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SXSW is underway.
The South by Southwest (SXSW) festival is officially open. Below is a list of films that will be shown. Alphabetical A-B.Check here for schedule.
11/4/08 Two weeks before the election of Barack Obama, I asked friends around the world to record their experiences of 11/4/08, a day that had become historic before it had even taken place. In this documentary, a global canvas unfolds: in St. Louis and Austin, idealistic volunteers think they can turn their states blue; in Chicago, voter lines grow even longer when Obama shows up to cast his own vote; in Dubai, Berlin, Geneva and New Delhi, expatriates express their emotion from a distance; and in Harlem, a felon casts doubt on whether any of this will affect his life. As we approach Obama's victory at 11pm EST, what emerges is a portrait of how people choose to live through 'history': the celebration of a new future remaining entangled with the universally visible tensions of the past.
5 variations on a Long String Over the past quarter century, composer/performer Ellen Fullman has developed and perfected her extraordinary 'long string instrument'. More than sixty feet long, the instrument uses longitudinal vibration to envelop its audience in dense masses of sound: imagine standing inside an enormous pipe organ, or a huge grand piano.
Recorded in multichannel surround sound, this short film is an intense exploration of Ellen Fullman's creative process and the mind-blowing sound world she has created.
5-Second Films As seen on G4's "Attack of the Show," Comedy Central's "Tosh.0" and quite possibly your own nightmares, 5-Second Films are just that: Little bursts of insanity, all exactly 5 seconds long, from the minds of seven neglected boys and two very patient girls. You will see shark people in tight cutoff jean shorts attacking an innocent family. News anchors will have a meltdown on live TV. And wait until we show you our magic trick. Kick back, relax and don't blink abnormally slow, or you might miss it. 5 Second Films are created by Brian Firenzi, written/directed by and starring: Brian Firenzi, Ben Gigli, Kelsey Gunn, Daniel Hollister, Mike E. Peter, Michael Rousselet, Erik Sandoval, Olivia Taylor Dudley, and TV's Jon Worley.
6 '6' is a short subject portrait of small town America as told through the lens of 6-Man football. It is the grit, determination and passion of players and fans alike that form the heart and soul of communities too small to populate a full 11-Man team. Inspired by what he perceived to be a diminishing way of life, Director Jeff Bednarz went to the Texas towns of Strawn and Follet to capture intimate portraits of the town's lifeblood: football. Key to the projects' development was his longtime editor Jack Waldrip who has edited over 250 of Bednarz' commercial projects. Working with over 40 hours of film, Waldrip and Bednarz wove together the stories that combine quietly and powerfully in a 20-minute film about rugged individualism, team spirit and community.
A Different Path 'A Different Path' follows a sidewalk activist Senior, a Critical Mass trumpeter, city Kayak-er, and others, as they struggle to make their way through the modern automobile-centric urban environment. Each character uses ingenuity and humor to try and solve their modern mobility dilemma. The film is an artistic and poetic treatment of personal struggle and environmental concern over livable cities. Animation, carefully crafted cinematography, and original music created by the director with cast member Michael Louis Johnson, contribute to this documentary's distinctive style from the director of "Hybrid" (Independent Spirit Award Ð 2001).
A NY Thing 3 days in New York. 3 days during which Antoine will pretend to be 'John' at Arthur's, who dates Alice, whom Antoine desperately loves. 3 days to see that all women aren't as romantic as him. 3 days to test his potential as a comic, his talent as a liar, his French charm and his existential melancholy.
3 days to love New York and be loved in return.
Ain't in it For My Health. A Film About Levon Helm In Ain't in It for My Health, Levon Helm finds himself thrust into the musical spotlight for the first time in a quarter century, but a Grammy nomination and ever-growing audiences force him to confront the dark times that have haunted him since The Band's demise: Throat cancer, bankruptcy, drug addiction and the tragic loss of bandmates Richard Manuel and Rick Danko. Win or lose, Levon is an artist who will not go gentle into the night.
