ATX Television Festival Announces Next Wave Of Programming

ATX TELEVISION FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES NEXT WAVE OF PROGRAMMING:

HBO PRESENTS “EUPHORIA” AS OPENING NIGHT SCREENING,
A “GREY’S ANATOMY” SCREENING + CONVERSATION,
FREEFORM PRESENTS A NEW EPISODE OF “GROWN-ISH” + Q&A WITH CAST & EP,
A SPECIAL ADVANCED SCREENING OF FXX COMEDY “ARCHER,”
AND KEVIN BACON JOINS “TREMORS” PILOT PRESENTATION

Season 8 will also include track of conversations on social impact and advocacy through storytelling with the festival’s foundation THE SYNDICATION PROJECT
with the ACLU, the Muslim Public Affairs Council’s Hollywood Bureau, and
the Television Academy, Among Others

ATX Television Festival continues to announce major programming for season eight, which will take place June 6-9, 2019, in Austin, Texas.

ATX will premiere HBO’s upcoming summer series “Euphoria,” created, written by, and executive produced by Sam Levinson, as this opening night screening and panel on Thursday June 6th. “Euphoria” follows a group of high school students as they navigate drugs, sex, identity, trauma, social media, love and friendship. The screening will be followed by a panel conversation with creator/executive producer Sam Levinson, and cast members Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Barbie Ferreira, and Eric Dane. Executive producers also include Drake, Future the Prince, Ravi Nandan, Kevin Turen, Hadas Mozes Lichtenstein, Ron Leshem, Daphna Levin, Tmira Yardeni, Mirit Toovi, Yoram Mokady, Gary Lennon and Jim Kleverweis. “Euphoria” is produced in partnership with A24, and based on the Israeli series of the same name from Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin.

ABC’s record-breaking medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” will screen the season 15 episode “Silent All These Years,” written by Elisabeth R. Finch and directed by Debbie Allen, which marks one of the series’ most riveting and emotional hours yet. The screening will be followed by a Q&A conversation with showrunner & executive producer Krista Vernoff, co-executive producer & writer Elisabeth R. Finch, and stars Camilla Luddington and Kim Raver, who will discuss the impact that the episode has had on viewers, as well as their approach to tackling topics of sexual assault and consent.

This year’s festival will feature a screening of an all-new episode of Freeform’s “grown-ish,” followed by a Q&A with cast & creatives, including cast members Yara Shahidi, Trevor Jackson, Francia Raisa, Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, Emily Arlook and Jordan Buhat, and executive producer and writer Craig Doyle. “grown-ish” returns on Wednesday, June 5, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT to finish out its sophomore season and joins the ATX line-up alongside the network’s freshman hit “Good Trouble,” which was previously announced.

FXX’s award-winning, long-running animated comedy “Archer” will host an advance screening of an episode from the series’ upcoming tenth season, “Archer: 1999.” This season finds Sterling Archer, Lana Kane and their crew of acid-tongued misfits onboard the M/V Seamus salvage ship as they explore deep space and try to outsmart giant aliens, intergalactic pirates and vicious bounty hunters. The screening will feature a once-in-a-lifetime, never-to-be-seen-again special version of an upcoming episode — with an element added exclusively for the ATX audience. The screening will be followed by a conversation with the creative team behind “Archer,” including executive producer Matt Thompson, actor H. Jon Benjamin (“Sterling Archer”), producer/art director Chad Hurd, and lead storyboard artist Taylor Parrish. “Archer: 1999” premieres May 29th on FXX.

In addition, Stephen Falk, creator/executive producer/writer/director of FXX’s critically acclaimed comedy series “You’re the Worst,” will participate in a discussion with writers, producers, and advocates who are working to destigmatize the conversation around mental health and mental illness through story and visibility. Additional panelists will be announced at a later date.

Actor Kevin Bacon will join the festival’s previously announced presentation of the never-picked-up “Tremors” pilot from writer/executive producer Andrew Miller based on the 1990 film of the same name, featuring a selection of clips, a partial script reading, and discussion with cast and producers. Bacon, who was set to reprise his starring role as Valentine McKee, joins Andrew Miller, executive producer Jessica Rhoades, and cast members Toks Olagundoye, P.J. Byrne, Haley Tju, and Emily Tremaine for the panel.

ATX’s non-profit foundation, The Syndication Project, will host a programming track for the second year, with a focus on encouraging actionable advocacy through storytelling. “Making Criminal Justice Matter,” presented by the ACLU, in which writers and producers, along with a criminal law expert from the ACLU, will discuss the importance of working together to ensure authentic representations of current issues surrounding criminal justice, and television’s impact on viewer opinions with regard to issues of police practices, racial profiling, and governmental and police abuses of authority. Confirmed panelists include co-showrunner/executive producer Sunil Nayar (“The Red Line”), showrunner/executive producer Joanna Johnson (“Good Trouble”), and showrunner/executive producer Anthony Sparks (“Queen Sugar”), with Twyla Carter, Senior Staff Attorney with the National ACLU’s Criminal Law Reform Project, moderating. Additional panelists will be announced at a later date.

