The South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival has announced the remainder of its program with the Midnighters, Festival Favorites, Shorts Programs and Special Events for its 23rd edition, which runs March 11-19 in Austin, Texas.
The Midnighters section is always a favorite with SXSW audiences who relish in the weird, electrifying and sometimes, downright terrifying. Featuring 10 genre films, including six World Premieres, the slate includes thrillers, sci-fi and dark comedies from a mix of new and established filmmakers. These 10 Midnighters as well as the 13 Festival Favorites, five Special Events and additional feature titles are included in 139 total features screening at SXSW Film 2016.
“Deep and dark character studies, crazy Japanese Manga come to life, daddy-issues, handicaps, survival, revenge and even a little remastering are all on display this year,” SXSW producer/senior programmer Jarod Neece said. “You’ll hear from veteran directors and producers perfecting their craft to filmmakers that are about to burst onto the scene. And don’t sleep on the Festival Favorites and Special Events, lots of weird and wild films in those screening sections, too!”
114 short films were selected from 4,784 short film submissions. A comprehensive list of the Short Film Program is detailed below, all of which will screen as part of 10 curated shorts programs.
“I love how our short filmmakers are brazenly inventive and taking big risks across the board. They drop original, ballsy ideas, and go to places most storytellers are afraid to,” Claudette Godfrey, shorts programmer and operations manager for SXSW Film, said. “The gift for us at SXSW is watching so many of them hone their skills in short films we premiere here, and go on to take their imaginative ideas to more ambitious avenues. This year will be no exception.”
The films in the Short Film Program are eligible for Jury Awards within their respective screening categories, announced during the SXSW Film Awards on Tuesday, March 15 at 4 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre. Other awards announced will include Narrative Feature Competition and Documentary Feature Competition, Design Awards, and Special Award winners. All feature film categories, except Special Events, will be eligible for category specific Audience Awards, announced on Saturday, March 20. SXSW is an official qualifying festival for the Academy Awards Short Film competition. Winners of the Best Animated, Best Narrative and Best Documentary Short Film categories become eligible for Oscars, while any British short that screens at SXSW is eligible for a BAFTA nomination.
Joining the previously announced features, including Richard Linklater‘s Opening Night selection “Everybody Wants Some,” the additions to the 2016 SXSW lineup are:
FEATURES
MIDNIGHTERS
Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious.
Carnage Park
Director/Screenwriter: Mickey Keating
The year is 1978. A team of wannabe crooks botch a small-town bank heist and flee with their hostage deep into the California desert, where they find themselves in a harrowing fight for survival against a psychotic ex-military sniper. Cast: Ashley Bell, Pat Healy, Alan Ruck, Darby Stanchfield, Larry Fessenden, Graham Skipper, James Landry Hebert, Michael Villar
Hush (pictured above)
Director: Mike Flanagan, Screenwriters: Mike Flanagan, Kate Siegel
A deaf woman is stalked by a psychotic killer in her secluded home. Cast: Kate Siegel, John Gallagher Jr, Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan (World Premiere)
I Am a Hero (Japan)
Director: Shinsuke Sato, Screenwriter: Akiko Nogi
Japan’s first major zombie movie based on a blockbuster manga series! Cast: Yo Oizumi, Kasumi Arimura, Masami Nagasawa (U.S. Premiere)
Jack Goes Home
Director/Screenwriter: Thomas Dekker
After his father is killed in a car crash, Jack travels home to Colorado to help nurse his mother (who was injured in the crash) back to health. There, he uncovers long buried secrets and lies within his family, his friends and his very identity. Cast: Rory Culkin, Lin Shaye, Daveigh Chase, Natasha Lyonne, Louis Hunter, Nikki Reed, Britt Robertson (World Premiere)
Johnny Frank Garrett’s Last Word
Director: Simon Rumley, Screenwriters: Ben Ketai, Marc Haimes, Tony Giglio
When a young man is executed for committing murder, he leaves behind a curse letter in which he promises to take vengeance on all those connected to his trial. Cast: Sean Patrick Flanery, Erin Cummings, Devin Bonne, Mike Doyle (World Premiere)
My Father Die
Director/Screenwriter: Sean Brosnan
