The Premiere of the the Netflix series 3 Body Problem created, executive produced and written by Emmy Award winners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and Emmy Award nominee Alexander Woo will open the 31st edition of the SXSW Film & TV Festival taking place March 8-16, 2024.
In this must-watch adaptation of the internationally celebrated bestseller, a young woman’s fateful decision in 1960s China reverberates across space and time into the present day. When the laws of nature inexplicably unravel before their eyes, a close-knit group of brilliant scientists join forces with an unorthodox detective to confront the greatest threat in humanity’s history. The series stars Jovan Adepo, John Bradley, Rosalind Chao, Liam Cunningham, Eiza González, Jess Hong, Marlo Kelly, Alex Sharp, Sea Shimooka, Zine Tseng, Saamer Usmani, Benedict Wong and Jonathan Pryce.
Atomic Blonde director and former stuntman David Leitch returns to SXSW with his new apex-action thriller The Fall Guy world premiering as the Centerpiece Screening. Starring Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling as stuntman Colt Seavers and Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt as Jody Moreno, a film director (and Colt’s ex), the film is a hilarious, hard-driving, big-screen love letter to action movies and the hard-working and under-appreciated stunt performers and crew members who make them. Inspired by the hit 1980s TV series, the film follows Colt Seavers, who, after an almost career-ending accident, is drafted back into service to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job. The Fall Guy features an all-star ensemble cast that includes Black Panther’s Winston Duke, Golden Globe winner Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham and Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu. Written by Drew Pearce and directed by Leitch, The Fall Guy is produced by Kelly McCormick and David Leitch for their company 87North, and by Ryan Gosling and Guymon Casady.
“Buckle up, folks!” said Claudette Godfrey, VP of Film & TV, “The first wave of our spectacular lineup for SXSW 2024 is here. Brace yourselves for an epic mix of films, TV, and XR experiences that will deliver a high-octane blend of entertainment and inspiration to our legendary audiences. We’re excited to open our TV Premieres with the must-see 3 Body Problem and thrilled to welcome The Fall Guy as our explosive Centerpiece Screening. Get ready, y’all, March in Austin is fast approaching and we’re throwing a party you don’t want to miss!”
Feature films in the SXSW 2024 lineup screen in the following categories: Headliner; Narrative Feature Competition; Documentary Feature Competition; Narrative Spotlight; Documentary Spotlight; Visions; Midnighter; Global presented by MUBI; 24 Beats Per Second; Festival Favorite, and Special Event.
The TV program consists of TV Premiere, TV Spotlight, and the Independent TV Pilot Competition. The SXSW 2024 Shorts Film Program presented by You42 will present six competitive sections. XR Experience Competition, XR Spotlight and XR Special Event programming round out the Film & TV Festival program. All Categories will be eligible for section-specific Audience Awards.
HEADLINER
Big names, big talent featuring red carpet premieres and gala film events with major and rising names in cinema.
Babes
Director: Pamela Adlon, Producers: Ilana Glazer, Josh Rabinowitz, Susie Fox, Ashley Fox, Breean Pojunas, Screenwriters: Ilana Glazer, Josh Rabinowitz
After becoming pregnant from a one-night stand, Eden leans on her married best friend and mother of two, Dawn, to guide her through gestation and beyond. Cast: Ilana Glazer, Michelle Buteau, John Carroll Lynch, Hasan Minhaj (World Premiere)
The Fall Guy
Director: David Leitch, Producers: Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Ryan Gosling, Guymon Casady, Screenwriter: Drew Pearce
Colt Seavers, a battle-scarred stuntman, is drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget studio movie—directed by his ex, Jody Moreno—goes missing. Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Winston Duke, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Stephanie Hsu. (World Premiere)
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
World premieres showcasing the art of storytelling by emerging voices.
Audrey (Australia)
Director: Natalie Bailey, Producers: Michael Wrenn, Dan Lake, Shannon Wilson-McClinton, Diya Eid, Screenwriter: Lou Sanz
Self-appointed Mother of the Year, Ronnie has given her daughter Audrey everything, so when Audrey selfishly falls into a coma, Ronnie has no choice but to keep their dreams alive by assuming her identity. Cast: Jackie Van Beek, Josephine Blazier, Hannah Diviney, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor (World Premiere)
Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts
Director/Screenwriter: Shaun Seneviratne, Producers: Shaun Seneviratne, Doron Jepaul Mitchell
The romantic reunion of Ben Santhanaraj and Suzanne Hopper is thwarted when Suzanne’s boss asks her to work during their holiday road trip in Sri Lanka. Cast: Sathya Sridharan, Anastasia Olowin (World Premiere)
The Black Sea (United States, Bulgaria)
Directors: Crystal Moselle, Derrick B. Harden, Producers: Izabella Tzenkova, Crystal Moselle
Khalid, from Brooklyn, gets stuck in a small resort town on the Black Sea after chasing a money opportunity that goes wrong. Being the only black guy in the town, he quickly becomes the center of attention and finds an unexpected connection with a local. Cast: Derrick B. Harden, Irmena Chichikova, Samuel Finzi, Stoyo Mirkov (World Premiere)
Bob Trevino Likes It
Director/Screenwriter: Tracie Laymon, Producers: Tracie Laymon, Sean Mullin, Edgar Rosa, Felipe Dieppa
After searching for her estranged father online, a people-pleasing young woman unexpectedly forms a close bond with a grieving, childless man with the same name as her father on Facebook. Inspired by a true story. Cast: Barbie Ferreira, John Leguizamo, French Stewart, Lauren “Lolo” Spencer, Rachel Bay Jones (World Premiere)
Mamifera (Spain)
Director/Screenwriter: Liliana Torres, Producers: Carla Sospedra, Miriam Porté, Gerard Marginedas
Lola, happily child-free at 40, confronts an unexpected pregnancy, triggering a clash with societal norms. Amidst her reluctance to embrace motherhood, her boyfriend Bruno’s desire adds a surprising twist in their expectations. Cast: Maria Rodríguez Soto, Enric Auquer, Ruth Llopis, Anna Alarcón, Ann Perelló, Amparo Fernández, Maria Ribera, Anna Bertran, Marina Rodríguez, Mireia Aixalà (World Premiere)
We Strangers
Director/Screenwriter: Anu Valia, Producers: Olivia Wingate, Alex Bach, Zach Spicer, Joy Jorgensen, Miranda Kahn
Rayelle Martin, a commercial cleaning woman in Gary, Indiana, stumbles into a new job cleaning the homes of several rich suburban families. While working, she tells one small lie that spins out of control. Cast: Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Tina Lifford, Sarah Goldberg, Maria Dizzia, Kara Young, Hari Dhillon, Paul Adelstein, Mischa Reddy (World Premiere)
We Were Dangerous (New Zealand)
Director: Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu, Producers: Morgan Waru, Polly Fryer, Screenwriter: Maddie Dai
Nellie, Daisy, and Lou attend an institution for delinquent girls on an isolated island In 1950s New Zealand. The trio rail against the system, finding strength in their friendship. But this is challenged when the school’s matron divides them. Cast: Rima Te Wiata, Erana James, Nathalie Morris, Manaia Hall (World Premiere)
We’re All Gonna Die
Directors/Screenwriters: Freddie Wong, Matthew Arnold, Producer: Adam Maffei
A struggling beekeeper is forced to team up with an emotionally raw EMT on a roadtrip to retrieve her bees (and his car) after their stuff is suddenly teleported across the country by a massive alien tentacle that looms over Earth. Cast: Ashly Burch, Jordan Rodrigues, Nicole Javier, Chase Mangum, Luis Antonius Canete, Tom E. Proctor, Clinton Lowe, Vin Vescio, Beth May, Alexander Chard (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
World premieres of captivating, real stories by emerging voices.
