SXSW 2010 Short Films and Panels Announced

[](http://www.candlerblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/fi- logo.jpg)Late last night a press release from the 2010 South by Southwest (SXSW, duh) Film Coference and Festival dropped into my inbox. While we’re not usually in the business of delineating this kind of info, this particular document is just so chock full of goodies, I figured it was worth showing you the moment I could. This is the full list of shorts and panels for the eight day fest this year, and the panels in particular sound phenomenal. Quentin Tarantino, Michel Gondry and David Gordon Green are the headliners, but don’t forget there are tons of other amazing talks scheduled.

The panel featuring Tarantino, “Directing the Dead: Genre Directors Spill Their Guts” sounds particularly interesting. Actor Jeffrey Tambor will be teaching his trade in a talk that I hope will feel like something the Scared Straight talk on Arrested development. Gizmodo writer Joel Johnson will offer up some advice on music licensing for viral videos and friend of the candler blog Paul Harrill (whose award winning short Gina, an Actress, Age 29 recently landed on theauteurs.com) will be speaking about “Cinematography for Improvised Films”. For those in attendance, there certainly is a wide assortment of programming planned. I haven’t even mentioned the shorts, but check out the full list after the break (it’s a long one, be prepared). We still don’t know how much of the conference the candler blog will be following, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated with the news.

SXSW FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES PANELS & SHORTS MICHEL GONDRY, QUENTIN TARANTINO AND DAVID GORDON GREEN AMONG KEY PANELISTS AT 2010 EVENT

Austin, Texas – February 10, 2010 – The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival is thrilled to announce over 80 Film Conference panels and 130 short films for the 2010 event, which will take place Friday, March 12 – Saturday, March 20, 2010 in Austin, Texas. The SXSW Film Festival will open with the world premiere of Kick-Ass, directed by Matthew Vaughn and starring Aaron Johnson, Cholë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Nicolas Cage. The schedule, complete with both screening and panel dates and times, will be available on Monday, February 15th at  http://www.sxsw.com/film.  Visit often for more information and updates.
The SXSW Film Conference starts on Friday, March 12 and runs through Tuesday, March 16, 2010.  New major panelists added to the SXSW Film Conference include Michel Gondry (filmmaker, The Thorn in the Heart, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Quentin Tarantino (filmmaker, Inglorious Basterds), David Gordon Green (filmmaker, Eastbound & Down, Pineapple Express), Peter Becker (President, Criterion Collection), David Wohl (Radical Publishing) and Susan Bradley (Pixar).  Other upgrades to the 2010 Conference include more workshop sessions, more mentor sessions, and over 20 Crossover Panels (open to both Film and Interactive registrants).

“We are dedicated to presenting a strong conference that offers unique vaule for our registrants from both the Film and Interactive worlds,” says Film Conference and Producer Janet Pierson, “This year is no different - not only do our panels cover a wide range of crucial and timely topics, but we’ve assembled a dynamic group up of high-level talent to share their experiences and insight. "

Also announced was the complete Short films lineup, which will debut at this year’s Festival from March 12 – 20, 2010.  Over the course of nine days, 130 short films will screen at the festival, selected from 2,312 short film submissions.  A comprehensive list of the short films lineup is detailed below.

“After months of watching incredible shorts, we’re excited to finally unveil our complete lineup,” said Shorts Co-Programmers Claudette Godfrey and Stephanie Noone, “Every film in our program has a unique voice, embodies the energy of SXSW, and leaves a lasting impression that we are thrilled to share with an audience.”

A sampling of key panels follows below, as well as the complete panel breakdown, by date and title.  For full panel descriptions and participants, visit www.sxsw.com/film/talks/panels.

A Conversation with Michel Gondry
The stratospheric rise of Academy Award-winning visionary Michel Gondry is one of the great success stories of modern film. Working with fellow travelers like Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman and Bjork, Gondry has made his mark on the film landscape with iconic work like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep. Come and enjoy what promises to be a fascinating discussion as Gondry discusses his latest, highly personal and emotionally raw documentary A Thorn in the Heart with TCM’s Elvis Mitchell.

