- In 1985, filmmaker Richard Linklater began a film screening society in Austin, Texas, that aimed to show classic art-house and experimental films to a budding community of cinephiles and filmmakers. The Austin Film Society raised enough money to fly in their first out-of-town invitee, visionary experimental filmmaker James Benning. Accepting the invitation, Benning met Linklater and immediately the two began to develop a personal and intellectual bond, which has lasted through the present. After the cult success of "Slacker" (1991), Linklater has gone on to make award-winning big budget narrative films including "School of Rock" (2003), "Before Midnight" (2013) and "Boyhood" (2014). Benning, meanwhile, has stayed close to his modest roots and is mainly an unknown figure in mainstream film culture. Combining filmed conversations and archival material, "Double Play" explores the connections between the work and lives of these two American visionaries.—Anonymous
- A documentary portrait of the friendship between the renowned filmmakers James Benning and Richard Linklater that combines filmed conversations and extensive archival material to explore connections and divergences in their respective approaches to life and cinema.—Anonymous
- A documentary portrait of the friendship between the renowned filmmakers James Benning and Richard Linklater that combines filmed conversations and extensive archival material to explore connections and divergences in their respective approaches to life and cinema.
In 1985, former oil rig worker Richard Linklater began a film screening society in Austin, Texas, that aimed to show classic art-house and experi- mental films to a budding community of cinephiles. Eventually incorporat- ing as a nonprofit, the newly branded Austin Film Society raised enough money to fly in their first out-of-town filmmaker invitee : Milwaukee native James Benning, who was then based in New York. Accepting the invitation, Benning met Linklater and immediately the two began to develop a personal and intellectual bond, leading to future screenings and encounters. Starting in the late 60s, Benning had been creating structural non-narrative films largely on his own, while Linklater had just begun to craft his first 8 and 16 mm shorts. The filmmakers have remained close even as their careers have wildly diverged. After the cult success of Slacker (1991), Linklater went on to make big budget narra- tive films with Hollywood support. Benning, meanwhile, has stayed close to his modest roots and is mainly an unknown figure in mainstream film culture. Working with legendary producer Andre S. Labarthe who co-created the long-running French television series «Cinema, de notre temps» (Cin- ema of Our Time) the film studies professor Gabe Klinger set out to document the unique friendship of Benning and Linklater over the course of a few days in Austin and Bastrop, Texas, while the two filmmakers presented Bennings films at the Austin Film Society, played baseball at Linklaters home, visited old shooting locations, and shared memories over long meals and hikes. Combining this newly filmed material with extensive archival elements, Double Play attempts to find Benning and Linklaters similarities and at the same time contrast their disparities.
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