Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey joined students at the University of Texas at Austin for a town hall-style conversation produced by Variety and CNN earlier this month. The pair, who first met playing a father-son duo in Interstellar, discussed AI’s encroaching role in the film industry and answered questions about their craft and career. McConaughey urged young actors to trademark their likenesses and a cautiously optimistic Chalamet reminded them that the future of film lies in their hands. Fans of student radio station KVRX caught a sneak peek of the Marty Supreme actor before the conversation’s Feb. 21 premiere when Chalamet was spotted reciting an on-the-spot station ID on Feb. 13.
Waterloo Records Presents, a newly launched podcast network from the longstanding, recently rehomed Lamar record store, features six shows about music, film, and culture. Musicians and industry insiders – including longtime Waterloo employee Gus Ochoa, Brownout vocalist and multi-hyphenated entertainer Alex Marrero, DJs Mel and Honeycomb, and audio engineer Drew Dunavan – will capture Austin culture on the stage and behind the scenes, exploring the connections between music, success, and creativity.
Free Des Fest, a two-day DIY festival featuring Dregs, Die Mart, Blank Hellscape, and more, will raise money on Feb. 27-28 for the legal counsel of Daniel “Des Revol” Sanchez Estrada, an artist facing charges in connection to the July 4 anti-ICE noise demonstration outside Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado. Though he was not present at the protest, Sanchez Estrada was later indicted for “corruptly concealing a document or record and conspiracy to conceal documents,” according to KERA News. The documents in question are common political zines. “Items that are in the possession of millions of people in the United States. Items that are available free online, and available to purchase,” Sanchez Estrada wrote in his first public statement on Dec. 4. His arrest raised red flags for the National Lawyers Guild, and others concerned about First Amendment rights.
ACL Live at the Moody Theater celebrated 15 years of broadcasting performances from its Downtown location on Feb. 22. The festivities included an unveiling of large-scale art pieces in the building and on its exterior. Local duo Pretty Much Yeah painted a custom mural honoring the energetic spirit of Austin’s live music scene, and an interior staircase mural assembled by the theatre team showcases nearly two decades of iconic ACL taping posters created by artists across the nation, forming a snapshot of the venue’s 15-year history.
This article appears in February 27 • 2026.