Hyperreal Film Club

If you love movies and strange shared experiences, Hyperreal Film Club in Austin is one of the city’s most surprising finds. This nonprofit started out in 2016 as a roving series of pop-up screenings in gallery basements and other unexpected corners of Austin with the simple goal of creating social movie nights around offbeat films and local shorts. 

Over the years, founders David McMichael, Jenni Kaye, and Tanner Hadfield made something more than just a screening series. They built a community of movie nerds who show up to watch films together, dress up for themed nights, and stick around to talk afterward. 

In 2024, the club opened a permanent home at 301 Chicon Street in East Austin. Here the vibe is less like a formal theater and more like a clubhouse for cinephiles. Movies run several nights a week and often pair a feature with a short by a local filmmaker. The space was intentionally transformed from a bare warehouse into a cozy screening room that welcomes everyone from first-timer movie lovers to directors trying out new work.