A House Is Not A Disco
Director: Brian J. Smith, Producers: Jeremy Truong, Joe Conforti
What if you really did put all the gays on an island? In this vibrant portrait of queer paradise, Fire Island Pines, past and present blur as the iconic beach town bands together to celebrate its legacy and redefine itself for a new, inclusive era. (World Premiere)
An Army of Women (Germany, Norway)
Director: Julie Lunde Lillesæter, Producers: Natalya Sarch, Julie Lunde Lillesæter
A group of women in Austin, Texas, join forces to legally challenge the system that allowed their rapists to walk free. An Army of Women is the landmark story of women fighting to hold law enforcement accountable, with resounding relevance worldwide. (World Premiere)
Grand Theft Hamlet (United Kingdom)
Directors/Screenwriters: Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane, Producers: Rebecca Wolff, Julia Ton
Shot entirely inside the video game Grand Theft Auto, this documentary charts the hilarious and profoundly moving story of two out of work actors as they try to stage a full production of Hamlet within this notoriously violent digital world. (World Premiere)
The In Between (United States, Mexico)
Director: Robie Flores, Producers: Alejandro J Flores, Kellen Quinn
Following her brother’s death, filmmaker Robie Flores returns home to the Texas-Mexico border. Dancing playfully between personal and collective coming-of-age experiences, Robie rediscovers the possibilities of joy in the aftermath of grief. (World Premiere)
Resynator
Director: Alison Tavel, Producers: Kathryn Robson, Jon Lullo, Brendan Walter, Sara Nesson, Barbara McDonough, Christopher Noviello
In unearthing a revolutionary synthesizer her late father invented in the 1970s, Alison Tavel not only revives his mission to share it with the world, she unexpectedly forges a deep bond with the father she never got the chance to know. Featuring Alison Tavel, Grace Potter, Peter Gabriel, Jon Anderson, Fred Armisen, Money Mark, Gotye, Mike Gordon, Brian Kehew, Christian Castagno (World Premiere)
Roleplay
Director: Katie Mathews, Producers: Darcy McKinnon, Jenny Mercein, Katie Mathews
College students confront sexual violence on their campus through a transformative theater process. This urgent coming of age story follows young adults grappling with sex, consent, identity, and power on their paths to adulthood. (World Premiere)
Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted
Directors: Isaac Gale, Ryan Olson, Producers: Isaac Gale, Paul Lovelace, David McMurry, Ryan Olson, Ben Wu
Legendary musician Swamp Dogg, alongside housemates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty, have transformed their home into an artistic playground. Together, they navigate life in the tumultuous music industry. Featuring Swamp Dogg, Alonzo Williams, Moogstar, Tom Kenny, Guitar Shorty, Mike Judge, Dr. Jeri Williams, Johnny Knoxville, Naeem Juwan, John Prine (World Premiere)
We Can Be Heroes
Directors: Carina Mia Wong, Alex Simmons, Producers: Jennifer Wood, Krista Manis, Carina Mia Wong, Alex Simmons
A group of neurodivergent, queer, and self-proclaimed nerdy teenagers find solace at a LARP (live action role play) summer camp. They discover inner strength, heal from traumas, and emerge as their own heroes: both in fantasy and in reality. (World Premiere)
NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
Unforgettable features receiving their World, North American, or U.S. premieres.
A Nice Indian Boy
Director: Roshan Sethi, Producers: Renee Witt, Charlie McSpadden, Andrew Calof, Justin Baldoni, Screenwriters: Eric Randall, Madhuri Shekar
When Naveen brings his fiancé Jay home to meet his family, his traditional Indian parents must contend with accepting his white-orphan-artist-boyfriend and helping them plan the most fabulous Indian wedding their community has ever seen. Cast: Karan Soni, Jonathan Groff, Sunita Mani, Zarna Garg, Harish Patel, Peter S. Kim, Sas Goldberg (World Premiere)
Cuckoo (Germany)
Director/Screenwriter: Tilman Singer, Producers: Markus Halberschmidt, Josh Rosenbaum, Maria Tsigka, Ken Kao, Thor Bradwell, Ben Rimmer
On a trip to the German Alps with her father and stepmother, Gretchen discovers that the resort town where they’re staying hides sinister secrets, as she’s plagued by strange noises and frightening visions of a woman pursuing her. Cast: Hunter Schafer, Dan Stevens, Jessica Henwick, Marton Csókás, Jan Bluthardt (International Premiere)
Doin’ It
Director: Sara Zandieh, Producers: Anthony Bregman, Erica Matlin, Polly Auritt, Lilly Singh, Anita Verma-Lallian, Screenwriters: Lilly Singh, Sara Zandieh, Neel Patel
A 30 year old Indian-American virgin gets a job teaching high school Sex Ed. Cast: Lilly Singh, Ana Gasteyer, Sabrina Jalees, Stephanie Beatriz, Mary Holland, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Trevor Salter, Sonia Dhillon Tully (World Premiere)
I Don’t Understand You
Director: Brian Crano, Producers: Kara Durrett, Jessamine Burgum, Jon Glickman, Joel Edgerton, Nash Edgerton, Screenwriters: Brian Crano, David Craig
Following a devastating adoption scam, a couple go on an Italian vacation in an attempt to reconnect. After getting their rental car stuck in a countryside ditch, things begin to go awry. Between the torrential weather and language barrier, Dom, Cole and the Italians around them descend into a comical fiasco. Cast: Nick Kroll, Andrew Rannells, Nunzia Schiano, Morgan Spector, Eleonora Romandini (World Premiere)
I Love You Forever
Directors/Screenwriters: Cazzie David, Elisa Kalani, Producers: Diablo Cody, Lauren Hantz, Liana Weston, Mason Novick, Evan Silverberg, Billy Mulligan
A subversive love story gone wrong that follows a young woman into and out of an emotionally abusive relationship. Cast: Sofia Black-D’Elia, Ray Nicholson, Jon Rudnitsky, Cazzie David, Raymond Cham Jr (World Premiere)
I Wish You All The Best
Director/Screenwriter: Tommy Dorfman, Producers: Matt Kaplan, Tommy Dorfman
The film revolves around a non-binary teen who after being kicked out of the house by their conservative parents and moves in with their estranged sister, embarks upon a journey of self-discovery that teaches them about love, friendship, and family. Cast: Corey Fogelmanis, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Alexandra Daddario, Cole Sprouse, Lena Dunham, Amy Landecker, Lexi Underwood, Lisa Yamada, Judson Mills, Brian Michael Smith (World Premiere)
Magpie (United Kingdom)
Director: Sam Yates, Producers: Kate Solomon, Daisy Ridley, Tom Bateman, Camilla Bray, Nadia Khamlichi, Sierra Garcia, Screenwriter: Tom Bateman
When Ben and Anette’s daughter is cast in a film alongside glamorous movie star Alicia, Ben is quickly drawn into Alicia’s world. Anette is left at home with the baby, pushed to her emotional limits and psychologically on the brink. Cast: Daisy Ridley, Shazad Latif, Matilda Lutz, Hiba Ahmed, Cherrelle Skeete, Pippa Bennet-Warner, Alistair Petrie (World Premiere)
My Dead Friend Zoe
Director: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, Producers: Paul Scanlan, Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, Terri Lubaroff, Ray Maiello, Mike Field, Richard Silverman, Robert Paschall Jr., Screenwriters: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, AJ Bermudez
Engaged in a mysterious relationship with her wise-cracking (and dead) best friend from the Army, a female veteran is summoned to the remote lake house of her estranged Vietnam vet grandfather. Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Gloria Reuben (World Premiere)
Turtles (Canada, Belgium)
Director/Screenwriter: David Lambert, Producers: Patrick Quinet, Christian Larouche
After 35 years together, the seemingly perfect life that Thom and Henri had built started to go awry. They start to drift away from each other a little more each day. But Thom will do anything to save his relationship and rekindle their love. Cast: Dave Johns, Olivier Gourmet, Brigitte Poupart, Laurent Bonnet (North American Premiere)
The Uninvited
Director/Screenwriter: Nadia Conners, Producers: Rosie Fellner, Carlos Enrique Cuscó, Ari Taboada
Rose and Sammy’s Hollywood Hills party takes a chaotic turn as elderly stranger Helen exposes hidden truths, reigniting old flames and unearthing secrets. Rose confronts her past, leaving everyone questioning their existence and desires. Cast: Elizabeth Reaser, Walton Goggins, Lois Smith, Eva De Dominici, Rufus Sewell, Pedro Pascal, Michael Panes, Kate Comer, Roland Rubio, Annie Kurzen (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT
Incredible features receiving their World, North American, or U.S. premieres.
Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie
Director: David Bushell, Producers: David Bushell, Robbi Chong
Cheech and Chong’s Last Movie explores the legacy of pioneering comics Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong with a mix of archival madness and cinematic road trip. The result is a true-life tale of fame and friendship stranger (and funnier) than fiction. (World Premiere)
Dickweed
Director: Jonathan Ignatius Green, Producers: David Ricksecker, Jefferis Grey
Two people got kidnapped. One man lost his dick. No one got any money. This heist-gone-horribly-wrong led one Newport Beach detective on an international manhunt for the most twisted criminal he’s ever hunted. (World Premiere)
How To Build A Truth Engine (Austria)
Director/Screenwriter: Friedrich Moser, Producers: Friedrich Moser, Robert Rippberger, Amina Bayou, Ivan Williams
An eye-opening documentary about how our biological hard-wired neurological behavior makes us so susceptible to misinformation, and what we can do about it. (World Premiere)
Lions of Mesopotamia
Director: Lucian Read, Producers: Mohamed Al Daradji, Patrick Reardon, David Hillman, Lucian Read, Ryan Bundra, David Katsman, Adam Linehan, Michael Sugar
This film recounts the Iraqi national soccer team’s journey to become Asian Cup champions in 2007 during the bloodiest days of their country’s civil war. The team, the sons of sworn enemies battling in war, united their country in its darkest hour. (World Premiere)
Plastic People (Canada)
Directors: Ben Addelman, Ziya Tong, Producers: Vanessa Dylyn, Stephen Paniccia, Screenwriter: Ben Addelman
Plastic People is a landmark feature documentary that chronicles humanity’s fraught relationship with plastic and one woman’s mission to expose shocking new revelations about the impact of microplastics on human health. (World Premiere)
Preconceived
Directors: Sabrine Keane, Kate Dumke, Producers: Heather Keane, Sabrine Keane, Maggie Contreras
A riveting documentary about the pervasive, but overlooked presence of Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Preconceived explores the complex role of deception, finances, faith, and privacy amid a shifting legal landscape. (World Premiere)
Secret Mall Apartment
Director/Producer: Jeremy Workman
In 2003, eight young Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment hidden inside the Providence Place Mall and lived in it for four years, filming everything along the way. The secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all its inhabitants. (World Premiere)
Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter
Directors: Abby Ginzberg, Christy Carpenter, Producers: Abby Ginzberg, Christy Carpenter, Jessica Brannon-Wranosky
Shaking it Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter is the story of a trailblazing journalist, White House official, feminist leader, political activist, and humorist whose legacy is a vital part of Texas and US history and highly relevant today. (World Premiere)
She Looks Like Me (United Kingdom)
Director/Screenwriter: Torquil Jones, Producers: Lindsey Dryden, Ian Davies, Torquil Jones
Born without legs, Jen Bricker is abandoned by her biological parents. She finds inspiration in America’s superstar gymnast – the mesmerizing Dominique Moceanu – only to find out that she is, in fact, her sister. (World Premiere)
MoviePass, MovieCrash
Director: Muta’Ali, Producers: Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Archie Gips, Scott Veltri, Jack Heller, David Wendell
MoviePass, MovieCrash chronicles the origin story, meteoric rise and stranger-than-fiction implosion of the theatrical movie subscription app, MoviePass. (World Premiere)
Whatever it Takes (United Kingdom)
Director: Jenny Carchman, Producers: Allyson Luchak, Ben Travers
In 2019, a middle-aged couple are subjected to cyberstalking and bizarre deliveries, including a bloody pig mask and funeral wreath. As the harassment intensifies, the police and FBI close in on a Silicon Valley giant and some very unlikely suspects. (World Premiere)
MIDNIGHTER
Exciting after-dark features for genre lovers and the terminally curious.
Azrael
Director: E.L. Katz, Producers: Dan Kagan, Simon Barrett, Dave Caplan, Screenwriter: Simon Barrett
Many years following the apocalypse, a devout cult of mute zealots hunts down a young woman who has escaped her imprisonment. Cast: Samara Weaving, Vic Carmen Sonne, Katariina Unt, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (World Premiere)
Family
Director/Screenwriter: Benjamin Finkel, Producers: Lynette Howell Taylor, Samantha Housman, Benjamin Finkel
Summer, 2002. Watching her sick father decline, 11-year-old Johanna makes a call for a good spirit to save him. But something else comes instead. Cast: Ruth Wilson, Ben Chaplin, Lucinda Lee Dawson Gray, Allan Corduner (World Premiere)
Hood Witch (France)
Director: Saïd Belktibia, Producer: Ladj Ly, Screenwriters: Saïd Belktibia, Louis Penicaut
Nour makes a living from smuggling exotic animals for her city’s marabouts, wishing to get her son out of the city and offer him a better future. But an exorcism turns into a tragedy and Nour has to face a wave of violence that could cost their lives. Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Denis Lavant, Jérémy Ferrari, Amine Zariouhi, Issaka Sawadogo (North American Premiere)
Hunting Daze (Canada)
Director/Screenwriter: Annick Blanc, Producers: Maria Gracia Turgeon, Annick Blanc
Nina, a young, tempestuous woman, is taken in by a group of hunters in a remote cabin. In the midst of this tough, yet endearing, male microsociety, she feels like she finally belongs. A mysterious stranger’s arrival disrupts her newfound haven. Cast: Nahéma Ricci, Bruno Marcil, Frédéric Millaire-Zouvi, Marc Beaupré, Alexandre Landry, Maxime Genois, Noubi Ndiaye (World Premiere)
It’s What’s Inside
Director/Screenwriter: Greg Jardin, Producers: William Rosenfeld, Jason Baum, Kate Andrews, Raúl Domingo
A pre-wedding party descends into an existential nightmare when an estranged friend shows up with a mysterious suitcase. Cast: Brittany O’Grady, James Morosini, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Devon Terrell, Gavin Leatherwood, Reina Hardesty, Nina Bloomgarden, David Thompson (Texas Premiere)
Kryptic (Canada, United Kingdom)
Director: Kourtney Roy, Producers: Amber Ripley, Sophie Venner, Josh Huculiak, Screenwriter: Paul Bromley
Kryptic is a psycho-thriller about a woman’s search for a missing monster hunter and her growing realization that she is inescapably linked to the creature being pursued. Cast: Chloe Pirrie, Jeff Gladstone, Jason Deline, Ali Rusu-Tahir, Christina Meredith Lewall, Patti Allen, Pam Kearns, Jennifer Copping (World Premiere)
Oddity (Ireland)
Director/Screenwriter: Damian McCarthy, Producers: Katie Holly, Laura Tunstall, Evan Horan
In this new supernatural spectacle from Caveat’s Damian McCarthy, a blind medium uncovers the truth behind her sister’s death with the help of a frightening wooden mannequin. Cast: Gwilym Lee, Carolyn Bracken, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Steve Wall, Jonathan French, Joe Rooney (World Premiere)
Things Will Be Different
Director/Screenwriter: Michael Felker, Producers: Shane Spiegel, Jacob Rosenthal, Michael Felker
In order to escape police after a robbery, two estranged siblings lay low in a metaphysical farmhouse that hides them away in a different time. There they reckon with a mysterious force that pushes their familial bonds to unnatural breaking points. Cast: Adam David Thompson, Riley Dandy, Chloe Skoczen, Justin Benson, Sarah Bolger, Jori Lynn Felker (World Premiere)
VISIONS
Audacious, risk-taking artists who demonstrate innovation and creativity.
Adrianne & The Castle
Director: Shannon Walsh, Producer: Ina Fichman, Screenwriters: Shannon Walsh, Laurel Sprengelmyer
Adrianne & The Castle is an inventive, musical documentary about grief and the creative power of love, told through the astonishing story of Alan and Adrianne St-George and their hand-built castle in rural Illinois. (World Premiere)
Birdeater (Australia)
Directors: Jack Clark, Jim Weir, Producers: Stephanie Troost, Ulysses Oliver, Screenwriter: Jack Clark
When a bride-to-be is invited to her own fiancé’s bachelor party in the Australian outback, a night to remember takes a feral turn. Cast: Shabana Azeez, Mackenzie Fearnley, Ben Hunter, Jack Bannister, Clementine Anderson, Caroline McQuade (International Premiere)
Dead Mail
Directors/Screenwriters: Kyle McConaghy, Joe DeBoer, Producers: Zachary Weil, Brett Arndt
An ominous, bloody help note finds its way to the desk of a seasoned “dead letter” investigator at a 1980’s Midwestern post office, leading him down a violent, unforeseen path to a kidnapped keyboard engineer and his demented business associate. Cast: Sterling Macer, Jr., John Fleck, Susan Priver, Micki Jackson, Nick Heyman, Tomas Boykin (World Premiere)
Dory Previn: On My Way To Where
Directors: Julia Greenberg, Dianna Dilworth, Producer: Amy Hobby
A documentary about Dory Previn, an MGM lyricist and influential 1970s cult singer-songwriter who famously goes public about her schizophrenia diagnosis, ultimately accepting her voices and anticipating a modern-day neurodiversity movement. (World Premiere)
Songs from the Hole
Director: Contessa Gayles, Producers: Contessa Gayles, Richie Reseda, David Felix Sutcliffe, Screenwriters: James “JJ’88” Jacobs, Contessa Gayles
An incarcerated musician struggles for healing and peace as he comes of age in this documentary visual album composed behind bars. (World Premiere)
The Trouble With Mr Doodle (United Kingdom)
Directors: Ed Perkins, Jaimie D’Cruz, Producers: Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn
This is the story of an extraordinary boy born into an ordinary family in an unremarkable English town and how a childhood passion threatened to take over his life, his home and his mind. (World Premiere)
24 BEATS PER SECOND
Vibrant films showcasing the sounds, culture and influence of music and musicians.
This is a Film About The Black Keys.