All My Friends are Funeral Singers With Live Soundtrack by Califone. Zel (renowned cult actress Angela Bettis) is a fortune teller, living and working in a house crowded with ghosts. When a mysterious light appears in the woods the ghosts realize they are trapped and begin to rebel. Zel must decide whether she can come to terms with the origins of these spirits and let go of the only family she knows.
Critically-acclaimed indie rockers Califone provide the live soundtrack for these special presentations of bandleader Tim Rutili's debut feature, and also appear in the film as blind spirits haunting Zel's house with an eternal, ethereal score.
Always a Bride. Amy and Billy, a young married couple, deliver their big news to friends and family at a dinner party - to shocking results. Something has changed in the American Dream.
Austin Film Society. A compilation of short films by the filmmaker-level members of Austin Film Society.
Austin School of Film- AMAC-Reel Women. A compilation of short films by members of Reel Women. Reel Women is a non-profit organization in Austin that provides a local support system for women at all levels of experience in the film and video industries, promoting the education, networking and mentoring of women filmmakers.
Amer. Three key moments, all of them sensual, define Ana's life. Her carnal search sways between reality and colored fantasies becoming more and more oppressive. A black laced hand prevents her from screaming. The wind lifts her dress and caresses her thighs. A razor blade brushes her skin, where will this chaotic and carnivorous journey leave her?
American Grindhouse. The feature-length documentary "American Grindhouse" explores the hidden history of the American Exploitation Film. The movie digs deep into this often overlooked category of U.S. cinema and unearths the shameless and occasionally shocking origins of this popular entertainment. Exploitation Cinema has left an indelible mark on American culture, and this informative and amusing documentary proves that its principles and popularity endure to this day.
American: The Bill Hicks Story. Much more than a comedian, Bill Hicks was and still is an inspiration to millions. His timeless comedy tackled the contradictions of America and modern life head on, as he skewered organized religion, railed against the hypocrisies of his government and exposed the collusion of the mainstream media, earning him censorship in the USA, but whose messages continue to resonate with subsequent generations. He also had some excellent dick jokes.
Pushing documentary storytelling in a new direction, 'AMERICANÕ uses a stunning new animation technique to bring the tale of one of modern culture's most iconic heroes to the big screen.
An Evening with hitRECord.org. A program of short form media created by Joseph Gordon-Levitt's open collaborative production company. Hosted collectively by the hitRECord.org community and featuring live music by hitRECorders Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl of The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.
ANATINUS is a musical cinematographical voyage into the hazy early hours of the day. This film was shot in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with no budget, using a pocket-sized digital camera. No giant rubber ducks were harmed in the making of this picture. Music by LIGO.
AND EVERYTHING IS GOING FINE provides an intimate portrait of master monologist Spalding Gray, as described by his most critical, irreverent and insightful biographer: Spalding Gray. Director Steven Soderbergh, who collaborated with Gray on Gray's Anatomy (1996), has sifted through rare and revealing footage to construct a riveting final monologue. There are glimpses of Gray's father, and of his son Forrest (who provides soaring music for the end credits), but mostly this is an inspired one-man show, a bittersweet display of Spalding's playful, embattled intelligence and his gift for tracking universal truths by looking himself squarely in the eye.
An assortment of stories told using a mix of traditional animation, computer-generated effects, stop-motion, and everything in-between. The winner of our grand jury award in this category is eligible for an 2011 Academy Award nomination for best animated short.
La Nostalgia del Sr. Alambre
Director: Jonathan Ostos Yaber
The Polish Language
Director: Alice Lyons & Orla McHardy
Poppy
Director: James Cunningham
The Orange
Director: Nick Fox-Gieg
Bygone Behemoth
Director: Harry Chaskin
The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Burger
Director: Bill Plympton
Off-Line
Director: Tom Gasek
The Art of Drowning
Director: Diego Maclean
Junko's Shamisen
Director: Sol Friedman
The Falcon
Director: Scot Hampton
One Square Mile of Earth
Director: Jeff Drew
Down To The Bone
Director: Peter Ahern
Annie Goes Boating is a laconic portrait of a girl named Annie (Alessandra Torresani, Caprica) on a picnic in the park with her friends (including Alycia Delmore, Humpday and Davie-Blue, Bass Ackwards). Shot in stereo 3D, the film provides a restrained yet immersive glimpse into the group dynamics of this boating party.
