Austin Film Society Hiring Theatre Manager
No details on location of new two-screen cinema
By Richard Whittaker, 12:30PM, Fri. Mar. 25, 2016
The night before SXSW, Oscar-winning director Richard Linklater let the cat out of the bag: Austin Film Society will be opening a two-screen cinema this year. Now AFS is hiring a general manager for the theatre, but there's still no precise word on where the screens will be.
The announcement came from the stage during the 2016 Texas Film Awards. In some ways, it's no surprise: While it now runs Austin Studios, supports filmmakers through grants, and is taking over management of programming for Austin's public access system, AFS' roots are in screening films. When the society expanded to take over the former National Guard Armory next door to the studios, the talk got louder. Now Linklater is setting the plans in motion with a gift that will ensure the construction will start with the next year.
Explaining the growth, AFS Executive Director Rebecca Campbell said, "It is time for AFS no longer to be just a film club, but a full-time arthouse theatre, with its door open all year round."
While there is no word on where the screens will be, yesterday, AFS posted the position of general manager for the cinema and events hall on their website. While the job description calls theatre experience "a plus" (and "love of film a necessity"), this isn't a film booking job. Instead, AFS is looking for a "seasoned food and beverage/events business leader, with 7+ years experience in venue operations and management." In addition to running operations of the theater, the manager will also ensure sufficient concession leases and event rentals to cover the inevitable costs of running a not-for-profit arthouse film society.
Currently, the society uses two spaces for screenings: First, it has a small screening room on the studio campus; and second, the Marchesa Hall and Theatre, just across the road from the Austin Community College Highland campus. The 278-seat room at the Marchesa has seen a massive expansion in both the amount of programming and the number of people that AFS can seat. However, they are only one of a series of tenants (including special events like the Blue Genie Art Bazaar, Staple!, and Inspire Pro Wrestling), and so that has limited the number of screenings and events that they can host there.
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Austin Film Society, Richard Linklater, Marchesa Hall and Theater, Austin Studios