Advance Screening of Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire,” with Screenwriter Q&A

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15
6 pm-8:30 pm CT • CMB 4.122 Studio 4C

The Department of Radio-Television-Film (RTF), in conjunction with Row K Entertainment, presents a special advance screening of Gus Van Sant’s true crime dark comedy, DEAD MAN’S WIRE. Immediately following the screening, RTF Screenwriting Area Head Maya Perez will hold a virtual Q&A with DEAD MAN’S WIRE screenwriter Austin Kolodney. All are welcome to attend!

DEAD MAN’S WIRE

Director: Gus Van Sant
Starring:  Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, Myha'la, Cary Elwes, and Al Pacino

Dead Man’s Wire is the fascinating true story of the 1977 kidnapping that turned aspiring Indianapolis entrepreneur Tony Kiritsis into an eccentric outlaw folk hero, directed by Academy Award®–nominated filmmaker Gus Van Sant. Starring Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, Colman Domingo, and Al Pacino, and written by Austin Kolodney, the film made its North American premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (“TIFF”), where it received critical acclaim and currently holds a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Row K will release the film theatrically nationwide and across Canada on January 16, 2026, following an awards-qualifying run beginning December 12, 2025 and a limited release in select theaters on January 9, 2026.

Screenwriter Austin Kolodney

Austin Kolodney is the screenwriter behind Gus Van Sant’s DEAD MAN'S WIRE, a darkly comedic and gritty crime thriller inspired by the Tony Kiritsis hostage crisis. The film, which stars Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, Myha'la, Cary Elwes, and Al Pacino, was received enthusiastically at the Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival, quickly selling to Row K Entertainment.

Next up, Kolodney will write and make his directorial debut with JOSEPHINE THE BLANKET alongside Sauce Studios, and described to us as a “genre-bending fantastical odyssey that follows a renowned science prodigy who develops a path to transfer her consciousness to her favorite childhood blanket – a comforting alternative to the human experience.”

A multi-hyphenate talent, Kolodney has directed content for Almost Friday TV, SyFy, Funny or Die, Comedy Central, Universal Music Group, and All Def. A former Director’s Assistant, Kolodney previously worked for David O. Russell (JOY) and Susanne Bier (BIRD BOX). One of his short films (Vimeo Staff Pick TWO CHAIRS, NOT ONE) premiered at Austin Film Fest in 2022.

He was also recently named as one of Variety's 10 Screenwriters to Watch in 2025.