SXSW Film & TV Festival is a multi-faceted event like no other! The festival draws thousands of fans, film and television creators, press, and industry leaders to discover the smartest, most innovative, and most entertaining new films, TV, and XR projects of the year, as well as giving access to hundreds of Conference Sessions, Music and Comedy Showcases, Creative Industry Exhibitions, Mentoring, Meetups, and Special Events that define the cross-industry event. There have also been several award-winning film and television projects like DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION – Resynator, MIDNIGHT SHORT COMPETITION – Meat Puppet, and TV SPOTLIGHT – Hacks Season 3 Premiere. Our editor, Alan Ng, “The Merciless,” covered all the latest premieres and Q&A’s in Austin, Texas! Film Threat is always on the festival circuit prowl to bring you high-quality indie films worth checking out.
Sing Sing
Sing Sing follows John “Divine G” Whitfield, a falsely convicted murderer serving a very long sentence in Sing Sing Prison along the Hudson River. John and several other inmates participate in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program, which John co-founded. Alan Ng says, “Gotta talk about Colman Domingo, who plays Divine G. He serves as the acting foundation for the film and the other actors.”
The Queen of My Dreams
The Queen of My Dreams is a multicultural romantic drama. Fawzia Mirza’s film follows a Pakistani-Canadian lesbian girl and her strained relationship with her traditionalist parents. Ben Shehadi says, “We really get a sense of Azra and her world. In truly Canadian fashion, it is a multilingual film: English, Urdu, and Arabic. It reflects a unique fusion of Canadian and Pakistani culture…”
The Hobby
The Hobby follows several board game players who offer exciting and quirky perspectives to a seemingly omnipresent subculture. They are dedicated individuals, who play in the World Series of Board Games in Las Vegas. Sabina Dana Plasse says, “A cast that includes “Roger Ebert of board games,” a rock-climbing board game philosopher, a birdwatcher who created an unlikely smash hit, and many others, everyone … shares a personal story of competition, compulsion, creativity, and connection. ”
Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts
Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts is a romantic dramedy. The film follows Ben (Sathya Sridharan), a well-meaning American-Indian of Tamil extraction. Suzanne (Anastasia Olowin) is the love of his life. She works in finance for a series of non-governmental organizations, which has forced their relationship to become very long distance. Benjamin Franz says, “Sridharan is fun and fun-loving. Olowin makes her character’s radical changes seem like a natural extension of her ideals and values.”
SXSW Films Reviewed by Film Threat
Features: Arcadian, Sing Sing, Dead Mail, The Black Sea, The Queen of My Dreams, Ben and Suzanne: A Reunion in 4 Parts, Malta, Monkey Man, and Sasquatch Sunset
Documentaries: Secret Mall Apartment, Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, Black Box Diaries, Dandelions, Never Look Away, An Army of Women, The Hobby, Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird, and Whatever It Takes
Short Films: The Bleacher
Here are links to all reviews from the 2024 SXSW Film Festival.
