AFS and ATX TV present God Save Texas, a three-part documentary series from three Texan filmmakers (Richard Linklater, Iliana Sosa, and Alex Stapleton). The series offers unique and personal perspectives on their hometowns, creating contemporary portraits of a state that still echoes our nation’s past and warns of its possible future. The documentary trilogy is inspired by the book “God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State” by Lawrence Wright. The series premieres on HBO on February 27, watch the trailer now!
These screenings are free and open to the public, but you must reserve your tickets in advance.
Please arrive early as seating is first come, first serve. An RSVP does not guarantee admission, as these shows are slightly oversold to ensure a full house.
PART 2: THE PRICE OF OIL | PART 3: LA FRONTERA
MARCH 3 AT 2 PM
In GOD SAVE TEXAS: THE PRICE OF OIL, Houston-born and raised filmmaker Alex Stapleton (REGGIE) turns her lens on her hometown to chronicle the impact of the Texas oil industry on Houston residents — specifically Black and disenfranchised communities, including the lives of her family, who arrived in Texas in the 1830s as slaves and have stayed in the state for nearly 200 years. Illustrating that environmental racism is a civil rights issue, and by giving voice to the very people who face the human cost of Texas’ biggest money-maker, GOD SAVE TEXAS: THE PRICE OF OIL is a call for a long overdue reckoning.
Next, in her poetic exploration of El Paso, Texas, Mexican-American filmmaker Iliana Sosa (WHAT WE LEAVE BEHIND) unveils a city woven with vibrant Mexican heritage, its essence textured by the coexistence and division along the border shared with Juárez, Mexico. As Sosa traces the fluctuating nature of America’s relationship to migrants from south of the border, she invokes the concept of Nepantla, a Nahuatl word for a state of “in-between-ness,” suggesting a frontier land with blurred edges where first-generation immigrant children straddle two cultures, navigating a complex sense of identity and belonging. In GOD SAVE TEXAS: LA FRONTERA, Sosa posits that a shared culture and a fluidity between the countries has always enriched El Paso, giving rise to a humanity and unique hybridity that allowed the city to come together and heal in the wake of the 2019 Walmart tragedy.
This screening will be followed by a Q&A with directors Alex Stapleton and Iliana Sosa in person.
Interested in checking out Episode 1? Click here!
