The Piano Lesson, Ravens and More Headline First Wave of Films Unveiled at Austin

Publish date: 2024-09-21

The Austin Film Festival (AFF) is set to showcase a remarkable lineup of films at this year’s event, Variety is happy to exclusively announce the first selection of films, including the world premiere of “Ravens,” a magical realist biopic featuring recent Emmy-nominee Tadanobu Asano (“Shogun”).

Also among the highly anticipated premieres is the Texas-made thriller by Chris Beier and Daniel Wolfman centered around a washed-up Youtube star titled “The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia,” “Silent Notes,” a romantic neo-noir starring Daniel Durant (“Coda”) and the film adaptation of the Broadway play “The Piano Lesson” from Netflix starring Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington, which just recently released a trailer. These films are part of AFF’s first wave of screenings, highlighting some of the year’s best in independent filmmaking.

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Additional programming includes “Black Dog,” which received the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes this year as well as Ecuadorian horror film “Shaman.”

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These screenings will run parallel to AFF’s Annual Writers Conference, which brings together awardees and panelists from across the entertainment industry. Notable awardees include Kathleen Kennedy (Polly Platt Award for Producing), Ronald D. Moore (Outstanding Television Writer Award), Justin Marks (Writer’s Writer Award), and Rachel Kondo (New Voice Award). The conference will also feature prominent panelists such as Craig Mazin, John August, Tanya Saracho, Meg LeFauve, Matt Selman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, VJ Boyd, Scott Beck, and Bryan Woods.

The complete list of festival programming, including over 100 films and hundreds of panels, will be fully announced in September. AFF will occur from Thursday, October 24, to Thursday, October 31, 2024.

FIRST WAVE OF AFF FILMS BELOW:

‘Ravens’ (France/Japan/Belgium/Spain) – K5 International

Written/directed by: Mark Gill

Cast: Tadanobu Asano, Kumi Takiuchi, Sôsuke Ikematsu, Kanji Furutachi

Synopsis: The dark fantasy love story of legendary Japanese Photographer Masahisa Fukase and his wife Yoko.

In attendance: Writer/Director Mark Gill

World Premiere

‘The Piano Lesson’ (US) – Netflix

Written by: Malcolm Washington, Virgil Williams

Directed by: Malcolm Washington

Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, Ray Fisher, Corey Hawkins, Erykah Badu

Synopsis: A family clash over an heirloom piano explodes. The battle between brother and sister – one hopes to sell it, the other refuses to give it up – unleashes haunting truths about how the past is perceived and who defines a family legacy.

‘Black Dog’ (China) – The Forge

Written by: Guan Hu, Ge Rui, Wu Bing

Directed by: Guan Hu

Cast: Eddie Peng, Tong Liya, Jia Zhangke , Zhang Yi, Zhou You

Synopsis: On the edge of the Gobi Desert in Northwest China, Lang returns to his hometown after being released from jail. While working for the local dog patrol team to clear the town of stray dogs before the Olympic Games, he strikes up an unlikely connection with a black dog. These two lonely souls embark on a journey together.

‘Silent Notes’ (US)

Written by: Jason Furlani, Anna Franquesa-Solano, Toni Comas

Directed by: Toni Comas

Cast: Daniel Durant, Matt Riker, Ruth Aguilar

Synopsis: After finding out he is going deaf, Bruce is stuck at a crossroads: he needs a surgical intervention that he can’t afford. In his attempt to find a solution that will get him the money, he meets Ethan, a lonely man who needs above all someone to talk to. The unlikely pair will embark on a journey of no return, where Ethan can’t stop talking to Bruce, who is unable to hear.

‘Artifact War’ (US)

Written by: Jacob Ingalls Schwarz

Directed by: Evan Michael Carpenter

Synopsis: A team of archaeologists-turned-spies brave Syria’s civil war and infiltrate the ranks of ISIS to uncover the greatest art theft since WW2 and unravel a conspiracy that implicates Western museums and one of the world’s most powerful companies

World Premiere

‘Party People’ (US)

Written by: Lindsey Robertson

Directed by: Joey LePage

Cast:  Matthew Daddario, George Basil, Elisha Henig, Samuel Davis

Synopsis: One night. One party. And 15 people who are just trying to get there.

World Premiere 

‘Shaman’ (Ecuador)

Written by: Daniel Negret

Directed by: Antonio Negret

Cast: Sara Canning, Daniel Gillie, Jett Klyne, Humberto Morales

Synopsis: A Missionary converting an Indigenous Community in a remote Ecuadorian volcano must come to terms with her own Faith when her son is possessed by dark forces older than her own religion. 

World Premiere

‘The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia’ (US)

Written by: Chris Beier, Daniel Wolfman

Directed by: Chris Beier

Cast: Jo Schaeffer, Sam Stinson, Holt Boggs

Synopsis: A washed-up YouTube star blackmails an old rival in an attempt to reclaim her fame. But when things go awry, she finds herself ensnared by a drug trafficking ring. As Cecilia spirals out of control, she’s forced to confront her true place in society.

World Premiere

‘The Beldham’ (US)

Written/directed by: Angela Gulner

Cast: Patricia Heaton, Katie Parker, Emma Fitzpatrick, Corbin Bernsen

Synopsis: A struggling new mother fights a generations-old presence lurking within her family home, threatening her safety, her sanity, and the life of her infant child.

North American Premiere

‘Sisters’ (US)

Written/directed by: Susie Yankou

Cast: Susie Yankou, Sarah Khasrovi, Kausar Mohammed, Anna Garcia

Synopsis: Shithead best friends Lou and Esther share everything—raunchy inside jokes, flailing careers, and a mutual wish to have grown up with a sister. But when Lou finds out she has a very real, very chic long-lost half-sister, her and Esther’s co-dependent bliss is rudely interrupted.

U.S. Premiere

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