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.
Patrick Watson is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Montreal, Quebec. It also refers to the eponymous band formed by Watson, whose blend of cabaret pop and classical music influences with indie rock has been compared to Rufus Wainwright, Andrew Bird, Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley and Pink Floyd for its experimental musicianship. Patrick Watson's album Close to Paradise was awarded the Polaris Music Prize in 2007.
The Aggression Scale is a 2012 action thriller film directed by Steven C. Miller. It stars Ray Wise, Dana Ashbrook, Derek Mears, Fabianne Therese, Ryan Hartwig, and Jacob Reynolds.
Starlet is a 2012 independent drama film directed by Sean Baker and starring Dree Hemingway and newcomer Besedka Johnson. Starlet explores the unlikely friendship between 21-year-old Jane and 85-year-old Sadie, two women whose lives intersect in California's San Fernando Valley.
Fabianne Therese Gstottenmayr is a Sri Lankan-American actress and director known for starring in several successful independent films including Netflix's Teenage Cocktail (2016), John Dies at the End (2012), Anchor Bay's The Aggression Scale (2012), A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (2013), and the AMC web series The Trivial Pursuits of Arthur Banks (2011).
Grow Up, Tony Phillips is a 2013 comedy film by American director Emily Hagins and her 4th feature film. It was first released on October 31, 2013 at the South by Southwest film festival and stars Tony Vespe as Tony Phillips, a young teenager's love for Halloween. Unlike her prior feature-length films, Grow Up, Tony Phillips does not feature any supernatural elements seen in past films such as Pathogen or My Sucky Teen Romance.
Starry Eyes is a 2014 American horror film written and directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer. The film had its world premiere on March 8, 2014 at South by Southwest and features Alexandra Essoe as a hopeful young starlet who finds that fame's price is not always easily paid. Funding for the movie was partially raised through a successful Kickstarter campaign.
6 Years is a 2015 American romantic drama film written and directed by Hannah Fidell and starring Taissa Farmiga, Ben Rosenfield, Lindsay Burdge, Joshua Leonard, Peter Vack, and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson. Filmmakers Mark and Jay Duplass served as executive producers under their Duplass Brothers Productions banner. The film depicts two weeks in the relationship of college students Melanie Clark and Dan Mercer, as their 6-year romance turns violent.
Jennifer Lafleur is an American actress. She is known for appearing in the independent films The Do-Deca-Pentathlon (2012), The Pretty One (2013), The Midnight Swim (2014), MAD (2016) and 6 Years (2015). On television, Lafleur has appeared on the HBO series Big Little Lies, Room 104 and Animals., the Showtime series Billions, American Crime on ABC, Married on FX, Chicago Fire on NBC, Workaholics and Review on Comedy Central, Childrens Hospital and Newsreaders on Adult Swim, and Major Crimes on TNT.
The Most Hated Woman in America is a 2017 American biographical drama film directed by Tommy O'Haver and written by O'Haver and Irene Turner. It stars Melissa Leo as Madalyn Murray O'Hair.
Rebirth is a 2016 American thriller film written and directed by Karl Mueller. The film stars Fran Kranz, Adam Goldberg, Nicky Whelan, Kat Foster, Andrew J. West and Eric Ladin. The film was released on July 15, 2016, on Netflix.
Adam Leon is an American film director and writer working in New York City. His first feature film, Gimme the Loot, won the Grand Jury Prize at South by Southwest and premiered internationally at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. Leon’s second feature, Tramps, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016, where Netflix acquired worldwide rights. His newest film, Italian Studies, stars Vanessa Kirby. Leon's films have received critical acclaim.
Small Crimes is a 2017 American crime film directed by E. L. Katz from a screenplay by Katz and Macon Blair, based on the novel of the same name by Dave Zeltserman. The film stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Joe Denton, a former cop recently released from prison for attempted murder. The film also stars Gary Cole, Molly Parker, Macon Blair, Pat Healy, Jacki Weaver, and Robert Forster. Small Crimes premiered at South by Southwest on March 11, 2017, and was released by Netflix on April 28, 2017.
Perfect is a 2018 American science fiction thriller film directed by Eddie Alcazar in his feature length debut and starring Garrett Wareing, Courtney Eaton, Tao Okamoto, Maurice Compte, and Abbie Cornish. The film had its premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2018. It was released in the United States on May 17, 2019.
Japan Nite is an annual music event in North America which began in 1996, featuring Japanese rock, pop, and alternative music artists. Originally centered around South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, the event expanded in later years to include multi-city tours of the United States, and has often been the first US performance for the participating artists.
Swan Song is a 2021 American drama film, written, directed, and produced by Todd Stephens. It stars Udo Kier, Jennifer Coolidge, Linda Evans, Michael Urie, Ira Hawkins, and Stephanie McVay.
Kevin McManus is an American filmmaker and television writer. He is known for writing and directing the 2021 film The Block Island Sound, as well as the 2012 South By Southwest official selection Funeral Kings. He regularly works with his brother, Matthew McManus.
Matthew McManus is an American television writer and filmmaker. He is known for writing and directing the 2012 South By Southwest official selection Funeral Kings, and the 2021 film The Block Island Sound. He regularly works with his brother, Kevin McManus.
Jeffrey Rowe is an American writer and director. He is known for being a writer for Gravity Falls and Disenchantment, the co-writer and co-director of The Mitchells vs. the Machines, and the director of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
