Self Portraits, Carnivals, and Cannibalism in Our Recommended Events

Fantastic Planet

Thursday 27, AFS Cinema

Often joked about as a stoner flick for its psychedelic wah-wah soundtrack and trippy visuals, Fantastic Planet could do that job for sure – but it’s also a hell of a well-crafted animated film if you choose to take it that way. Based on a 1957 novel and meticulously animated for a decade up to its release in 1973, it was made by a largely female team – rare at the time – at the Jiří Trnka Studio in Prague, using lush cutout animation to bring to life the alien flora and fauna of the planet Ygam. The sci-fi plot, though not often considered the most compelling aspect of the film, follows a young boy named Terr as he fights to escape the subjugation of the human species by the Draag, a group of giant blue aliens that kill his mother and enslave him.   – Lina Fisher

MotherTree

Through April 20, the Vortex

Looking to branch out in your live performance viewing? Leaf it to the Vortex Theatre – purveyors of “urgent, unashamed art to create action in a shifting age” – to provide a production unlike any other. Planted by producing Artistic Director Bonnie Cullum with music direction by Anderson Dear, stagecraft meets climate science in this exploration of the human connection to trees. In keeping with the theatre’s goal to promote active praxis through performance, themes of beauty, magic, and grief are woven together by ensemble members Gabriel Maldonado, Caili Crow, Nicole Boyd, Alaithia Velez, Benjamin Cervantes, Blaise Ricin, Sigh, Pablo Munoz-Evers, Katrina Saporsantos, Tyaga Welch, Laura D’Eramo, and Logan Lasiter. It’s not going out on a limb to say the current climate crisis affects us all, so join the Vortex as “we travel through the mycorrhizal network to learn from the Trees.”   – James Scott

Self Portraits 5

Thursday 27 - Saturday 29, Dougherty Arts Center

First debuted in 2014, Bottle Alley Theatre’s Self Portraits series has bounced around unconventional venues, including warehouses and the digital hellscape we all dwelled in during the pandemic. For its fifth iteration, Self Portraits lands at Dougherty Arts Center’s mainstage, but the company is still promising “barely controlled chaos.” That means 30 new pieces, directed by Cody Arn, written and performed by Madi Luebbers, Emily Green, Meg Hobgood, Hashir Wallace, Mon Darter, Ciara Cook, Aurora Villarreal, Lligany Otaduy, and Iliana Griffth-Suarez – and delivered in an order determined by the audience. Is it art, or is it anarchy? Who says you can’t have both?   – Kimberley Jones

Legend of the Realms

Friday 28, Sky Candy

So: You like drag competitions but wish there was more lore involved – or, rather, LOR. Such is the promise of long-in-the-works competition series Legend of the Realms, which has gone from a sparkle in event org Amazing Aeffect’s founder Gothess Jasmine’s eye to a full-fledged fantasy blowout. Meant as a monthly immersive experience, this Friday marks the show’s debut with over 40 artists crossing swords onstage to “battle for their legacy through awe-inspiring performances.” Their stagecraft must meet the expectations of judges Gothess, Logan Liqueur, and Ms. Girl 6, aka Mother Natalie Lepore, who’ll be giving their yay or nay alongside special guest Fantasia Royale Gaga. Catch this perilous premiere in person or via LOR’s livestream – offered to all Patreon subscribers at the “Champions” tier.   – James Scott

Time Passages With Filmmaker Q&A

Friday 28 - Sunday 30, AFS Cinema

Memory is elusive. What we recall, what falls out of our heads, what we let slide, what we argue over, what we determinedly misremember in the face of evidence. Former Austinite Kyle Henry started making his latest documentary, Time Passages, as a way to process the death of his father and his mother’s encroaching dementia. It instead evolved into a nuanced exploration of our relationship to our shared pasts and how it is stored, whether in our minds or in photographs, and of how Kodachrome film and home movies shaped our recent past. Henry is taking the film on a Kickstarter-backed national tour, so don’t miss out on any of the three screenings in his own hometown, all followed by Q&As with Henry.   – Richard Whittaker

