For the second year in a row, a writing pair from the Lone Star State will have a shot at bringing home the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2025, Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley received high praise for Sing Sing, their drama about an arts program in the titular correctional facility. This year, they’re nominated in the same category for Train Dreams, a quiet, sprawling masterpiece about a railway laborer and logger in the early 20th century. On Saturday, Feb. 21, the pair will host a Q&A with the audience at AFS Cinema after a screening of the film.
The appearance will be something of a homecoming for the pair, who were previously recipients of the AFS grant.
“Not only has AFS supported me and so many of my friends over the years, but Austin is where I became a filmmaker and where Greg and I got our start together,” Bentley says. “I can’t wait to be back with audiences there.”
Beyond the pair’s connection to the local nonprofit cinema incubator, Train Dreams has additional links to the capital city. The screenplay is based on a novella by Denis Johnson, the National Book Award–winning author who taught at the University of Texas’ Michener Center. Train Dreams was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2012.
The film adaptation has also been compared to the work of luminary Austin filmmaker Terrence Malick (Days of Heaven, The Tree of Life). While there are several parallels one could draw—from the meditative tone to the sweeping storyline—it’s the cinematography and use of natural light that stand out the most. Malick has always liked using natural light for his films, and Train Dreams is shot almost entirely with available light rather than traditional artificial sources.
Cinematographer Adolpho Veloso has already won 11 different awards, including the Critics Choice and Independent Spirit Award, and he has been nominated for a slew more, including an Oscar. Saturday’s screening of the film at AFS is a 35mm print of Train Dreams, which is sure to be stunning.
Even without all the clear connections to Austin, Train Dreams is a movie that just feels tailored to the tastes of the capital city. It’s a bit of an underdog made on a fairly modest budget and embraces bold techniques from rising filmmakers. In other words, it’s right at home in this outpost of cinema rife with scrappy artists.
Great Job Bryan C. Parker & the Team @ Austin Monthly Magazine Source link for sharing this story.
