Exactly what you want from a local non chain theater. They reliably have most smaller new releases that are getting a good amount of attention. The prices, particularly if you go for the membership, are very reasonable. I like how they've been able to maintain a classic movie theater feel while upgrading things such as the seats to be more comfortable Obviously you won't get the same degree of comfort or volume of releases that you have at a major chain, but I'm really happy a place like this exists so close to me and can't recommend it enough if you're a movie person in Austin! read more

The Austin Film Society is a theater for real movie lovers! Unlike the mega plex theaters, they don't show current blockbuster movies. Instead, they show classic, new independent, documentary, cult movies, and features of the Austin Film Festival. Joining the society gives you access to free member Monday screenings, as well as discounts on signature screenings and new releases. You can join for the low price of $65/year, which gives you $4 off tickets and free Monday screenings, new release previews, quarterly member mixers, and discounts on classes and merch. The theater is decorated with movie posters from all the classic films. It's very inspirational. The seats don't recline like the mega plex theaters, but it's not important. The real value of the theater is in the quality of movies shown. And their popcorn is better than the mega plex theatres: it's not too salty or buttery. We saw a preview of Hamnet, touted to be one of the best films of the year. During the Austin Film Festival, we saw a screening of the Unexpecteds, followed by servings of free Torchy's tacos. They also showed the documentary, "Seconds Away," about a runner trying to qualify for the Olympics. read more

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I had the pleasure of checking out AFS during a free SXSW showcase earlier this weekend. The lobby is beautiful, clean, and spacious, and I loved how they have a full bar available. Bathrooms are big and extremely clean, as well. There was free popcorn, which I believe was just for the SXSW event, but I did see signs saying that there are free refills for popcorn normally, which is awesome. The theater itself was comfortable, dark, and quiet, and I could not hear anything else going on in the other theaters. Plenty of leg room. I highly recommend checking out AFS if you're in the area! read more

Austin Film Society - SXSW event - Video/Film Production Near Me - Austin, Texas

Everything about this place is top-notch. Reminds me a lot of how the draft house was when I first moved here 10 or so years ago. I love popping in for events that go on frequently or just catching any one of the random movies that they play. I got to go to my very first festival here this past year and thoroughly enjoyed it. Food and drinks that you get are priced about what you expect and ticket prices are fair as well. I'm glad that we have options in the city for film. Without AFS we would be lacking. read more

Comfortable seats. Very dark. Encourages silence in the audience. Classic movies. "Art house. Independent films. Academy Shorts screenings. Best popcorn. Endless bag of popcorn $8! Tastes like real butter. Lightly salted. Perfect. read more

We love coming here for the movies. My Membership has more than paid for itself! My nephew is a film major in college and he and I frequently are at AFS watching the most fabulous films. Indeed, I can say that I have learned tremendously about film and it's often groundbreaking history from both my nephew and from the films we've seen. There is an atmosphere of what I might call social comfort here. Folks sitting at the bar and visiting....the knowledge and friendliness of the staff.... it's almost a family kind of feeling. And very different from the average movie going experience where couples/groups go in with no particular acknowledgement of others. So many fabulous movie choices! read more

Love it. Great selection of films. Friendly employees. Comfy seats. Perfect popcorn. What's not to like?!

Excellent theater with 2 screens! Super comfy NEW SEATS ( they recline in one of the theaters, plenty of leg room for long legs). Second theater's seats are very comfortable and nice as well, just don't recline. Cute full bar and lots of cool posters throughout the space. Great for a date night or just an outing with friends. What a great way to watch amazing selection of films! Love this location, plenty of parking, easy to get to. read more

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I've been here a couple of times and had a very pleasant experience each time. Can't wait to return. read more

Austin Film Society - Lobby - Video/Film Production Near Me - Austin, Texas

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This is a great little theater that I first heard about on KUTX. They play foreign films, festival picks, indies, oldies & goodies. They also air new releases, like Parasite. We became quite fond of Jazmyne's late night picks. I'm tempted to compare these films to Alamo's weird Wednesday, but they're actually better than that. We saw White Star, which featured a very coked-up Dennis Hopper. But we also saw The Cook, the Theif, his Wife & her Lover, which was like watching paintings brought to life. We saw The Red Shoes in this theater & that's one of my favorite films of all time. Never thought I'd be able to watch it on the big screen. Also saw a documentary on Miles Davis that made me laugh and cry. If you're a cinephile, you probably already know about AFS. But if you've never been, you should go. Just remember: it's about the movies. You can buy tickets online or in the lobby. They have classic movie snacks like popcorn, candy & soda. They also offer things like ice cream sandwiches & cold brew coffee. Full bar & sometimes special cocktails for movies. Staff is mostly nice but, just like the rest of Austin, they move at their own pace. Plenty of bathrooms, plenty of parking, plenty of eateries nearby if you're still hungry. Some people will say the chairs are uncomfortable and... I don't necessarily disagree. This theater will probably remind you of going to see movies as a kid. The chairs don't recline & there are no servers bringing drinks to you. But there is hot, buttered popcorn in a bag & film noir. There is commentary, question & answer, special screenings and tributes. Sometimes, after an especially moving feature, there is applause. It's up to you to decide what sort of movie experience you want. Luckily, in Austin, we don't have to choose between Alamo & AFS. We can have both. Just remember (once more, with feeling): it's about the movies. read more