Directing the Dead: Genre Directors Spill Their Guts
How does modern horror take gore beyond the purely grisly to the level of grand guignol art and imagination?  How does bone-cracking violence and flesh- rending horror contribute to the hallowed pantheon of art and cinema?  Join five of the most striking genre filmmakers in modern movies as they lock horns over the all-important issues of blood, guts and gratuitous gore.  Featuring Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), Matt Reeves (Let Me In) Eli Roth (Hostel), Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds), Ti West (House of the Devil), moderated by Scott Weinberg (Cinematical)

Filmmakers in TV: A Case Study
Carving a niche in the world of film is tough enough, and achieving the same feat on the small screen is no easier. Successfully mastering both is in yet another league, but somehow the creators of HBO’s Eastbound & Down are pulling it off with style.  Find out how Danny McBride (Your Highness), and filmmakers David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) and Jody Hill (Observe and Report) made it look easy in this illuminating, entertaining glimpse at the art of combining technical skill, sharp comedy writing and moving from the packed auditorium to the living room couch.

Creating a Graphic Novel Hollywood Will Buy
Graphic novels are red hot in Hollywood now. With its combination of words and visuals in one attractive package, a comic book can be a great sales tool when pitching your project to studios. Ean Mering (Pomegranate) talks to David Wohl (Radical Publishing), Martin Shapiro (Night Owl Productions), Matt Hawkins (Top Cow) and Ted Adams (IDW Publishing) will explain how to create a graphic novel that will attract the attention of movie producers.

Previously announced participants for the 2010 SXSW Film Conference include Jeffery Tambor’s Acting Workshop, a Kick-Ass Conversation panel with director Matthew Vaughn, actors Aaron Johnson, Cholë Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and comic writers Mark Millar and John S. Romita, Academy Award-winning Argentine composer, solo artist and producer Gustavo Santaolalla in Conversation with BMI’s Doreen Ringer Ross, and Cult comics legend Gilbert Shelton in Conversation with Harry Knowles

COMPLETE PANEL LINEUP:
(Moderators listed in parentheses)

Friday, March 12

Black Blogging Rockstars (J. Smith, mrjsmith) Cooking for Geeks: Science, Hacks, & Good Food (Jeff Potter, Cooking for Geeks) How Sci-Fi Shaped the Internet (Adria Richards, butyouareagirl.com) How to Rawk SXSW Film (Agnes Varnum, Austin Film Society)

Saturday, March 13

A Conversation with Kick-Ass Beyond Advertising: Can Online Video Finally Pay? (Robert Millis, Will Coghlan, Dynamo Player) Blow Something Up!: Live Action Special Effects (Steve Wolf, Special FX International) Directing the Dead: Genre Directors Spill Their Guts (Scott Weinberg, Cinematical/FEARnet) Distribution Deals: Caveat Seller (Deena Kalai, Deena Kalai PLLC) DocLab @ SXSW (Caspar Sonnen, IDFA) The Kids Are Alright Filmmakers in TV: A Case Study From Screening Room to Living Room (Heather Courtney, Quincy Hill Films) How to Create a Viral Video (Jason Wishnow, TED) Mentors: Programmers Mentors: Distribution Mentors: Producers Mentors: Publicity Nobody Wants to Watch Your Film: Realities of Online Film Distribution (Efe Cakarel, The Auteurs) Power Shift: Who Stands Between Creator and Audience (Liesl Copland, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment) Remix Goes Mainstream: Making Mashups Pay (Patricia Aufderheide, Center for Social Media American University) Ripping Reality - Creativity and the New Documentary (Sean Farnel, Hot Docs) The Insider’s Guide to Independent Film Packaging in a Troubled Economy (Gregory Slewett, Bloom Hergott et al) The Power of Super 8 Film (Philip Vigeant, Pro8mm)

