Austin may be known as the Live Music Capital of the World, but we’re also increasingly being recognized as a hub for film-related events. Austin Film Society always has an exciting lineup of screenings and events planned and ATX hosts more than 25 film festivals per year, including Austin Film Festival, Austin Gay And Lesbian International Film Festival, Austin Short Film Fest, Other Worlds Austin, and Fantastic Fest.
And don’t you forget about the week’s worth of film showcases every year at the SXSW Film Festival, which runs right alongside the music and conference portions of South By Southwest.
Well, thanks to TexNext, a new 501(c)3 nonprofit founded by local entrepreneur Joshua Graham that aims to “build a bridge from Texas to the world for creative talent companies and investors,” we’ve got another independent film festival headed our way: The Peace & Love Film Festival.
For at least the next five years, The Peace & Love Film Festival, which has been running for four years strong in Sweden, plans to call Austin home.
“Austin is a hub of creativity, art, and innovation,” Graham told Austin.com. “Austin Film Society is already accomplishing wonderful work for the Austin film scene. TexNext wants to foster that creativity and expand opportunities for film buffs and filmmakers in Austin and in Texas.”
Joshua Graham, founder of TexNext.
The festival will likely run in June 2017, according to a press release provided by TexNext. To give you an idea of the types of films that P&LFF will be bringing to town, here are some notable films premiered during the 2015 festival:
- Victoria — Sebastian Schipper
- The Visit; an Alien Encounter — Michael Madsen
- Eisenstein in Guanajuato — Peter Greenaway
- I Am Michael — Justin Kelly
- Thanatos, Drunk — Tso-Chi Chang
- Knight of Cups — Terrence Malick
- French Touch by Xiaoxing Cheng
- Aerobics: A Love Story — Anders Rune
- Afterthought — Elad Keidan
- Bien de Familia, una Película Musical — Eugenia Fontana
- Headfirst — Antti Heikki Pesonen
- K — Darhad Erdenibulag, Emyr ap Richard
- Princess — Tali Shalom-Ezer
- The Wakhan Front (Neither Heaven nor Earth) — Clément Cogitore
- You’re Ugly Too — Mark Noonan
- 10 Billion: What will we Eat Tomorrow? — Valentin Thurn
- African Pride — Laura Fletcher
- Homme Less — Thomas Wirthenson
- Sumé: The Sound of a Revolution — Inuk Silis Høegh
The 2015 schedule also included midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show by Jim Sharman, Back to the Future by Robert Zemeckis, Casablanca by Michael Curtiz, Jaws by Steven Spielberg, and Tommy by Ken Russel.
“I think the festival will resonate with Austinites because of its high level of accessibility for families, residents, and film buffs alike,” said Graham, referencing P&LFF’s goals to demolish “VIP” walls and build a “borderless” international film community by selling festival passes at reasonable rates, providing free outdoor screenings, and promoting the work of up-and-coming filmmakers.
“Additionally, Austinites appreciate originality and creative genius,” Graham went on. “The P&LFF selects its films and focuses on premiers, so there’s a guarantee of tremendous quality in the films presented.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uB73iHlz1w?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0]
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All story photos courtesy of TexNext and The Peace & Love Film Festival.