A young deaf boy avenges the death of his brother, and the killer happens to be his father. Cast: Joe Anderson, Gary Stretch, Candance Smith, Kevin Gage, John Schneider, Gabe White, Ross Britz, Michael Francis Murphy, William Mark McCullough, Frances Reagan James (World Premiere)
Pet
Director: Carles Torrens, Screenwriter: Jeremy Slater
A lonely man fatefully reunites with a former high school classmate. When she spurns his advances, he takes her prisoner, only to find that she is not what she seems. Cast: Dominic Monaghan, Ksenia Solo, Jennette McCurdy, Nathan Parsons, John Ross Bowie, Da’Vone McDonald, Janet Song (World Premiere)
PHANTASM: Remastered
Director/Screenwriter: Don Coscarelli
Filmmaker J.J. Abrams and his company Bad Robot have undertaken a meticulous 4K restoration of writer/director Don Coscarelli’s beloved horror fan favorite about a young boy confronting the embodiment of death in the form of the sinister “Tall Man.” Cast: Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Angus Scrimm, Reggie Bannister, Kathy Lester
Under the Shadow (Jordan, Qatar, UK)
Director/Screenwriter: Babak Anvari
As a mother and daughter struggle to cope with the terrors of the post-revolution, war torn Tehran of the 80s, a mysterious evil begins to haunt their home… Cast: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi, Arash Marandi, Ray Haratian, Hamid Djavdan, Nabil Koni
Untitled Fede Alvarez/Ghost House Thriller
Director: Fede Alvarez, Screenwriters: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues
A group of teens break into a blind man’s home thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime. They’re wrong. Cast: Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto, Stephen Lang (World Premiere)
FESTIVAL FAVORITES
Acclaimed standouts & selected previous premieres from festivals around the world.
Cameraperson
Director: Kirsten Johnson
Exposing her role behind the camera, Johnson reaches into the vast trove of footage she has shot over decades around the world. What emerges is a visually bold memoir and a revelatory interrogation of the power of the camera.
Chevalier (Greece)
Director: Athina Rachel Tsangari, Screenwriters: Efthimis Filippou, Athina Rachel Tsangari
Six men on a fishing trip on a luxury yacht decide to play a game to compete. Things will be compared. Things will be measured. Songs will be butchered, blood will be tested. Friends will become rivals and rivals will become hungry. Cast: Yorgos Kentros, Panos Koronis, Vangelis Mourikis, Makis Papadimitriou, Yorgos Pirpassopoulos, Sakis Rouvas
Free In Deed
Director/Screenwriter: Jake Mahaffy
Free in Deed depicts one man’s attempts to perform a miracle when a single mother brings her young boy to church for healing. Cast: David Harewood, Edwina Findley, RaJay Chandler, Kathy Smith
Gleason
Director: Clay Tweel, Screenwriters: Seth Gordon, Clay Tweel At the age of 34, Steve Gleason was handed a death sentence. When doctors diagnosed him with ALS, they gave the former NFL defensive back and New Orleans hero two to five years to live. So that is what Steve chose to do – LIVE.
The Greasy Strangler
Director: Jim Hosking, Screenwriters: Jim Hosking, Toby Harvard
Ronnie runs a Disco walking tour with his son, Brayden. When a sexy woman takes the tour, it begins a competition between father and son for her love. It also signals the arrival of an oily strangler who stalks the streets at night. Cast: Michael St Michaels, Elizabeth De Razzo, Sky Elobar, Joe Walters, Gil Gex, Abdoulaye NGom, Sam Dissanayake, Holland MacFallister
Hunt For The Wilderpeople (New Zealand)
Director/Screenwriter: Taika Waititi
Ricky (Julian Dennison) is a defiant city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle (Sam Neill) in the wild New Zealand bush, in this hilarious and heartfelt adventure from director Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows). Cast: Julian Dennison, Sam Neill, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House, Oscar Kightley, Rhys Darby, Stan Walker, Cohen Holloway, Mike Minogue, Troy Kingi
Morris from America
Director/Screenwriter: Chad Hartigan
Morris From America is an endearing, heartfelt coming-of-age comedy about Morris, a 13-year-old African-American boy who has just moved to Heidelberg, Germany with his caring but troubled single father. Cast: Markees Christmas, Craig Robinson, Carla Juri
Newtown
Director: Kim A. Snyder
Newtown documents the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting of schoolchildren in American history. A cast of characters within Newtown and beyond interconnect to weave an intimate story of trauma, grief and community resilience.
