World premiering in SXSW’s Visions section on Saturday is Ben Powell’s Barge, a project featured in IFP’s Spotlight on Documentaries Project Forum back in 2012. Aboard a towboat bound for New Orleans, Powell introduces us to the hands on deck, one of whom, Larry, is depicted in the exclusive clip below. Said Powell of his subject, “I wanted a well-rounded documentation of the crew and every position on the boat. On the last shoot I met a cook named Larry. He happened to be new to the kitchen after working as a deckhand for years. It seemed appropriate thematically to include […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Mar 12, 2015The SXSW Music, Film and Interactive Festivals and Conferences haven’t even begun yet, and there’s already been one corporate contretemps (sponsor McDonald’s attempt to get bands to play for free), and the app of the festival has already been decided upon (it’s Meerkat, if the wi-fi in the Austin Convention Center holds up). As always, though, the films are mysteries. On paper the ’15 lineup looks like a good one, with several high-profile titles I’m really looking forward to, some first-time features that seem like real discoveries, and a number of returning veterans with films that seem very promising. I […]
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 12, 2015Alongside her current Kickstarter campaign for Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck’s God Bless the Child, producer Laura Heberton pens this guest essay for Filmmaker reflecting on the many different ways one can be a film producer in our Internet age. Both God Bless the Child and another picture produced by Heberton, Alison Bagnall’s Funny Bunny, premiere at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival. This coming Friday, at about 2 o’clock in the morning, I will finally get to meet, in some (probably nondescript) lobby of a hotel in Austin, Robert Machoain and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck — in person and for the very […]
by Laura Heberton on Mar 11, 2015One of the more intriguing documentaries scheduled to premiere at SXSW is Stone Barn Castle, which depicts Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody’s restoration of a damaged stoned barn in upstate New York — “reminiscent of a European castle” — over the course of a seven-year period. As the short clip above details, the documentary appears to be as much about community, physical work and personal achievement as it is about design. The official blurb is below: In 2007, Academy Award winning actor Adrien Brody fell in love with a partially burned stone barn, reminiscent of an old European castle, hidden in […]
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 10, 2015On the heels of last week’s feature program announcement, SXSW has just released their selections for Midnighters and Shorts. In addition to several Sundance holdovers — including Jury Prize winners World of Tomorrow and Oh Lucy! — the several shorts programs feature new work from Leah Shore (HALLWAY), ornana (All Your Favorite Shows!), James M. Johnston (Melville), and DANIELS (Interesting Ball), as well as the latter’s very viral music video Turn Down For What. Find the full list of added features and shorts below. FEATURES MIDNIGHTERS Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious. The Corpse of Anna Fritz (Spain) Director: […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Feb 10, 2015SXSW announced today the 145 features being show in its upcoming SXSW Film Conference, March 13-21 in Austin, TX. From a record number of 2,385 feature submissions will be shown new work by directors Hannah Fidell, Benjamin Dickinson, Patrick Wang, Ron Nyswaner, Alex Sichel, Ondi Timoner and Alex Garland, among many others. The festival’s Episodics strand continues, with five new web series being shown in this second year. Of the large number of submissions, Festival Director Janet Pierson said, ““When faced with a record 2,400 feature submissions, we had every intention to cut back on the total number in our […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 3, 2015