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South by Southwest · 2024

South by Southwest 2024

Documentary Feature Competition

Programme

8 films · 2 reviews

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An Army of Women

A group of women in Austin, Texas, join forces to legally challenge the system that allowed their rapists to walk free.

(Country: Norway, Germany, US; Year: 2024; Director: Julie Lunde Lillesæter)

Grand Theft Hamlet

Review preview for Grand Theft Hamlet

The absurdity is one of its delights.

Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
Shot entirely inside the video game Grand Theft Auto, this documentary charts the story of two out-of-work actors as they try to stage a full production of Hamlet within this notoriously violent digital world.

(Country: UK; Year: 2024; Director: Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane; Writer: Pinny Grylls, Sam Crane)

Full review

A House Is Not A Disco

Review preview for A House Is Not A Disco

There is a sense of living in the moment but for the future, a deep connection with nature and a willingness to face whatever happens together.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
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.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Brian J Smith; Stars: Doug Harris, Scott Bromley, Marc Christensen, Crayton Robey)

Full review See: Interview with Brian J Smith about A House Is Not A Disco

The In Between

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.

(Country: US, Mexico; Year: 2024; Director: Robie Flores; Stars: Julissa de Jesus, Paola Chavarria, Jacobo Frausto, Ponchito Nevarez)

Resynator

In unearthing a revolutionary synthesiser 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.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Alison Tavel; Writer: Kathryn Robson, Alison Tavel; Stars: Alison Tavel, Grace Potter, Peter Gabriel, Jon Anderson, Fred Armisen, Money Mark, Gotye, Mike Gordon, Brian Kehew, Christian Castagno)

Roleplay

College students confront sexual violence on their campus through a transformative theatre process. This urgent coming of age story follows young adults grappling with sex, consent, identity, and power on their paths to adulthood.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Katie Mathews; Stars: Denise Frazier, Aaron Avidon, Noah Hazzard, Christopher Kaminstein)

Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted

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.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Isaac Gale, Ryan Olson; Writer: Isaac Gale, Ryan Olson; Stars: Swamp Dogg, Alonzo Williams, Moogstar, Tom Kenny, Guitar Shorty, Mike Judge, Dr. Jeri Williams, Johnny Knoxville, Naeem Juwan, John Prine)

We Can Be Heroes

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.

(Country: US; Year: 2024; Director: Carina Mia Wong, Alex Simmons; Stars: Adelaide Eli)