Operation Avalanche
Director: Matt Johnson, Screenwriters: Matt Johnson, Josh Boles
In 1967, four undercover CIA agents were sent to NASA posing as a documentary film crew. What they discovered led to one of the biggest conspiracies in American history. Cast: Matt Johnson, Owen Williams, Josh Boles, Ray James
Presenting Princess Shaw (Israel)
Director: Ido Haar
Presenting Princess Shaw is the true story of the incredible Princess Shaw and the enigmatic composer Kutiman, who discovers her from the other side of the world.
Richard Linklater – dream is destiny
Directors: Louis Black, Karen Bernstein
Richard Linklater – dream is destiny is a feature-length documentary on the filmmaker Richard Linklater and an unusual look at a fiercely independent film style that emerged from Austin, Texas in the 1990s.
Sing Street (USA/Ireland)
Director/Screenwriter: John Carney
A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band and moving to London. Cast: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Jack Reynor, Aidan Gillen, Mark McKenna, Maria Doyle Kennedy
Trapped
Director: Dawn Porter, Screenwriters: Dawn Porter, Sari Gilman
Trapped follows the clinic workers, women, and lawyers on the frontlines of the battle as they fight to keep abortion safe and legal across the US for millions of poor and uninsured women caught in a political quagmire.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
24 BEATS PER SECOND
Showcasing the sounds, culture and influence of music & musicians, with an emphasis on documentary. (Open to Music badgeholders)
Robert Klein Can’t Stop Shaking His Leg
Director: Robert Klein
A hilarious and heartfelt look at the career and influence of comedy legend Robert Klein. (World Premiere)
Sidemen – Long Road To Glory
Director: Scott Rosenbaum, Screenwriters: Scott Rosenbaum, Jasn Cadic
An intimate look at the lives and legacies of piano player Pinetop Perkins, drummer Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith and guitarist Hubert Sumlin, all Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf sidemen. (World Premiere)
SXGLOBAL
A diverse selection of International filmmaking talent, featuring innovative narratives, artful documentaries, premieres, festival favorites and more.
Semana Santa (Mexico)
Director/Screenwriter: Alejandra Márquez Abella
Dali and her 8-year-old son Pepe take a vacation with Dali’s boyfriend, Chavez. Instead of bringing them closer, their beach holiday brings out things in each of them that threaten to pull this emerging family apart. Cast: Anajosé Aldrete, Tenoch Huerta, Esteban Ávila (U.S. Premiere)
VISIONS
Visions filmmakers are audacious, risk-taking artists in the new cinema landscape who demonstrate raw innovation and creativity in documentary and narrative filmmaking.
Boone
Director: Christopher LaMarca
A unique sensory and unsentimental peek beneath the veil of the Utopian dream of farming. Stripped of interviews with farmers or agricultural experts, a sense of time and place serve as a meditation on the gritty reality of three young goat farmers. (World Premiere)
SHORT FILM SCREENING SECTIONS
NARRATIVE SHORTS
A selection of original, well-crafted films that take advantage of the short form and exemplify distinctive and genuine storytelling.
Barry
Director/Screenwriter: Jay Rondot
A homespun cocaine dealer takes to social media to expand his operation, but things don’t go as planned. (World Premiere)
Boys (Sweden)
Director: Isabella Carbonel, Screenwriters: Isabella Carbonell, Babak Najafi
Markus is in an institution for young sex offenders. His only friend inside is the unpredictable and violent Tobias. (North American Premiere)
Crooked 180 (Netherlands)
Director/Screenwriter: Kevin Boitelle
A young skateboarders summer with endless possibilities and an approaching ending. (World Premiere)
Dastaar
Director/Screenwriter: Javian Ashton Le
Harpreet and Emily drive to New York days after 9/11 (World Premiere)
Ernestine & Kit (UK)
Director: Simon Bird, Screenwriters: Simon Bird, Kevin Barry
A darkly comic fairytale about two elderly women who travel the countryside of rural Ireland, imagining the terrible, immoral lives people are living today. Their one consolation is the innocence of children… (World Premiere)
The First Men
Director/Screenwriter: Benjamin Kegan, Story by: Stacey Richter
An overextended teacher bumps into a troubled student while at the mall with her mom. (World Premiere)
Greener Grass
Director: Paul Briganti, Screenwriters: Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe
In this dark comedy of manners set in a surreal world, meticulously-coiffed soccer moms Jill and Lisa vie for perfect children, perfect husbands, and most importantly, perfect teeth. (North American Premiere)
Her Friend Adam (Canada)
Director/Screenwriter: Ben Petrie
A boyfriend’s jealous impulse spirals out of control in 16 minutes of romantic doom.
