Although the chill from the end of winter lingers, here in Austin, Texas, a fever of excitement is gripping the city and its people.
Every March, movie stars, films fans, techies, as well as musicians of various genres such as country, rock and hip hop flock to the south for the South by South West (SXSW) festival which turns Austin into a big bash that never sleeps. The festival dates back to the latter half of the 1980s. Artists pursuing alternative music in New York settled in the southwestern region of Austin and started the festival. They thought that new music had to be born in a new place outside of New York which is the center of culture and arts. Needless to say, the jubilee was named after North by Northwest, an Alfred HITCHCOCK film. In that manner, ‘musical comrades’ with the same musical tastes left behind the existing infrastructure and stability and went south by southwest across the desert. In the long run, the movement was a success as it satisfied the demands of many dreamers. Finally, the addition of a film and multimedia conference turned SXSW into a new festival that covers music, films, technology and culture in 1994.
SXSW looks towards the alternative, the non-mainstream, and the new. These focuses are implemented into the SXSW Film Festival as well. The SXSW Film Festival has neither an official opening ceremony nor colorful red-carpet events like other film festivals. Instead, stars, new directors and actors mingle with audiences and toast a drink together, adding excitement to the ambiance.
This year was no exception, and I could easily spot stars enjoying their time. Miles Teller who became a rising star through Whiplash enjoyed Texas barbecue in a shabby restaurant. Adrien Brody walked down the street, enjoying ice cream, who was in town for his documentary Stone Barn Castle.
But the heroes of SXSW are not these stars but films that pursue freshness while breaking traditional practices and prejudice. These films are neither blockbuster films with superstar casts nor difficult art films starring seasoned actors. They can be called as films with new perspectives. What differentiates SXSW from the others is that it shines light on the non-mainstream groups, and the stories that they tell. The documentaries, the B films and the low budget indie genre films are what finally get time on stage that they deserve. In addition, the festival is excellent at discovering outstanding music documentaries like Searching for Sugar Man, living up to its name as it started as a music festival.
This year, many audiences paid much attention to a conversation with Ryan Gosling who came to the festival with
Lost River, his directorial debut. His talk was with filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro on the first day of the festival. I was very curious about what the two men will talk about since they seemed like oil and water. But during the conversation, Gosling confessed that his film
Lost River had been getting feedback from Del Toro from its pitching stage to its completion. The actor paid his respect for Del Toro, saying that the director was his mentor, teacher and a close friend. Del Toro in return praised Gosling’s bravery in working with the fantasy and thriller genre which deals with his internal world although he could easily draw attention from audiences with a melodrama. It was a really heartwarming moment that proved their friendship.
Furthermore, a small event took place during a preview of Lost River. During the meeting with audiences, a woman popped the question to her girlfriend. Gosling happily became a messenger of love for the couple and gave the woman his microphone. A round of applause was given to the couple who exchanged wedding rings. It was a nice surprise that befitted the festival’s motto that non-mainstream people are the heroes of the festival.
It was pleasant to find out that a Korean film had finally been invited to the festival after such a long time. The programmed feature was
The Avian Kind directed by director
SHIN Yeon-shick. I always felt that it was unfortunate Korean films weren’t as active in SXSW despite the festival’s long history. Thus, I was very glad to know that the festival invited a Korean film this year. In previous years,
Inner Circle Line by
CHO Eun-hee was invited in 2005 and
Daytime Drinking by
NOH Young-seok in 2009.
I was very curious how the audiences at SXSW would receive the eccentric and bizarre Korean film. People lined up before the theater and while waiting to get in they started talking about the film. Some audiences asked me about its plot summary. “This film is much different from films you have watched and will strike you fresh. It is a perfect fit for SXSW,” was all I was able to say to them. I could not deprive them from the joy to watch the surprising moment in the latter half of the film. After the film, audiences had mixed expressions.
“The film was surprising and new. It was so beautiful that I could not take my eyes off the screen,” someone said. “The film was a little difficult. But I had sympathy with the film,” others said. The film was sure to be a hot topic even post the screening. As the audiences of the SXSW festival are embracers of new and different contents and I am sure that the film will come across as more memorable to them.
Late at night on 6th Street, the so-called ‘free zone’ of Austin, came a stirring party. 6th Street is Austin’s equivalent to a popular area in front of Hongik University in Seoul, Korea. The street is a landmark lauded with live street performances by independent bands. But today, the ambiance is unusual. This is because
Moonwalkers, Rupert Grint’s newest film, will have its world premiere at Alamo Ritz. Grint is a familiar face as he played Ron Weasley, a close friend of Harry Potter. Space before the theater was jam-packed with girls, press, and film fans that have been waiting several hours before the screening. I also waited for Grint and wondered if he would still carry the characteristics of the young boy Weasley, or if he had changed.
Moonwalkers is a stylish feel-good film based on a conspiracy theory that the video about Apollo 11’s landing on the moon in 1969 was a fake by director Stanley Kubrick. In this film, Grint plays an independent band manager treated as a good-for-nothing who runs into a CIA agent (Ron Perlman) and struggles to shoot a video of the landing on the moon. The film is neither a typical Hollywood blockbuster nor a serious British film and is well harmonized with sensual videos in a Michel Gondry style which has a dreamlike atmosphere. I could understand why the film had its world premiere at the SXSW film festival. During a meeting with audiences, guests such as director Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, Grint and Perlman had a serious but pleasant conversation with the audiences. In addition, during the after party, Grint took photos with fans and filmmakers. This is probably one of the charms of SXSW.
The festivities of SXSW did not end even after midnight. The Midnighters section, the highlight of the festival, was crowded with audiences who wanted to enjoy the thrill of summer nights with horror films. During a screening of Deathgasm where a bullied heavy metal geek fights evil spirits, the director passed a glass of free beer to each audience. X-Generation film fans that spent the heyday of their youth in the 1990s went wild about Turbo Kid nicknamed ‘the BMX bike edition of Mad Max’ which received strong support from critics and audiences. The audiences enjoyed their time at the theater, forgetting the night and skipping bedtime.
Recently, SXSW has become an opportunity to show the latest genre films, going beyond a film jubilee for a small number of film aficionados and geeks. A film in post production,
Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham and Rose Byrne was unveiled to the audiences with the lead actors and actresses in person. The film will hit theaters this summer. An unexpected preview of
Fast & Furious 7 brought fans of the late Paul WALKER to tears.
On a night filled with back to back films, I visited the Kimchi Fry food truck, a staple of Austin to relive my hunger. Chi’lantro BBQ, a combined word of Korea’s kimchi and Mexico’s cilantro, is a dish that mixes Korean barbecue in a taco with a side of kimchi fries. This food truck and restaurant chain is gaining popularity all over Texas beyond Austin. The sight of people lining up for kimchi fry and Bulgogi taco in the wee hours of the morning made me think that this is what the experience at SXSW is about.
The SXSW festival is a mixture of various cultures, different ideas, music, films, thoughts and people from various sectors. At one place, engineers hold a demonstration of advanced new technologies such as robot arms. On the other side is a poetry recital. A 100-year-old theater screens the debut film of a young new director while a K-pop performance is put on outside of the theater. Audiences enjoy a crossover of different sectors and cultures. In this way, the night wore on, captivating the five senses of audiences. As long as there are people who respect and love diversity, the festival will continue its hot summer.
LEE Sang-ho, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival Programmer