Updated Sept. 27 at 4:37 p.m. to include information on the cinema's current space.  The Austin Film Society is collaborating with local design and architect firms to bring a new twin-screen arthouse cinema and event hall to Austin in early 2017. AFS Founder and Artistic Director Richard Linklater announced Tuesday he is teaming up with Designtrait—an Austin-based design firm whose projects include Via 313, Handlebar and Cuernavaca—and Austin architect Michael Hsu (South Congress Hotel, Lamar Union and Icenhauer's) to create a place that Linklater said will celebrate AFS's history as well as as the city's vibrant film community. Founded in 1985, AFS curates and screens hundreds of films annually at the AFS Cinema. It also operates Austin Studios, a 20-acre production facility, and Austin Public, a space where media-makers train and collaborate. In its current state, the cinema has one 278-seat theatre and two event spaces, as well as a bar and lobby area. At present, AFS can show 4-5 movies a week. With the renovation, it expects to show more than 30 films a week. Hsu said in a news release that he envisions the new space being a "hub for the vibrant arts community to share the film experience and engage with each other." The redesigned cinema will include an entry vestibule, a full-service bar and lounge, a renovated lobby with cinema-inspired light installations and lounge seating, new marquee signage and an updated event hall that will be available for private rental. It promises a "comfortable atmosphere with a distinctively 'Austin-vibe'" as well as memorabilia from Linklater's private movie collection. Linklater announced in March he was assuming the management of the cinema at 6226 Middle Fiskville Road, Austin, and planned to expand and rebrand it. He said he expects to show classic, international and art house films in the new space daily. AFS has raised more than $1.5 million to fund the expansion of the cinema during the last few months and needs $600,000 more to complete the project. Learn more about the project at http://austinfilm.org.