Het Geluk (Belgium)
Director/Screenwriter: Jan Van Dyck
One evening, 38-year-old Frank returns to his quiet residential house where his family has organized a surprise birthday party. (North American Premiere)
Hip Hip Hooray
Director: Lizzy Sanford, Screenwriters: Lizzy Sanford, Anna Cordell
Harry breaks up with his girlfriend on his 30th birthday, moments before discovering she has thrown him a surprise birthday party.
Homebodies (Australia)
Director/Screenwriter: Yianni Warnock
Shannon cooks dinner whilst speaking to a perverted stranger online. Andrew takes a bath wrapped in seared Christmas lights. What could possibly shock this estranged couple from their malaise? (World Premiere)
How Was Your Day? (Ireland)
Director: Damien O’Donnell, Screenwriters: Nollaig Rowan, Damien O’Donnell
A woman is excited about the approaching birth of her first child. (North American Premiere)
Jumpers
Director/Screenwriter: Anonymous
One way or another, Paul is getting Cody off the roof.
Quelques Secondes (France)
Director: Nora El Hourch
The daily life of five girls living in a hosting center in Paris, and trying to move forward. (U.S. Premiere)
She Stoops To Conquer (Canada)
Director: Zack Russell, Screenwriters: Zack Russell, Kayla Lorette
A struggling performer stumbles upon a real-life version of the character she plays in this doppelgänger rom-com.
Thunder Road
Director/Screenwriter: Jim Cummings
Officer Arnaud loved his mom.
Too Legit
Director/Screenwriter: Frankie Shaw
After becoming pregnant from sexual assault on campus, a young woman goes on a journey to find out if the rape was ‘legitimate.’
Victor XX (Spain)
Director/Screenwriter: Ian Garrido
What would happen if you didn’t feel comfortable with your body? What if you decided to experiment with your gender?
Where You Are
Director/Screenwriter: Graham Parkes
When Jen’s son disappears in a game of hide-and-seek, she unwittingly embarks on a journey through time in order to find him. (World Premiere)
Woman in Deep
Director/Screenwriter: Janicza Bravo
A woman struggles to make it through her birthday in one piece. (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Slices of life from across the documentary spectrum.
Alive & Kicking: The Soccer Grannies of South Africa (South Africa/USA)
Director: Lara-Ann de Wet
A story that brings to life the struggle of grannies in South Africa through the game of soccer. (World Premiere)
Another Kind of Girl (Jordan)
Director/Screenwriter: Khaldiya Jibawi
17-year-old Khaldiya meditates on how the refugee camp has opened up new horizons and given her a sense of courage that she lacked in Syria.
Bacon & God’s Wrath (Canada)
Director: Sol Friedman
A 90-year-old Jewish woman reflects on her life’s experiences as she prepares to try bacon for the first time.
The Black Belt
Director: Margaret Brown
In September 2015, Alabama closed 31 DMVs, which largely impacted voters in Alabama’s Black Belt. To combat these closures, the Secretary of State issued a Mobile Voter Registration unit, which traveled to every county to issue voter IDs. (World Premiere)
Dollhouse
Director: Terri Timely
An aesthetically lavish portrait of a “reborn” artist who strives for maximum verisimilitude in her creation of newborn baby dolls. (World Premiere)
Like
Director: Garrett Bradley
At the intersection of internet popularity and economic gain a booming industry grows in Bangladesh based on Likes. (World Premiere)
Love Bite: Laurie Lipton and her disturbing black & white drawings (UK)
Director: James Scott
No one on the planet has drawn more than Laurie Lipton. Armed with only a pencil, her haunting images seek answers to the most uncomfortable themes in our culture. But what compels her to live a life of isolation drawing is neither black nor white. (World Premiere)
Miss Me: The Artful Vandal
Director: Mohammad Gorjestani
Renowned Montreal street artist, “Miss Me”, gives us an unprecedented inside view into her life and her quest for self-liberation and authenticity, as she uses her art to take aim at the objectification of women in advertising. (World Premiere)
Phil’s Camino
Directors: Annie O’Neil, Jessica Lewis
Due to treatments for his stage 4 cancer, Phil can only dream of walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain. He does the next best thing: he builds a Camino behind his house and along the way he learns his true pilgrimage is the one he travels within. (World Premiere)
The Provider
Directors: Leah Galant, Maya Cueva
Restrictive laws, such as HB2 in Texas, threaten abortion providers and force clinics to shut down or hire out-of-state practitioners. Some abortion doctors, such as Dr. Shannon Carr, travel hundreds of miles to provide legal and safe abortions.