That Go's unreleased music video featuring loincloths, bouncing cadillacs, butterflies, and cosmic travellers.
Arsy-Verssy. The life story of a mother and her son Lubos, who turned the world upside down. Lubos escaped the world of people to live symbiotically with nature. His biggest support in his wanderings, as well as in all areas of his life, was his mother. Lubos' mother, however, is 70 years old and worries about the future of her son.
Audrey the Trainwreck. For Ron Hogan, life is fine... not great, not good, just... fine, and on the verge of retiring any sort of dream heÕs harbored of a life less ordinary. Pushing thirty and working a thankless office job, INTERNET dating is one more routine in Ron Hogan's well-ordered life. God knows his lonely roommate and lonelier co-workers have tried, but not even a dart to the back of the head can shake him out of his funk. Until he meets Stacy, a fellow working stiff who disarms him by speaking the language of his loneliest moments. Featuring a score by acclaimed jazz composer John Medeski, Audrey the Trainwreck is Frank V. RossÕs 5th feature film, an exploration of what might happen if one manÕs silent desperation got a little bit louder.
Austin School of Film M..A.F.I.A.
Barbershop Punk. Is 'The Man' controlling the vertical, the horizontal and the channel you'll be on? In a privatized American Internet, is big business 'Big Brother' or does the free market protect and serve the needs of the average citizen with its invisible hand?With the simple act of swapping files, barbershop quartet baritone Robb Topolski finds himself at ground zero of a landmark case whose outcome will affect the rights of every American citizen.
Following one man's personal quest to defend what he believes to be his inalienable rights, BARBERSHOP PUNK examines the critical issues surrounding the future of the American Internet and what it takes to challenge the status quo.
Barry Munday. Barry Munday, a suburban wanna-be ladies man, wakes up in the hospital after being attacked in a movie theater, only to realize that he is missing one of his most prized possessions... his testicles. To make matters worse, Barry learns he's facing a paternity lawsuit from a woman he can't remember having sex with. Filled with an ensemble of unusual characters, "Barry Munday" is the surprisingly heart-warming tale of a guy who finds it took losing his manhood to be a better man.
Bear Nation. From the director of 'small town gay bar', Bear Nation examines what it means to find community and personal acceptance; told from the viewpoint of a bunch of misfits belonging to a sub-culture within a sub-culture: Bears.
Not familiar with gay slang? Bears are hirsute and hefty gay males whose biggest currency is masculinity. Their presence in the scene has caused controversy, yet Bears are offering a new perspective on what it means to be a gay male.
Interviews include a Toronto schoolteacher/'dragÕ performer, a London nightclub impresario, music legend Bob Mould, and filmmaker/ÕbearÕ idol Kevin Smith. Come see what all the FUZZ is about.
Bedford Park Boulevard. Byron Cruz is a 15-year old Hispanic boy from Queens trying to keep his head above water at school. However, the world of rules and regulations is at odds with everything boyhood stands for. Aided by his mischievous best friend Ray, Byron struggles to outwit a school system that seems set against him.
Set during the cold, blue winter months 'Bedford Park Boulevard' tells a real, human story, about how one mistake can ruin your life. Based on a true story it raises serious questions about the urban environment and addresses them with a touch of humanity and humor.
BEIJING TAXI is a feature length documentary that vividly portrays Beijing undergoing a profound transformational arch. Through a humanistic lens, the intimate lives of three taxi drivers connect a morphing city confronted with modern issues and changing values. With diverse imagery combined with a contemporary score rich in atmosphere, we experience a visceral sense of the common citizensÕ persistent attempts to grasp the elusive. Candid and perceptive in its filming approach and highly cinematic in style, BEIJING TAXI takes us on a lyrical journey into fragments of a society riding the bumpy roads to modernization. Though the destination is unknown, they continue to forge ahead.