Director: Jeff Dupre, Producers: Carter Little, Jeff Dupre, Elizabeth Gregory
This is a Film About The Black Keys traces Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney’s remarkable journey from two neighborhood kids jamming in a basement in Akron, Ohio to rock ’n roll super-stardom. (World Premiere)
Diane Warren: Relentless
Director: Bess Kargman, Producers: Michele Farinola, Peggy Drexler, Bess Kargman
Diane Warren: Relentless unveils the mystique and defiant personality behind one of the hardest-working and successful songwriters music has ever known. Featuring Clive Davis, Common, Gloria Estefan, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jennifer Hudson, Cher, Randy Jackson, Quincy Jones (World Premiere)
Faders Up: The John Aielli Experience
Directors: David Hartstein, Sam Wainwright Douglas, Producer: Shelby Hadden
A cinematic collage much like the style of his free form radio shows, Faders Up explores the extraordinary life and legacy of iconic KUTX Austin radio host, John Aielli. (World Premiere)
Mogwai: If The Stars Had A Sound (United Kingdom)
Director: Antony Crook, Producer: Kyrie Barker
When a pioneering band stays true to their roots and follows their own path, the outcome is ‘bigger than words and wider than pictures.’ (World Premiere)
Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird (Germany)
Director: Nicolas Jack Davies, Producer: Johann Scheerer
A film charting the artistic and personal relationship between Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (At the Drive-In / The Mars Volta) told almost entirely through hundreds of hours of self shot footage filmed by Omar over the last 40 years. (North American Premiere)
The World According to Allee Willis
Director: Alexis Spraic, Producer: Nicholas Coles
Songwriter/artist Allee Willis began filming her life as a kid in 1950s Detroit and never stopped. She pursued creative expression at all costs while struggling with not fitting established gender and sexual norms until she found a path to love. Featuring Mark Cuban, Cyndi Lauper, Lily Tomlin, Paul Reubens, Michael Patrick King, Patti LaBelle, Pet Shop Boys, Pamela Adlon, Paul Feig, Mark Mothersbaugh (World Premiere)
GLOBAL
Artful international films, featuring premieres, festival favorites, and more.
Bionico’s Bachata (Dominican Republic)
Director: Yoel Morales, Producer: Cristian Mojica, Screenwriters: Cristian Mojica, Yoel Morales
Bionico is a hopeless romantic addicted to crack, who must take control of his life before his fiancée leaves a rehabilitation center. A raw vision of love in a hostile Caribbean city. Cast: Manuel Raposo, Ana Minier, El Napo, Yasser Michelen, Barbara Plaza, Donis Tavaras (World Premiere)
Krzyk – Losing Control (Germany)
Director: Ewa Wikiel, Producer: Ibrahim-Utku Erdogan, Screenwriters: Halina Rasinski, Ewa Wikiel
When a young bacteriologist witnesses a car accident, she becomes entangled in the life of the deceased, which triggers the suppressed loss of her unborn child. Cast: Gina Henkel, Anton Weil, Pawel Delag, Wiktoria Gorodecka, Natalia Mateo, Marek Pys (International Premiere)
Malta (Argentina, Colombia, Norway)
Director/Screenwriter: Natalia Santa, Producer: Kiran Fernandes
Mariana is young, systematic, unattached and wants to go far away. Malta is her destination. Before she gets there, inspired by an improbable love affair, she will make another trip, one inside herself. Cast: Estefanía Piñeres, Patricia Tamayo, Emmanuel Restrepo, Diego Cremonesi (World Premiere)
My Sextortion Diary (Spain)
Director/Screenwriter: Patricia Franquesa, Producers: Patricia Franquesa, Mireia Graell
The thriller documentary about how Pati, the film’s director, embarks in a digital blackmail situation after her computer is stolen. (World Premiere)
Natatorium (Iceland)
Director/Screenwriter: Helena Stefánsdóttir, Producers: Sunna Guðnadóttir, Heather Millard, Julia Elomäki
A young girl stays with her estranged grandparents in the city while she auditions for an art group. When the family gathers after a long time to celebrate the girl’s acceptance into the group, an ugly family secret emerges. Cast: Ilmur María Arnarsdóttir, Arnar Dan Kristjánsson, Elin Petersdottir, Kristín Pétursdóttir, Stefania Berndsen, Stormur Jón Kormákur Baltasarsson, Jónas Alfreð Birkisson, Valur Freyr Einarsson (North American Premiere)
FESTIVAL FAVORITE
Acclaimed standouts from festivals around the world.
Gasoline Rainbow
Directors: Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross, Producers: Michael Gottwald, Carlos Zozaya, Claire Haley, Joanne Feinberg, Lauren Cargo, Jesy Buhl, Olivia Lloyd
Five small-town teenagers embark on one last adventure by van, boat, train, and foot, careening into the new frontier of adulthood as they search for the mysterious Party at the End of the World. Cast: Makai Garza, Micah Bunch, Tony Aburto, Nichole Dukes, Nathalie Garcia (North American Premiere)
The Moogai (Australia)
Director/Screenwriter: Jon Bell, Producers: Kristina Ceyton, Samantha Jennings
The Moogai is the story of a family terrorized by a child-stealing spirit. Cast: Shari Sebbens, Meyne Wyatt, Tessa Rose, Clarence Ryan, Toby Leonard Moore, Bella Heathcote (Texas Premiere)
The Queen of My Dreams (Canada)
Director/Screenwriter: Fawzia Mirza, Producers: Andria Wilson Mirza, Jason Levangie, Marc Tetreault
When Azra’s father suddenly dies on a trip home to Pakistan, she finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined; from her estranged mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming of age in rural Canada. Cast: Amrit Kaur, Hamza Haq, Nimra Bucha, Ayana Manji, Gul-e-Rana, Meher Jaffri, Ali A. Kazmi (U.S. Premiere)
Sasquatch Sunset
Directors: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Producers: Tyler Campellone, Lars Knudsen, George Rush, Screenwriter: David Zellner
A year in the life of a singular family. Cast: Riley Keough, Jesse Eisenberg, Christophe Zajac-Denek, Nathan Zellner (Texas Premiere)
Sing Sing
Director: Greg Kwedar, Producers: Monique Walton, Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Screenwriters: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar
A theater troupe finds escape from the realities of incarceration through the creativity of putting on a play in this film based on a real-life rehabilitation program and featuring a cast that includes formerly incarcerated actors. Cast: Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Paul Raci, Sean San José (U.S. Premiere)
Toll (Brazil)
Director/Screenwriter: Carolina Markowicz, Producers: Bianca Villar, Fernando Fraiha, Karen Castanho, Carolina Markowicz, Luís Urbano
Suellen, a toll booth attendant, realizes she can use her job to raise some extra money illegally. But this is only for a so-called noble cause: to send her son to an expensive gay conversion workshop led by a renowned foreign priest. Cast: Maeve Jinkings, Kauan Alvarenga, Thomás Aquino, Aline Marta Maia, Isac Graça (U.S. Premiere)
TV PROGRAM
TV PREMIERE
World premieres of prestige TV series premieres from acclaimed showrunners and directors.
3 Body Problem
Showrunners/Producers: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Alexander Woo, Directors: Derek Tsang, Andrew Stanton, Jeremy Podeswa, Minkie Spiro, Screenwriters: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Alexander Woo, Rose Cartwright, Madhuri Shekar
In this adaptation of the internationally celebrated bestseller, a young woman’s fateful decision in 1960s China reverberates across space and time into the present day. Cast: Jovan Adepo, John Bradley, Rosalind Chao, Liam Cunningham, Eiza González, Jess Hong, Marlo Kelly, Alex Sharp, Sea Shimooka, Zine Tseng, Saamer Usmani, Benedict Wong, Jonathan Pryce
(World Premiere)
Black Twitter
Director: Prentice Penny
Based on Jason Parham’s Wired article A People’s History of Black Twitter, this three-part series charts the rise, the movements, the voices, and the memes that made Black Twitter an influential and dominant force. (World Premiere)
Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show
Director: Ari Katcher, Producer: Maya Seidler
Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show is a darkly funny documentary series about Jerrod’s tumultuous quest for love, sex, and truth. Created by Carmichael, Ari Katcher and Eli Despres. Cast: Jerrod Carmichael. (World Premiere)
Photographer: Dan Winters
Showrunner/Director: Pagan Danielle Harleman, Producers: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Anna Barnes, Gene Gallerano, Brent Kunkle, Suzanne Giordano
Austin, Texas based photographer Dan Winters is the da Vinci of contemporary photography. At the height of his craft, there is little Dan hasn’t accomplished with the help of his wife and manager Kathryn, but his success has come at a cost. (World Premiere)
Ren Faire
Showrunner/Director: Lance Oppenheim, Producers: Karen Bernstein, Dani Sloane, Screenwriters: Max Allman, Nicholas Nazmi, Lance Oppenheim
When the ailing king of America’s largest renaissance festival declares his retirement, an epic power struggle ensues between an actor, a former elephant trainer, and a kettle-corn kingpin to claim his throne. (World Premiere)
TV SPOTLIGHT
World premieres of new seasons of acclaimed shows and exciting series episodes.