Sunday, March 14

A Conversation with Michel Gondry (Elvis Mitchell, TCM) Cinematic Titles: A Case Study (David Tecson, Edgeworx) Editing Fiction, Non-Fiction and Everything In-Between Fans, Friends & Followers: Creating Your Own Cult (of the Non-Apocalyptic Variety) (Scott Kirsner, CinemaTech) FIVE FATAL F*CKUPS: The biggest legal mistakes every indie producer makes (Stephen Monas, Business Affairs Inc) How to Cast Your Indie or New Media Production using the latest in Online Tools (William Marshall, SAG) Hyperbole In Film Criticism & Analysis (Erik Childress, WGN Radio Chicago/eFilmCritic.com) Jeffrey Tambor’s Acting Workshop Mentors: Filmmakers Mentors: Filmmakers Mentors: Legal/Clearance Mentors: Press & Bloggers Offering Your Content in 100 Languages (June Cohen, TED Conferences) Reel To Reality:  How Good Film Does Good (David J Neff, Lights.Camera.Help.) Sound Decisions: A Reality Check on Using Music in Film (Doreen Ringer-Ross, BMI) The Main Event: Finding an Audience for Your Film (Laure Parsons, X + X films) What’s Open Video and Why Does It Matter? (Elizabeth Stark, Open Video Alliance / Yale University) Writing a Successful Screenplay: Considering the Source

Monday, March 15

3D Stereoscopic Production Tools, Production and Post A Conversation with Gilbert Shelton (Harry Jay Knowles, Ain’t It Cool News) Anatomy of a Release; From Conception Through Exhibition (Todd Sklar, Range Life Entertainment) Cash Flow Workflow: Funding Docs From Start to Finish (Cara Mertes, Sundance Institute Documentary Program) Cinematography for Improvised Films: Lighting the Unknown (Paul Harrill, Self-Reliant Film) Creating a Graphic Novel Hollywood Will Buy (Ean Mering, Pomegranate) Direct a Great Film by Storyboarding with Stick Figures (Mark Bristol, Id Software) Don’t Get Sued! A Guide For Content Creators (Robert Strent, Grubman, Indursky & Shire, PC) Finding the Money: NEH and ITVS (Michael Shirley, National Endowment for the Humanities) First Impressions: The Art of Main Title Design (Karin Fong, Imaginary Forces) Floating Heads are Dead - Why Traditional Posters Suck (Tiffany Pritchard, AllCity Media) Getting to Know the Guilds How to Avoid “Fixing it in the Mix” (James LeBrecht, Berkeley Sound Artists) Making Content Relevant To Me, Here And Now (Liz Gannes, GigaOM) Mentor: Programmers Mentors: Distribution Mentors: Managers/Agents Mentors: Producers Sound Unbound (DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid) Sustainable Filmmaking Workshop (Larry Engel, American University) Visual FX for Indies: Big Impact, Small Budgets (R Zane Rutledge, zanefilms+fx)

Tuesday, March 16

3DIY A Conversation with Gustavo Santaolalla (Doreen Ringer-Ross, BMI) A Conversation with MacGruber Artists, Labels Embrace Virtual Worlds (Lee Clancy, IMVU, Inc.) Festival Strategies for Independent Film (Jane Schoettle, Toronto International Film Festival) Filmmaker War Stories Financing Media Productions in the New World of Distribution (CLE) (Daniel Satorius, Lommen Abdo Law Firm) How to Maximize the Value in your Media Assets (Steve Engel Making Sure The World Doesn’t Suck: How Independent Content Can Save The Media (Evan Shapiro, IFC TV/Sundance Channel) Mentors: Writers Music Licensing for Emerging Media: Apps, Widgets, Viral Videos (Joel Johnson, Gizmodo) Remixing for the Masses (Paul Lamere, The Echo Nest) Short Film Secrets: Festivals, Distribution, & Getting More Work (Christopher Holland, Short Film Secrets) The Two Taqwacores Does Your HD ‘Baby’ Have its “Pants on the Ground?” (Mike DesRoches, SONY) Texas Filmmaker Production Fund Workshop (Bryan Poyser, Austin Film Society)

COMPREHENSIVE SHORT FILMS LINEUP
NARRATIVE SHORTS

A selection of original, well-crafted films that take advantage of the short form and exemplify distinctive and genuine storytelling. The winner of our Grand Jury Award in this category is eligible for a 2011 Academy Award nomination for Best Narrative Short.

_ANATINUS _ Director: David Wanger A glimpse of the dawn of a strange new era.

