Janus Films has acquired all U.S. rights to “Carol & Joy,” a vérité documentary short featuring Oscar-nominated actress Carol Kane and her 98-year-old mother, Joy.

The Austin Film Festival has announced its 2025 Script and Film Competition Award winners. The 32nd annual fete recognized a new class of storytellers in 33 categories, who received AFF’s signature Bronze Typewriter Award at the Awards Luncheon held Oct. 25.

Founded in 1994 on the principle of honoring the screenplay, AFF’s yearly Writers Conference and competitions serve as a launchpad, identifying and connecting emerging talent with established industry leaders via mentorship and career development. Selected from a pool of more than 17,000 submissions across 112 countries, 35 writers and filmmakers were recognized this year for their outstanding work. 

“We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” (dir. Jane Schoenbrun, 2021)

Jane Schoenbrun understands the internet. The filmmaker behind such projects as “A Self-Induced Hallucination” (a 2018 doc “about the internet”), the tech-tinged “Eyeslicer” series, and the dreamy “collective: unconscious” had always found the space to explore the worldwide web with respect, reverence, and a hearty dose of fear. For their narrative feature debut, Schoenbrun expanded their obsessions to craft an intimate tale about the impact of modern internet culture — one that’s part coming-of-age story, part horror film, and also the greatest argument yet for the beauty that “Creepypasta” can inspire.

“Tendaberry”

One of the privileges of doing this job is anticipating a promising filmmaker’s next leap. When I first watched Haley Elizabeth Anderson’s evocative queer coming-of-age short “Pillars” at Sundance 2019, I sensed she was someone to keep an eye on. Her later short co-directed social justice documentary “The Sentence Of Michael Thompson” only increased my curiosity. But her debut feature, the arching, handmade “Tendaberry,” which premiered at Sundance 2024, exceeded my wildest hopes. 

Director Tyler Taormina wraps up an unabashedly sincere portrait of a boisterous Italian-American family gathering in twinkling tissue paper, and leaves it under the tree.

Dweck Productions has joined Joel Potrykus’ upcoming dark comedy feature “Vulcanizadora” which will star Joshua Burge.