Putting the Austin in Austin Film Festival

Austin Film Festival is just around the corner. But in between major international screenings like Natalie Portman in opening night pop drama Vox Lux, and Hugh Jackman closing the event as Gary Hart in The Front Runner, there's a strong showing as always from Texas filmmakers.

• Bradley Beesley may live in Austin, but as his documentaries Okie Noodling and Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo show, his heart is still in Oklahoma, and now he heads back to the Sooner State for Fathers of Football.
Sunday Oct. 28, 7:15pm, State Theatre
Wednesday Oct. 31, 8:15pm, Rollins Theatre

• Mike Blizzard makes up for debuting his history of filmmaking in the State Capital, Also Starring Austin, at the Dallas International Film Festival with a brace of home town screenings.
Friday Oct. 26, 7:30pm, Rollins Theatre
Monday Oct. 29, 6:30pm, State Theatre

• Ty Roberts directs The Iron Orchard, adapted from the multigenerational oil novel by Edmund Pendleton Van Zandt Jr (yes, those Van Zandts).
Saturday Oct. 27, 4pm, Galaxy Highland
Tuesday, Oct. 30, 7:15pm, State Theatre

• Tyler Russell (who, coincidentally, directed Austin web series "Buckle Up" - see "Ridesharin' Dirty," Oct. 12 for more on that) harvests some Texas Cotton.
Sunday Oct. 28 3:45pm Rollins Theatre
Monday Oct. 29, 9:15pm State Theatre

• Daniel Laabs finally brings the long gestating Jules of Light and Dark to the screen (how long? Laabs received his first Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund grant for the project in 2011).
Thursday Oct. 25, 9:45pm, Alamo Drafthouse Village
Wednesday Oct. 31, 6pm, State Theatre.

• Zane Holtz, star of the TV version of From Dusk Til Dawn and heading to multiplexes next weekend with Hunter-Killer, lights up the Dark Matters strand with Beyond the Night.
Thursday, Oct. 25, 7:15pm, State Theatre
Tuesday Oct. 30, 7pm, Alamo Drafthouse Village.

• Director and former ATX resident Hannah Fiddell (A Teacher) squeezed in one last trip to Texas with her road trip comedy The Long Dumb Road.
Friday Oct. 26, 8:30pm, Paramount Theatre.

• And if that's not enough Lone Star State cinema for you, it may be set in California, but Waiting for the Miracle to Come is the latest film to star Willie Nelson, and was shot on his ranch right here in Central Texas.
Saturday Oct. 27, 3pm, State Theatre
Monday Oct. 29, 7pm, Galaxy Highland

In addition, keep an eye out for a whole slate of Texas shorts packages, plus the Made In Texas panel, featuring Melissa Dalley (director of family mourning short "Goodbye Sirena"), Roberts and Blizzard (Saturday Oct. 27, 4pm, Paramount Tent).

AFF runs Oct. 25-Nov. 1: Tickets and details at www.austinfilmfestival.com.