A glimpse at the can’t-miss events of the season.
AFF & TX Book Fest By Luisa Venegoni / ACL, FFF & TX Trib By Alyssa Brant
Texas Book Festival
Oct. 25 – 26, free, downtown Austin
Dan Winters’ Festival Poster
Award-winning photographer and Austin resident Dan Winters has provided TBF with a color photograph of vintage movie palace Texas Theatre to act as the festival’s official poster. The theater, a treasured piece of Texas history, originally opened in Seguin, Texas, in 1931. Winters’ work has been featured in numerous publications, including Wired, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Time, GQ, Texas Monthly and Rolling Stone.
Bestseller: Martin Amis
Martin Amis, best-selling English novelist, will serve as one of the 2014 TBF’s headliners. Through his use of absurdity, satire and caricature, the author’s work often draws attention to the state of Western capitalist society. Amis’ best-known books include Money, London Fields and The Information. His upcoming novel, The Zone of Interest, is set to release September.
Cookbook: Lidia Bastianich
You can’t mention Italian- American cooking without mentioning Lidia Bastianich. The celebrity chef, television cooking host, author and restaurateur will serve Texas cooking enthusiasts this year as a headliner for TBF. Bastianich is best known for her cooking show, Lidia’s Italy in America, and has produced several cookbooks to accompany the series.
Distinguished Local Writer: James Magnuson
James Magnuson’s most recent novel, Famous Writers I Have Known, addresses the realities of the American creative-writing industry and has been described as “wildly entertaining and insightful,” and “alarmingly real.” As the executive director of UT’s Michener Center MFA writing program, Magnuson has plenty of experience in the world of poets and novelists.
Children’s Book: Ziggy Marley
As a man with a lengthy performance resume, Jamaican musician Ziggy Marley is a festival headliner you don’t want to miss. Marley, the oldest son of reggae legend Bob Marley, recently authored a beautiful children’s book titled I Love You Too, based on his song by the same name.
The Texas Tribune Festival
Sept. 19 – 21, The University of Texas at Austin
With 2014 being an election year, and with the legislative session coming up, this is a fall event you do not want to skip out on.
Featured Speakers
Dan Patrick, Texas State Senator and Republican Nominee for Texas Lieutenant Governor As part of the speaker series, Sen. Dan Patrick will be interviewed regarding his plan should he be voted in as Texas lieutenant governor. Patrick hopes to pass stronger border security and Sanctuary City legislation. He also wants to reform education and expand the options families have to educate their children. In addition, cuts on property and business taxes are something he wants to bring to the citizens of Texas.
Leticia Van de Putte, Texas State Senator and Democratic Nominee for Texas Lieutenant Governor Sen. Leticia Van de Putte will also be interviewed at the festival. As part of her platform for lieutenant governor, she plans to create change in many aspects of the community. Her passion is fighting human trafficking by toughening penalties and strengthening services for victims. Being the daughter of a veteran, she plans to give veterans the support they need when returning from duty. Van de Putte is passionate about fostering the economic strength of Texas by creating jobs, maintaining a great entrepreneurial environment and providing skill-building opportunities.
Other Must-See Speakers:
- Governor Rick Perry
- Joe Straus, Speaker of the Texas House
- Wendy Davis, Democratic Governor Nominee
- Tony Garza, Former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico
- Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell
- Bill Powers, UT Austin President
Prices
- Badges through Sept. 11: $240
- Walk-up rate: $300
- Note: A discounted rate of $50 is available for students and educators. To get the discount code, email tribunefestreg@sxsw.com from your institution-affiliated email address. Volunteers attend for free.
Austin City Limits Music Festival
Oct. 3 – 5, 10 – 12, Zilker Park
Must See: Phantogram
Oct. 5, Oct. 12
All the way from Greenwich, N.Y., electronic-rock duo Phantogram is bringing their original and compelling sound to Austin. Formally known as Charlie Everywhere, members Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel still write and record in a remote barn in upstate New York, and have released eight singles and two albums, with the latest dropped in February 2014 (Voices). With a great live-performance reputation, this is one duo you do not want to miss.
Best Local Acts
Asleep at the Wheel, Oct. 3
Asleep at the Wheel keeps the sound of Western swing alive. Initially formed in West Virginia, the group considers Austin to be their hometown, making them one of the local must-see acts of the festival. Since their start in 1970, they have won nine Grammys for their classic country sound, and have produced more than 25 studio and live albums.
Riders Against the Storm, Oct. 11
Husband and wife Chaka and Tiger make up one of Austin’s great up-and-coming hip-hop duos that produce a fresh and catchy sound. They recently won Austin Music Awards for 2014 Band of the Year and Best Hip-Hop Act. They were also awarded second place in the hip-hop and R&B category of the International Songwriting Competition (out of 20,000 submissions). For those going to the second weekend of ACL Fest, be sure to check out this internationally recognized duo.
