SXSW 2016 | The Films Of South By Southwest

The South by Southwest Festival is one of the largest of its kind in the world. Every year, thousands of fans arrive in Downtown Austin, TX to partake in a couple of weeks of great music, technology, and film. For this special episode of The Hollywood Outsider, we take you deep into the heart of the film festival portion, and even deeper into the films themselves.

There are well over 100 films, documentaries, and shorts at SXSW and – while we can’t see them all – we have a nice sample of what came out of this year’s stellar lineup of independent films. 17 movies and TV shows are on the docket, and we review them all…with more than a couple surprises.

So sit back and relax. You’re about to experience South by Southwest from the comfort of your own chair.

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The films discussed on this episode of The Hollywood Outsider Movie Podcast:

Beware the Slenderman: On May 31st 2014, in the woods outside Waukesha, Wisconsin, two 12-year-old girls stabbed their classmate 19 times. This is a documentary covering those events and the evolution of Slenderman.

Black: A 15-year-old girl in a black gang in Brussels must choose between loyalty and love when she falls for a Moroccan boy from a rival gang. Keenly aware of the consequences of getting involved with someone from another gang, they begin to imagine a different life for themselves when things go wrong. It’s in this criminal milieu that directing duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah set Black, a pulse-pounding contemporary take on Shakespearean tragedy Romeo & Juliet.

The Trust: Nic Cage and Elijah Wood play a pair of cops investigating a drug invasion stumble upon a mysterious bank vault.

American Fable: When 11-year-old Gitty discovers that her beloved father is hiding a wealthy man in her family’s silo in order to save their struggling farm, she is forced to choose between saving the man’s life or protecting her family from the consequences of their actions. AMERICAN FABLE is a fairytale thriller set in the 1980s rural Midwest about a courageous girl living in a dark – sometimes magical – world.

Claire In Motion: Claire (Betsy Brandt) is sure of herself, her work and family, until – like a bad dream – her husband disappears, leaving a trail of puzzling secrets that shatter her certainty.

And Punching The Clown: Hapless satirical songwriter Henry Phillips is lured to LA when a veteran TV producer decides to make a show about the life of a loser.

Miss Stevens: A comedy focused on a teacher who chaperones a group of high schoolers to a state drama competition.

I Am Not A Serial Killer: In a small Midwestern town, a troubled teen with homicidal tendencies must hunt down and destroy a supernatural killer whilst keeping his own inner demons at bay.

Demolition: Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a successful investment banker struggles after losing his wife in a tragic car crash.

In A Valley Of Violence: A revenge Western film set in the 1890s, where a stranger (Ethan Hawke) arrives in a small town seeking vengeance for his murdered friend.

Don’t Breathe: A group of teens break into a blind man’s (Stephen Lang) home thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime. They’re wrong.

Secrets of the Force Awakens: An inside look at the making of the movie Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015), featuring footage and exclusive interviews with the actors and filmmakers.

The Waiting: A pair of high school kids try to trick an elderly neighbor (James Caan) into thinking his house is haunted.

Before The Sun Explodes: After his wife kicks him out, an anxious comedian is lured in by an intriguing woman with a stalker.

Preacher: After a supernatural event at his church a preacher enlists the help of a vampire to find God.

Outcast: A young man searches for answers as to why he’s been suffering from supernatural possessions his entire life.

Everybody Wants Some: A group of college baseball players navigate their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood.

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