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The Texas Round-Up
Notes from working in Texas film.
Spotlight: Robert Rodriguez made his first feature for $7,000 and built a studio in Austin.
How Robert Rodriguez turned a $7,000 debut into Troublemaker Studios, Texas crews, DIY film lessons and new Austin productions in 2026.
The AFS grant machine keeps paying for the next Texas filmmakers.
Fifteen short-film grants from 225 applications, a feature cycle worth up to $20,000, and a March gala at Troublemaker Studios. How Austin funds its own.
Austin's screens are in flux and the nonprofit is the one expanding.
The Paramount goes dark for a $65 million restoration while AFS Cinema adds a third screen. What that says about who's betting on theatrical here.
SXSW at 40: Spielberg, the AI question, and a room that felt alive.
The festival cut two days, lost its convention center, and still premiered ninety world premieres. What we took home from March.
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