Hacks Season 3 Premiere
Showrunners: Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky, Director: Lucia Aniello, Producers: Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, Michael Schur, David Miner, Morgan Sackett
A year after parting, Deborah Vance is riding high off the success of her standup special while Ava pursues new opportunities back in Los Angeles. Cast: Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs, Megan Stalter, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Kaitlin Olson, Christopher McDonald, Mark Indelicato, Rose Abdoo, Lorenza Izzo (World Premiere)
Magic City: An American Fantasy
Showrunner: Bayan Joonam, Director: Charles Todd, Producers: Ashley Brooke, Marlowe Blue
A three-part series exploring the most famous strip club in the world and the celebrities, dancers, and founder who propelled it to its iconic status. Featuring: Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney Sr., Killer Mike, Gail Barney, Aubrey “Drake” Graham, Julian “Juju” Barney, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Michael “Lil Mag” Barney Jr., Nelly, Jermaine Dupri, Quavo (World Premiere)
Star Trek: Discovery Final Season Premiere
Showrunners: Alex Kurtzman, Michelle Paradise, Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi, Producers: Alex Kurtzman, Michelle Paradise, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Screenwriter: Michelle Paradise
Star Trek: Discovery is the hit original sci-fi drama series on Paramount+ and the service’s first original Star Trek series. The upcoming fifth season is also the final season and conclusion to the epic adventures of the U.S.S. Discovery crew. Cast: Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, David Ajala, Blu del Barrio, Callum Keith Rennie (World Premiere)
INDEPENDENT TV PILOT COMPETITION
Discover new pilots from indie talent.
Bettendorf Talks
Showrunners/Screenwriters: David Pasquesi, T.J. Jagodowski, Director: Jack C. Newell, Producers: David Pasquesi, T.J. Jagodowski, Shane Simmons, Jack C. Newell
A washed up comedy duo use a small town talk show to relaunch their attempt at regaining former glory. Surrounded by folks who have bigger goals than talent to achieve them, they try their best…which might not be enough. Cast: David Pasquesi, T.J. Jagodowski, Sadieh Rifai, Emma Pope, Nnamde Ngwe, Tim Kazurinksy, Ike Reilly, Brian King, Cassie Kramer
(World Premiere)
Halfrican American
Showrunner/Director/Screenwriter: Zeke Nicholson, Producers: Sophie Webb, Claire Glassford
Zeke attends a cookout with his boisterous black family and estranged father. Based on a true story. Cast: Gary Anthony Williams, Zeke Nicholson, Carl Tart, Laci Mosley, Ronnie Adrian, Andrew Hansen, Louisa Abernathy, Duane R. Shepard Sr. (World Premiere)
Lucy & Sara
Showrunner/Director/Screenwriter: Susan Park, Producer: Ryan Gage
A darkly comedic exploration of two unlikely sisters learning to lean on each other after the death of their beloved father in spite of their seemingly toxic relationship. Cast: Susan Park, Nicolette Morrison, Jeremy Joyce, Mark Holgate (Texas Premiere)
Marvin Is Sorry
Showrunners/Screenwriters: Brett Morrow, Alex Gehrlein, Jack Gacek, Director: Clint Pang, Producers: Aidan Erbter, Kenzie Packer
After accidentally killing one of his fans during the filming of a YouTube video, famed YouTuber Marvin Weaver must save his career by teaming up with Tag Taggart, an alt-right news anchor bent on cultural domination. Cast: Sam Song Li, Matt Walton, Haskiri Velazquez, Lea Zawada, Donna Vivino, Lucas Caleb Rooney (World Premiere)
Neo-Dome
Director: Bonnie Discepolo, Screenwriter: Matt Pfeffer, Producers: Anna Camp, Michael Johnson, Matt Pfeffer
In a post economic collapse America, a woman travels alone towards the promise of a utopian dome on the horizon. When she negotiates a ride with strangers, we learn… trust no one on the road to the Neo-Dome. Cast: Anna Camp, Michael Mosley, Nicholas Logan, Anthony Discepolo (Texas Premiere)
Tossers
Showrunners/Screenwriters/Directors: Chase Block, Bryce Van Leuven, Producer: Tim Rowberry
The Tossers two-week scheme is put to the test by Sofia, and a huge order from Salt-Lake Middle School. Cast: Bryce Van Leuven, Natalie Rousseau, Cecil Jennings, Emily Hanley, Casey Hanley, Dejon Wallace, Tua Kealoha, Antonio Lexerot, Nan Weber, Alex Vaughn
(World Premiere)
SHORT PROGRAM Presented by You42
NARRATIVE SHORT COMPETITION
Exceptional storytelling that captivates, surprises, and excites.
A Rotten Woman / Die Verdorbene (Germany)
Director/Screenwriter: Niamh Sauter-Cooke, Producers: Matthias Schuart, Christoph Holsten
When a neurotic woman discovers mushrooms growing on her skin, she tries everything to make them disappear. But as her self-hatred grows, and her life becomes increasingly miserable, she must learn to embrace her new form. (International Premiere)
A toi les oreilles (Canada)
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Alexandre Isabelle
While the townsfolk are celebrating the village’s anniversary parade, Étienne tries the impossible: to show them how beautiful his family’s cacophony really is. (World Premiere)
Beach Logs Kill
Director/Screenwriter: Haley Z. Boston, Producer: Max Scholnick
Set at a high school football game, an outsider attempts to connect with her crush, the star quarterback. When the game goes horribly wrong, the outsider believes she’s the only one who can save the beloved quarterback. (World Premiere)
Bits
Director/Screenwriter: Lilliya Scarlett Reid, Producers: Julian Paul Stein, Mary Kate Van den Berg
A young Montana woman’s brush with danger leaves her pining for closure as she struggles to untangle feelings of rejection and desire. (World Premiere)
Caller Number Nine! (United Kingdom)
Director/Screenwriter: Sandy Honig, Producer: Leah Draws
A telemarketer accidentally calls into a radio show and wins a radio contest. (World Premiere)
Can
Director/Screenwriter: Kailee McGee, Producers: JP Bolles, Kailee McGee
Filmmaker Kailee McGee reexamines her relationship with reality, art, and self while battling breast cancer. She turns to the only way she knows how to heal — creating a version of her journey for the big screen. (World Premiere)
Dissolution (United States, Australia)
Director/Screenwriter: Anthony Saxe, Producers: Thomas Lopez, Anthony Saxe
A woman is forced to confront her elderly husband’s physical deterioration when they meet to sign their divorce papers. (Texas Premiere)
If I Die in America (United States, Puerto Rico)
Director/Screenwriter: Ward Kamel, Producers: Adrián Lausell Cabán, Cameron Morton
A young man fights for a chance to grieve his husband after his Muslim in-laws demand their son’s body be sent back to the Middle-East mere hours after the untimely death.
(World Premiere)
The Last Brunch
Director: Jim Cummings, Screenwriters: Jim Cummings, Dustin Hahn, Producers: Thomas Cross, Dustin Hahn
Sometimes you don’t realize how thirsty you are until it’s right in front of you. (World Premiere)
Learning English (United States, United Kingdom)
Director/Screenwriter: Jean Liu, Producers: William T Phoenix, Jean Liu
An enthusiastic new arrival to the US seizes an unorthodox opportunity to practice her language skills. (World Premiere)
Let
Director/Screenwriter: Alyssa Loh, Producers: Karen Madar, Clara Dubau
An isolated law student wrestles with a compulsion toward self-harm and pain. A surprising night carries her, and a stranger, into new territory. (World Premiere)
Los Mosquitos (United States, Costa Rica)
Director: Nicole Chi, Screenwriters: Nicole Chi, Fumiya Hayakawa, Producers: Fumiya Hayakawa, Edna Díaz
Aby is a Honduran teenager living in the US along with her freshly arrived cousin, Nata. Together they will come to terms with the family bonds they are forced to create.
