SXSW

CHICAGO – While at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, there are shuttles between the film theaters, and often en route some prime networking takes place. On one such shuttle connection was Tara Bopp, a featured actor in the world premiere of the short film “Never Fuggedaboutit,” a sly take on two legendary media events.

AUSTIN, TX – The best film I saw at SXSW 2023 was “A Disturbance in the Force,” a new documentary about one of the most infamous TV programs in the medium’s history … “The Star Wars Holiday Special.” In a precise narrative with celebrity commentary, the history and mystery of this CBS-TV holiday event is unspooled.

AUSTIN, TX – Remember the term “CrackBerry”? It described the addicts of the earliest multi-function smartphone, the BlackBerry. In the days before the iPhone, it was the BlackBerry that held the mobile communication crown. The fascinating story of extreme success and monumental miscalculation is all encompassing.

AUSTIN, TX – Michael J. Fox is an entertainment treasure, and given what has happened to him through his fight and advocacy for Parkinson’s Disease, he damn well could be qualified as an international treasure. Fox made an appearance at the SXSW Film & TV Festival on behalf of his new documentary “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.”

AUSTIN, TX – It’s ironic that the film “Queendom” played the SXSW Film & TV Festival right down the street from the Texas legislature, which is leading the charge in American for the dissolution of LGBTQ+ rights and specifically drag queens. This story is from Russia, which at one time was held up as the opposite to where American should be.

AUSTIN, TX – Finding a way to my first film at the 2023 SXSW Film/TV Fest is a specific challenge, but after being shuttled to the famed Alamo Drafthouse, I found myself at the World Premiere of “Satan Wants You,” an amazing documentary about the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s and ‘90s, directed by Sean Horlor and Steve J. Adams.

AUSTIN, TX – The SXSW Conference and Festivals wrapped on March 19th, after 10 days of magic and Austin wackiness, showcasing film, TV, interactive, conferences, interviews and music. The Film & TV Fest named “Raging Grace” as the top Narrative Feature and “Grown” as top TV Pilot.

CHICAGO – The in-person SXSW Conference and Festivals opens tonight with “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” as part of the Film and TV Fest. SXSW 2023 runs March 10th-19th in Austin, Texas.

CHICAGO – Season 14 of Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC) continues with the Midwest Premiere of “Islands” – written and directed by Martin Edralin – streaming on APUC’s website from April 1st-3rd, 2022, and featuring a post-film Q&A from Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.

CHICAGO – Of all the films of the recent 2022 SXSW Festival, one documentary stood out as a profile of empathy. Co-directors Zara Katz and Lisa Riordan Seville presented “A Woman on the Outside,” an overview of a Philadelphia activist who advocates for prison reform while actually having – within her own story – three male family members in and out of incarceration.