Austin Film Festival Gets With The Program
Lance Armstrong biopic closes out festival
By Josh Kupecki, 12:03PM, Tue. Oct. 13, 2015
The Austin Film Festival revealed its Closing Night film today, The Program, a biopic of controversial cyclist and local resident Lance Armstrong.
The film, directed by Stephen Frears (Philomena, The Queen) with a screenplay by John Hodge (Trainspotting) focuses on a reporter (Chris O'Dowd) who is convinced that Armstrong (played by Ben Foster) is taking banned substances to help him win seven Tour de France medals. As you may recall, Armstrong vehemently denied the allegations for years, until 2010, when his teammate Floyd Landis (here played by Jesse Plemons) admitted to doping and accused Armstrong of the same, sparking an intense investigation that led to Armstrong admitting that he had been lying the whole time.
AFF also announced a couple of other titles to round out the fest. The 33, about the Chilean miners who were trapped underground for over two months, stars Antonio Banderas and Lou Diamond Phillips. And Love the Coopers, an ensemble comedy starring Olivia Wilde, Marisa Tomei, and John Goodman, about multiple generations coming together for the Christmas holidays. Drama ensues, and in all probability, life lessons will be learned. For more information on the 2015 Austin Film Festival visit www.austinfestival.com. Check out the trailer for The Program below.
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Jessi Cape, Nov. 3, 2015
Austin Film Festival 2015, Lance Armstrong, The Program, The 33, Love the Coopers