(World Premiere)
My Tomato Heart (Canada)
Director/Screenwriter: Benoît Le Rouzès Ménard, Producer: Cynthia Mateu
Madeleine is forced to quit her position at the neighborhood grocery store. Except that her job is her whole life; her colleagues, her only family. The quinquagenarian spends her last days of work fighting to save what is near and dear to her heart. (International Premiere)
The Rainbow Bridge
Director/Screenwriter: Dimitri Simakis, Producers: Suki-Rose, Michael Scott, Dawnie Jefferson
Tina and her elderly dog visit a mysterious clinic offering human-to-pet communication. Two sinister doctors uncover an otherworldly bond between them that transcends time and space. They might be the key to something greater…but at what cost? (Texas Premiere)
The Robbers (Austria)
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Isa Schieche
The Robbers is a sociological analysis of male- and female-attributed behavior and traits, shaking up binary role models in a swirl of radicalism and activism. (North American Premiere)
Say Hi After You Die
Director: Kate Jean Hollowell, Screenwriters: Kate Jean Hollowell, Ruby Caster, Producer: Miranda Kahn
A grieving woman believes her deceased best friend has come back to visit her…as a port-a-potty. (Texas Premiere)
See It Say It (United Kingdom)
Director/Screenwriter: Nez Khammal, Producer: Elena Valeri
A young and optimistic Arab actor struggling to make ends meet, receives a last-minute call for an audition that could change his life. But what starts as a routine journey quickly morphs into a Kafkaesque nightmare of terror and prejudice. (International Premiere)
Shé (Snake) (United Kingdom)
Director/Screenwriter: Renee Zhan, Producer: Jesse Romain
When pressures mount on a tightly wound violinist in a London youth orchestra, her internal monsters take external form. (Texas Premiere)
Sound and Colour (Ireland)
Director/Screenwriter: Emma Foley, Producer: Tamryn Reinecke
Having returned home after her attempted suicide, Hannah must face her dysfunctional and emotionally repressed family. Believing that her relationship ending is the root cause of her depression, the family avoids talking about the “incident”. (North American Premiere)
Trapped
Directors/Screenwriters: Sam Cutler-Kreutz, David Cutler-Kreutz, Producers: Sam Cutler-Kreutz, David Cutler-Kreutz, Tara Sheffer, Silvia Chen, Alex Morsanutto
A high school janitor runs into a series of dangerous obstacles. (World Premiere)
We Are Not Alone (Canada, United States)
Director: Adebukola Bodunrin, Screenwriter: Ezra Claytan Daniels, Producer: Mariel Neto
A reclusive young Nigerian immigrant becomes convinced that a mysterious object approaching Earth’s orbit holds the key to her loneliness. (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY SHORT COMPETITION
Authentic storytelling that captivates, surprises, and excites.
Been There (Switzerland)
Director/Screenwriter: Corina Schwingruber Ilić, Producer: Stella Händler
How tourists become invaders hunting for the best pictures. (Texas Premiere)
The Big Wait (Australia)
Director: Yannick Jamey, Producer: Lucy Pijnenburg
A remote desert town, with a population of two, is kept in pristine condition waiting for visitors that never seem to arrive. (World Premiere)
Christmas, Every Day
Director: Faye Tsakas, Producers: Enrique Pedraza Botero, Lauren Howell, Rowan Ings, Faye Tsakas
From their rural Alabama home, two preteen girls market fashion and beauty products to thousands of online fans. (World Premiere)
Frank
Director: David Gauvey Herbert, Producers: David Gauvey Herbert, Lance Oppenheim, Abigail Rowe, Nate Hurtsellers
At 99 years old, Frank Lucianna is America’s oldest practicing attorney. He’s now preparing for his final criminal trial. (World Premiere)
Hello Stranger (Canada)
Director: Amélie Hardy, Producers: Sarah Mannering, Fanny Drew
At the crossroads of documentary and fiction, Hello Stranger relates the transition journey of a young trans woman named Cooper Josephine. (World Premiere)
Leonie, Skeet & de biggen (Leonie, Skeet & the piglets) (Belgium)
Director/Screenwriter: Jip Heijenga, Producer: Sofie Van Noten
Eleven-year-old Leonie dreams of becoming a pig farmer one day, but the dream is threatened by the new laws surrounding nitrogen emissions and the impending bankruptcy of her parents farm. (Texas Premiere)
Pamilya (United Kingdom)
Director/Screenwriter: Miles Blacket, Producers: Erin Sayder, Emily Harrison
As two Filipina women become overwhelmed by their experiences of modern slavery in the UK, their tight-knit community rallies around them. (International Premiere)
The Puzzle Palace
Directors/Producers: Jenny Schweitzer Bell, Brian Bell
Amassing the world’s largest puzzle collection is a labor of love for one inseparable couple. (World Premiere)
Remember, Broken Crayons Colour Too (Switzerland)
Directors/Screenwriters: Shannet Clemmings, Urša Kastelic, Producers: Filippo Bonacci, Gabriel Grosclaude
Shannet, a Black Transgender woman from Jamaica, shares her journey of healing as she wanders the empty streets of a European city. (Texas Premiere)
Sandcastles
Director: Carin Jin-Yi Leong, Producers: Carin Jin-Yi Leong, James Qiu, Martin Loh, Jaydn Ray Gosselin, Jacob Fertig
As Singapore reclaims land to intensify urban development, a town bearing its name lies buried under sand on the other side of the world. (World Premiere)
The School of Canine Massage
Director: Emma D. Miller, Producers: Emma D. Miller, Colby Day
At a unique training program in Southern California, people heal dogs and dogs heal people. (World Premiere)
Shotplayer
Director: Sam Shainberg, Screenwriters: Sam Shainberg, Willie Miesmer, Producers: Rachel Walden, Sam Shainberg, Willie Miesmer
A notorious NYC pickpocket returns to the subway system, the scene of his crimes, and in a fever dream of memories is forced to dissect his relationship to the act that has ruled his life for over forty years. (World Premiere)
We Ride for Her
Directors: Prairie Rose Seminole, Katrina Lillian Sorrentino, Screenwriter: Melanie Shaw, Producers: Becca Kahn Bloch, Katrina Lillian Sorrentino
An Indigenous women’s motorcycle group rides to end the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women while a member of their community desperately searches for her missing sister and tries to heal her shattered family. (World Premiere)
Wouldn’t Make It Any Other Way
Director: Hao Zhou, Producer: Tyler Hill
Having built a colorful life in Iowa, a costume designer returns to their island hometown, Guam, to make costumes for a children’s theater show and reconnect with distant parents.
(World Premiere)
ANIMATED SHORT COMPETITION
A whirlwind tour of hand drawn, stop-motion, and digital revelries.
A Crab in the Pool (Canada)
Directors/Screenwriters/Producers: Alexandra Myotte, Jean-Sébastien Hamel
In a run-down neighborhood, Zoe and her little brother Theo are left to fend for themselves. A young adolescent, Zoe is a ball of anger haunted by an intimate terror. (Texas Premiere)
Au 8ème Jour (France)
Directors: Agathe Sénéchal, Alicia Massez, Screenwriters: Agathe Sénéchal, Alicia Massez, Elise Debruyne, Flavie Carin, Théo Duhautois, Producer: Carlos De Carvalho
It took seven days to create the world, it only took one to disrupt its balance. (Texas Premiere)
Beautiful Men (Belgium, France, Netherlands)
Director/Screenwriter: Nicolas Keppens, Producers: Brecht Van Elslande, Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Baussaron, Joost Van Den Bosch, Erik Verkerk
Three bald brothers travel to Istanbul to have a hair transplant. Stuck with each other in a hotel far from home, their insecurities grow faster than their hair. (International Premiere)
Bug Diner
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Phoebe Jane Hart
Bug Diner serves up a feast of clandestine delights: A Mole chef with suppressed desires, a super Fly waitress, and a host of pent up animal clientele. As tensions rise and desires reach their boiling point, this isolated restaurant becomes a hotbed. (Texas Premiere)
La Perra (Colombia, France)
Director/Screenwriter: Carla Melo Gampert, Producers: Julie Billy, Naomi Denamur, Capucine Mahé, Franco Lolli
Being a daughter, being a mother, becoming a woman. (Texas Premiere)
Matta and Matto (Switzerland)
Directors/Screenwriters: Bianca Caderas, Kerstin Zemp, Producer: Joder von Rotz
In a dystopian world where touch is forbidden, Matta and Matto offer refuge to the lonely at Hotel Vaip. In the deceptive labyrinth of mind bending rooms at their transient hotel, deepest desires are fulfilled and surpassed, but this comes at a price. (Texas Premiere)
Sweetmeats (United States, Australia)
Director/Screenwriter: George Metaxas, Producers: George Metaxas, Jason Rodriguez, Bismark Fernandes
A delicious array of confectionery characters reflect on their artistic practices, upbringings, and the “why” of art with a local news reporter. (World Premiere)
Tennis, Oranges
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Sean Pecknold
A robotic vacuum suffering from burnout quits its job at a hospital and sets out to find community and a greater purpose on a quiet street where two lonely rabbits are stuck in perpetual loops. (World Premiere)
This is TMI (India)
Directors/Producers: Subarna Dash, Vidushi Gupta
Big boobs vs. small boobs? A group of women, over a drink, discusses who has it worse.
