(Virtual) Festival Season

Anthony Fauci and Hillary Clinton lead all-star Texas Tribune Festival 2020 lineup

Hillary Clinton will join this year's festival.

Hillary Clinton/Facebook

On Tuesday, August 11, Texas' biggest political festival unveiled its 2020 lineup, and it's once again filled with political power players and big-name policy makers.

Granted, the Texas Tribune Festival will (like everything) look different this year, and for its 10th anniversary, the fest is trading the traditional weekend-long format in downtown Austin for 30 days of special virtual programing.

The events, notes a release, will be a mix of both live and streaming sessions running from September 1-30. Over the course of the month, Trib Fest says it will welcome 250 speakers and host 100 different sessions on topics covering everything from the 2020 election and the coronavirus pandemic to marijuana reform and feminism.

“For 30 days, all eyes in the political and policy world will be on The Texas Tribune Festival, which takes place within sight of the 2020 election,” said Evan Smith, co-founder and CEO of The Texas Tribune, in the release. “We have an incredible lineup of speakers who will weigh in on today's biggest challenges and headlines — and make news of their own.”

Billed as "the strongest lineup yet," this year includes appearances by Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Gary Cohn, Eric Holder, Samantha Power, Arne Duncan, Robert Gates, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Cecile Richards, Dan Crenshaw, Julián Castro, Jon Meacham, Maggie Haberman, Robert Costa, Ashley Parker, and Willie Nelson.

Though the opening and closing speakers have to yet to be announced, expect headline-grabbing names (Biden's VP pick perhaps?). Among the keynote sessions that have been announced are:

Dr. Anthony Fauci will speak with author, New Yorker staff writer, and Austinite Lawrence Wright on what we’ve learned about the coronavirus, the reaction of the federal government compared with the states, when it's safe to reopen and the road ahead — September 2
Sen. Ted Cruz will be interviewed by CNN's Jake Tapper on big tech, "cancel culture," and Cruz’s outlook on the 2020 and 2024 elections — September 18
Gloria Steinem will talk to PBS NewsHour's Amna Nawaz about building a movement, the new movie about her life, and why every election year should be the Year of the Woman — September 10
Panels on why Latinx turnout matters in the upcoming election; how to reopen schools safely amid a pandemic; and a group discussion featuring the mayors of Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio on how the state "comes back" from the COVID-19 crisis.

Special events are also slated for the month-long political extravaganza. Viewers can catch a live videotaping of the With Friends Like These podcast, which will feature the former Republicans who co-founded The Lincoln Project — George Conway, Steve Schmidt, John Weaver, and Rick Wilson — in discussion with political writer Ana Marie Cox.

“The Texas Tribune Festival is a direct extension of The Texas Tribune’s greater mission to engage and educate the public on matters of politics, policy and current events,” said Jessica Weaver, director of events at The Texas Tribune. “We’re devoted to bringing more people into the conversation and by expanding the Festival to take place over the full month of September and taking it online, we’re doing just that.”

Like in years past, Trib Fest 2020 is a mix of free and paid events, but full access to the month-long event is $199. A full list of this year's programming, including pricing details, is available here.

festivals politics

Movie Review

Bold drama Anora finds the limits of a dancer's girlfriend experience

Photo courtesy of Neon

Mikey Madison in Anora.

Writer/director Sean Baker’s filmography is full of films that aim to show stories not typically seen in mainstream movies, ones that often feel so true to life that they can be tough to watch. His latest film, Anora, is similar to his previous content in some ways, but much different in others.

Anora (Mikey Madison), aka Ani, is a stripper/sex worker who works at a club in Brooklyn. Because she can speak Russian, she is assigned to dance for Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), who she discovers is the son of a Russian oligarch. With an unlimited supply of money, he pays Ani for sex and, enjoying spending time with her, for her to pretend to be his girlfriend for a week.

That week sees them do a lot of wild stuff, most notably an impulsive trip to Las Vegas where they — almost as hastily — decide to get married. Their elopement doesn’t stay secret for long, though, with Ivan’s parents especially upset. A trio of henchmen track them down, enlisted by Ivan’s parents to force them to get the marriage annulled at all costs.

Baker is not your typical storyteller, and so even though the film has three distinct acts, they don’t play out in ways that will be familiar or comfortable for many filmgoers. Much of the first act involves Ani in states of undress, either dancing for customers or having sex with Ivan. Although the “rich guy paying for the company of a sex worker” echoes a film like Pretty Woman, the comparison doesn’t really fit, especially because the immature, video game-playing Ivan is about as far from romance as you can get.

Whatever appeal he might have had disappears in the second half of the film when he’s confronted with his parents’ displeasure. It’s here that Baker seems to play with moviegoer expectations the most. With three goons sent to get Ani and Ivan to take back what they’ve done, it feels like Baker is going to go down the typical mob movie road. Instead, what transpires can only be described as an intense farce, with Ani resisting the trio’s efforts with all her might, causing lots of comedic chaos.

What plays out throughout the film, and especially in the final act, is a disparity of wealth. While Ani being willing to have sex with a rich guy who comes into the club could be viewed in multiple ways, it does hint at her need to make money however she can. Conversely, Ivan spends money with abandon and acts accordingly, like someone who will never have a care in the world. After much frivolity, this imbalance hits like a ton of bricks in the film’s final minutes.

Madison, who’s had small but showy roles in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and the reboot of Scream, proves herself to be a star in this role. She owns every part of the performance, from the New York accent to the pole dancing, and she is the fire that keeps the film humming. She is especially important because Russian actor Eydelshteyn is only intermittently effective. Special note goes to Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan, and Yura Borisov, the three men who come for Ani and Ivan. Each walks the line between drama and comedy especially well.

Taken at face value, Anora could be viewed as a merely titillating and somewhat shallow film. But Baker doesn’t do anything without a purpose, which is why the subtext of the story gives the film its power, with a bravura performance by Madison to put it over the top.

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Anora is now playing in theaters.

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