South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has continued growing in both scope and size every year. In 2017, the conference lasted for 10 days with the interactive track lasting for five days, music for seven days, and film for nine days. There was no in-person event in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austin; in both years there was a smaller online event instead.
Austin Film Festival (AFF), founded in 1994, is an organization in Austin, Texas, that focuses on writers' creative contributions to film. Initially, AFF was called the Austin Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference and functioned to launch the careers of screenwriters, who historically have been underrepresented within the film industry.
Don't Talk to Irene is a 2017 Canadian comedy film written and directed by Pat Mills. It premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
Nick Remy Matthews, ACS, is a British-born, Australian-raised director of photography, director and writer based in Europe. In 2020 he was named "Cinematographer of the Year" by the Australian Cinematographer's Society. He was also named byVariety as one of the "10 Cinematographers to Watch" in 2019 for his work on Hotel Mumbai., a factual action drama depicting the Mumbai terror attacks, directed by long time collaborator Anthony Maras. The film stars Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Anupam Kher, Suhail Nayyar, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Tilda Cobham-Hervey and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2018 where Matthews was singled out for praise for his work on the film. Rolling Stone declare that "Even in the chaos of bullets and bombs — kudos to ace cinematographer Nick Remy Matthews — Maras creates a sense of actual lives hanging in the balance.". The Hollywood Reporter also praises the "...kinetic cinematography..." that enhances "...the idea that these are real events.". Variety describes the film as "Stunningly framed and photographed..." and as having a "...visual striking aesthetic."Washington Square News describes the film's cinematography as spanning "...cramped utility closets and breathtaking skylines, a visual treat from beginning to end."
Lost Transmissions is a 2019 drama film written and directed by Katharine O'Brien. It stars Simon Pegg, Juno Temple, and Alexandra Daddario. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28, 2019 and it was released on March 13, 2020 by Gravitas Ventures.
Aaron I. Butler is an American film and television editor and producer.
Gravitas Ventures is a film distribution company owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment. The company was founded by Nolan Gallagher in Los Angeles, California in 2006 and moved its headquarters to Cleveland, Ohio in 2019. It focuses on the distribution of Independent feature films and documentaries.
Transformer is a 2017 Canadian documentary film directed by Michael Del Monte, featuring competitive bodybuilder Janae Kroc coping with both the physical and social processes of gender transition after coming out as a trans woman.
Above the Shadows is a 2019 supernatural romance film written and directed by Claudia Myers. The film stars Olivia Thirlby, Alan Ritchson, Jim Gaffigan, Maria Dizzia, Tito Ortiz, David Johansen and Megan Fox.
Fully Realized Humans is a 2020 American comedy film directed, produced, and edited by Joshua Leonard, from a screenplay by Leonard and Jess Weixler. It stars Leonard, Weixler, Tom Bower, Beth Grant, Michael Chieffo, Janicza Bravo, Erica Chidi Cohen, Zach Shields, Jennifer Lafleur and Ross Partridge.
Boys State is a 2020 American documentary film directed and produced by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine. It follows a thousand teenage boys attending Boys State in Texas, coming to build a representative government from the ground up.
Skyman is a 2019 American science fiction-found footage horror film written and directed by Daniel Myrick. Inspired by memories from his childhood and interest in supernatural events, Myrick wrote the premise to be a "character study" comparable to the real-world psychological trauma and life-long experiences of alien abductees.
The Mole Agent is a 2020 internationally co-produced documentary film directed by Maite Alberdi. It was screened at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. At the 93rd Academy Awards, It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and was selected as the Chilean entry for Best International Feature Film, making the shortlist of fifteen films.
Jonathan Schwartz is an American film producer and former entertainment lawyer, known for producing independent features. Schwartz's credits include Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006), Douchebag (2010), Like Crazy (2011), Smashed (2012), Nobody Walks (2012), Breathe In (2013), Imperial Dreams (2014), and The Vanishing of Sidney Hall (2017). Through his production label, Super Crispy Entertainment, most of Schwartz's works have screened, won awards and secured distribution at the Sundance Film Festival. Throughout his career, he has collaborated extensively with producer Andrea Sperling, director Drake Doremus and actor-producer Logan Lerman.
The Mimic is a 2020 American comedy film written and directed by Thomas F. Mazziotti. It stars Thomas Sadoski, Jake Robinson, Austin Pendleton, Gina Gershon, Marilu Henner, Tammy Blanchard, Didi Conn, Josh Pais, Jessica Keenan Wynn, M. Emmet Walsh, and Jessica Walter in her final film role.
Paul Kowalski is a Polish-British film director and screenwriter based in Los Angeles.
Shasha Nakhai is a Filipino-Iranian Canadian film director, most noted as co-director with Rich Williamson of the 2021 film Scarborough. The film won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Picture, and Nakhai and Williamson won the award for Best Director, at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022.
We Need to Talk About Cosby is an American documentary miniseries directed and produced by W. Kamau Bell. It explores the life and career of Bill Cosby up to his sexual assault cases, through conversations with comedians, journalists, and survivors. It premiered on January 30, 2022, on Showtime.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is a 2022 American biographical documentary film about photographer, artist, and activist Nan Goldin. The film is produced, co-edited and directed by Laura Poitras, and tackles Goldin's life through her advocacy during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 80's, and her fight against the Sackler family for their role in the current opioid epidemic in the United States. Poitras, a long-time friend and fan, stated that "Nan's art and vision has inspired my work for years, and has influenced generations of filmmakers."