(U.S. Premiere)
Wander to Wonder (Belgium, France, Netherlands)
Director: Nina Gantz, Screenwriters: Nina Gantz, Simon Cartwright, Daan Bakker, Stienette Bosklopper, Producers: Stienette Bosklopper, Maarten Swart, Annemie Degryse, Ben Tesseur, Steven De Beul, Annemie Degryse
Mary, Billybud, and Fumbleton are three miniature, human actors who perform in an eighties kids TV series called Wander to Wonder. After the creator of the series has died, they are left alone in the studio. With their slowly decaying costumes. (North American Premiere)
MIDNIGHT SHORT COMPETITION
Indulge your cravings for horror, gore, and dark comedy.
Apotemnofilia (Spain)
Director/Screenwriter: Jano Pita, Producer: Clinton Uriarte
It is opening night, the theater is crowded and Clara, the leading actress, refuses to leave her dressing room. (US Premiere)
The Bleacher
Directors/Screenwriters: Nicole Daddona, Adam Wilder, Producers: Zeus Kontoyannis, Adam Wilder
The disappearance of her sock at a local laundromat sends a fragile Rita over the edge. Hellbent on finding it, she searches deep and gets sucked into a washing machine, entering an otherworldly cycle from which she may never escape. (Texas Premiere)
Dream Creep
Director/Screenwriter: Carlos A.F. Lopez, Producers: Megan Leonard, Bobby McHugh, Jonathan Caso, Zeus Kontoyannis
A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice. (Texas Premiere)
Inner Demons
Director/Screenwriter: Jasmine J. Johnson, Producer: Mary Bonney
Mya’s forced to confront the darkness lurking within. (Texas Premiere)
Lullaby (United Kingdom)
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Chi Thai
A refugee is forced to confront her guilt. (World Premiere)
Make Me a Pizza
Director: Talia Shea Levin, Screenwriters: Talia Shea Levin, Woody Coyote, Producers: Kara Grace Miller, Talia Shea Levin
Bored Housewife seduces Hot Pizza Guy for free pizza, but is desire worth $29.99?
(World Premiere)
Meat Puppet (United Kingdom)
Director/Screenwriter: Eros V, Producers: Leah Draws, Masha Thorpe
On the day he promised his girlfriend he’d grow up, a man-child inadvertently traps his soul inside a puppet. (World Premiere)
Tight
Director/Screenwriter: Jessica Barr, Producers: Jessica Barr, Sarah Whelden, Kelly Wilcox, Nate Comay
A woman grappling with difficulty finding sexual pleasure after childbirth falls back on an old coping habit. (World Premiere)
Transylvanie (France)
Director: Rodrigue Huart, Screenwriters: Rodrigue Huart, David Alexander Cassan, Axel Würsten, Producer: Lucie Vigier
Ewa is a 10-year-old girl living in a high building in a quiet town. She’s an odd, lonely child and for good reason: she’s convinced of being a vampire. (Texas Premiere)
TEXAS SHORT COMPETITION
Vibrant work filmed in, inspired by, or connected to the Lone Star State.
Beeps
Director/Producer: Kirk Johnson
Sleep-deprived Sam sets out to find the source of chirping smoke alarms outside his window and discovers unexpected truths about himself, his neighbors and his place in the world. It’s a documentary. (World Premiere)
Hair Care
Director: Fatima Wardy, Screenwriter: Karl-Mary Akre, Producer: Mary-Elizabeth Esquibel
When her braider disappears on her without finishing her hair, a young woman must traverse a fantastically animated Ivory Coast in order to track her down. (Texas Premiere)
Jedo’s Dead
Director/Screenwriter: Sara Nimeh, Producers: Michael Mittelstaedt, Jeff Walker, Ellyn Church
When a young Middle Eastern girl unexpectedly finds her deceased grandfather, she is forced to grapple with the earthly ritual and spiritual loose ends of loss. (World Premiere)
Live From the Clouds
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Mackie Mallison
A kaleidoscopic journey through the imaginations of the filmmaker’s Japanese-American family and their longings to find home. (Texas Premiere)
The Passing
Directors: Ivete Lucas, Patrick Bresnan, Screenwriter: Ivete Lucas, Producer: Patrick Bresnan
A Texas veterinarian must help his neighbor Cindy through one of the hardest days of her life. (Texas Premiere)
The Queen vs Texas
Directors: Emil Lozada, Raemonn James, Producer: Emil Lozada
In the face of Texas’ oppressive stance on LGBTQIA+ communities, a resolute queer activist and drag queen leads a movement to empower her community through the art of self-expression and the fight for social justice. (Texas Premiere)
Sangre Violenta / Sangre Violeta
Directors: Edna Diaz, Arturo R. Jiménez, Producers: Maggie M. Bailey, Edna Diaz, Arturo R. Jiménez
Why does the Mexican government consider the feminist movement a bigger threat than most drug cartels? This short documentary interweaves three powerful narratives, shedding light on the motivations behind feminist activism in Mexico. (World Premiere)
MUSIC VIDEO COMPETITION
A dynamic mix of creativity and stylish visuals where music and storytelling collide.
Bambina – ‘Anyway U Want It’ / Director/Screenwriter: Erin Murray
Benjamin Earl Turner – ‘Headspace/Bent’ / Director: Abteen Bagheri-Fard
The Burning Hell – ‘All I Need’ / Director: Joe Nicolosi
Célen – ‘Mom told you so’ (France) / Director/Screenwriter: Cécile Cournelle
Chappell Roan – ‘Casual’ / Director: Hadley Hillel, Screenwriters: Hadley Hillel, Chappell Roan
Crumb – ‘Crushxd’ / Directors: Abraham El Makawy, Alex Futtersak
Daft Punk – ‘Infinity Repeating (2013 Demo) (ft. Julian Casablancas + The Voidz)’
(United States, France) / Director/Screenwriter: Warren Fu
Dhruv Visvanath – ‘Gimme Love’ (India) / Director/Screenwriter: Tanvi Gandhi
Dillon Francis – ‘LA on Acid’ / Director/Screenwriter: Parker Seaman
Dominic Fike – ‘Mama’s Boy’ / Director/Screenwriter: Rubberband
Fatoumata Diawara – ‘Nsera’ (France) / Director: Grégory Ohrel
The Hives – ‘Bogus Operandi’ (United Kingdom) / Director/Screenwriter: Aube Perrie
Ismay – ‘Stranger In The Barn’ (United States, Sweden) / Directors/Screenwriters: Rose Bush, Kirsten Bode
Lil Yachty – ‘Say Something’ / Director: Crowns and Owls
Little Dragon – ‘Kenneth’ (Sweden, United Kingdom) / Directors: Cady Buche, Travis Barron
Milkblood – ‘Run Thru Me’ / Directors: Mike Diva, Brandon Bolmer
Paris Texas – ‘Bullet Man’ / Director: Aus Taylor, Screenwriter: Paris Texas
Rainbow Chan – ‘Seven Sisters’ (Australia) / Director: Anne Berry
YACHT – ‘My Idea’ / Director/Screenwriter: Kailee McGee
XR EXPERIENCE
The immersive arts enhance and redefine how we experience the world. These projects emphasize ingenuity and storytelling across diverse industries.
XR Experience Competition
World premieres of mind bending immersive art.
Astra
Director: Eliza McNitt, Producers: Arnaud Colinart, Aurélie Leduc, Screenwriter: Eliza McNitt
Astra is a cosmic ghost story that explores the mystery of life in the Universe through the death of a scientist on Earth. Uncovering the lost recordings of an Astrobiologist transports you on a quest through the cosmos to detect signs of life. (World Premiere)
Chief
Directors/Screenwriters: Kilma Lattin, Catherine Eng, Producer: Catherine Eng
Chief, Chairman, Chairwoman – these titles all describe tribal leadership and reflect the evolution of tribal culture, governance, and economics in this country. A rare portrait of gifted leaders who walk in many worlds. (World Premiere)
Detachment (Canada, United States, United Kingdom)
Directors: Roman Rappak, Luke Higgs, Producer: Anne McKinnon, Screenwriter: Roman Rappak
Told from the future, Detachment looks back at how technology has impacted our experience of reality and the journey of humankind. Detachment is a cinematic and interactive experience blending the boundaries between music video and video game. (World Premiere)
Eclipsing
Directors/Producers/Screenwriters: Andrew Schneider, Annie Saunders
Site-specific audio AR walk for headphones. Spatial sound is activated by location and time of day, and live interactions unfold, full of ‘was-that-part-of-it’ magic. Just another day and then suddenly, extraordinarily synchronous. Like an eclipse. (World Premiere)
The Golden Key
Directors: Marc Da Costa, Matthew Niederhauser
The Golden Key is an interactive machine learning installation that invites audiences to experience and intervene in the mythological dreams of an AI as it writes and visualizes a never-ending story. (World Premiere)
I’m Tired of Being Hypersurveilled
Directors: Tara Rose Morris, Heno
You wake up as Heno., held hostage in the S.Y.S.T.E.M. – designed to surveille your every thought. To escape, you must navigate through the immersive concept album I’m Tired of Being Hypersurveilled to find the exit – if there is one. (World Premiere)
Joseph Rouleau: Final Encore (Canada)
Directors: Émilie Rosas, Colas Wohlfahrt, Producers: Virgnie Jaffredo, Christine Falco, Screenwriter: Émilie Rosas
Through a posthumous conversation with Joseph Rouleau, director Émilie Rosas aims to dust off the world of opera and reveal Joseph Rouleau, a great pioneer of Quebec opera, revisiting his personal archives, memoirs and greatest solos. (World Premiere)
Madame Pirate: Code of Conduct (France, Taiwan)
Directors: Morgan Ommer, Dan-Chi Huang, Producers: Estela Valdivieso Chen, Jamie Lin, Screenwriters: Morgan Ommer, Dan-Chi Huang, Barbara Tran
Captured by fearsome pirates, a Chinese interpreter discovers the daily life and tribulations of the renegades. To survive she must deal with the pirate’s captain and her cruel husband.
