Matthew McConaughey performs onstage during Matthew McConaughey Cinema’s dedication ceremony and “The Rivals Of Amziah King” special screening at Matthew McConaughey Cinema on August 10, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
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Academy Award-winning actor. Best-selling author. Bluegrass picker …?
McConaughey plays Amziah King, a folk hero and do-it-yourself beekeeper in the small Oklahoma town where the film takes place. The movie traces King’s reunion with Ketari (played by newcomer Angelina LookingGlass), his former foster child now navigating adulthood. Throughout its two-ish hours, a rollicking story unfolds — complete with comedy, crime and a cohort of characters the audience can’t help but care about.
To celebrate the release of Amziah King, McConaughey and writer-director Andrew Patterson screened the film Thursday night for moviegoers at the Belcourt Theatre, an independent cinema in Nashville, Tennessee. Following the movie, McConaughey and folk group The Last Bison — which contributed music to Amziah King — played a few songs from the film.
“You feel like you got a little bit more soul in ya now [from] when ya came in? There’s a lot of soul in that picture,” McConaughey said to the audience after the movie, as he and the band set up in front of the theater screen. He continued, “I couldn’t turn away from being able to play a character that reminded me a lot of my mom, actually. [Amziah] Shines a light on them. That was a lot of fun to do. Being from around here, Tennessee, you know these folks that you saw on screen.”
McConaughey Sings In Nashville
For the performance, a mandolin-strumming McConaughey and company ran through a rowdy rendition of Avett Brothers’ song “Talk on Indolence,” which appears in the opening credits of the movie. Fiddle player and touring Avett Brothers band member Tania Elizabeth joined McConaughey and the Last Bison members for the pop-up show.
The group performed a few songs, including an acapella rendition of gospel song “It Is Well With My Soul” — sans McConaughey — before closing with “Quill,” a Last Bison number that acts as the musical centerpiece of the film.
“This is the love song of the film,” McConaughey said, introducing “Quill” to onlookers. “The chords play throughout to remind you of the love song. It’s the soul DNA of the story.”
McConaughey’s stop in Nashville follows a guest appearance on The Tonight Show (where he and the band covered Ella Langley’s major hit “Choosin’ Texas,” no less) and a screening-performance at the newly named Matthew McConaughey Cinema in Austin, Texas, his adopted hometown.
The Rivals of Amziah King opens Friday in theaters throughout the U.S. Visit the film website for more information.