These C*cksucking Tears
Director: Dan Taberski
The gritty, fearless voice behind the world’s first and only gay-themed country music album, 40 years after its release. (World Premiere)
The Vodou Healer
Director: Lucy Walker
In post-earthquake Haiti, Vodou healer Katy leads a captivating and cathartic all-night ceremony. (World Premiere)
ANIMATED SHORTS
An assortment of stories told using traditional animation, computer-generated effects, stop-motion, and everything in-between.
Accidents, Blunders and Calamities (New Zealand)
Director/Screenwriter: James Cunningham
A father possum tells his kids a story about the most dangerous animal of all – humans! (World Premiere)
David Gilmour – “The Girl in the Yellow Dress” (UK/USA)
Director: Danny Madden
Paris, 1961–The “it” girl walks into a jazz club, imaginations run wild.
Deer Flower (Republic of Korea)
Director/Screenwriter: Kangmin Kim
Deer Flower is a stop motion and 3d printed film following elementary student, Dujung and his parents. Dujung drinks rare food and suffers side effects.
Edmond (UK)
Director/Screenwriter: Nina Gantz
A funny and dark story of a man with cannibalistic urges who travels back through his life, looking for the root of his unhappiness.
Geist (Ireland)
Directors: Alex Sherwood, Ben Harper, Sean Mullen
A shipwrecked fisherman is led to a dark secret within this short thriller. (World Premiere)
Glove
Directors: Alexa Lim Haas, Bernardo Britto
The true story of a glove that has been floating forever in space since 1968.
Heila Ormur
Director/Screenwriter: Rose Stark
A man, infected, runs for his life.
LOVE (Hungary)
Director/Screenwriter: Réka Bucsi
LOVE is a short film describing affection in 3 different chapters, through an impact on a distant solar system. (U.S. Premiere)
Pombo Loves You (UK)
Director: Steve Warne, Screenwriters: Josh Blaaberg, Steve Warne
A distant father is forced to confront a heroic but troubled past life as the 1980’s TV show character Pombo.
Shiny
Directors: Daniel Cloud Campos, Spencer Susser
A damsel in distress gets undressed when a man from the Midwest puts to rest a world that’s obsessed with “the priceless,” also known as “the shiny.”
Snowfall (Ireland)
Director: Conor Whelan
A story of fleeting love at a house party.
Things used to be hidden (Germany)
Director/Screenwriter: Tara Mercedes Wood
Things used to be hidden is a mockumentary about the aftermath of a disaster which caused everyone to loose their perception filters. Various characters tell us how they feel about their new lives. Is knowing it all really what we want? (North American Premiere)
Trash Cat
Director/Screenwriter: Kelsey Goldych
A cat that likes to knock over trashcans. (World Premiere)
Vocabulary 1
Director: Becky James
An oblivious Snake and his neighbor, Butterfly, come to life on a vocabulary worksheet. (World Premiere)
MIDNIGHT SHORTS
Bite-sized bits for all of your sex, gore, and hilarity cravings.
An Arms Length (UK)
Director/Screenwriter: Max Weiland
God couldn’t be everywhere, so he created mothers.
Battlefield Casualties (UK)
Director: Price James, Screenwriters: Darren Cullen, Price James
Battlefield Casualties is a Veterans For Peace UK Film challenging the British Army’s policy of recruiting 16-year-olds into the most dangerous army jobs.
Don’t Tell Mom (Japan)
Director: Sawako Kabuki
A nocturnal education film, designed to help children develop their emotions and expressions as well as language and physical skills by enjoying singing and exercising with a big brother.
Eat My Shit (Spain)
Director/Screenwriter: Eduardo Casanova
Samantha has an anus instead of a mouth. Everyone picks on her but she just wants to be normal.