_Bedford Park Boulevard _ Director: Felix Thompson A fifteen-year-old Latino boy at a high school in the Bronx makes a mistake that will define the rest of his life.

_The Big Fiddle _ Director: Willi Patton A conceptual drama exploring the nature of music in cinema, and the possibilities of having a live score shape the ways in which the characters interact with each other.

Bikini Lighters Directors: Andrew Goldman and Andrew Blackwell After shoplifting lighters, three young friends venture into the woods behind their neighborhood to create an explosion.

_Black Ops Arabesque _ Director: Jared Drake A Secret Service Agent has a secret of his own- it involves ballet shoes.

_Brave Donkey _ Director: Gaysorn Thavat When Brian pays a visit to his old home he unexpectedly finds himself in the middle of a violent dispute in which he saves a woman’s life. Tragically, his courageous decision proves to be his ultimate undoing.

_The Call to the Post _ Director: Brian Higdon David, an aging musician, returns to a horseracing track to rediscover the job that defined his identity.

_Cigarette Candy _ Director: Lauren Wolkstein Forced to play the role of “the hero” at his homecoming party, a traumatized teenage Marine forms an unlikely bond with a rebellious young girl.

_Coney Island Baby _ Director: André Aimaq Betty found a thick wad of cash hidden in a porn DVD stashed in her new oven. And that wasn’t even the strangest thing that happened to her that day.

_Equestrian Sexual Response _ Director: Zeke Hawkins Alice is introduced to sexuality through the world of racehorse breeding.

_Girls Named Pinky _ Director: Alex Lubliner Morris Munsey is an average man searching in vain for a human connection.  On a quiet night in a small town bar, he finds her…

_Going Back _ Director: Adam Keleman A glimpse into the life of Lorna, a failed model, who returns to her home town after a sudden death in the family, confronting the past she left behind.

_The Hardest Part _ Director: Oliver Refson An aging actor finally secures the audition of a lifetime. But just how badly does he want the role?

_Have You Seen My Hair? _ Directors: John M. Wilson and Chris Maggio The story of a young girl whose salon appointment catapults her into a nightmarish romp through the depths of her imagination.

_Jean-Paul Luc Sabastien Rene _ Director: Milena Pastreich Two fifty-year-old women tan on their living room floor when an unexpected message from their past flies through their window.

_Kelp _ Directors: Benjamin Dohrmann and Seth Cuddeback A somber comedy about a married man who becomes infatuated with kelp.

_The Mess Hall of an Online Warrior _ Director: Dan P K Smyth A short film about computer game addiction and the effects it has on family life.

_Out of Nowhere _ Director: Will Lamborn On the run from a killer, a man tries to escape the desert.

_Pancake Breakfast _ Director: Adam Locke-Norton A sarcastic guy realizes that his jokes about his girlfriend cheating may in fact be more truthful than he thought.

_Savage _ Director: Lisa Jackson A residential school musical.

_Snapshots _ Directors: Kate Barker and Andres Rosende New York City - Seven Stories - One Day.

_Storage _ Director: Nadia Tabbara Two Lebanese men with limited English search the streets of Brooklyn for a place of Storage.

_Teleglobal Dreamin’ _ Director: Eric Flanagan A Filipino call center agent takes her American corporate-trainer boss out on the town, setting off a chain of events with unexpected consequences.

_Televisnu _ Director: Prithi Gowda Working at a call center somewhere in India, a young woman’s computer breaks down. In an attempt to fix it, she finds herself in a magical, mythical web of electronic wires where memories, secrets, and hidden desires reveal themselves.

NARRATIVE SHORTS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

Always A Bride Director: Danny Strauss Cate can’t control her jealousy when she finds out her best friend is getting divorced.

Annie Goes Boating Director: Noel Paul A picnic in a park, in 3D.

Diplomacy Director: Jon Goldman Relations between the United States and Iran take an unexpected turn when two senior diplomats and their interpreters meet for a closed-door session.

Loop Planes Director: Robin Wilby 13-year-old Nick lives with his dad at an amusement park. But today, with the arrival of his mother and a pink-haired girl, Nick is in for the ride of his life.

