Excited to see at SXSW 2015
Dustin Chase
It’s that time again when Hollywood descends on Texas via South By Southwest, which is now one of the largest and most attended film festivals in the world. As we prepare for coverage, I thought I would run down the ten most exciting events happening in Austin this spring break week. This year will bring more world and national premieres than ever before, and bigger stars from the big and small screen. Galveston.com, by way of Texas Art & Film, and CW39 Newsfix will be there to cover every aspect of the film side. From Melissa McCarthy’s new action comedy Spy to Robert Duval’s latest western. We have over 20 films slated for reviews, numerous red carpet interviews, and even a personal island connection involved with the festival you can only read about here on Galveston.com.
#1. Ryan Gosling comes to town. Women love him from The Notebook, guys like him because of Drive. The actor-turned-director brings his directorial debut Lost River to Austin for its North American premiere. With him is Lost River and Drive co-star Christina Hendricks. Gosling and company will hit the town Saturday night, only doing one showing of Lost River, making it one of the hottest screenings in town.
#2. The Cast of SPY. Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, and Jude Law will hit the red carpet world premiering their summer blockbuster hopeful. It’s from director Paul Feig, who also gave us Bridesmaids, also in attendance. There should be lots of laughs and a nice set up for what’s on the way this summer.
#3. Sally Field returns to indie film in Hello, My Name is Doris. We don’t care what her name is, but our favorite Steel Magnolia has her first leading role in years, and that’s all we need to know. Field, a two time Oscar winner, recently nominated for her performance in Lincoln, will be in Austin to discuss and promote the upcoming film, which has an older woman seeking a younger co-worker, thanks to a self help seminar.
#4. Ex Machina will deliver the articulate sci-fi fix we need. Yes, every year there seems to be at least one promising science fiction film, and this year we hope it’s the Oscar Isaac Domhall Gleeson film Ex Machina. It’s from Alex Garland, writer of Never Let Me Go, Sunshine, and 28 Days Later, so we have very high hopes. Both Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) and Gleeson (Harry Potter) will be in attendance.
#5. Oscar contenders very early debut! There is always at least one film that debuts at SXSW which goes on to become one of the years best (last year both Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel). We have the inside scoop on Love & Mercy (we already got to see it), and it’s even better than we hoped for! It’s an inside look at the life of Brian Wilson, the man, voice and vision behind The Beach Boys. Both Paul Dano and John Cusack star as Wilson in past and present day, however Elizabeth Banks (Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect) and Paul Giamatti (Sideways, Cinderella Man) steal the show.
This year will bring more world and national premieres than ever before, and bigger stars from the big and small screen.
#6. The director of Selma live Q&A. The first ever Golden Globe nominated black female director, Ava DuVernay, will sit down with a live audience on Saturday morning to discuss women’s roles in cinema, the Oscar race of 2014, Selma and her upcoming film around the events of Hurricane Katrina.
#7. Women! If Sally Field, Ava DuVernay, and Melissa McCarthy weren’t enough, comedian and screenwriter Amy Schumer brings a “work in progress” version of her summer film Trainwreck to SXSW. Directed by box office magnet Judd Apatow, the much anticipated summer comedy is the ideal type of style local Austin film enthusiasts crave, not to mention the spring breakers attending the festival. This film will also only be shown once during the 10 day festival.
#8. Robert Duval rides again. He attended previously with A Night in Old Mexico, and now returns as star and director of Wild Horses. Duval brings with him Joshua Hartnett to discuss and unveil the new film.
#9. Holly Hunter and some guy named Al Pacino. Sadly, neither will be in attendance, but their new film Manglehorn is getting lots of buzz, and we are desperate for new Hunter material. It’s a crime drama directed by David Gordon Green (Joe, Prince Avalanche), who always brings Texas into his productions.
#10. The Last Man on the Moon. If you know Galveston.com or Galvestoncruises.com, then you likely know Claire Johnson, who also works with Gene Cernan – who was literally, the last man on the moon. The new documentary by Mark Craig dives into Cernan’s legacy. The film will play three times during the festival, beginning Friday opening night. We will have an exclusive interview with Claire about the project and her work with Cernan, so stay tuned!