The Talented Mr. Ripley

Friday 28, Hyperreal Film Club

Elon Musk’s quick degradation of the site once known as Twitter robbed us all of many delights. For me personally, this means I can’t look up a specific tweet from the period after a certain Matt Damon sound bite circulated, in which said tweet’s author implied Damon’s incredible performance as con man Tom Ripley earned him f-slur privileges. Now, I have no particular side I fall on in that debate, although I do acknowledge there’s a surprising conspiracy vis-à-vis Mr. Damon and his friend Mr. Affleck’s homosocial bond. What I will stand up for is Anthony Minghella’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel: a beautiful film that plays class difference as unrequited love both for people and their lifestyles. Damon stands out as Ripley – a man on a tightrope at all times, even though his onscreen sexual crisis is absent in his more bohemian literary counterpart – but every actor dazzles here. Pay close attention to Cate Blanchett in her role as Meredith Logue, a character created by Minghella specifically to get the enchanting actress into his film.   – James Scott

Singin’ in the Rain

Friday 28 & Sunday 30 - Monday 31, AFS Cinema

Anyone who thinks that musicals and/or movies made before 1990 aren't worth their time need to watch this ASAP – strapped down Clockwork Orange-style if necessary. Singin’ in the Rain captures joy, humor, and incredible dancing in the neatest little package. It's a pleasure seeing the color and majesty of Gene Kelly's choreography on the big screen. Watching Donald O'Connor backflip off walls during "Make 'Em Laugh?" Delightful. Seeing every seductive kick and flick of Cyd Charisse in a truly iconic green dress during the dream ballet? Amazing. Being charmed by babyface Debbie Reynolds singing and tapping her toes off in "Good Morning"? Legendary. It's a feast for the senses.   – Cat McCarrey

Inland Empire

Friday 28 - Tuesday 1, All Alamo Drafthouses

Warning: After watching David Lynch’s dizzying digital-video odyssey, viewers may find themselves comparing all films made on camcorders to its troubling tale. Definitely not first-time Lynch viewer friendly, this surreal story follows Laura Dern as actress Nikki Grace – and, big surprise, her doppelganger – delving deep into cinematic boundary blurring. What’s real and what’s just method acting become inseparable, which makes sense given Lynch started filming the whole dang thing without an actual script. Drafthouse gives up on synopsizing the feature in their online copy and concludes, accurately, that this is “an impossible film to summarize, it is only to be experienced.” Keep your eyes open for a young Terry Crews cameo.   – James Scott

Make Me Famous

Friday 28 - Thursday 3, Violet Crown Cinema

A marginal figure becomes the focal point of Brian Vincent’s documentary exploration of the life and somewhat mysterious end of Edward Brezinksi, an obscure painter and gallerist of the East Village art scene in the Eighties. Juicy archival footage of stylish scenemakers and art shows held in tenement slums is paired with dishy interviews with Brezinski’s contemporaries (some of whom have since died). Forty years on and they still sniff about his naked ambition to have the kind of success that Basquiat and Keith Haring enjoyed. Was Brezinski any good? “I mean, I appreciated him as a character” goes a typically side-eye testimonial. Does he warrant a full-length doc? Maybe not, but the immersion in a bygone era – one that would be decimated by addiction, AIDS, and gentrification – is the real fascination.   – Kimberley Jones

Mulholland Drive

Friday 28 - Wednesday 2, All Alamo Drafthouses

Our collective celebration of David Lynch’s life and work will continue long after his untimely death, as evidenced by the now-ubiquitous screenings of his most well-known classics. Perhaps the most beloved of all, Mulholland Drive is so singular and affecting in style and tone that it must be experienced in the theatre at least once. This is not one you should put on in the background. Many have tried to imitate its je ne sais quoi, but all have failed: You kind of have to stay put in your dark theatre seat and let it happen to you to believe it.   – Lina Fisher