Spoon, Oct. 5, Oct. 12
Austin rock band Spoon released their eighth album, They Want My Soul, Aug. 5. The sound has a standard rock base, but they add their own unique dusting of effects on every instrument. There are high hopes for this album because Spoon’s Transference, released in 2010, debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. Recently featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote the new album, Austin is the last stop in the U.S. for their tour and then they head off to Europe. Jump on this opportunity.
ACL App Don’t forget about the free, official ACL mobile app for Android and iPhone. Read up on all the artists, create a custom schedule and map out Zilker Park’s stages and amenities in advance.
Fun Fun Fun Fest
Nov. 7 – 9, Auditorium Shores
Must See
alt-J, Nov. 7
alt-J is an English indie-rock band that initially formed in Leeds, England, in 2007. Their second album, This is All Yours, will release Sept. 22.
Ginuwine, Nov. 7
Elgin Baylor Lumpkin, better known as Ginuwine, became one of R&B’s top artists during the late ’90s and early 2000s. He has released many multi-platinum and platinum albums and singles during his career.
Neutral Milk Hotel, Nov. 9
This American indie-rock band was formed in the late ’80s by singer, guitarist and songwriter Jeff Mangum. The group is known for its experimental sound and diverse instrumentation.
Fred Armisen, Nov. 8
Comedian Fred Armisen is the co-creator and co-star of Portlandia, and he and his fellow writers were nominated for an Emmy this past year. He was also a part of the Saturday Night Live cast from 2002 until 2013.
Headliners
- Judas Priest
- Nas
- Modest Mouse
- Wiz Khalifa
- Girl Talk
Bonus: FFF Nites
Three-day passes also give holders access to all FFF Nites shows. Single-day passes allow admission for the night of their single day. Note: Access to shows is subject to venue capacity.
Austin Film Festival
Oct. 23 – 30, downtown Austin
Parties
Film & Food Party Oct. 22
Celebrate the start of the weeklong festival at the Film & Food Party at Austin’s glamorous Driskill Hotel. Enjoy specialty cocktails from Twin Liquors and outstanding food from restaurants like Moonshine, Ranch 616 and Winflo Osteria. The evening honors Austin’s booming film and restaurant industries while benefiting the On Story project, a venture that allows prominent writers, directors and producers to share their experiences with aspiring filmmakers and fans. Other parties include the opening-night reception, the latenight welcome, BBQ Supper, Filmmakers Happy Hour, Heart of Film Conference, Pitch Finale, Hair of the Dog Brunch, Film Pass and closing-night parties.
Jim Sheridan to Receive Distinguished Screenwriter Award Oct. 25
Two-time Academy Award winner Jim Sheridan will receive AFF’s Distinguished Screenwriter Award at the festival’s annual awards ceremony. Sheridan is known for his work directing, writing and producing films such as My Left Foot, The Boxer, In the Name of the Father, In America, Into the West and Dream House. In addition to being honored at the awards ceremony, Sheridan, among other strong panelists, will speak during the festival’s conference.
Matthew Weiner to Receive Outstanding Television Writer Award Oct. 25
The AFF Film and Screenplay Competition jurors have selected {Mad Men} writer, director and producer Matthew Weiner as the recipient of the Outstanding Television Writer Award. This 11-time Emmy nominee will also speak at several film conference panels. Weiner’s upcoming film, Are You Here, starring Amy Poehler, Owen Wilson and Zach Galifianakis, released this summer.
Independent Filmmaking Track
Along with checking out panels on the writing and filmmaking processes, badge holders can follow the AFF conference’s independent filmmaking track. Explore the steps needed to turn a screenplay into a film on subjects like production and distribution, and then get advice from independent filmmakers, who will discuss their experiences in navigating the industry.
Script-to-Screen with Bill Broyles: Cast Away Panel
While studying both the script and film, hear what award-winning screenwriter Bill Broyles has to say about writing the critically acclaimed film Cast Away. The panelist will discuss his writing process, what he changed along the way and the script-toscreen process. Broyles has authored and co-authored numerous screenplays, including Apollo 13, Unfaithful and The Polar Express. Having grown up in Texas, Broyles has been involved in AFF since its founding. Other must-see panelists include John Hamburg (Zoolander, Meet the Parents), Richard Kelly (Donny Darko), Eric Singer (American Hustle) and Randall Wallace (Brave Heart, Pearl Harbor, Secretariat).
Badges
- Lone Star, $125: Includes access to Saturday panels, priority entry to all screenings, plus Pitch Finale and film-pass parties.
- Weekend, $275: Includes access to panels on Saturday and Sunday, priority entry to all screenings, plus Pitch Finale, Heart of Film Conference and film-pass parties.
- Conference, $400: Includes access to all panels, meet-andgreets and the exhibit hall, priority entry to all screenings, plus WGA West late-night welcome, Heart of Film Conference, Pitch Finale and film-pass parties.
- Producers, $625: Includes access to all panels, meet-and-greets and the exhibit hall, priority entry to all screenings, plus all conference parties.
Texas Tribune Festival photo by Callie Richmond, ACL Festival photo by Ashley Garmon, FFF Fest photo by Chad Wadsworth.
