ATX Television Festival Announces First Programming For Season 10, Including Awardee Conversation With Michael J. Fox, Steve Mcqueen's âSmall Axe,â A Conversation With Ziwe Presented By ShowtimeÂŽ, And More
ATX TELEVISION FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FIRST PROGRAMMING FOR SEASON 10,
INCLUDING AWARDEE CONVERSATION WITH MICHAEL J. FOX,
STEVE MCQUEENâS âSMALL AXE,â
A CONVERSATION WITH ZIWE PRESENTED BY SHOWTIMEÂŽ, AND MORE
Tubi joins for the first time as Major Supporting Partner
ATX Television Festival announces the first wave of programming for Season 10, which will take place virtually over June 11-20, 2021.
The festival will partner with SHOWTIMEÂŽ to feature a marquee conversation spotlighting âZIWE,â the upcoming late-night variety show created by and starring the series titular writer, comedian, actor, singer, influencer, activist, and host Ziwe. The conversation will provide a one-of-a-kind look into the world of âZIWE,â Ziweâs rise from social media breakout to network legend, and her ability to harness the chaotic but essential art of making white people uncomfortable.
Amazon Prime Video will present an in-depth look at âSmall Axe,â the critically acclaimed anthology series based on the real-life experiences of Londonâs West Indian community set between the late 1960s to the mid-1980s. Series creator, co-writer, co-editor, director and executive producer, Steve McQueen (âHunger,â âShame,â â12 Years A Slave,â âWidowsâ) will be joined by writer/director/producer Channing Godfrey Peoples (âMiss Juneteenthâ) for a one-on-one conversation and exploration of the five films that comprise the series.
Tubi, FOXâs free streaming service, joins ATX Television Festival for the first time as a major Supporting Partner, presenting a variety of programming from marquee placements to specialty presentations throughout the festival, showcasing the serviceâs expansive library of over 30,000 titles. Additional details will be announced soon.
ATX will feature a screening and Q&A for FOXâs new animated series, âHouseBroken,â which follows a group of neighborhood pets and stray animals as they work through their issues inside and outside their therapy group. The panel will include co-creator/actor/executive producer Clea DuVall (âVEEPâ), executive producer/actor Sharon Horgan (âCatastropheâ), actors Nat Faxon (âFriends From Collegeâ) and Sam Richardson (âVEEPâ) and co-creators/executive producers Gabrielle Allan (âVEEPâ) and Jennifer Crittenden (âVEEPâ). Additional panelists will be announced soon.
The festival is also honored to present its annual âAward in Television eXcellenceâ to five-time Emmy award winning and four-time Golden Globe winning actor, producer, activist, and New York Times best-selling author Michael J. Fox. First given in 2014, the award seeks to recognize individuals whose career reflects the very best of television, through work that is thought-provoking, genuine, expansive, and ultimately, entertaining. As this yearâs honoree, Fox will join the festival for an intimate, retrospective conversation spanning his iconic performances on âFamily Tiesâ and âSpin City,â critically acclaimed guest turns on âThe Good Wifeâ and âRescue Me,â his recent memoir, âNo Time Like the Future,â and more. Previous honorees include Henry Winkler, James L. Brooks, Norman Lear, Marcy Carsey, and Phylicia Rashad.
Season 10 will also include a reunion for cancelled-too-soon comedy, âFaking It,â which ran for three seasons on MTV (2013-2016). The reunion, marking five years since the series finale, will celebrate the showâs impactful LGBTQIA+ representation, including a groundbreaking storyline featuring televisionâs first intersex main character. Joining the reunion panel will be creator/showrunner/executive producer Carter Covington, and cast members Rita Volk, Katie Stevens, Michael Willett, Yvette Monreal, and Sophia Ali. Additional panelists will be announced soon.
On the independent track, the festival will premiere the third installment in the original short-form comedy series âSpeech & Debate,â written by Kamen Edwards and directed by Cassandra Jean Amell. Amell and Edwards will be joined by stars Stephen Amell (âArrowâ), Aisha Tyler (âArcherâ), and John Barrowman (âDoctor Who,â âTorchwoodâ) to discuss the newest episode, âSpeech & Debate: Legacy,â as well as the process of creating independent content with friends & collaborators during a pandemic.
ATX Festivalâs previously announced âOzâ Retrospective, which was originally planned for 2020, will join this yearâs line-up, featuring a look back at the groundbreaking series which debuted in 1997 as HBOâs first original one-hour drama. The retrospective will dive into the seriesâ unique narrative structure and feature a conversation with series creator/executive producer Tom Fontana, director/actor Terry Kinney, and cast members Lee Tergesen, Dean Winters, Harold Perrineau, and Kirk Acevedo. Additional participants will be announced at a later date.
The festival also announced its first round of topical panels, which will range from deep dives in horror and animation, to roundtable discussions with showrunners. This yearâs panels will include:
- âBeyond the Scares: Emotional Catharsis & Healing in Horrorâ
- âGrowing Up Is Hard: A New Generation of YA Protagonistsâ
- âMad as Hell: TVâs Dangerous Womenâ
- âThe Queer Gazeâ
- âPandemic Proof: Adult Animationâ
- âShowrunner State of the Unionâ
- âBuying & Selling with 20/20 Hindsightâ
In a previously announced event taking place prior to the festival, ATX TV will partner with Play-Per View for a âHousecall: A âRoyal Painsâ Reunion on Sunday, June 6th to benefit national hunger relief organization Feeding America, which will be available On-Demand until June 13, 2021. The reunion will feature a full table read of the series finale, âUninterrupted,â with creator/executive producer Andrew Lenchewski, writer/director/executive producer Michael Rauch, cast members Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Reshma Shetty, Brooke DâOrsay, Ben Shenkman, Campbell Scott, Jill Flint, Meredith Hagner, Sarah Mezzanotte, Zachary Hernandez, Anthony Pierini, John Hans Tester, Laura Lanza, Ivan Quintanilla, and special guest moderator Henry Winkler. Donation-based tickets start at $5 and are available now at https://tinyurl.com/PPVRoyalPainsReunion. For ongoing and additional information, visit atxfestival.com/events. âRoyal Painsâ is from UCP and available for streaming on Peacock.
Virtual Festival Badges and Day Passes for Season 10 are available now. For the latest developments and information on how to attend, visit atxfestival.com.
For co-promotion, please tag @ATXFestival #ATXTVs10 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
ABOUT ATX TELEVISION FESTIVAL
ATX Television Festival is an annual event produced by ATX TV, taking place every June in Austin, TX. As the leading television festival, it brings together fans and industry to celebrate the television medium by looking at its history, where it is now, and where it is headed.The festival consists of screenings followed by Q&As, panels, and events (parties, live music, meet-ups, super-secret happy hours, etc) and is known for reunions of both classic shows and cult hits. Screenings showcase never-aired pilots, cancelled too soon series, and current favorites, as well as world premieres of new series. Panels span from industry deep dives, to fan-focused conversations, along with discussions on representation (in front of and behind the camera) and responsibility in storytelling. The ATX TV audience is comprised equally of consumers and industry professionals, and ATX Television Festival is the only place they come together as one community to discuss and celebrate all aspects of #TVTogether.