SXSW is next week, and we have another round of movies for you to check out. Below find the synopses for the films featured in the film festival:
Our Father
We Are the Thousand
SXSW 2020 Spotlight Section
We Are The Thousand takes you backstage with the Rockin’ 1000. A thousand musicians gathering together with one goal: to convince the Foo Fighters to perform in their small Italian town. That was the beginning of an adventure that created the largest band of rockers on earth. Jump into the whirlwind global events that created a viral video sensation that pushed fandom to new heights – and launched the “biggest rock band on earth.”
THE DROVER’S WIFE THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON
SXSW Narrative Spotlight
In 1893, on an isolated property, a heavily pregnant woman named Molly Johnson (Leah Purcell) and her children struggle to survive the harsh Australian landscape; her husband is gone, droving sheep in the high country. Molly then finds herself confronted by a shackled Aboriginal fugitive named Yadaka (Rob Collins). As an unlikely bond begins to form between them, secrets unravel about her true identity. Meanwhile, realizing Molly’s husband is missing, new town lawman Nate Clintoff becomes suspicious and sends his constable to investigate. The deadly encounter between Molly, Yadaka and the constable results in a tragic chain of events with Molly becoming a symbol of feminism and anti-racism.
Alien on Stage
A very amateur dramatics group led by Dorset Bus Drivers spent a year creating a serious stage adaptation of the sci-fi, horror film Alien. Their village-hall show is a crushing flop; it seems their hard work was for nothing, but fate gives them a second chance to perform their homemade, homage in a London West End theatre, for one night only. With wobbly sets, awkward acting, and special effects, requiring ‘more luck than judgement’. Will they be alright on the night?
Broadcast Signal Intrusion
While logging tapes of decades-old TV broadcasts, video archivist James (Harry Shum Jr.) discovers a surreal and disturbing clip that James believes is the product of a mysterious broadcast signal hacking. His discovery takes a sinister turn when he tracks down similar broadcast intrusions that send him on an obsessive mission. Now James must confront two very real possibilities: that the videos may be clues to a crime beyond all comprehension; and that whoever was behind them may be very aware that James is coming uncomfortably close to the truth.
Dear Mr. Brody
While logging tapes of decades-old TV broadcasts, video archivist James (Harry Shum Jr.) discovers a surreal and disturbing clip that James believes is the product of a mysterious broadcast signal hacking. His discovery takes a sinister turn when he tracks down similar broadcast intrusions that send him on an obsessive mission. Now James must confront two very real possibilities: that the videos may be clues to a crime beyond all comprehension; and that whoever was behind them may be very aware that James is coming uncomfortably close to the truth.
Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America
ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jeffery Robinson’s groundbreaking talk on the history of U.S. anti-Black racism is interwoven with archival footage, interviews, and Robinson’s story, exploring the enduring legacy of white supremacy and our collective responsibility to overcome it.
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched
WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED explores the folk horror phenomenon from its beginnings in a trilogy of films – Michael Reeves’ Witchfinder General (1968), Piers Haggard’s Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971) and Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man (1973) – through its proliferation on British television in the 1970s and its culturally specific manifestations in American, Asian, Australian and European horror, to the genre’s revival over the last decade. Touching on over 200 films and featuring over 50 interviewees, WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED investigates the many ways that we alternately celebrate, conceal and manipulate our own histories in an attempt to find spiritual resonance in our surroundings.
AYAR
Ayar was written with the two lead actresses, Arianna Ron Pedrique and Vilma Vega, and is largely informed by their real life experiences.
POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ
Once Upon a Sea
Once Upon a Sea is a poetic, interactive XR documentary telling the tragic tale of the legendary Dead Sea – a place of undeniable healing powers and, for many, a place of indescribable magnetism. Through a physical exploration of the sea’s forbidden, moonlike landscapes, to intimate encounters with local characters, the user gets a rare glimpse into one of the world’s most dangerous, soon to be extinct, wonders. Centuries of human intervention and political neglect have turned the Dead Sea into a precarious place. Its water levels have dropped dramatically, leaving behind sinkholes and collapsing beaches. Today, all beaches but one are inaccessible to the public due to these dangerous sinkholes quickly becoming an ecological crisis. Once Upon a Sea brings us there. For those who have dedicated their lives to the sea and reside in the area, its demise has changed where and how they live their lives. Once Upon a Sea introduces us to them. The experience offers a deep insight into the complexity and very human impact of this ecological and geopolitical crisis. Once Upon a Sea is our call to action.
