One of the most significant cultural events of the year is fast approaching, as preparations for the 31stedition of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival are well underway. First established as a local music festival for up-and-coming artists in 1987, SXSW now distinguishes itself as a multimedia affair, encompassing music, film, television, and digital interactive media. The Film & TV Festival – running in tandem with the SXSW conference as well as its music and comedy festivals – offers a broad cross-section of international creative professionals the chance to intersect. While some have criticized the festival for straying from its roots as a showcase for up-and-coming artists in favour of the spectacle of more commercial films and television series, this year’s line-up promises to spotlight a diversity of lesser-known talent and voices alongside some of the most anticipated blockbuster premieres of the year.
On the blockbuster end of the spectrum, famed action director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) kicks things off on opening night with his re-imagining of 1989 cult classic Roadhouse. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as an ex-UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, with supporting turns by Jessica Williams (The Incredible Jessica James) and real-life UFC legend Conor McGregor. In a similar vein, The Fall Guy, the latest outing from stunt-coordinator turned director David Leitch (Bullet Train, Atomic Blonde), makes its world premiere as the centerpiece film of the festival. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in an update of the 1980s television series, with both stars sure to be in attendance. For the romance lovers out there, The Idea of You – directed by two-time SXSW Audience Award winner Michael Showalter – will close out the festival. The much buzzed about film (and favourite of the paparazzi) stars Anne Hathaway as a single mom having a fling with a Harry Styles-esque pop star played by up-and-comer Nicholas Galatzine (Red, White & Royal Blue).
A late addition to the festival lineup is the world premiere of Alex Garland’s highly anticipated Civil War. The A24 feature stars Kirsten Dunst as a war photographer traveling across a dystopian United States in the throes of the Second American Civil War. Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), Wagner Moura (Narcos), and Dunst’s husband Jesse Plemons also appear. Rounding out the headlining films are Dev Patel’s directorial debut Monkey Man (co-produced by horror master Jordan Peele) and Pamela Adlon’s debut feature Babes, starring the hilarious Ilana Glazer (Broad City) and Michelle Buteau (Key & Peele).
In a reflection of the festival’s commitment to highlighting a diversity of voices, this year’s slate of films spotlights a wide variety of filmmakers from typically underrepresented groups. Highlights to watch out for in the narrative feature competition include Māori filmmaker Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu’s We Were Dangerous; Shaun Seneviratne’s Sri Lankan tale Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts; and Tracie Laymon’s Bob Trevino Likes It, featuring Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria) and John Leguizamo.
Out of competition, fans of the darkly comic pregnancy horror film Prevenge will be pleased to see director and star Alice Lowe returning to SXSW with her latest, the “reincarnation rom-com” Timestalker. Other notable films in the Narrative Spotlight program include Marco Calvani’s High Tide and Iram Parveen Bilal’s Wakhri.
Not to be outdone, the festival’s documentary offerings cover an absolutely wild breadth of topics. Stories about revolutionary synthesizers (Resynator) and neurodivergent LARPers (We Can Be Heroes) are just the tip of the iceberg. Brian J. Smith paints a portrait of iconic gay mecca Fire Island (A House is Not a Disco), Julie Lunde Lillesæter follows a group of women fighting back against an unjust legal system (An Army of Women), and directors Isaac Gale and Ryan Olson take a deep dive into the world of legendary musician Swamp Dogg (Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted). Finally, in an intriguing portent of the world to come, Grand Theft Hamlet tells the story of two unemployed actors attempting to stage a production of Hamlet … entirely within the world of notoriously violent video game Grand Theft Auto.
The 31st SXSW Film & TV Festival runs from March 8-16 in Austin, Texas.
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