SXSW begins this Friday. I’ve been fortunate to be able to attend the festival for the past two years – the first as a member of the Documentary Competition Jury, and the second with THE CANAL STREET MADAM premiering in that same category – and am returning for a third year, this time mostly to watch films, though I will be taking meetings with filmmakers as a programming Mentor.
I really enjoy the atmosphere at SXSW – it’s welcoming and relaxed, even if many of the industry participants are engaged in serious work. It reflects Austin’s laid-back nature, and makes for a fun festival experience. This is bolstered by the consistently strong programming that Janet Pierson and her team present. Under their stewardship, and Matt Dentler’s before them, SXSW has grown into one of the most important US festivals, especially for North American film.
In terms of documentaries, one aspect of SXSW’s programming that I really appreciate is that docs are not solely relegated to one category – while there are standalone doc and narrative competition categories, non-fiction is represented throughout the festival’s various sections, including Headliners (star-driven vehicles), Spotlight Premieres (a premiere showcase), Emerging Visions (new filmmakers), Lone Star States (Texas-related projects), 24 Beats Per Second (music-focused docs), SX Global (international films), Festival Favorites (standouts from other fests), and Special Events (unique one-offs). And, of course, there are a healthy amount of documentary shorts, though I’ll be the first to admit I don’t get a chance to see shorts as much as I wish I could.
By my count, there are about sixty feature-length docs included in the 2011 lineup. While I’ve seen a fair amount of these, I’m going to try to catch as many of the new films as possible and post thoughts here next week. In the meantime, here’s a quick rundown of titles I’m especially interested in viewing:
In the Documentary Feature Competition, I’ve already seen previous cuts of DRAGONSLAYER and A MATTER OF TASTE – both excellent projects that will have healthy lives on the festival circuit and beyond, so see them when you can. I hope to have a chance to screen all the films in the competition, and am especially looking forward to checking out new projects from KING CORN’s Ian Cheney (THE CITY DARK), HOW TO FOLD A FLAG’s Michael Tucker & Petra Epperlein (FIGHTVILLE), and THE ART OF THE STEAL’s Don Argott (LAST DAYS HERE, with director Demian Fenton), plus Katie Galloway & Kelly de la Vega’s BETTER THIS WORLD.
While I’ve only watched an episode or two of his show, I’m still somewhat intrigued by CONAN O’BRIEN CAN’T STOP in Headliners. In Special Events, I’m always curious what the Duplass Brothers are up to, so I may check out Jay’s KEVIN, despite being completely unfamiliar with local subject Kevin Gant.
Under the Spotlight Premieres banner, I’ve seen a previous cut of Andrea Blaugrund Nevins’ THE OTHER F WORD, to which I had a surprisingly emotional reaction, and definitely recommend, and have previously spoken to big supporters of Sara Terry’s FAMBUL TOK, so I’m definitely planning to see it. Others in this section that have me most interested are BALLET RUSSES directors Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine’s SOMETHING VENTURED and RAW DEAL: A QUESTION OF CONSENT director Billy Corben’s SQUARE GROUPER: THE GODFATHERS OF GANJA.
My friend Marie Losier brings her Berlin International Film Festival award-winning THE BALLAD OF GENESIS AND LADY JAYE to SXSW for its North American premiere in the Emerging Visions category, and its well worth checking out, especially for fans of performance art and gender studies. In the same section, Jarred Alterman’s CONVENTO sounds too fascinating to miss.
In the music-oriented 24 Beats Per Second, long-time friends P David Ebersole and Todd Hughes bring their portrait of Hole drummer Patty Schemel, HIT SO HARD, to SXSW for its world premiere before a berth later this month in MoMA/Film Society of Lincoln Center’s very selective New Directors/New Films. Jeanie Finlay (GOTH CRUISE) and Kerthy Fix (STRANGE POWERS: STEPHEN MERRIT AND THE MAGNETIC FIELDS) both also present the world premieres of their new films, SOUND IT OUT and WHO TOOK THE BOMP? LE TIGRE ON TOUR, respectively – both of which I’m planning to view.
The fest’s international section, SX Global, presents a few films that I loved elsewhere – ARMADILLO, EL AMBULANTE, and EL BULLI: COOKING IN PROGRESS – as well as a number of new titles I’m very curious about – Joonas Neuvonen’s REINDEER SPOTTING, Gillian Wearing’s SELF MADE, and Gruff Rhys’ SEPARADO!, as well as IDFA’s DocLab presentation.
Finally, Festival Favorites includes a number of must-see films from Sundance that I can’t help but recommend again – to name just a few, HOW TO DIE IN OREGON, THE INTERRUPTERS, LIFE IN A DAY, and SENNA (but, of course, if you can, check out all of the Park City alums!) – plus Werner Herzog’s 3D CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS, Errol Morris’ TABLOID, and one title that I haven’t had the opportunity to watch yet, but comes recommended by indieWIRE‘s Peter Knegt, THE FIRST MOVIE by Mark Cousins.
what (not) to doc 