Needless to say, we viewed a lot of films and shorts at SXSW. This is nowhere near all of them, but we wanted to share some of the movies, tv shows, and shorts that were playing.
Many were playing at the same time, and it was VERY hard to decide which movie/show to go see. Read the loglines of each movie (by enlarging the pictures below) and tells us which ones would you have stood in line to see.
The various Shorts Programs had 8-15 shorts that played back to back. Too many to list, but a varied cacophony of styles and stories. Other program blocks included: Documentary, TV pilots, and Animated Shorts.
We were blown away with all of the Film & TV highlights including EVIL DEAD RISE directed by Lee Cronin; PROBLEMISTA directed by Julio Torres; FLAMIN’ HOT directed by Eva Longoria, Janine Nabers and Donald Glover’s SWARM and Lee Sung Jin’s BEEF;
BOTTOMS directed by Emma Seligman; FURIES directed by Veronica Ngo; DOWN LOW; directed by Rightor Doyle; IT LIVES INSIDE directed by Bishal Dutta; Zoe Lister Jones’ SLIP; Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm’s DEMASCUS; Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof’s MRS. DAVIS; David West Read’s THE BIG DOOR PRIZE; Kelvin Yu’s AMERICAN BORN CHINESE… whew! And that isn’t even all of them. There were SO many.
The shows and movies that had the most “festival buzz” momentum were:
Boots Riley’s “I”m a Virgo”. This is a fantastical coming-of-age joyride about a 13-foot-tall young Black man who lives in Oakland, CA. (series coming to Prime)
“Talk to Me” by Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou is about how Lonely teenager Mia gets hooked on the thrills of conjuring spirits through a ceramic hand, but when she is confronted by a soul claiming to be her dead mother, she unleashes a plague of supernatural forces. (horror movie)
Lagueria Davis’s “Black Barbie: A Documentary”, Through intimate access to a charismatic Mattel insider, Beulah Mae Mitchell, Black Barbie delves into the cross-section of merchandise and representation as Black women strive to elevate their own voices and stories, refusing to be invisible.
The Documentary “Satan Wants You” by Sean Horlor & Steve J. Adams is the shocking story of how a young woman and her psychiatrist ignited the global Satanic Panic with their bestselling memoir ‘Michelle Remembers’
I am intrigued by Black Barbie. Since I was a little girl I have always loved dolls. Creating my own fantasies and adventures in my own mind.
With the general public being more aware of different ethnicities and the value in being represented, I’m eager to see what direction they take this going forward.
Black Barbie provides an in-depth look at the evolution of Mattel’s Barbie dolls throughout the years with a key focus on their effects on the Black population. This movie had a lot going on…it very distinctly examines how these dolls (with Black, white and other appearances) are perceived by the children who play with them. This movie is quite informative and, right from the start, will immediately make the viewer become immersed in the material it richly details.