Femme Film Fridays: The Big Spoon
Texas Spirit Theater | NR | 80 min. | Comedy, Drama, Romance
November 17, 2017 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Join the Bullock Museum for a screening and conversation about The Big Spoon.
The Big Spoon is an unromantic comedy about relationships between people exploring their own identities and those around them.
Event Details
An Austin-based unromantic comedy from director Carlyn Hudson and co-writers Carlyn Hudson and Mallory Culbert, The Big Spoon is about the perils of an increasingly dysfunctional couple whose identity becomes strained when new characters are introduced into their household. Each person is faced with the challenge of uncovering their identity as a person versus their identity while a part of a couple.
This screening is part of Femme Film Fridays, a film series highlighting the cinematic works of women, both behind and in front of the camera. Now in its second season, all the films for the 2017-2018 season address ideas of identity. This evening's program includes a film screening with Q&A to follow with Mallory Culbert, Melissa Dalley and Jessica Poessiger. Prior to the feature film screening is Katie Trew Cheline and Felicia Golden's short film, HIT. Come early at 6pm for a welcome reception with cash bar.
Please note: Entrance for this screening will be at the IMAX Lobby doors.
Your ticket purchase supports the Bullock Museum's exhibitions and educational programming.
Rating: NR
Suggested age: 18+
Starring: Mallory Culbert, Zachary Knighton, Isabelle McNally, Agustín Silva, Quinton Samuels
Writers: Mallory Culbert (story & screenplay), Carlyn Hudson (screenplay)
Director: Carlyn Hudson
Runtime: 80 min.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Release year: 2016
Filmed in Austin, Texas. In May of 2013, The Big Spoon team was invited to participate in the inaugural Austin Film Society Artist Intensive Lab.
Mallory Culbert grew up in Dallas and graduated from the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas in Austin where she wrote her first feature screenplay for her senior thesis, a culmination she presented after having been up all night on the set of Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse running through smoky hallways covered in fake blood.
Culbert studied acting in New York City with Meisner technique maestro Bill Esper and comedy improv at The Groundlings in Los Angeles before returning to Texas and eventually Austin, at which point she began developing The Big Spoon. Performance highlights thus far have included playing a dismissive snob opposite an Oscar-winner (Anna Paquin) in Straight A’s (2013), making people laugh as neurotic know-it-all "Trish” in festival favorite Arlo & Julie (2014), and having done no nude scenes.
Carlyn Hudson is a writer and director living in Los Angeles (and sometimes Austin). She was one of the talents selected as a segment director for the Slacker: 20 Years Later remake and field produced the Richard Linklater-directed Up To Speed original series for Hulu. She co-produced Andrew Bujalksi's Computer Chess (jury prize, Sundance 2013) and was the casting director for his latest effort, Results (Magnolia Pictures). Carlyn has received multiple grants from the Austin Film Society, is a founding member of Women in Cinema, and an early member of Film Fatales Los Angeles.
Carlyn has directed award-winning short films that have premiered at SXSW, LA Comedy Shorts, Austin Film Festival, Brooklyn Film Festival, and was one of 6 directors selected for the Texas Filmmakers Showcase at the DGA in Los Angeles. She's field directed for Vice, programs the popular indie film series Cinema East, has work featured on Funny or Die, and was the only filmmaker profiled in Austin Monthly's 20 in their 20s. She is currently on the festival circuit her first feature film as writer/director, called The Big Spoon, and in development on the series Distance, whose pilot just premiered as part of the "Future of Entertainment" section of SXSW 2016.
As a commercial director, Carlyn has directed work for clients such as JCPenney, Verizon, Dell, Samsung, IBM, Cort Furniture, Legos, Move LA, Southwest Airlines, and many more. She's represented in Texas at at Revelator and in Los Angeles at Blue Giant Pictures.
Writer/Director/Producer Melissa Dalley is an Austin based filmmaker who has over a decade of movie making experience. Working on indie films and multi-million dollar features alike, she has learned filmmaking from the ground up. She produced the award-winning film Loves her Gun, which had its World Premiere at the 2013 South By Southwest Film Festival, winning the Louis Black/Lone Star Award for best film made in Texas that year. The Big Spoon is the first film to be made under the SnowLion Pictures banner. Most recently, Melissa's script Shorthand was a Second Rounder at the Austin Film Festival and a Screencraft Screenwriting Fellowship Quarter-Finalist. Shorthand, Melissa's first feature to direct, stars three-time Golden Globe winner Jackie Cruz (Orange is the New Black) and will be shot this year in south Texas.
HIT follows Brandon, who thinks he's met the girl of his dreams in the mysterious Izzy until they go on the first date of his nightmares.
Katie Trew Cheline (Director) has 7 years + experience in the film industry and has worked and learned alongside her Austin film family on movies and TV shows like Transformers, Alita Battle Angel, Men, Women and Children, American Crime and The leftovers and many more. When Katie is not directing her own films, she is working in the industry as an AD and sometimes feeding her love of photography in the camera department.
Mallory Culbert grew up in Dallas and graduated from the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas in Austin where she wrote her first feature screenplay for her senior thesis, a culmination she presented after having been up all night on the set of Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse running through smoky hallways covered in fake blood.
Culbert studied acting in New York City with Meisner technique maestro Bill Esper and comedy improv at The Groundlings in Los Angeles before returning to Texas and eventually Austin, at which point she began developing The Big Spoon. Performance highlights thus far have included playing a dismissive snob opposite an Oscar-winner (Anna Paquin) in Straight A’s (2013), making people laugh as neurotic know-it-all "Trish” in festival favorite Arlo & Julie (2014), and having done no nude scenes.
Producer Jessica Poessiger is a part of the small and increasingly rare bunch that are born and bred in Austin. Jessica took a bit of a circuitous way to her filmmaking career after a brush with death in 2011, Jessica reassessed life and made the jump from the world of safe salaries to her dream of becoming a filmmaker. In 5-years-time, Jessica has worked in scripted television, reality, indie and big budget features as a locations manager and as a producer. Most recently she co-produced The Big Spoon with Melissa Dalley and is developing a slate of exciting features under their production company Snowlion Pictures. Jessica is currently producing Melissa Dalley’s directorial debut Shorthand which will star three-time Golden Globe winner Jackie Cruz (Orange is the New Black) and will be shot this spring in south Texas.
Melissa Dalley is an Austin based filmmaker who produced the award-winning film Loves Her Gun, which had its world premiere at the 2013 South By Southwest Film Festival, winning the Louis Black/Lone Star Award for best film made in Texas that year. The Big Spoon is the first film to be made under the banner of her production company SnowLion Pictures, which is dedicated to making movies by women. Shorthand, Melissa's first feature to write and direct, stars three-time Golden Globe winner Jackie Cruz (Orange is the New Black) and will be shot this spring in south Texas.
The Texas Spirit Theater located on the Bullock Museum's second floor is one of the most beautiful film experiences in Austin and features multi-sensory special effects such as lightning, rain, and other surprises.
Museum Members enjoy free unlimited IMAX® documentary films, discounts on feature film tickets, free exhibition admission, discounts in the Museum Store, and more. Learn More.
Learn about ticket prices, refund policies, and parking (free after 5 pm). For evening programs, please enter through the Bullock Museum IMAX Theatre.
Femme Film Fridays is presented in partnership with Women & Their Work.
Media sponsorship for Femme Film Fridays is provided by Austin Woman Magazine.
Alcohol sponsorship for Femme Film Fridays is provided by Austin Cocktails.