“Resistance, Inclusion, and Creating Authentic Muslim Narratives” presented by the Muslim Public Affairs Council’s (MPAC) Hollywood Bureau will examine the collaborative efforts among consultants at MPAC and creatives and executives in the industry to raise the quantity and quality of Muslim representation on and off-screen. Confirmed panelists include showrunner/executive producer Carina Adly MacKenzie (“Roswell, New Mexico”), actress Nikohl Boosheri (“The Bold Type”), and Sue Obeidi (Director, MPAC’s Hollywood Bureau). Additional panelists will be announced at a later date.

The Television Academy joins The Syndication Project track with “Power(ful) TV,” a panel discussion with writers & producers on how series can rise above trends and token characters by weaving in storylines of gender, race, religion, aging, immigration, health care, and more — all with the belief that exposing audiences to a variety of people, experiences, and worlds they might never encounter will foster understanding, empathy, and community. The conversation will be moderated by Television Academy President and Chief Operating Officer, Maury McIntyre. Panelists will be announced at a later date.

Previously announced programming includes:

• “Presidents of the Guilds” panel, featuring Gabrielle Carteris, president, SAG-AFTRA, David A. Goodman, president, WGAW, and Thomas Schlamme, president, DGA
• ABC Family series “Greek” reunion
• Hulu’s “Veronica Mars” revival
• Screening and Conversation with “One Day at a Time” Creatives & Cast
• Hulu and Blumhouse Television’s “Into the Dark: Culture Shock”
• “Letterkenny” screening and Q&A
• An interactive conversation with Beau Willimon
• “A Playwright Walks Into a Writers Room…” panel conversation with playwrights turned TV writers
• “The House that Horror Built: Inside Blumhouse Television”
• “Inside the Writers Room” panel with Starz’s critically-acclaimed series “Vida”
• Closing Night Screening of Showtime’s “City on a Hill”
• A panel exploring the “Power of Female Partnerships”
• “Cancelled Too Soon” panel with “Men In Trees”
• Freeform’s “Good Trouble”
• “Let’s Talk about Sex (Scenes),” an honest discussion about empowering both writers and actors, and improving safe “sex” practices behind the camera
• A panel presented by the Casting Society of America, featuring some of TV’s top casting directors
• A one-on-one conversation titled “Scene Partners & Roommates,” with actors Margo Martindale and Shane McRae
• “Everyone Is Doing Great” screening and Q&A
• Netflix’s series “Atypical” panel
• EPIX’s new series “Perpetual Grace, LTD” panel
• An inside look at the “Tremors” pilot
• IFC’s musical variety comedy “Sherman’s Showcase”
• Comedy Central’s new sketch series “Alternatino with Arturo Castro”
• Individual panelists Beatrice Springborn, Vice President, Content Development, Hulu; Jessica Rhoades, EP, “Sharp Objects,” “The Affair,” and Principal, Pacesetter; ATX Advisory Board member Kyle Killen, EP/showrunner of Showtime’s upcoming “Halo” series; and Mauricio Mota and Katie Elmore Mota, EPs, “East Los High,” and Co-Presidents of Wise Entertainment.

For the latest developments and information on how to attend, visit the ATX Television Festival official site www.atxfestival.com and follow us on Facebook & Twitter.

For co-promotion, please link to @ATXFestival #ATXTVs8 on Twitter.

About ATX Television Festival
ATX’s focus is the celebration of the television medium – looking back at its history, where it is now, and where it is headed. Our weekend consists of events in which attendees can interact with actors, writers, directors, creators, showrunners, music supervisors, casting directors and studio executives involved in all stages of bringing their favorite shows to the small screen. We have all the functionality of a traditional film festival – spotlighting classic shows, never-aired pilots, cancelled too soon series, cult favorites, current hits and premieres of new series. In addition, we feature episode screenings with Q&As with the cast and creators, panels focused on industry related topics, and parties, live music, meet-ups, social media events and “super-secret happy hours.” ATX’s goal is to serve both the community and industry professionals equally, by giving them the opportunity to discuss and celebrate all aspects of TV.

ATX’s podcast The TV Campfire features one-on-one conversations with some of TV’s top creatives, and panel conversations recorded live at the festival. All episodes can be found on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and atvxp.com/podcasts.

About The Syndication Project
The Syndication Project, a 501(c)3 non-profit, was created to promote the use of storytelling by individuals and communities to create awareness, bring tolerance, and expand community, thereby fostering understanding and compassion. It was founded by ATX Television Festival’s co-founders and executive directors, Emily Gipson and Caitlin McFarland, with a focus on advocacy through storytelling, including a programming track at the annual ATX Festival centered around social issues in television, year round conversations that pair TV storylines with causes that lead to specific calls to action, family friendly community events, and service days that give the ATX community a chance to give back together.

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