Documentary screening of 'First They Came for My College' by Patrick Bresnan, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and local scholar-activists.
AFS Cinema is screening First They Came for My College on Friday, October 2, at 7 PM. It's a documentary by Patrick Bresnan, and the filmmakers will be there in person for a Q&A after the film. The screening is part of the Austin Film Society's September/October 2026 program.
The film focuses on Florida's New College, which Bresnan describes as a long-standing bastion of progressive education and a model laboratory of learning that became the target of a right-wing state government attack. It's a 2024 American production, running 1 hour and 45 minutes. The documentary follows the machinations of the crackdown and the creative, motivated students and faculty who worked to counteract it. Critics have called it "gripping" and "harrowingly relevant."
That post-screening Q&A is a good reason to go: director Patrick Bresnan and his team will be joined by local scholar-activists and leaders from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), so you'll get to hear from the people who made the film and from folks working on these issues here in Austin.
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Tickets are $15 for the evening show, with a $12 matinee price available Monday through Friday for screenings before 5 PM. AFS MAKE and WATCH members get $4 off, and it's free for LOVE and Impact Circle members. There are also discounts for AISD educators and local high school and college students at the box office with a valid school ID. The cinema is at 6406 N I-35 Suite 3100, Austin, TX 78752.
