A new film with ties to the ACC community will be premiering at the upcoming Austin Film Festival.

“A Swinging Trio” is a dark comedy about the relationship between a frustrated science fiction writer and his successful Hollywood producer wife. It was produced by Carla Jackson, associate director for the Center for Public Policy and Political Studies within ACC’s Office of External Affairs, and her husband, screenwriter Kelvin Phillips. Phillips wrote and directed the film, the first for the pair.

“I love a good read, in books and in scripts,” Jackson says. “‘A Swingin’ Trio’ caught me from the beginning. The story is about discovering who you are, and who you are in a relationship.”

Several other members of the ACC community filled behind-the-scenes roles with the project, including student Samantha Davis, Vincent Bustillos, a cashier at the Highland Business Center, and Gregory Lee, a member of the facilities staff at the Riverside Campus.

Bustillos says he offered to work on the project to gain some experience to go with his recently earned degree in marketing and management. Helping Jackson promote the film provided him with some valuable contacts.

“It was fun,” he says. “It made me feel like I could broaden my career.” He adds that he is looking forward to seeing the finished product. “It starts off like a baby, and grows and changes from there.”

Jackson says other ACC staff and students attended readings and screenings.

“It would have been a lot harder without the ACC community supporting it,” Jackson says, adding that she hopes students and colleagues can be involved in future projects.

“ACC has some of the most dynamic, hard-working, brilliant people who know their craft,” she says. “In some cases, they’re wanting to learn their craft. “ I would be foolish not to want to work with my ACC family again.”

The film’s premiere will be at 7 p.m. Friday, October 21, in the Rollins Theater at Austin’s Long Center for the Performing Arts. The film will be screened a second time at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, in the Texas Spirit Theatre at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. For more information, visit aswingintrio.com.