Austin Film Society - A classic film by the Archers & one of my absolute favorites that we were able to catch at AFS - Video/Film Production Near Me - Austin, Texas

This is my favorite theater for art house flicks! The projection is bright and clear. Jazmyn Moreno is my fave programmer and she always picks out the good stuff! read more

AFS--like the Austin Chronicle--has changed in ways that reflect the changes in Austin itself over the last 30 years. It started out as scrappy and unpretentious--a bunch of young people without a lot of money working together to screen great movies and create a few of their own. As Austin became a destination city for the "creative class" (Deloitte consultants and advertising copywriters), and as some of the scrappy types who started the film society became admired filmmakers, AFS got better fonts and logos and more expensive-looking flyers, but it also offered a lot to locals, especially people who wanted to learn about film production without taking expensive classes at UT. Eventually, though, everything in Austin that was charming or egalitarian got flushed out and replaced, to the point where the city is now a smug version of Redmond, Washington, or San Mateo with food trucks and more homeless people. The city's college population is barely perceptible unless you're literally on the campus of UT or St. Ed's. AFS in 2021 is what I imagine the San Mateo Film Society would be (or actually is, if it exists): tastefully run (increasingly by people hired from coastal cities--that's the Austin way), stickered with more corporate logos than a NASCAR vehicle, as inoffensive as a beige tote-bag (apart from the Lates series, which has remained interesting and transgressive), and with a slightly aloof, unfriendly aura. At a screening a couple of years ago, an AFS programmer openly mocked someone in the audience when she mentioned, during a Q&A, that she ran "the Austin Horror Society." At an AFS screening of a sci-fi classic, the presenter asked the crowd "not to embarrass us in front of our guests from New York" by talking during the movie, which was obviously just a goofy joke, except that it kind of wasn't, and nobody laughed. Speaking of local yokels: AFS has been pretty antagonistic, behind the scenes, to the Hyperreal Film Club, a smaller, more adventurous film society in town. Austin in the 2020s is a city of beady-eyed climbers--the kinds of people you used to read about in Spy Magazine and in novels by Jay McInerney and Bret Easton Ellis--and you get the sense that a lot of people at AFS are hoping that their current gig will lead to higher-profile work in a better city, like New York or at least Chicago. Last year, when COVID hit, AFS did the polite/responsible thing and committed suicide, shifting to an incredibly depressing "virtual screenings" model. For all of the corporate sponsorship and grant money flowing in, and for all of the millionaires on its board of directors and advisory board, AFS wasn't able to do something creative like bring authentic drive-in cinema back to the city, or resume activity as quickly as possible with socially distanced open-air screenings. AFS just went full Zoom. And then, of course, a few months later--in sync with Raytheon, Ben and Jerry's, the CIA and the Monsanto Corporation--AFS suddenly discovered that America was an apartheid hellhole, barely distinguishable from Jim-Crow-era Alabama, and started emailing its members promising to pay more attention to everybody's skin color and physiognomy and to exclude artists from grant consideration on the basis of race. Live screenings will be back soon, but if the programming is as medicinal and joyless as seems likely, there won't be much reason to return. Art is finished anyway--it's all dreary propaganda--and the only forms of non-artistic entertainment we're allowed to enjoy are Disney+ superhero shows, UFC cage matches, and depersonalized sexual encounters facilitated by smartphone apps. The old Marchesa theater would be the perfect space to put in a brand new live/work space with million-dollar condominiums, a bespoke ramen bar, and a regional headquarters for Fiverr or Lyft. In the name of equity, AFS should stop taking up space, and let Lyft do the work. read more