_Lunch Watching TV _ Director: Alfonso Nogueroles A normal day: the eggs, the fries, the beer, the bread, the crisis, the politics, the football… A historical date. Just another day.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

Unfiltered slices of life, from across the documentary spectrum.

_6 _ Director: Jeff Bednarz A portrait of modern day small town America told through the story of two 6 Man Football teams vying for the Texas State Championship.

_Big Birding Day _ Director: David Wilson A glimpse into the world of competitive bird watching, as three friends attempt to see as many species as possible in 24 hours.

_Mr. Hypnotism _ Director: Bradley Beesley Self proclaimed “Doctor” Dante had a colorful career as a grifter.  Mr. Hypnotism chronicles Dante’s stint as Hollywood’s Hypnotist to the Stars and his descent to become one of the most notorious conmen of the 20th Century.

_Quadrangle _ Director: Amy Grappell An unconventional documentary about two ‘conventional’ couples that swapped partners and lived in a group marriage in the early 70s, hoping to pioneer an alternative to divorce and the way people would live in the future.

_Seltzer Works _ Director: Jessica Edwards The last seltzer filler in Brooklyn fends off the supermarket seltzer take-over and honors this simple drink’s place in history

White Lines and The Fever:  The Death of DJ Junebug Director: Travis Senger The Bronx, 1983. The hottest club in the city.  One of Hip-Hop’s greatest DJ’s ever and his tragic death.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

_5 variations on a long string _ Director: Peter Esmonde A short music documentary about the creative life of composer/performer Ellen Fullman, who has spent over 25 years developing, perfecting, and performing on an extraordinary 60-foot-long instrument.

Keep Dancing Director: Greg Vander Veer The story of two 90-year old dancers who still meet, twice a week, in a private studio in Manhattan to choreograph and rehearse.

Solitary/Release Director: Holden Abigail Osborne Part family portrait, part audacious vision of a future that never was, Solitary/Release is an intimate documentary-fiction hybrid exploring the life of a recovering drug addict on the verge of great change.

ANIMATED SHORTS

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 a 2011 Academy Award nomination for Best Animated short.

The Art of Drowning Director: Diego Maclean Based on a poem by Billy Collins, The Art of Drowning ponders what awaits us at the end of the line.

Bygone Behemoth Director: Harry Chaskin A washed-up movie monster relives his halcyon days.

The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Burger Director: Bill Plympton A tragic story of a bovine seduced by advertising down the path of butchers and carnivores.

Down To The Bone Director: Peter Ahern A boy. A babysitter. An explosive sneeze. Google it.

The Falcon Director: Scot Hampton Composed entirely of parts from disassembled antique/analog cameras, The Falcon follows Howell the Owl (f/256) and Professor Weston (ISO 50) as they journey throughout the Focal Kingdom searching for dinner.

Junko’s Shamisen Director: Sol Friedman A young Japanese orphan and her mystical friend exact poetic justice on a malevolent samurai lord.

La Nostalgia del Sr. Alambre Director: Jonathan Ostos Yaber A young man’s talent, miles of twisted wire, and a spotlight mix together to produce a show as never seen before.

Off-Line Director: Tom Gasek Off-Line is a short animated film that tells about what can happen inside a microwave oven when it is abused. It features a rather curious orange capacitor named “IZ.”

The Orange Director: Nick Fox-Gieg Suddenly, a humble citrus fruit is granted absolute power over the universe.

One Square Mile of Earth Director: Jeff Drew A series of bar room conversations featuring Bill the Bunny, Gary the Frog, Lucy the Goat, Thad the Bear, Leon the Hippopotamus and Pedro the Squirrel. Fun times await!

Poppy Director: James Cunningham A New Zealand soldier finds redemption in the hell of WWI.

The Polish Language Director: Alice Lyons and Orla Mc Hardy Using hand- drawn, stop-motion, time-lapse and computer animation techniques, The Polish Language is at once a playful and solemn journey into the sensuality, beauty and subversive power of language.

EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS

A diverse collection of films ranging from the visually stimulating to the intellectually challenging.

