teach female and gender-expansive filmmakers about documenta...

Austin is joined by local filmmaker Stone Swad to talk about the recent wave of video game adaptations. Is this good for the movie industry? Is Legend of Zelda overrated? And what would the best video game to film in Texas be? Find out in this episode! Stone's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr.ston3y/