Lite + Brite’s Guide to Austin Moviegoing

If you consider yourself to be a cinéaste, or perhaps a cinephile, or even just a regular ol’ moviegoer, Austin is the town for you. We’ve got an uncountable number of cinemas, film series, and film fests all over. Despite this fact, we did in fact attempt to count many of them in this month’s feature. Here’s an overview of the Austin scene–if we left out anything you love, let us know and we’ll add it here.

Established Cinemas

Chances are very good that you’re familiar with the Alamo Drafthouse since it’s now a national chain, but it’s still worth noting that it was founded in Austin, has five Austin locations, and is home to Master Pancake, which is like Austin’s homegrown version of MST3k. Getting a full menu of food delivered to your seat in the cinema feels like an almost unremarkable luxury these days, but when we first experienced it at the Alamo it blew our minds, and it’s worth reclaiming that childlike wonder.

AFS is Austin’s nonprofit arthouse theater and an incubator for filmmakers, founded by legendary local screenwriter and director Richard Linklater. Pretty much anything AFS screens–whether it’s a new release, a recently restored classic, a forgotten gem, an indie doc, a foreign film, or some other category that I can’t even conceive of–is worth checking out. Brian is an AFS member and regularly just goes to whatever they have on, and it’s always something interesting.

Independent Movie Spaces 

We Luv Video is a “non-profit video rental library, screening space, and cultural center.” In our all-the-time Austin fun list, we describe it as “the Alexandria Library of video rental,” which we stand by; the screenings there are also delightful and often weird, including screening series Blood Shed Theater, Sungays, Animondays, and Odd World (“a monthly series of weird shit”). 

Hyperreal Film Club is a “clubhouse” for so many types of movies, from campy blockbusters to thought-provoking documentaries, with introductions and contextualizations by their programming team. They’re big into using pop culture as a lens through which we can understand society; we still refer fondly to the summer when Hyperreal Film Club screened every Fast + Furious movie with the Museum of Human Achievement, accompanied by compelling lectures on why The Fast and the Furious franchise is Important for Society.

Blue Starlite is an urban drive-in with a couple unique locations. (On hiatus as we write this piece, but they bring such a good Austin experience, we hope they come back soon!)

Moveable Movie Events

Rocket Cinema sets up their big screen and sound equipment at mostly outdoor spaces all over town, from parks to bars to backyards. They partner with many excellent local venues and event promoters to screen a mix of classics and cult classics. And if you’re ever doing an event of your own and need a movie at it, they’re your guys. 

Recurring Film Series

The Paramount runs three annual film series: their summer classic film series (NB last summer we saw Josie and the Pussycats there, so the word “classic” can mean a number of things); their scary movie series in October; and their holiday film series in December.

ATX Short Film Showcase happens on the second Monday of every month, showing “eight local short films, followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers.”

Every third Thursday at the Highball, film “professors” at Queer Film Theory 101 “explore the movies we all grew up with that helped them realize they were queer.”

The Carver Museum periodically hosts films in their “That’s My Face” series, which celebrates Black stories and filmmakers.

Throughout the summer, Austin Parks Foundation screens movies in neighborhood parks all over town. Be aware that this is usually a very hot experience. 

Film Festivals

Resources

Motion Media Arts Center is a nonprofit offering affordable filmmaking educational opportunities, workshops, equipment, studio space, and more to local creatives.

WIFT Austin offers community, support, education, and mentorship for Austin women in film and television (thus “WIFT,” if that wasn’t clear).