The Bellows March Director: Eric Dyer Crowds of concertinas live out a cycle of destroy-create-destroy. Dyer’s 3-D printed and hand-painted ‘cinetropes’ come to vibrant life when seen through the shutter of a video camera.

Eulogy Director: Ben Claremont A whole life’s story is told in just a few seconds. Eulogy is a film about life, death… and pigeons.

Feeder Director: Joseph Ernst A short film that will make you feel sick.

I close my eyes and walk away Director: Michele Castagnetti Memories turn into dreams as dreams turn into memories.

I Miss Director: Annie Dorsen In this mesmerizing short, a girl is prompted by her mother in the recitation of an intensely romantic poem.

_Kids Might Fly _ Director: Alex Taylor A young homeless girl is taken into care. Set in an urban wilderness, this film is an offbeat and touching experimental drama about East London kids.

LoopLoop Director: Patrick Bergeron In a train going to Hanoi in Vietnam, the houses boarding the railroad are passing by. Using animation and time shifts this video runs forwards and backwards looking for forgotten details, mimicking the way memories are replayed in the mind.

Meatwaffle Director: Leah Shore An old man recalls his strange and bizarre memories

Mamori Director: Karl Lemieux Mamori takes its title from a place in the Amazon forest, and captures the textures of tropical vegetation and its various transformations according to the phenomena of light.

Night Mayor Director: Guy Maddin From acclaimed fabulist Guy Maddin comes a new quasi-documentary completely unburdened by fact.

ReRun Director: Asif Mian An urban odyssey of visual and audio following a young basketball player and his sneakers.

Vertigo Director: Oscar Berrio Poetry and video integrated to transmit a stunning aesthetical experience.

MIDNIGHT SHORTS

Bite-sized bits for all of your sex, gore, and hilarity needs.

5 Second Films Director: Brian Firenzi A warped-speed, breathlessly bizarre collection of comedic shorts, all exactly 5 seconds long. From the people that brought you Sophie’s Choice.

The Alleyway Director: Cosmo Jarvis An experimental film about an alleyway and an old man’s relationship to it.

The Babysitter Director: Kristen Gray-Rockmaker When a troubled married couple arrive home from a night out, they encounter a horrifying scene.

Can We Talk? Director: Jim Owen Vince gets way more than he bargains for when he dumps his girlfriend . . . again.

Cocoa Loco Director: Shaka King A short film about cocoa butter scented lotion, karmic retribution, and the strangers you call family.

Delmer Builds A Machine Director: Landon Zakheim An account of the most Important event in recorded history.

_Dwight David Honeycutt for Conway School Board _ Director: Roland Honeycutt Jr. Re-edit of my uncle’s old political video footage in order to better convey the man.

_Eagles Are Turning People Into Horses _ Director: Brian McElhaney Lyle, too scared to break up with his girlfriend honestly, enacts a scheme to convince her they MUST break up because he is on the frontlines of a vicious battle between man, beast and fowl.

Expiration Director: Mark Nickelsburg A lonely man courts danger by drinking a glass of milk just seconds before the expiration date.

Fix My Dick Director: PJ Raval A music video for the artist CHRISTEENE featuring DJ Jaunty.

Not Interested Director: D.W. Young A spaced out knife salesman makes the house call of a lifetime.

_TUB _ Director: Bobby Miller Paul can’t commit. Paul jerks off in the shower. Paul just impregnated his bath tub.

TEXAS SHORTS

An offshoot of our regular narrative shorts program, composed of work shot in, about, or somehow relating to the Lone Star state.

_Better Safe than Sorry _ Director: Chris Demarais Pigeon.  Squirrel.

_The Big Bends _ Director: Jason William Marlow The Big Bends captures the story of a dying man in the desert as he is confronted by a troubled Mexican couple crossing the border.

_Depth of Phil _ Director: Jack Daniel Stanley Amidst delusions of saving failed U.S. banks and car companies, an aging homeless man reconnects with a long-lost sweetheart via Facebook in this quirky Austin-set tragicomedy.

_El Abuelo _ Director: Dino Dinco El Abuelo is a lyrical portrait of Joe Jimenez, Texan poet and educator, whose words connect the power of a well- ironed crease with attracting the eye of another homeboy.