Gwilliam
Director: Brian Lonano, Screenwriters: Brian Lonano, Victoria Cook, Kevin Lonano
A disgusting love story between Man and Goblin.
MANOMAN (UK)
Director: Simon Cartwright
When Glen attends primal scream class, he releases something from deep within that knows no limits.
Night of the Slasher
Director/Screenwriter: Shant Hamassian
A ‘shot-in-one-take’ slasher film about a teenage girl who must commit horror movie sins by drinking alcohol, doing drugs, and having sex in order to lure a masked killer and exact revenge.
Night Stalker
Director: New Media Ltd , Screenwriters: Mike Anderson, Ryan Dickie, Abigail Horton
The Night Stalker gives you poisoned to go container of food and you turn to clay and go to another dimension!!!
The Procedure
Director/Screenwriter: Calvin Lee Reeder
An unassuming man is forced to endure a strange experiment.
A Reasonable Request
Director: Andrew Laurich, Screenwriters: Gabriel Miller, Andrew Laurich
A desperate son reconnects with his estranged father to ask an unspeakable favor that will change their lives forever.
Seth
Director/Screenwriter: Zach Lasry
There comes a point in every young man’s life where he must rise to the occasion or admit defeat. For Seth, impressing his father is his only goal, his greatest test, his Everest. Today is the day.
The Smiling Man
Director/Screenwriter: A.J. Briones
A little girl home alone finds herself face-to-face with pure evil.
Snatchers
Directors: Stephen Cedars, Benji Kleiman, Screenwriters: Stephen Cedars, Benji Kleiman, Scott Yacyshyn
A teenager’s trip to the clinic becomes freakier than usual when she learns that something supernatural is involved. (World Premiere)
MUSIC VIDEOS
A range of classic, innovative, and stylish work showcasing the scope of music video culture.
Childish Gambino – “Sober”
Director: Hiro Murai
Dillon Francis – “Not Butter”
Director/Screenwriter: Brandon Dermer
DJ Carnage feat. Tomas Barfod – “November Skies”
Director/Screenwriter: Saman Kesh
Earl Sweatshirt – “Grief”
Director: Hiro Murai
Elliot Moss – “Pattern Repeating” (Norway)
Director: Daniel Howlid
Flying Lotus – “Coronus, the Terminator”
Director: Young Replicant
Fur Voice – “Fantasia” (Spain)
Director/Screenwriter: Pablo Maestres
Joywave – “Somebody New”
Director: Keith Schofield
Leftfield & Sleaford Mods – “Head and Shoulders” (UK)
Directors: Casey Raymond, Ewan Jones Morris
Lorn – “Acid Rain”
Director: R113
Modestep – “Rainbow” (UK)
Director: Jamie Delaney
Naughty Boy ft. Beyoncé and Arrow Benjamin – “Runnin’ (Lose It All)” (UK)
Directors: Charlie Robins, Julie Gautier
Robin Schulz – “Sugar (feat. Francesco Yates)” (Germany/USA)
Director: Zak Stoltz
Rudimental – “I Will For Love” (Belgium)
Director: I Owe Youth
The Shoes – “Drifted” (France/USA)
Director: Dent De Cuir
The Shoes ft. Blaine Harrison – “Submarine” (UK/USA)
Director: Karim Huu Do
Son Lux – “Change is Everything”
Director: Nathan Johnson
Tussilago – “Waltz” (Sweden)
Director: Maceo Frost
Vance Joy – “Georgia” (Australia)
Director/Screenwriter: Luci Schroder
Vince Staples – “Señorita”
Director: Ian Pons Jewell
Yvein Monq – “Twun” (Hungary)
Director: Kinopravda, Screenwriter: Viktor Horváth
TEXAS SHORTS
An offshoot of our regular narrative shorts program, composed of work shot in, about, or somehow relating to the Lone Star state.
1985
Director/Screenwriter: Yen Tan
A dying man seeks out a beauty consultant to hide his symptoms. (World Premiere)
Becoming Blair
Director: Brianna Barsalou
An exploration of the lifestyle and challenges faced by those who are transgender through the lens of one individual, Blair.
