Bethelites Pictures logo with white text on grey and white background with a red box in the middle of the text.

Better halves, even better stories.

Portrait of Sarah and Samuel, founders of Better Half Pictures

Meet Better Half Pictures, the husband-and-wife filmmaking team from Austin, Texas, dedicated to developing and producing original, artist-led narrative films. Founded in 2022 by writer/director Sarah Joy Byington (Labor + Justice, Somewhere You Feel Free) and producer/editor Samuel Butler (Age Out, American Dollhouse), Better Half Pictures was born from a shared passion for telling deeply human stories that are meant to be felt as much as they're seen.

The duo have since created four narrative short films together, beginning with the award-winning Labor + Justice, which premiered at the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival in 2023 before screening at festivals including DIFF Shorts and earning multiple festival awards. Their growing body of work also includes the comedy Play Thing, Deserteur, which premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2025, and Let Me Do Right By You, a short adaptation of the feature screenplay of the same name.

DESERTEUR

After escaping a concentration camp in Nazi-occupied France, a refugee encounters a Nazi deserter standing on a landmine rigged to explode.

WINNER: Audience Award - ATX Short Film Showcase 2026

WINNER: Best Narrative Short - ATX Short Film Showcase 2026

PLAY TRAILER
A black background with white hand-drawn feathers forming a heart shape, containing the text 'Official Selection Austin Film Festival 2025'.
A person standing in a grassy field with a forest in the background and a blue sky with clouds and birds flying overhead. Overlaid text indicates a movie poster titled 'Deserteur' directed by Sarah Joy Byington.

WATCH LABOR+JUSTICE BELOW

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WATCH LABOR+JUSTICE BELOW 〰️

LABOR + JUSTICE

Set in a dystopian United States, pregnant persons are required by law to give birth in front of a panel of judges. Failure to birth a living baby sentences the mother to immediate execution. The everyday, mundane births/deaths have zero effect on the judges as they devour their lunch like animals.

This dark and surreal, genre-bending drama contrasts a calamitous political system against women cruelly stripped of any reproductive rights and body autonomy. Featuring stunning black and white cinematography and powerful, gripping performances, Labor and Justice delivers a thought-provoking exploration of women’s rights intersecting with themes of race, class, and religion.

WINNER: Best Director - Austin Spotlight Film Festival 2024

WINNER: Best Dramatic Short - ATX Short Film Showcase 2024

WINNER: Best Director - ATX Short Film Showcase 2024

WINNER: Audience Award - ATX Short Film Showcase 2024

WINNER: Best Expressionist Film - Arthouse Film Festival 2024

WINNER: Audience Award - WIFT Austin Member Showcase 2024

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A close-up of an eagle with its wings extended, perched on a branch against a cloudy sky.
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HollyShorts Film Festival Official Selection 2023 logo with laurel branches
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Award-winning short film Labor and Justice from Better Half Pictures - Movie poster

  • Labor and Justice short film better half pictures film company austi, texas
  • Labor and Justice short film better half pictures film company austi, texas
  • Labor and Justice short film better half pictures film company austi, texas
  • Labor and Justice short film better half pictures film company austi, texas
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Podcast cover art with a woman with brown hair and a gentle smile, set against a grey background. The title is 'rePRO Podcast, Vol. 23' with a focus on 'Labor + Justice'. Guest information includes Sara Joy Byington in conversation with Asha Dahya, and the website 'REPROFILM.ORG' at the bottom.

PLAY THING

A woman hires a specialist who uncovers the missing link in her and her partner's relationship.

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Austin Comedy Film Festival official selection for Fall 2024. Illustration of a smiling face wearing a jester hat with red and black stripes, and a red neck scarf, surrounded by a black laurel wreath.
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Poster for the film 'Play Thing' featuring images of a man and woman sitting in a car, with awards and the title prominently displayed.
  • A woman with long brown hair sits in the backseat of a car, looking out the window with a contemplative expression as the sun sets.
  • A man with a mustache and dark hair looking through the back window of a car at night, holding a piece of paper or cloth.
  • A woman with dark hair and multiple earrings, holding a glass of white wine, looking intently at it in a dimly lit room.

LET ME DO RIGHT BY YOU

After the tragic loss of her husband and her job, Julia is left alone to raise her one-year-old, Phoebe. Eviction forces her to move back to her small town and back in with her estranged mother.

Let Me Do Right By You, portrays a raw and honest depiction of one woman’s struggle with grief, alcoholism, and postpartum depression. It is a dark, dramatic story with ironic humor peppered throughout. The short film is an excerpt drawn from the 105-page feature screenplay that is currently gaining momentum at festivals.

Better Half Pictures Let Me Do Right By You Austin, TExas Film Production Company
Watch Here!
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  • Let Me Do Right By You Short Film Better Half Pictures Austin Texas Film Production Company
  • Let Me Do Right By You Short Film Better Half Pictures Austin Texas Film Production Company
  • Let Me Do Right By You Short Film Better Half Pictures Austin Texas Film Production Company
  • Let Me Do Right By You Short Film Better Half Pictures Austin Texas Film Production Company
  • Let Me Do Right By You Short Film Better Half Pictures Austin Texas Film Production Company

Follow our journey.