_The GrownUps _ Director: Jason Wehling In The GrownUps, two couples try to regroup after a dinner argument gets out-of-hand.

_Honorarium _ Director: Steve Mims The arrival of a controversial figure to speak at a university conference tests the boundaries of social decorum and social duties.

_Mnemosyne Rising _ Director: Miguel Alvarez A deep-space transmitter pilot begins to experience unusual flashbacks on his ship when he learns he’s being sent back to Earth.

_Now or Never _ Director: Aaron Burns Henry has been in love with his best friend Alexa for years. Today he has decided to tell her not only how he feels, but exactly how deeply he feels it.

_Petting Sharks _ Director: Craig Elrod The sea of love is short on sharks.

_Rule No. 2 _ Director: Avram Dodson Breaking Rule No. 2 leads to relationship trouble, which is bad.  But relationship trouble leads to makeup sex, which is good!

_Table 7 _ Director: Marko Slavnic A couple has an intimate conversation in a restaurant, unaware that their every word is being closely monitored.

_Trash Day _ Director: Sam Lerma When you love your trash man, tell him with your garbage.

SX GLOBAL SHORTS

A showcase for cutting-edge documentary shorts from around the world.

The Mystery of Flying Kicks (Australia) Director: Matthew Bate Murder, sex, drugs, art, politics…? A film exploring the global mystery of why shoes appear on telephone lines.

Peter in Radioland (Scotland) Director: Johanna Wagner A carefully observed study of the director’s father Peter, who stubbornly remains in an analogue world.

Pollphail (Scotland) Director: Matthew Lloyd A deserted village in limbo on the west coast of Scotland where two men share an obsession with an imagined future.

Schlimazeltov! (UK) Director: Christopher Thomas Allen Maybe some people are just born unlucky? An exploration of luck - does it exist and if so how can you get more of it?

Summer of a Newspaper Kid (Estonia) Director: Katri Rannastu 9-year old Marten has decided to sell newspapers during his summer holiday. The job, boring and routine at first glance, pushes the kid into the everyday reality of the grownup world, where he meets competition and cheating.

Sunrise Dacapo (12cm/Stehend) (Germany) Director: Nina Poppe Nature from the assembly line. An observation on the growing of geraniums in mass production and the coherence of noise and silence. The beauty of nature, apparently perfectly reproduced in artificial surroundings.

_Volta _(Canada) Director: Ryan Mullins Former projectionist Emmanual Agboyame and others tell the story of the Volta cinema and look back on the sense of community it brought out in everyone.

SX GLOBAL SHORTS SCREENING WITH FEATURES

Arsy-Versy (Slovakia) Director: Miro Remo A Film about mom and her son Lubos, who conquered the world upside down

Control (Norway) Director: Hanne Myren Control is about the emotions we prefer to keep to ourselves.

Ivan and Ivan (Russia) Director: Philipp Abryutin Ivan lives with his grandparents on the tundra, fishing and herding reindeer. He and his grandfather, Ivan senior, have strong bonds both to the land and to each other, but soon, young Ivan must leave.

MUSIC VIDEOS

A range of classic, innovative, and stylish work showcasing the scope of music video culture.

Apes & Androids, “Golden Prize”

Director: That Go

BRONTOSORUS, “Amy”

Director: Pete Scalzitti

Chris Garneau, “Fireflies”

Director: Daniel Stessen

Cinnamon Chasers, “Luv Deluxe”

Director: Saman Keshavarz

The Diagonals, “Clones”

Director: Nick Smith

Fatback Circus, “Brain Damage”

Director: Rodney Brunet

Fires of Rome, “Set in Stone” (M83 Remix)

Director: Matthew Lessner

Grizzly Bear, “Forest”

Director: Allison Schulnik

Height, “Mike Stone”

Director: Justin Barnes

Heypenny, “Copcar”

Director: Joey Ciccoline

Hunter Cross and the Strays, “Twisty Ties”

Director: Paul Ahern

Kevin Devine, “I Could Be With Anyone”

Director: Sherng-Lee Huang

Man Branch, “The Gym Is All She Has”

