Austin Film Festival Crowns Spencer Closing Night Film
Princess Diana biopic headlines last round of titles
By Richard Whittaker, 9:00AM, Wed. Oct. 6, 2021
Get out your best royal finery: Austin Film Festival (Oct. 21-28) has announced that royal biopic Spencer will be this year's closing night film.
Pablo Larraín's thematic follow-up to another AFF title, 2017's Jackie, stars Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana Spencer at a gathering of the British royal family. However, it's no happy Christmas, as she prepares to announce that she will shatter convention by divorcing Prince Charles (Jack Farthing). The film is already stirring Oscar buzz, most especially for Stewart's performance as the doomed princess.
The festival has previously announced the local premiere of Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch, as well as opening night title The Same Storm, directed by long time friend of AFF Peter Hedges (Ben is Back, What's Eating Gilbert Grape).
Spencer headlines a final list of new titles that includes this year's inaugural Spotlight Film, the North American premiere of Diego Ongaro's Down with the King, starring Grammy-nominated musician Freddie Gibbs as a rapper who abandons the studio for a simpler life in a rural farming community.
Also on today's list are five more world premieres and a slate of features, including sci fi coming-of-age drama Spaghetti Junction, and revisionist retelling of Red Riding Hood, Briefly.
Austin Film Festival runs Oct. 21-28. Tickets and passes at austinfilmfestival.com.
Follow all our coverage at austinchronicle.com/austin-film-festival.
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Austin Film Festival, Austin Film Festival 2021, Spencer