Summer 2016

MovieMaker Presents: Austin Film Festival’s 25 Screenwriters to Watch, 2016

Published by

Austin Film Festival and MM Editors

Eric Hueber

Who Wrote and directed documentary Rainbows End (2010) and Flutter (2014)

What’s the hardest scene or project you’ve ever had to write?

The hardest project I’ve ever had to write was the time I wracked my brain to write a commercially worthwhile genre piece. It’s the Venus flytrap we all face, especially being a poor outsider with no ties inside an industry that is obsessed with monetary value. I navigated the challenge well, I believe—I gave up! It was a breakthrough moment for me.

What was a major turning point in your career?

After I completed my second feature, Flutter, I was fortunate to find a manager and sign with ICM. Having agents who get their phone calls answered has been a major blessing. Things are progressing much quicker now.

What are you working on right now?

I’m writing an indie thriller titled Werewomen. It’s a story about a schoolteacher who becomes a victim of revenge porn. With the help of a mysterious gypsy-punk woman, she sets out to publicly shame and ruin the men who are sexually harassing her. Unlike with my first film, Flutter, I wanted to write an adrenalized film with a punk-rock spirit and a first act that left no guesswork as to the story you are about to experience, then I wanted to sneak in all the subversive bits after the hook.

Do you have a favorite or memorable experience at Austin Film Festival?

Winning the Audience Award for Flutter at AFF was the high point for me, but honestly, meeting Sacha Gervasi briefly, just long enough to tell him how much Anvil: The Story of Anvil touched me, and seeing him light up, was my favorite experience. I’m a metal head and a fan at heart. At the end of the day, I like connecting to other artists as a fan more than I need to as a writer or a filmmaker.