Director: Matt Leach

N.A.S.A. “Spacious Thoughts”

Director: Mark Lomond

P.O.S. “Drumroll”

Director: Todd Cobery

Passion Pit, “To Kingdom Come”

Director: Mixtape Club

Socalled, “(Rock the) Belz”

Director: Kaveh Nabatian

These United States, “Everything Touches Everything”

Director: Maxwell Sorensen

Truckers of Husk, “Person for the Person”

Directors: Casey Raymond and Ewan Jones Morris

WHY?, “These Hands / January Twentysomething”

Director: Ben Barnes

Writer, “Four Letters”

Director: Brad Kester

FUTURESTATES

What is the America of the future? In this series of fictional shorts presented by ITVS, different filmmakers examine current events by extrapolating them into the future. By embracing elements of speculative and science fiction, each film creates a fantastic new world to make comment on our own.

Mister Green Director: Greg Pak A parable about change in which a jaded government undersecretary becomes the unwitting test subject for an experimental program to curb global warming.

Plastic Bag Director: Ramin Bahrani Struggling with its immortality, a lost plastic bag ventures through the environmentally barren remains of America as it narrates its search for its master, the young woman who owned and used it in an era long since past.

The Rise Director: Garret Williams In the radically altered housing market of the future, an older couple must forego their dreams of retirement and home ownership and in the process, adapt to the ever-evolving definition of the American dream.

Silver Sling Director: Tze Chun In the polarized economy of the near future, corporations offer subsidies to their high-ranking female employees to pay for surrogate pregnancies and chemically accelerated births. Here a struggling career surrogate must decide whether or not to carry the child of two potential clients, thus giving up her last chance to have a child of her own.

Tent City Director: Aldo Velasco In a world where housing is granted only to the powerful few, a father who makes his living evicting the powerless must choose between his responsibilities as a provider for his family and his moral principles.

Tia & Marco Director: Annie Howell

When a pregnant border patrol agent discovers an illegal immigrant child hiding in her home, she is forced to question her loyalty to closed borders.

ALAN GOVENAR SPECIAL PRESENTATION

Texas Folklife will present special screenings of the films of a Texas treasure–folklorist, writer, photographer and filmmaker Alan Govenar.

Cigarette Blues (1985) Co-directed with Les Blank, the film features Sonny Rhodes and the Texas Twisters performing at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland, California.

The Devil’s Swing (2005) The film takes its name from a story people tell in the isolated region of the Texas-Mexico border and reveals the seemingly unrelated worlds of sacred rituals, corridos, drug lords, Pancho Villa and the tragic killing of a nineteen year old boy.

The Hard Ride (1996) A journey into the little known world of the black ranch rodeo culture of Southeast Texas.

Little Willie Eason and His Talking Gospel Guitar (2005) Taking place on the street and in the House of God Church south of Miami, the film highlights the man who introduced the pedal steel guitar as an instrument for the expression of faith.

The Microtones of Simon Shaheen (2010) The film introduces a virtuoso of the Arabic oud and violin, and his Palestinian community in Brooklyn.

The Poetry of Exactitude (2008) The film delves into the imagination of Lucien Mouchet and the 1/120th scale carousels and fairground scenes that he has been making in Paris, France since 1946.

_Stoney Knows How _(1981) Govenar’s first film, is an inside look at the circus and carnival sideshow from the point of view of Old School tattoo master, Leonard St. Clair, disabled by arthritis at the age of four, who joined the circus as a sword swallower as a teenager and tattooed young and old alike for more than fifty years.

South by Southwest Film Conference & Festival
The SXSW Film Conference and Festival is a uniquely creative environment featuring the dynamic convergence of talent, smart audiences and industry heavyweights. A hotbed of discovery and interactivity, the event offers lucrative networking opportunities and immersion into the art and business of the rapidly evolving world of independent film.

Over the first five days, the Film Conference buzzes as world-class speakers, creative minds, and notable mentors tackle the latest filmmaking trends amidst the unmatched social atmosphere of the SXSW experience. Simultaneously, the internationally acclaimed, nine-day Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent, with a truly diverse program ranging from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies.  For more information, visit www.sxsw.com/film.