Memorial Building Ceremony for Sam Nordquist

Saturday 29, Once Over Coffee

This past February brought deep tragedy to the LGBTQ community when trans man Sam Nordquist was found dead after months of torture. Feminist organization Half the Sky and Trans Sanctuary City Austin organize a memorial building to honor the late 24-year-old, having previously put on a vigil in Nordquist’s honor shortly after news about his death released. Attendees are encouraged to bring flowers, candles, photos, talismans, and other appropriate objects of mourning to add to the altar while musical accompaniment plays.   – James Scott

Young Frankenstein

Saturday 29 - Thursday 3, AFS Cinema

“Sedagive?” “Roll, roll, roll in ze hay!” “Abby someone.” “What the hell are you doing in the bathroom day and night?” “No, it’s pronounced 'eye-gor.’” “Super-duper!” “There, wolf. There, castle.” “Blücher!” All great lines, but it’s the delivery in Mel Brooks’ hysterical spoof of the Universal Pictures classic Frankenstein that puts it among the best enduring movie satires. Sit back and watch one of the greatest comedy troupes in history, including Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Teri Garr, Marty Feldman, an uncredited Gene Hackman, and Cloris Leachman (horses whinny!) as they go putting on the Ritz and finding the sweet mysteries of life.   – Richard Whittaker

Yoruba Indigo Dye Workshop

Saturday 29, MASS Gallery

Thread weaves histories, and no one knows that better than the textile artists on display at MASS Gallery’s latest exhibit. Check out “Heartstrings” and get in touch with the tapestry of life through an indigo dye workshop. Learn from master creator Gasali Adeyemo, the genius behind Yoruba Indigo. His pieces resonate with comforting pattern work and complex use of color. They hold power – something Lieze van Tonder, The Woman King’s assistant costume designer, recognized when looking to dress Viola Davis and her warriors in that badass film. At MASS, Adeyemo will guide participants through using indigo and the cultural roots behind the dyeing process. Learn and grow, leaving with your own piece of textile history in hand.   – Cat McCarrey

Jimmy O. Yang: Big & Tall Tour

Saturday 29, ACL Live at the Moody Theater

Comedian Jimmy O. Yang entered comedy nearly straight from the womb of college life. A University of California economics major, Yang soured on business after an internship at financial consulting firm Smith Barney, and so he instead dedicated his post-graduation time to stand-up throughout the L.A. club landscape while raising rent money through odd jobs such as used-car salesman and strip club DJ, a journey he detailed in memoir How to American: An Immigrant’s Guide to Disappointing Your Parents. Then came acting, which started in a diner on CBS's 2 Broke Girls, continued into a recurring role in HBO's Silicon Valley, and currently has him playing lead in new Hulu adaptation Interior Chinatown – with many roles in between. He swings through Bat City on his Big & Tall tour to show he's still got the stand-up chops, though, and you can judge whether that's true for a minimum $53.50.   – James Scott

Rise! Freedom Communities Festival

Saturday 29, Pease Park

What is a freedom community? A uniquely Texan creation, these were communities built by Black Austinites following Juneteenth, meant to develop resources and establish churches, schools, and stores independently. These communities’ stories are the focus of upcoming documentary Rise, directed by local filmmaker Funmi Ogunro and the featured screening at this Pease Park fest. In addition to viewing an excerpt from Ogunro’s film, this celebration also offers poetry readings by Stephanie Lang, Harvé Franks, and newly crowned Austin Poet Laureate Zell Miller III; drumming by Afrique Gninze; food by Mama Jambalaya, Big Mayne BBQ, Mariachi Tex-Mex, Soul Popped Popcorn, and SnoRide SnoBoxes; and a special panel featuring descendants of Austin-area freedom communities as well as local Black historians and experts.   – James Scott

