Austin Film Festival (AFF) announced the first wave of films to be included in their 26th Anniversary edition, taking place October 24 to 31, 2019. AFF will screen legendary writer/director Terrence Malick’s latest film A Hidden Life, starring August Diehl and Valerie Pachner. The film follows the true story of an Austrian farmer who refused to yield to Nazi forces in World War II. Also screening at AFF is the biopic Harriet, written by Kasi Lemons and Gregory Allen Howard and starring Cynthia Erivo, Joe Alwyn, and Jannelle Monáe, following the harrowing journey of American hero Harriet Tubman. In addition, AFF will screen The Truth from writer/director Hirokazu Koreeda starring Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, and Ethan Hawke.

AFF will also be hosting the world premiere of the documentary feature Cowboys written and directed by Austin locals John Langmore and Bud Force and The Animal People from executive producer Joaquin Phoenix, written by Cassandra Suchan, Denis Henry Hennelly, Sasha Perry, Brian Palmer and directed by Cassandra Suchan and Denis Henry Hennelly. Other world premiere titles include The VICE Guide to Bigfoot, written by Zach Lamplugh and Brian Emond, and the Texas crime thriller Sleeping in Plastic from writer/director Van Ditthavong.

Aline Brosh McKenna will also join the Festival alongside her Crazy Ex-Girlfriend co-creator and star Rachel Bloom to present the documentary Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Oh My God I Think It’s Over that follows the show’s final episode, with filmmaker Katie Hyde in attendance. Following the screening, the three will sit down for a Q&A to discuss the CW musical comedy series that explores mental health issues and modern relationships and the story’s journey through its final season, which concluded in April 2019.

The complete list of programming, including over 100 more films as well as hundreds of panels, will be announced in late September.

AFF FIRST WAVE:

A Hidden Life

Writer/Director: Terrence Malick
Starring: August Diehl, Valerie Pachner, Maria Simon, Tobias Moretti, Bruno Ganz, Matthias Schoenaerts, Karin Neuhäuser, Ulrich Matthes

Based on real events, from visionary writer-director Terrence Malick, A HIDDEN LIFE is the story of an unsung hero, Franz Jägerstätter, who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II. When the Austrian peasant farmer is faced with the threat of execution for treason, it is his unwavering faith and his love for his wife Fani and children that keeps his spirit alive.

A Patient Man

Texas Premiere
Writer/Director: Kevin Ward

In the aftermath of a terrible car accident, a man tries to make sense of his life and seeks revenge for what he has lost.

Cowboys

World Premiere
Writer/Director: John Langmore, Bud Force

In an age of breathtaking change, rapid urbanization, and a daily news cycle, it’s hard to imagine an existence almost entirely divorced from that reality. Yet, COWBOYS: A Documentary Portrait reveals a fascinating way of life tied uniquely to the natural environment and capricious thousand-pound animals. Filmed on location in the most remote parts of the American West, COWBOYS paints an intimate portrait of a surprisingly diverse and eloquent group of men and women committed to a harsh reality while feeding a population they’re likely never to encounter.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Oh My God I Think It’s Over

Director: Katie Hyde

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Oh My God I Think It’s Over” is a peek behind the curtain as the team behind the award-winning comedy series “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” wraps up its final season. We watch as co-creators Rachel Bloom and Aline Brosh McKenna and their many talented collaborators steer the show through its final episode. The film highlights their unique process as they juggle writing, songwriting, choreography on a spinning turntable, last minute big ideas and emergencies, and the “impossible task” of creating a smart, feminist, musical comedy show that’s a process unlike any other show ever to air on network TV.

Harriet

Writers: Gregory Allen Howard, Kasi Lemmons
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monáe, Joe Alwyn, Jennifer Nettles, Clarke Peters

Based on the thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, HARRIET tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes. Her courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.

Macabre

North American Premiere
Writer: Lucas Paraizo and Rita Gloria Curvo
Director: Marcos Prado

Macabre is a feature film based on the true story of the ‘Werewolves of Freiburg’, two young brothers who were accused of brutal murders in the 90’s, in Brazil. The thriller follows Sergeant Téo in his quest for the suspects hiding in the Atlantic Forest. While the population, the press and the local police condemn the brothers, Téo realizes that one of them may be innocent.

Sleeping in Plastic

World Premiere
Writer/Director: Van Ditthavong

A small Texas town awakes when a high school wrestler gets swept into the dangerous world of an intoxicating drifter and her ruthless lover. Lives intertwine and spiral violently out of control once he becomes her escort driver and risks everything to save her.

The Animal People

World Premiere
Writers: Cassandra Suchan, Denis Henry Hennelly, Sasha Perry, Brian Palmer
Director: Cassandra Suchan, Denis Henry Hennelly
Executive Producer: Joaquin Phoenix

A chilling portrait of what happens when activism rattles the institutions of power.

The Truth

Writer: Hirokazu Koreeda, Adaption by Lea Le Dimna
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke, Ludivine Saginer, Roger Van Hool

Fabienne is a star; a star of French cinema. She reigns amongst men who love and admire her. When she publishes her memoirs, her daughter Lumir returns from New York to Paris with her husband and young child. The reunion between mother and daughter will quickly turn to confrontation: truths will be told, accounts settled, loves and resentments confessed.

The VICE Guide to Bigfoot

World Premiere
Writer: Zach Lamplugh, Brian Emond
Director: Zach Lamplugh

The debut feature from director Zach Lamplugh (Adult Swim); This paranormal comedy follows a hopelessly millennial reporter on the most important assignment of his career: Bigfoot. But after following a prominent cryptozoologist into the Appalachian foothills, he’s forced to answer the question “is a good story worth dying for?”