The Big Picture
Life is a looped projector and sometimes someone adds another bulb. Austin Film Society has opened its third theater inside AFS Cinema at The Linc in north Austin, naming the new screen the John H. McCall Theater after a longtime patron. The new room seats 169 and is equipped with 4K digital laser projection and 7.1 surround sound, which means AFS can book more screenings and bigger restorations without cannibalizing other shows.
AFS frames the expansion as more than extra seats: staffers say it’s a sign that repertory and independent cinema can still grow here while closing elsewhere in the U.S., and that the nonprofit’s broader work — from funding artists to running Austin Studios — underpins that capacity.
What Changed
AFS moved from two screens to three at its Linc location. The addition was supported by a donation tied to John H. McCall and his wife Amy; McCall died in 2021 and had been inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in 2018. With the third theater the nonprofit says it can run more titles simultaneously and offer upgraded seating compared with its previous configuration.
The change also shifts programming options: AFS plans both new releases and repertory restorations, giving the cinema room to host premieres and anniversary screenings alongside archival prints.
What's Next
To celebrate the opening, AFS will screen several special titles starting with the Texas premiere of James Gray’s Paper Tiger on Oct. 27, with Gray attending for a discussion with AFS founder Richard Linklater that evening. Other launch films include 4K restorations of Martin Scorsese’s The Color of Money, Douglas Keeve’s Unzipped, and Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. The story lists these screenings and dates; ticket prices and regular showtimes are available through AFS Cinema’s schedule.
Go see it if you secretly care that someone in Austin is still investing in movie theaters instead of renting the space to a smoothie franchise.