2025 Trans Day of Visibility Art Market & Community Picnic

Saturday 29, Grassroots Leadership

Much to the chagrin of bozos in state and federal government, transgender people continue to live, laugh, love our way through life. Celebrate what a joy it is to be trans with community arts org Gender Unbound at their third annual picnic. More than just a basket lunch and blanket layabout, this event offers everyone a little fun, from OutWellness offering a communal half-hour stretch to a local resources table, live music to creative activities and lawn games, and a busy artist’s market bustling with trans-made wares. Whatever sparks your joy, you’ll find it among fellow trans folks and allies here.   – James Scott

Austin Animation Showcase & Retro Action Clips

Saturday 29, We Luv Video

Prepare to melt your brain two ways with a gratis double bill of short-form mayhem. It’s illustrated chaos first with the best of local cartoonery in the Austin Animation Showcase. But don’t you dare leave that seat as the night continues with the gruesome twosome of Righteous Retro and Schlock Therapy going full twin-dragon connection for the most insane maulings, beatings, and fist-bumpings of classic action cinema. Don’t forget to stick around, sign up for your membership to Austin’s original nonprofit video rental collective, and maybe take home the full version of one of those crazy beat ’em up flicks to finish off the night.   – Richard Whittaker

Cedar Park and Leander Pride Community Carnival

Saturday 29, Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church

Weather’s getting nicer ’round the Austin area, which means outdoor activities are back on the menu. A collaboration between local LGBTQ orgs Cedar Park Pride and Leander Pride, this carnival sets up shop with more than enough to entertain everyone of all ages. Family-friendly biz like a bounce house and kids’ crafts sit beside broader boasts like food trucks, vendors, LGBTQIA storytelling, and a drag panel with a follow-up show. Served up at no cost, this’ll have you starting spring off on a good gay foot.   – James Scott

Austin’s Coffee House 10K Sunrise Tour

Saturday 29, Mañana Dos Downtown

Being the Chronicle Calendar editor means I have to reach outside my own interests to make sure the lovely readers of this print paper see all that Austin has to offer. In this magnanimous vein, I offer you a 10K social run, presented by the same folks who take over Downtown in April – which, BTW, the Statesman Cap10K approacheth – and hosted by caffeine kings Mañana Dos. Warm up those stems among fellow jogging junkies at the early morning meet and greet, where you’ll get in a collective stretch before learning the route. You don’t have to be a speedster or well-off to participate as this free event invites runners, walkers, skippers, and the stroll-inclined. Need more encouragement? Purchase a “passport bib,” which will act as your ticket to discounts at each coffeehouse stop along the 10K tour. That’s up to 20% off your java, jocko! Check out cap10k.com for more details.   – James Scott

The Silence of the Lambs

Saturday 29 - Sunday 30 & Wednesday 2, AFS Cinema

I could detail for you all the ways this film goes on to define crime thriller cinema. You’ve probably heard them before: how every actor besides Jodie Foster looks right into the camera because the audience must see from FBI trainee Clarice Starling’s perspective; how Anthony Hopkins’ oily prince Hannibal Lecter laid the groundwork for every gentleman murderer presented since; or how the thriller genre’s villainization of homosexuality and gender-ambiguity doesn’t start here but definitely gets a big boost from Ted Levine’s sinewy serial killer. I could tell you all that but I don’t need to. You’ll see this movie because it is undeniable: There are other movies and there is Silence of the Lambs. AFS screens the Demme masterpiece alongside a new doc detailing the life of “Goodbye Horses” artist Q Lazzarus.   – James Scott

Spring Reuse Art Market

Saturday 29 - Sunday 30, Austin Creative Reuse

Three-time Best of Austin winners ACR have been masters of the sustainability game since 2009, offering up thrifty options for arts & crafts supplies, party stuff, theatre props, and more via donations from the community. Since launching their reuse markets in 2020, they’ve been showcasing all the cool stuff people have made from these whatsits and thingamabobs that could be languishing in a landfill. Shop unique wares from dozens of local creatives and celebrate sustainability with activities all weekend: a community art project, a natural dye demo with the Refugee Collective, a learning game with the National Wildlife Federation, crafts with Austin Area Quilt Guild and Central Texas Basket Guild, live music, and adoptable doggos; get all the details online.   – Kat McNevins

