It’s the time of year when the bluebonnets start to flower, students and teachers escape the classrooms for a much-needed break and the Austin airport gets especially busy.
This year’s SXSW festival has music, film and interactive packed into just seven days – with everything happening all at once. It runs March 12-18.
Here’s a (growing) list of movies on this year’s slate with Texas connections. (We didn’t include short films here because that would have made the list much longer!)
Credit: Sarah Whelden
On the narrative side, there are two movies by Austin’s Duplass brothers. Mark Duplass wrote “Their Town” – getting its world premiere at SXSW.
The film stars his daughter, Ora, in what appears to be her first feature role. It’s about a pair of high schoolers exploring and connecting and was also produced by both Mark and Jay Duplass.
Credit: Jim Frohna
This a family drama with humor produced by both Mark and Jay Duplass, directed by Jay. It premiered at Sundance and is getting its Texas premiere at SXSW.
Jay Duplass told The Hollywood Reporter it was a process deciding to direct a film on his own without Mark:
“You don’t want to be the person that leaves Fleetwood Mac and makes a solo album and everybody’s like, ‘ehhh – no thank you,’” Jay Duplass said.
This comedy is also coming to SXSW after first showing at Sundance. It’s by another Austin filmmaker, Macon Blair. It stars Dave Franco and O’Shea Jackson Jr.
Credit: Dominic Leon
While this film by Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick and their kids sounds endearing, it’s actually a horror. They filmed it around Round Top and it’s showing for the very first time at SXSW.
Credit: Eric Branco/Summer 2001 LLC
This is another Sundance-to-SXSW showing. It’s written by and stars comedian Iliza Shlesinger. Shlesinger grew up in Texas – as did director Josephine Decker – and the film was shot at least, in part, in Texas. Here’s a bit of what Decker told Deadline:
“I think what’s so exciting about the script is that it really does allow you to go from a caricatured idea of people – the people I grew up with in Texas for sure I were emblazoned in my mind as, like, vampires, some of them – and then like, really, realizing that, wow, there’s humanity in everyone, there’s so much misunderstanding, there’s so much complexity. For everyone high school is hard, even the popular folks, and the stories that we have about the people around us, especially the people that I think we think of like, maybe not on our side are usually wrong,” Decker said.
This one is worth mentioning as it features Texas City native Edi Patterson.
Credit: Kebrado
This one stars Austin native Sydney Chandler.
Texas Standard caught up with her at the Texas Film Awards.
“It was a great production. It was such a wonderfully green group of people – a lot of first-timers. And so seeing the collaboration and the passion come through – and working on film – which I’ve never been able to do before – was so much fun. It was such an adventure,” Chandler said.
She mentions there she hadn’t worked on film before – she means film-film. “Anima” was shot on celluloid.
A Christmastime horror written and directed by Austin-based filmmaker John Valley.
The Austin Film Society noted this film starring Julia Fox has some Texas ties – though, to be honest, we couldn’t immediately pinpoint those.
This one is about a small-town Texas chef who moves to New York City to open a restaurant.
Credit: Vittoria Campaner
On the documentary side, “Manhood” is about a Texas doctor trying to make penile enhancements as common as Botox.
This documentary is about a pioneer of film criticism. It’s from a first-time Austin-based director Matty Wishnow.
The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson
This is a crime documentary about the murder of a professional cyclist killed in Austin.
First They Came for My College
Credit: Patrick Bresnan
This documentary tracks the conservative takeover of Florida’s New College, but Austin-based producer Holly Herrick told Texas Standard it has wider implications.
“New College really is seen as the playbook for how to take over public universities and transform the culture,” Herrick said.
UT Austin grad school graduate Patrick Bresnan directed the film.
Credit: Bobby Cochran
There are also a handful of music documentaries with Texas ties at this year’s SXSW.
“A Cowboy in London” is about the RGV’s own Charley Crockett overseas.
Credit: Ryan Light
This one is about Texas musician Steven Fromholz – who influenced the likes of Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett but never gained widespread fame himself.
Credit: Scott Newton
This one is actually a whole docuseries about “The Cosmic Cowboys, Honky Tonk Heroes and Rise of Redneck Rock.”
A documentary about deaf interpretation at another Austin festival: Austin City Limits.
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