SXSW and the Reinvention of the “Short”: Self Custody and the Language of Ambition
At SXSW, where new forms are constantly being tested, the question is not only what you are watching, but what you are being asked to call it. Garrett Patton’s Self…
KEVIN BACON at SXSW
The dynamic duo of Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon made a big splash at SXSW this week. With regard to their Texas-based film (world premiere screening at the Zach Theatre),…
Best Feature Horror Film for 2025
Fans of horror films were able to wallow (mostly in blood) at the recent Austin Horror Film Festival. The armadillo stole the show in the feature film McConadilla, directed by…
GRISHA – Opening Act of Austin Classical Guitar’s 35th Season
Robert Rodriguez, the legendary Austin filmmaker, opened his Troublemaker Studios for ACG’s 35th Season. They filmed Alita: Battle Angel there. At the open-air set, I felt as if I was…
Time Passes: Tsai Ming-Liang Brings His Meditative Cinema to Texas for the First Time
The lights were low inside the AFS Cinema. The theater was empty, its rows of seats waiting for the audience that would soon arrive. Onstage, under the glow of a…
That’s A Wrap!
Roxstar’s Cinema Center Pop-Up Completes Annual Journey to Austin to Support SXSW Film Premieres Photos and Captions (ALL photos credit Lu Chau, Photagonist) Roxstar’s Cinema Center, a long-time film festival…
Kyle MacLachlan Reminisces about David Lynch
In a reflective mood, actor Kyle MacLachlan spent the first portion of his appearance at SXSW recalling memories of the great American filmmaker David Lynch, who died in January this…
Uncle Jens – A Kurdish-Norwegian Film
My top five films at SXSW this year included Uncle Jens, a standout from the hundreds shown at the Film and TV Festival. Director Brwa Vahabpour debuted the film internationally;…
Justice Vigilante: An Interview with Filmmaker Roe Moore
Some films grab you instantly. That’s exactly what happened when I saw the opening moments of short, Undercover Wrestler. I didn’t even need to watch the full screener to know—it…
Surviving Earth
The Slavic film Surviving Earth, written and directed by Thea Gajić and featuring Belgrade actor Slavko Sobin, premiered at SXSW to critical acclaim. It’s captivating dramatization biopic unravels the life…