Joan on the Phone
Director/Screenwriter: Kayla Abuda Galang
Joan delivers an overzealous apology in a series of voicemails. (World Premiere)
The Mink Catcher
Director: Samantha Buck, Screenwriters: Marie Schlingmann, Samantha Buck
Dallas, Texas, 1980: A gossip columnist hunts down Dallas’s new First Lady to unearth the truths underneath her legendary mink coat.
Minor Setback
Director/Screenwriter: Augustine Frizzell
Two teen girls scheme their way out of work to spend a day at the beach. Things don’t go as planned. (World Premiere)
The Send-Off
Directors: Ivete Lucas, Patrick Bresnan
Emboldened by a giant block party on the evening of their high school prom, a group of students enters the night with the hope of transcending their rural town and the industrial landscape that surrounds them.
The Superlative Light
Director: Ben Steinbauer, Screenwriters: Ben Steinbauer, Robert Shults
Documentary photographer, Robert Shults, went from being a homeless dreamer to a home-owning artist after taking photos of the brightest light source in the known universe, a laser in basement of the physics department at UT. (World Premiere)
Thunder P.
Director/Screenwriter: Steve Collins
An I.T. employee discovers a shameful secret during a routine printer malfunction. (World Premiere)
Two Cities
Director: Darius Clark Monroe
Locked inside the mind and memory of Dr. Mtangulizi Sanyika, he reflects what it means to be part of the displaced New Orleans population in Houston.
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS
A preview of the next filmmaking generation, as Texas High Schoolers present shorts of 5 minutes or less.
Always With You
Director/Screenwriter: Jonathan Schuette
Emotionally struggling to prepare for a funeral, a teenage boy receives crucial encouragement from his father.
The Ambition Song
Director: Ian Chapoy
An animated interpretation of “The Ambition Song.”
The Archer Hadley Story
Directors: Ben Root, Alex Treviño
The Archer Hadley Story follows Archer Hadley, a senior student who has cerebral palsy as he hosts the Wheelchair Challenge fundraiser in hopes of buying his school automatic doors.
Art
Directors: August Grau, Devan Prabhakar
Two artists of different style interpret the same landscape.
Badi’ Al Zaman
Director/Screenwriter: Arhum Khan
Badi’ Al Zaman is a story about a musician’s experiences that go into constructing his art, and with all the content, he can’t help but think you never really feel him, because you don’t hear his words, you probably watch them.
Coffee
Director/Screenwriter: Zoe Allen
You might think you are enjoying your coffee, but what if someone is enjoying you?
Dejection
Directors/Screenwriters: Francisco Alvarez, Linda Robledo
A young man contemplates suicide while drinking heavily, never leaving his room, due to his survivor’s guilt over a previous incident that inadvertently killed his loved one.
Distractions
Directors: Devan Prabhakar, Matthew Theilman, Screenwriter: Devan Prabhakar
The world is filled with distractions, and one boy is engulfed by social distractions.
DoubleDVE – “Endeavor”
Director: Gilbert Giles-Sosa, Screenwriter: Daniel Vango
Taking back hip-hop from the mainstream.
Goin’ Nuts
Director/Screenwriter: Delaney Alexander
A Dragosaur doesn’t need anyone’s help in claiming the largest nut he has spotted for himself, especially a pesky Dragoroo. It soon finds that even the smallest critters can be the biggest help.
Good Night Lizzie
Director/Screenwriter: Kriti Narayanan
A group of women have sinister plans for an abusive father and his daughter.
Hello
Directors/Screenwriters: Autumn Grounds, Andrew Fleming
In the dramatic short film Hello, Lawrence Kelly, a suicidal boy, meets a girl named Eden, and without even knowing it, she singlehandedly saves his life.
Icarian
Director/Screenwriter: Jonah Goldberg
A girl is put through a series of trials to join a group of apocalypse survivors.
KATHAROS
Director/Screenwriter: Evan O’Brien
Haunted by his past, a tortured boy turns to KATHAROS, a dream therapist to help him overcome his trauma.
Lady of Paint Creek
Director/Screenwriter: Alexia Salingaros
A woman, trapped in a society of mindless ritual and minimal emotion, must find it in herself to escape — and face the consequences.
Lucid
Director/Screenwriter: Remy Dunagan
A girl with insomnia sees a figure during a sleepless night. Was she dreaming?
Memories Upon Memories
Director: Geoffrey S. Glenn, Screenwriters: Dominique Coleman, Geoffrey S. Glenn
When a man’s reality is questioned, he goes on both a mental and physical journey looking for answers.