The Mummy

Sunday 30 & Wednesday 2, Violet Crown Cinema

The intense hotness of the entire The Mummy cast has been thirsted to death on the internet, but the thirst is still completely correct. Everyone in this flick is at their absolute aesthetic peak (and yes, George of the Jungle superfans, I said what I said). Brendan Fraser’s take on the dashing adventurer is captivating; Rachel Weisz inspires librarians everywhere; Oded Fehr’s Medjai chieftain is dreamy; and Patricia Velásquez rocks her Pharaohess outfit in ways where you get why the mummy risked it all to be with her. In the words of Houston-born movie merch company Super Yaki, “Honk if you’d rather be watching the 1999 cinematic masterpiece The Mummy.” HONK HONK.   – Cat McCarrey

Anthropos Arts Alumni Spotlight

Sunday 30, Parker Jazz

Local nonprofit Anthropos Arts connects low-income youth with working musicians, providing students with free music lessons and mentorship and Austin artists with an opportunity to pass their talents on. This alumni night highlights the success of the program; performing ensemble the Hubtones, led by trombone player, former Grupo Fantasma member, and Anthropos Arts mentor Leo Gauna, well fits the esteemed Parker Jazz stage. At $50 a pop, tickets may be pricier than your usual local music show, but it’s worth it – all the proceeds go toward keeping the mentorship program going.   – Carys Anderson

Matilda

Sunday 30, We Luv Video

“Much too good for children,” is what cinema’s greatest teacher Miss Honey recalls her odious former guardian Miss Trunchbull telling her while chomping bonbons the young Honey wasn’t allowed. Such is the sentiment of many these days who don’t believe kids deserve good movies. Instead, they’d like children to be served slop – forced to eat slice after slice of sweaty chocolate-cake cinema with no nutritional value. They’re wrong! In their new Family Friendly Matinee series, rental shop We Luv Video presents kids’ classics made with intention, skill, and plenty of heart. This Danny DeVito-directed adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel encourages standing up to authority, education, and being kind – a skill many adults need to learn these days.   – James Scott

Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus

Sunday 30 & Thursday 3, AFS Cinema

You know the song. You know the scene. But do you know the artist behind that haunting pop serenade? Singer Q Lazzarus, aka Diane Luckey, gained cult status following her 1988 tune “Goodbye Horses” being used as serial killer Buffalo Bill’s mirror-dance anthem. After having her songs and performances featured in other Jonathan Demme pictures, she later returned to working as a driver. Skip to 2019, when Lazzarus picks up filmmaker Eva Aridjis Fuentes by chance: Fuentes recognizes the musician, they talk, and now AFS screens the documentary they’ve made, where Lazzarus details her whole life alongside archival performance footage. Though the talented musician passed in 2022 due to sepsis, her legacy lives on.   – James Scott

Spring Fling: Chuckstravaganza

Sunday 30, Pease Park

One of our city’s crown jewels is its first public park, named for 1850s-era Gov. Elisha M. Pease, who donated it to the city in 1875. Over the ensuing 150 years, the park has been developed and improved with several efforts, including the Kingsbury Commons project that broke ground in 2019. Chuck Smith has been COO overseeing that project along with other park improvements and programming, and is due for a well-earned retirement. So come out to thank Chuck for his hard work and enjoy some of his favorite things, including Mediterranean bites, cocktails, music, and mingling. This’ll be the first of many Spring Flings, so get in on the ground floor.   – Kat McNevins

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Want to see all of our listings broken down by day? Go to austinchronicle.com/calendar and see what's happening now or in the coming week.