Interview:
Janet Pierson,
Director of Film,
SXSW Film Festival
The 2019 SXSW Film Festival—which runs March 8-16 at various Austin venues—opens and closes with two highly anticipated genre films: Jordan Peele’s Us, his follow-up to 2017’s Get Out, will open SXSW and the remake of the Stephen King adaptation Pet Sematary will close the film festival. Headliners include Matthew McConaughey’s The Beach Bum, Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut Booksmart, the James Wan-executive produced The Curse of La Llorona, Jacob Tremblay’s Good Boys, Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson’s The Highwaymen, Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron’s The Longshot, and Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista’s Stuber. Films with Austin ties include The Art of Self-Defense, Building the American Dream, Community First, Becoming Leslie, A Home for the Homeless, Frances Ferguson, The Infiltrators, J.R. “Bobs” Dobbs and The Church of the SubGenius, The Jump, Pahokee, Nothing Stays The Same: The Story of The Saxon Pub, Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins, Red 11, Sister Aimee, and The Wall of Mexico. The 10 films competing in the Narrative Feature Competition are Alice, Extra Ordinary, Go Back to China, Mickey and the Bear, Ms. White Light, Pig Hag, Porno, Saint Frances, South Mountain, and Yes God Yes. The 10 films competing in the Documentary Feature Competition are Ernie & Joe, For Sama, Museum Town, Nothing Fancy: Diana Kennedy, Stuffed, Tread, Visions Portraits, We Are the Radical Monarchs, Well Groomed, and Why Can’t I Be Me? Around You. Notable narrative films include Adopt a Highway, The Day Shall Come, Her Smell, Little Monsters, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Pink Wall, Sword of Trust, and Villains. Notable documentaries include Breakthrough, I Am Richard Pryor, It Started as a Joke, Knock Down the House, The River and the Wall, Running with Beto, State of Pride, and Sunset Over Mulholland. Notable music documentaries and concert films include Amazing Grace, Bluebird, The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story, Carmine Street Guitars, The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash, Mr. Jimmy, and Who Let the Dogs out. The Midnighters include 7 Reasons to Run Away (From Society), Body at Brighton Rock, Boyz in the Wood, Daniel Isn’t Real, Darlin’, Girl on the Third Floor, I See You, Snatchers, tales from the Lodge, and Tone-Deaf. Aidy Bryant’s Shrill and the TV series based on What We Do in the Shadows lead the Episodic Premieres. Special events include The Robert Rodriguez Film School, How Rednecks Saved Hollywood with Joe Bob Briggs, Love, Death & Robots with David Fincher and Tim Miller, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate SXSW Event, the Broad City finale screening, the Cobra Kai season 2 premiere, and a screening of a restored True Stories with David Byrne in attendance for post-screening Q&A. The SXSW Conference will include Jodie Foster and Bookmark director Olivia Wilde delivering Keynote presentations; featured speakers include Austin-based director PJ Raval as well as Pamela Adlon, Elizabeth Banks, Noah Hawley, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Billie Lourd. Henry Winkler also will conduct an acting workshop. Aired: Feb. 28, 2018 Web site: https://www.sxsw.com/festivals/film/ |
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