Two documentaries about Texas music outlaws, one who died over a decade ago and one still touring the world, are sharing a stage at the 2026 Lone Star Film Festival in Fort Worth. The double feature pairs Austin Sayre's film about the late singer-songwriter Steven Fromholz with Jared L. Christopher's documentary following country star Charley Crockett through a run of solo shows in London.
A 20th Anniversary Lineup in the Cultural District
The festival runs Nov. 4-13 across Fort Worth's Cultural District, marking its 20th edition, according to the Star-Telegram. Organizers are screening nearly 100 films this year, including more than 70 shorts and over a dozen features, with about 30% of the films Texas-made, per the same report. Most screenings are happening at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, with additional slots at AMC Palace 9 and the Texas Ballet Theater, and all-access passes and individual tickets remain on sale through the festival's website.
The music-documentary double feature is scheduled for Nov. 11, beginning at 5 p.m. in Fort Worth, as reported by the Dallas Observer. “A Cowboy in London” begins the pairing, followed by a reception and Sayre’s Fromholz documentary. Tickets are available for the pairing, which the festival has organized in partnership with local country radio stations 92.1 Hank FM and 95.9 The Ranch, the outlet notes.
Chasing a Forgotten Songwriter's Master Tapes
Sayre's film, “The Man with the Big Hat,” is his first as a director, built around the life of Steven Fromholz, a Texas songwriter who attended the University of North Texas in the 1960s and later became a contemporary of Willie Nelson and John Denver. Fromholz was named Texas Poet Laureate in 2007 and died in 2014 with much of his catalog nearly forgotten, according to the Dallas Observer's account. Sayre began working on the documentary in 2019 after discovering Fromholz's 1969 debut album, recorded with Dan McCrimmon as the duo Frummox, in an antique mall — a find he described to Texas Standard: “I found Steven's Frummox album in an antique mall.”
From there, Sayre tracked down Fromholz's personal archive at the University of North Texas and learned that a trove of his early material had been saved by Fromholz's ex-wife, per the Dallas Observer. He also located the original master tapes for Fromholz's shelved debut album, held by Universal, telling the San Antonio Current, “I was able to locate them. It's been a big goal of mine to have that album made.” Sayre, who collects records and favors debut albums by obscure artists, said Fromholz's work was largely unavailable online when he started the project and that he aimed to make the music accessible to a new generation. The film premiered at SXSW in March, drawing on reflections from artists including Lyle Lovett, who Sayre said reached out to him directly, telling him, “you know, if it's — I'd love to repay what Fromholz meant to me.”
Crockett's Film Lands Amid a Turbulent Year
The second half of the pairing, “A Cowboy in London,” follows Charley Crockett through a series of solo shows in London in 2024 and also premiered at SXSW, closing out that festival's film portion with a screening at the State Theatre. Director Jared L. Christopher said Crockett's vulnerability is what helps audiences connect with the film, per the Dallas Observer's reporting.
Crockett's past year has included its share of turbulence: he dropped Twin Temple as an opening act, was reportedly refused entry to Canada because of an old drug conviction, and saw his album Clovis pulled from streaming in the spring before it was re-released that summer. Sayre, reflecting on both subjects, said Fromholz and Crockett forged their own paths in Texas music, a line that frames why the festival chose to pair their stories for the Nov. 11 event.
What to Expect at the Screenings
“A Cowboy in London” screens first, followed by a reception and discussion. After “The Man with the Big Hat,” director Austin Sayre and executive producer Brian Easley are set to take part in a Q&A, according to the Dallas Observer. Both screenings are part of the same Nov. 11 event in Fort Worth's Cultural District, with tickets available through the festival's existing sales channels.
