Step onto the historic grounds of the French Legation for our outdoor film series "Painted Dreams & Western Horizons." Rooted in the Legation’s legacy of hosting Cinema East, a beloved tradition of communal, open-air screenings, this curated program invites audiences to experience films that traverse continents, artistic traditions, and eras of storytelling.
On November 5, enjoy Giant: THE sprawling epic covering the life of a Texas cattle rancher and his family and associates.
Rated: G. 3 hours 21 minutes.
Tickets $5 for adults (children 17 and under free with an adult).
Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and movie begins at 7 p.m. Refreshments available in the Visitor Center.
Purchase your ticket at the gate or online.
Come early and enjoy a special lecture and viewing of one of the original motion movie picture backdrops used in the filming on display in the French Legation State Historic Site. From the romantic elegance of postwar Paris to the mythic sweep of the American frontier, this series highlights how cinema has long blended illusion, artistry, and place. Each selected film reflects a dialogue between crafted cinematic worlds and lived landscapes, mirroring the Legation itself as a historic space where cultures meet.
Complementing the screenings, artist and author Karen Maness brings her expertise in The Art of the Hollywood Backdrop to a dynamic speaker series and live demonstrations. Her presentations reveal how painted backdrops—many influenced by European, including French, artistic traditions—shaped Hollywood’s most iconic visuals. Through her lens, audiences will discover how illusionistic scenery connects Golden Age musicals, Technicolor fantasy, and even modern Westerns to a shared lineage of fine art and cinematic craft.
Parking Options
We have two free parking lots located at:
900 E. 9th Street
Austin, TX 78702
and
903 E. 8th Street
Austin, TX 78702
50% discounted parking available at the Alto Parking Garage with QR code available onsite:
Alto Parking Garage
924 E. 7th Street
Austin, TX 78702
Site Rules
Full line-up of Painted Dreams & Western Horizons
Film Series Schedule:
- Rich, Young, and Pretty (1951)
Thursday, October 15, 2026 | 7:30 p.m. - The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 7:00 p.m. - An American in Paris (1951)
Thursday, October 29, 2026 | 7:00 p.m. - Giant (1956)
Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 6:30 p.m. - True Grit (2010)
Thursday, November 12, 2026 | 6:30 p.m. - Marie Antoinette (2006)
Thursday, November 19, 2026 | 6:30 p.m.
Speaker Series Schedule:
Behind the Scenes: Rich, Young, and Pretty
October 15, 2026 | 7-7:30 p.m.
Step back in time and be transported to Paris through a large-scale scenic backdrop displayed inside the historic Legation house. Karen Maness will introduce audiences to the history of Hollywood backdrop painting and share artistic techniques featured throughout the Painted Dreams & Western Horizons series.
Guests are encouraged to arrive early for the presentation and stay for the evening screening of Rich, Young, and Pretty, the story of a Texas rancher-turned-diplomat and his daughter during a visit to Paris.
Behind the Scenes: The Wizard of Oz
October 17, 2026 | 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Follow the yellow brick road to the French Legation for an engaging look at the artistry behind one of Hollywood's most beloved films. Karen Maness will discuss the scenic artists, designers, and craftspeople whose work helped create the magic of MGM's The Wizard of Oz. Guests will enjoy rare behind-the-scenes images and historical materials in advance of the October 22 screening.
Behind the Scenes: An American in Paris
October 24, 2026 | 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Explore the work of French scenic artist Ben Carré, whose influence can be seen throughout early Hollywood filmmaking and productions such as An American in Paris. Karen Maness will discuss Carré's artistic legacy and present a live scenic painting demonstration.
Refreshments will be generously provided by Alliance Française d'Austin. Guests are encouraged to RSVP so organizers can plan accordingly.
Special promotional support provided by Alliance Française d'Austin and the Texas Film Commission.
About Karen Maness
Karen Maness is a visual artist, designer, educator, and scenic artist whose forty-year career has centered on the art of painting and fabrication for the entertainment industry. She is Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of Texas at Austin and Associate Director of Scenic Art for Texas Performing Arts, where she teaches painting, visualization, and fabrication across disciplines.
Maness has worked extensively in theater, film, themed attractions, industrial display, and painting for music touring, and has taught masterclasses throughout the United States and abroad. She advocates for analog-digital fluidity, with a particular interest in the ways artists create imagined worlds through material, color, scale, and illusion.
She oversees the Texas Performing Arts Hollywood Backdrop Collection at the University of Texas at Austin, preserving an important body of hand-painted motion-picture scenery and the largely uncredited artistic history behind it. Her research and advocacy have brought greater visibility to the scenic artists whose paintings helped define the visual language of cinema.
Maness is co-author of the award-winning The Art of the Hollywood Backdrop, the definitive behind-the-scenes history of Hollywood’s motion-picture scenic art. Her studio practice includes public art, exhibitions, and corporate and private commissions. Across her teaching, research, and studio work, she is committed to preserving painting as a living language of visual storytelling while exploring its continued relevance in contemporary art, design, and entertainment.