DIRECTOR’S CHOICE

WHY TEXAS FILM HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE JEFF NICHOLS CALLS AUSTIN HOME.

Austin filmmaker Jeff Nichols is coming off a big year, which saw the release of both the sci-fi hit Midnight Special and Loving, the story of the interracial couple whose case ended up in the Supreme Court. An Austin Film Society grant recipient in ’06, Nichols is now one of the nonprofit’s honorees at March 9th’s Texas Film Awards, the star-studded AFS fundraiser (afs.org). The writer and director talked to Austin Way about the city’s role in his success.

On The Texas Film Hall of

Fame: “It’s amazing to be a part of this growing list of people they are inducting, but also it’s part of this bigger conversation about nurturing film in Texas.”

The local scene: “There’s such a great, growing group of filmmakers. I don’t often collaborate with people on a page, but there’s a lot of collaboration when it comes to getting breakfast tacos with my filmmaking friends.”

Austin vs. LA: “I love not being in LA; Austin is a very grounded place to live, and that’s what I need as a storyteller.”

On Best Actress Oscar nominee Ruth Negga: “She was the first person to audition. She doesn’t look like Mildred, but when she’s performing this role, she does.” Next project? “Basically 2017 will be a year of writing. I’ve also negotiated a deal with Fox to remake Alien Nation. My idea doesn’t have much to do with the original, but it’s a cool landscape.”

For more of the interview with Jeff Nichols, go to austinway.com