Lone Star Silver Screen

Austin is joined by filmmaker Romano Natale and actor/producer Ryan Gray this week to discuss their short film, Coal, which is playing the Lone Star Film Festival. The pair talk about their collaboration, about what it means to pull double duty on set, about how they created a lived-in world and world-weary characters with limited screentime, and what they want to parlay this project into: a feature film.Romano Natale Insta: https://www.instagram.com/romano.natale/Ryan Gray Insta: https://www.instagram.com/ryangray?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&psln=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

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 the Kid Film Festival.

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 the guy and Nick the character in Autofiction.Buy tickets to Autofiction now @ https://lsff26.eventive.org/schedule/autofiction-6abc8140c08f027d74b2b454Autofiction Website: https://autofictionfilm.com/Autofiction Insta: https://www.instagram.com/autofictionfilm?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&srtk=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==Nick Paul White Insta: https://www.instagram.com/nickpaulwhite?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&psln=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

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 Resilience: https://blackhistorybikeride.com/film/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yake80/?hl=enVimeo: https://vimeo.com/exodusfilmworksJuneteenth: On Faith and Freedom: https://www.pbs.org/video/juneteenth-faith-freedom-ap4dcr/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAadDGksNq5YuggIvOAWtHJK3uTmco7UO6NVROcxaEoNIPVfIImE0DiZTMcjT0w_aem_6cW6vywnrdQWPAvtvigeKQ

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 - especially one where you don't control the outcome. It's a great chat that puts a focus on independent filmmakers who had to roll with the punches to reconceptualize their film in real time as their subject dealt with an evolving cancer diagnosis, and how his journey ultimately helped them make a stronger film.THANK YOU FOR LISTENING Website: https://thankyouforlisteningfilm.com/TYFL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thankyouforlisteningfilm/Gene Gallerano Website: https://www.genegallerano.com/aboutBob Ray - CrashCam Films: https://crashcamfilms.com/

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 fine breakfast taco!SweetNess Insta: http://instagram.com/sweetness_film/

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://dfwcritics.com/

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 film, and a reminder of just how long Francis Ford Coppola was trying to get Megalopolis off the ground.Matthew Ward's Website: https://www.studioward.com/

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 talk about her journey to filmmaking. They touch on the challenge of watching feature films in the Age of TikTok, lessons McKinley has learned that made her a better documentarian, and the oddly fascinating world of lawns.McKinley's IG: https://www.instagram.com/mckinleyargyle/A Place We Can Go Info: https://www.instagram.com/p/DaBIok6kUHa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&stkn=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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, 2026FFF Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbt8HoZjQCB/FFF Website: https://lhuca.org/flatland-film-festival/aboutflatland/