Bellis Simplex is the story of young girl and a daisy who fall in love. Through the relationship challenges they face, the couple learns to set aside their differences and that true love always finds a way
Better Safe Than Sorry. A pigeon and a squirrel discuss the intricacies of nuts and discover a deadly discrepancy.
BEYOND IPANEMA is a film about the cycle of discovery of Brazilian music in the world. Why does Bossa Nova still lure DJs 50 years after it was created? What makes the Tropic‡lia movement resonate so deeply with names like Beck and Devendra Banhart? How could Samba take over a public school in Harlem in 2009? BEYOND IPANEMA explores these and many other questions about the Brazilian music experience outside of Brazil through interviews with David Byrne, Devendra Banhart, M.I.A., Os Mutantes, Tom Zé, Seu Jorge, Thievery Corporation, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and many others. Artists, producers, Djs and critics analyze how the crosspollination of musical styles, as well as sampling and globalization, have helped Brazil to secure a unique position in global culture.
Big Birding Day. A glimpse into the world of competitive birdwatching, as three friends attempt to see as many species as possible in 24 hours.
Bikini Lighters. Three young friends shoplift from a local convenience store and head into the woods behind their neighborhood. They are intent on creating an explosion with a bag full of cigarette lighters, but things get complicated when they discover a pair of older teens also hanging out in the woods.
Black Ops Arabesque. A secret service agent's life is as dull as the black and white suit he wears. As he follows orders to protect a little girl on her way to ballet class, a group of rogues move in and attempt to kidnap the girl. The agent and girl escape together on foot, only to be cornered and trapped by the rogues. Facing life and death, the agent learns that sometimes there's nothing left to do but dance.
Bon Vivant. High school friends Katie (Elena Zermeno) and Tommy (Vanessa Faticaty) go about their school days as usual until they notice a ninja eating in the cafeteria. The ninja is no ordinary ninja, however, as the two soon find out that he is a bon vivant (master eater). Katie and Tommy decide to train with the bon vivant to become better eaters, and soon have to see the nurse. Gaining several pounds and messing up their digestive systems, the school nurse (Maria Quiroga) urges the two to stop.
Brave Donkey. BRIAN, an embittered divorcee, breaks into his old home to wreak revenge on the man who stole his wife. Having destroyed his rivals precious art works, BRIAN is overcome with loss and longing for the wife and family he lost.
In a desperate attempt to recapture his former life BRIAN spends the day in his old home traveling down memory lane . During the most private and vulnerable moment BRIAN is inconvenienced by an altercation next door. Despite his own compromising situation BRIAN makes the right decision and saves a young woman's life, tragically sealing his own pathetic fate.
Brontosorus Army. A cartoon band consisting of a bar of soap playing keyboard, bottle of shampoo playing electric guitar, and a bottle of conditioner on drums perform for an audience of green goo monsters in a pre-war bathtub. The goo monsters become restless as the band plays and eat one of the amps, form an angry mob, and have a beer orgy. Animation over live action footage.
Brotherhood. Adam Buckley finds himself having to rob a convenience store on the last night of pledging a college fraternity. But when the initiation ritual goes horribly wrong, and every subsequent move proves disastrous, Adam must find it within himself to take a stand to save a friend's life.
'Bygone Behemoth' presents a day-in-the-life of an unemployed B-Movie monster, a lingering personified special-effect of the 1950's. No longer gracing the silver screen, his memories are now banished to late-night syndication on a 'Chiller Theater' type program featuring 93-year-old WPIX horror icon John Zacherley, a live-action reflection of the Behemoth himself.
In an age where computer graphics are all too prevalent, 'Behemoth' is a nostalgic tribute to the work of Ray Harryhausen, Willis O'Brien, and numerous other forgotten wizards. Like the Behemoth itself, the film needs stop-motion to exist; It seeks to capture the ephemeral quality of a dying art form.
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