It's been almost a year since my last review and still things are poorly run at Austin Studios. First thing: The hangar's leak. Hangar 2 (comically referred to as "stage 2") offices are poorly insulated and tend to leak profusely. Just last week there was a big downpour in which 2 of the upstairs offices had heavy water leaks. Downstairs, in one office, water had leaked through the wall onto the floor. The hangar doors were also unable to block the onslaught of water. After the producers of the show that is renting the space called AFS out on these facts, AFS piled a bunch of sandbags in front of the hangar doors to block the water from coming in. That should work until those doors need to be opened again. They still haven't dealt with bathroom issues. One bathroom in Hangar 2 and another one quite a distance away at Hangar 5. Sure there are some in the red building, but unless the show you are working on has an office in there, there is no way you'll get into that building. The soundproofing? I wouldn't even call it that. It's an old airplane hangar with some celotex on the walls. It'll quiet most of the outside noise, save for planes, trucks and people talking. The so-called grid they put in place on the ceilings? Complete joke. Why do you think most productions have cut holes in the ceiling to construct their own light grid? Because all-thread hangers are not useful. I've worked off an on at Austin Studios for over 10 years now, and they have changed very little since then. Of course AFS gave away the largest construction space available, to an outside company (Soundcheck) which means that Hangar 2 is the only shop worthy stage now available. That stage is poorly ventilated and is not heated or cooled at all. Sad. If you have everything pre-built and ready to install into one of their hangars, you'll be set. If, instead, you are like every other production around, and you need shop space, good luck. Without dedicated 220 lines and better power outlays, you'll be fighting a lot of tripped breakers. I wouldn't bother turning on the monstrosity of an AC unit they have installed into stages 3 and 5, since it is poorly designed. Why else would most productions rent an aggreko unit to help cool the non-insulated buildings. AFS is really good about throwing lavish parties and courting Hollywood bigwigs. If you happen to work on anything that is shooting there, you will most likely be shunned, or ignored. This could be a great place to film, if they would just listen to the people that work here rather than some out of touch consulting firm. read more

The BEST thing to happen to my film career. I joined, I got a grant to do another film (with no end in sight, sigh, yet), got into a showcase at SXSW, met some great people at their open studio party on the Austin Studios site (although they ran out of BBQ because SO MANY people came) and met film guru, advocate and insider Chale Nafus, the programming director who's been intermeshed with the film and arts scene for some time. The BEST thing, for immediate gratification, to come from an Austin Film Society membership, is that for a $40 membership you NEVER pay the full price for tickets at the Alamo Drafthouse. And the Alamo Drafthousers are always glad to see you come and use your card. Not only for a town this size, but ALL sizes, really, there is nothing like this organization and facility which gets enormous, significant films shot here as well as have mavericks like Richard Linklater, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino (who hosts a impromptu film festival via AFS from time to time) actively supporting and utilizing it. The Austin Film Hall of Fame is the biggest gala of the year (starting at $5000 a seat) and the scope and attention AFS pays to the evolution and celebration of film in our area is incredible. As Austin has voted to add more money to this endeavor as a city institution, and as the studios become fully sound-proofed, the future of the Austin Film Society is boundless. 5 1/2 stars. read more

Austin Film Society - Video/Film Production Near Me - Austin, Texas

Very intense film and writer. High school director is very good for paper flags.i like being a member and listening to writer/ director. Great crepes. And free drink.the film is about s brother and a sister and kicked off French week. read more

I've been here on three occasions and am delighted that Texas can actually sustain a sometimes-avant-garde theater filled with a thriving local film community. Today I saw Hedi and the screening ended with a Skype call between the lead actor and the audience. The entire experience was similar to Film Forum, but probably better. Please disregard the inane reviews posted by sad nobodies bitching about the seats; the mildly uncomfortable chairs are part of the cosy charm of the place -- one wonders if such persons would be happier at the Domain or Rainy Street, assuming they are capable of experiencing happiness. read more

Great venue showing different movies, a lot of International movies. Great bar with lots of options. read more

I love the independent films here but the seats are uncomfortable and old style seating means you will have trouble seeing over the person'a head sitting in front of you. Secondly the staff does nothing to discourage the jackasses who talk through movie trailer and movie- stupid moronic no manner millennials whose parents apparently let their precious babies do whatever they wanted to do, so unless you enjoy watching movies with jerks talking and texting, I suggest you go to a much better forum- Alamo Drafthouse Theaters. 9 am done with AFS after trying to get AFS staff to do something about 4 guys talking loudly enough like they were in a bar. Staff did nothing somAFS will not get my more of my donations or money or business. read more

I've been a member of AFS for over a decade - it is one of the reasons I stay in Austin. The membership dues are extraordinarily reasonable given all of the benefits I've received - including TFPF travel funds, access to the screening room for tests, and the countless film screenings and premieres that the Austin Film Society programs. read more

The snotty review by Brad B. is just disgusting; as is the hatchet job by A.L. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have been affiliated with AFS and the Studio for 4 years. The people are just top-notch; don't know of an organization with such talent.I have seen the benefits of a grant that allowed an IDA awarded documentary to be made and the mentorship that is offered to aspiring actors, writers, and filmmakers. It is just amazing. The work that they do for the community is vital and the Studio offers a first class venue that is well managed. I have heard the same from award winning producers from Hollywood and NY. Those are facts. read more