FilmBuff to Release Richard Linklater and James Benning Doc Next Year

In advance of its world premiere at the currently underway 2013 Venice Film Festival, FilmBuff announced that it will digitally release the doc “Double Play: James Benning and Richard Linklater,” which follows the titular filmmakers as they gab about sports, art and friendship over the course of a leisurely weekend in Austin, Texas. Gabe Klinger’s film combines these filmed interactions with extensive archival material to explore the filmmakers’ connections and differences.

Benning is a legendary figure in the experimental underground, best known for “One Way Boogie Woogie” and “American Dreams (Lost and Found).” Linklater most recently helmed the third entry in his “Before” series, “Before Midnight,” starring Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke.

“Benning and Linklater have been heroes of mine for as long as I’ve been into film,” Klinger. “Making a documentary that attempts to present their work and ideas in an entertaining and original way was one of the most daunting tasks I’ve ever been faced with. If my film works, it’s owed entirely to their generosity in sharing these stories and brilliant insights with me.”

Added FilmBuff’s Head of Content Partnerships, Steven Beckman, “Being FilmBuffs, we are very excited to be working on a film that provides access to such iconic and inspiring filmmakers. Given that we brought ‘Slacker’ to digital audiences in 2007, we are extremely proud to be introducing Richard Linklater on a more personal level to the digital space five years later.”