(World Premiere)
Many Worlds (Australia)
Director: Lukasz Karluk, Producers: Ali Lucker, Alex Neville
Introducing Many Worlds. An exhibition of multiverse cubes. (World Premiere)
Maya: The Birth of a Superhero (United States, France, United Kingdom)
Directors: Poulomi Basu, CJ Clarke, Producers: CJ Clarke, Katayoun Dibamehr, Avi Amar, Amy Seidenwurm, Jeanne Marchalot, Ryan Genji Thomas, Screenwriters: CJ Clarke, Poulomi Basu, Manjeet Mann
An immersive story following Maya, an ordinary 21st Century girl, as she transforms into a uniquely female superhero whose powers derive from the process of menstruation.
(World Premiere)
Reimagined Volume III: Young Thang
Directors: Melissa Joyner, Julie Cavaliere, Michaela Ternasky-Holland, Producers: Julie Cavaliere, Michaela Ternasky-Holland, Ryan Genji Thomas, Zoe Roellin, Screenwriter: Melissa Joyner
Concealed within a flat world of insects where humans are forbidden, a young girl, Young Thang, must embrace her full self to save the community she loves from a storm of her own creation. (World Premiere)
Soulpaint (Netherlands, United Kingdom)
Directors: Sarah Ticho, Niki Smit, Producer: Anna Firbank, Screenwriter: Sarah Ticho
SoulPaint is a VR experience that invites you to explore the relationship between your body and emotions. Paint and sculpt your embodied experience, step into your artwork and discover the hidden world of feeling inside you and every one of us. (World Premiere)
The Tent
Director: Rory Mitchell, Producers: Lou Doye, Sébastien Hameline, Screenwriter: Martha Marion
When a woman discovers that a mysterious tent has appeared in her front yard, she’s not sure what to do about it…but she’s definitely not going to call the cops. (World Premiere)
The Vortex Cinema (Germany)
Director: Max Sacker, Producer: Ioulia Isserlis, Screenwriters: Max Sacker, Ioulia Isserlis
When a cinema projectionist opens a magic portal into a shadowy dimension that lies beyond the silver screen they are cast into a whirlwind of thrills, action and suspense and become the main character of a film noir murder mystery. (World Premiere)
XR Experience Spotlight
Masterful immersive art from around the world.
Antipsychotic
Director/Screenwriter: Matt McCorkle, Producers: Jessica Kidd, Jazia Hammoudi
Dive into a psychotropic journey through a bipolar mind with immersive soundscapes, tactile haptics, and a triptych display. Blending cyberpunk aesthetics with intimate, audio-reactive explorations of pre and post-treatment emotions. (Texas Premiere)
Buried in the Rock (United Kingdom)
Directors: Shehani Fernando, Matthew Shaw, William Trossell, Producer: Manuela Mesrie
Experience the world of caving through the eyes of speleologists Tim and Pam Fogg who are passionate about exploring some of the world’s last remaining pristine environments.
(North American Premiere)
Dani: the Portrait of a Beauty (Korea, Republic of)
Director: Cooper Sanghyun Yoo, Producer: Jay Kim, Screenwriter: Boram Kang
In a VR journey inspired by a well-known Korean genre painter Shin Yunbok, explore the 1700s Joseon Dynasty daily life through Pansori storytelling, traditional Korean dance, and cel-shading visuals, unveiling Dani’s love story. (International Premiere)
Dreaming of Lebanon
Directors: Martin Waehlisch, Cynthia Sawma, Producer: Martin Waehlisch, Screenwriters: Martin Waehlisch, Adrian Meyer
Dreaming of Lebanon is an interactive VR documentary that provides an immersive experience into the lives of young Lebanese people and their hopes for the future. (International Premiere)
Emperor (France, Germany)
Directors: Marion Burger, Ilan J. Cohen, Producers: Oriane Hurard, Katharina Weser, Screenwriters: Marion Burger, Ilan J. Cohen
Emperor is an interactive and narrative experience in virtual reality, which invites the user to travel inside the brain of a father who is suffering from aphasia. (North American Premiere)
Escape to Shanghai
Director: Charlotte Mikkelborg, Producer: Micaela Blitz
On the night of November 9th,1938, German Jews knew that their lives were in danger. For 4-year-old Doris Fogel and her mother the kindness of neighbors helped them to flee to one of the only places whose doors were open to European Jews – Shanghai. (Texas Premiere)
Her Name Was Gisberta (Brazil, Portugal)
Director/Producer: Sérgio Galvão Roxo, Screenwriters: Pedro Velho, Sérgio Galvão Roxo
Her Name Was Gisberta is a VR documentary that portrays the life and death of Gisberta Salce, a Brazilian Trans woman murdered by 14 young men in the city of Porto (Portugal).
(North American Premiere)
Impulse (Preview) (France, United Kingdom)
Directors: Barry Gene Murphy, May Abdalla, Producers: John Hunter, Katayoun Dibamehr, Avi Amar, Screenwriters: Barry Gene Murphy, May Abdalla
A mixed reality experience that uses games and first person narratives to take participants inside the minds of real life characters who have learnt to adjust to a complex society.
(Not a Premiere)
Letters From Drancy
Director: Darren Emerson, Producer: Micaela Blitz
A story of loss, love and daring escapes across the borders of Europe in WW2. Join Marion Deichmann as she recounts her story of survival during the Holocaust. (Texas Premiere)
NÂ TÂU TSÍ Á (SISTER LIN-TOU) VR (Taiwan)
Directors: Hsiao-mei,Ho, CHUAN Ming-Yuan, Producers: Pu-Yuan Cheng, Chia-Feng Lin
This VR work delves into the theme of the body, inspired by traditional Taiwanese folklore, particularly the story of Sister Lin-Tou. It sheds light on the remarkable ability of our bodies to preserve memories of past trauma, even after the wounds have fully healed.
(International Premiere)
Tadpole
Director: Diane Catsburrow Linnet
It’s a day like any other. How do you break the cycle? (North American Premiere)
Tulpamancer
Directors: Marc Da Costa, Matthew Niederhauser
Tulpamancer is a machine learning VR installation that shapes a dreamlike, immersive encounter with the memories and possible futures of each participant.
(North American Premiere)
Walk to Westerbork
Director: Mary Matheson, Producer: Micaela Blitz
When a young girl’s life is brutally interrupted by the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, luck and defiance will ensure that she survives the Holocaust. (Texas Premiere)
XR Experience Special Event
Radical experimentations with emerging tech.
A Picture Can’t Take Me (Germany)
Director: Cibelle Cavalli Bastos
A Picture Can’t Take Me is a target tracking audiovisual interactive AR experience intermeshing the physicality and augmented layers of AI-generated and collaborated sound, image, and words. Presented by Synthesis Gallery from Berlin, Germany. (World Premiere)
Kiss/Crash (Installation) (United Kingdom)
Director: Adam Cole
An immersive triptych of AI visuals subverting classic cinematic myths; scenes include a car crash transformed into a kiss, the artist mutated into iconic cinematic lovers, and an interactive foot pedal that accelerates an artificial romance. (International Premiere)
Opal (Canada)
Directors: Thibaut Duverneix, Guillaume Cardell
Explore a multi-user interactive experiment showcasing ecosystem interconnectedness through an artifact blending minerals, plants, and technology. Unveil a mesmerizing world of rhizomes and particles, igniting shimmering elements via light beams. (Not A Premiere)
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