“On Story”: Eric Heisserer

A half-hour with the screenwriter of the hit movie Arrival from his panel at the 2017 Austin Film Festival.

I’ve been quoted as saying, “The Austin Film Festival is like Woodstock for screenwriters.”

I’ve also been quoted as saying, “Featuring conversations with some of the world’s most renowned screenwriters and directors, On Story is essential viewing for anyone interested in filmmaking.”

A shining example of what I’m talking about is this episode from Season 8 of On Story on PBS. It features the supremely talented screenwriter Eric Heisserer talking about how he beat enormous odds in taking the wondrous movie Arrival from script to screen.

Here’s the deal: You may be unable to make it to the Austin Film Festival. Or you have attended the Festival, but couldn’t make it to some of the panels (easy to do, there are so many).

On Story takes some of the best events from each year’s Festival and produces them as TV episodes, so in a virtual kind of way… YOU ARE THERE! And since the Festival brings together 150+ professional screenwriters and industry insiders every year, On Story is a treasure trove of insight and information for any and all screenwriters and filmmakers.

Right now, On Story is running a crowdfunding campaign that is well worth supporting. Check out this video to learn more:

The TV series and radio podcasts are free, so that alone should be enough motivation to toss a few dollars their way. To do so, here is a link to their Seed and Spark site. But hurry, there are only 4 more days left!

For more On Story videos featuring past Austin Film Festival highlights — including some that I’ve moderated — go here.

Twitter: @austinfilmfest, @AFFOnStory.

P.S.: I’ll be returning to the Austin Film Festival in October as a moderator and some panels. I hope to see you there. But if you can’t make it, you can always do the next best thing and check out the On Story TV series on PBS or the On Story radio podcast via PRI.