Mischief & Mayhem
Director/Screenwriter: Isabelle Hodge
A mischievous fairy intercedes between a girl and her crush.
Of Gods and Bells
Director/Screenwriter: Alexia Salingaros
A unique exploration of the hidden, magical world of classical Indian dance in a seemingly modern and suburban environment.
Out of Reach
Director: Max Wilson, Screenwriters: Kyria Seitz, Brad Kowalski, Max Wilson
An animator on a tight deadline just wants take a sip of his hot chocolate and continue working. Unfortunately his computer and his reaching tactics conspire against him.
Smashed
Director/Screenwriter: Adam Weider
They 1v1 irl.
The Third Floor
Director: Jesse Scholz, Screenwriters: Jesse Scholz, Garrett Avey
A detective hunts down the man that murdered his partner.
Through the Eyes of Autism
Director: Jared DeDonato
Do You See What We See?
Trolley
Directors: Cole Forson, Cameron Bossalini, Dirk Czarnecki, Jason Davis, Arhum Khan, Garrett Stoler
Hey, you ever heard of one of them thought experiments?
SPECIAL EVENTS
Live soundtracks, cult re-issues & much more. Our Special Events section offers unusual, unexpected & unique one-off film events.
Doug Benson & Master Pancake Interrupt Leprechaun 4: In Space
Directors: Doug Benson, John Erler
In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Doug Benson (Doug Loves Movies) and Master Pancake (resident film-talkers at the Alamo Drafthouse) verbally disrupt Leprechaun 4: In Space (1997). Cast: Warwick Davis, Brent Jasmer, Jessica Collins, Guy Siner, Gary Grossman
Last Night at the Alamo
Director: Eagle Pennell, Screenwriter: Kim Hinkel
A stunning restoration of Eagle Pennell’s important feature that has been lost for 30 years. Sonny Davis and Lou Perryman return to star in Kim Henkel note-perfect script under Pennell’s direction. Classic indie filmmaking. Restoration Premiere. Cast: Sonny Carl Davis, Lou Perryman, Steven Mattila, Tina-Bess Hubbard, Doris Hargrave, Peggy Pinnell, Kim Hinkle, J. Michael Hammond, Amanda Lamar, Earnest Huerta Jr. (World Premiere)
Three Nights of Free SXSW Outdoor Film Screenings!
New for 2016, enjoy three nights of free film screenings under the stars in the heart of Downtown Austin, Texas!
Where: Long Center Terrace (South 1st and Riverside)
When: Saturday, March 12 + Sunday, March 13 + Monday, March 14
How: Open to the public with free SXSW Guest Pass. Available at guestpass.sxsw.com
Saturday, March 12 / Rock Out With Your Doc Out
Darkon: 10th Anniversary screening
Directors/Screenwriters: Luke Meyer, Andrew Neel
10th Anniversary screening of the cult-hit documentary Darkon about American LARPers. The film covers an epic war raging through the fantasy realm of Darkon, investigating our complex relationship with fantasy and reality.
with Heavy Metal Parking Lot: 30th Anniversary Screening
Directors: John Heyn, Jeff Krulik
Hailed as one of the greatest rock films ever, this short documentary follows the tailgating antics of metal fans in a parking lot before a Judas Priest concert in 1986. This year marks the 30th anniversary of a pre-internet viral video cult classic.
Sunday, March 13 / The Best Little Outdoor Screening in Texas!
Smokey and the Bandit with an intro by The Bandit himself, Mr. Burt Reynolds
Director: Hal Needham, Screenwriters: James Lee Barrett, Charles Shyer, Alan Mandel, Story by: Hal Needham, Robert Levy
The Bandit is hired on to run a tractor trailer full of beer over county lines in hot pursuit by a pesky sheriff. Cast: Burt Reynolds, Sally Fields, Jerry Reed, Paul Williams, Jackie Gleason
Monday, March 14 / Family Night Under The Stars!
Cartoon Network presents: The Powerpuff Girls
Directors: Nick Jennings, Bob Boyle
Before the broadcast debut of the newly re-imagined series this Spring, Cartoon Network will take over the Long Center in Austin and host a fun-filled event under the stars to celebrate the premiere of The Powerpuff Girls! Be among the first in the world to see episodes from the new series, along with fun, food, and surprises. (World Premiere)