FIVE AUSTRALIAN FILMMAKERS SECURE SXSW SLOTS

The South By Southwest Film Festival, the annual indie sector mecca set deep in the heart of Texas, has picked five Australian works amongst its 2021 line-up. The diverse range of films, including three by women directors and two steeped in indigenous culture, will launch March 16 as part of the online roster of official selections.

The Aussie contingent are part of the 75 features in the program, including 57 World Premieres, three International Premieres, four North American Premieres, one U.S. Premiere, and 53 films from first-time filmmakers. In addition to the features line-up, 84 short films will unfold including music videos, five episodic Premieres and six episodic pilots. Highlighting the festival progressive ethos, twenty Virtual Cinema projects will screen and fourteen title design entries will be considered in competition.

The Australian films in the SXSW mix are: 

NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
THE DROVERS WIFE: THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON (Director/Screenwriter: Leah Purcell, Producers: Bain Stewart, David Jowsey, Angela Littlejohn, Greer Simpkin, Leah Purcell) A reimagining of Leah Purcell’s acclaimed play and Henry Lawson’s classic short story. A searing Australian western thriller asking the question: how far do you go to protect your loved ones? With Purcell in the lead role, she is joined by Rob Collins, Sam Reid, Jessica De Gouw and Malachi Dower-Roberts. “To be following in the footsteps of the amazing films and filmmakers that have gone before me is humbling,” said Purcell, via a Screen Australia press release. “As an Indigenous Australian woman and filmmaker, I am proud to be sharing a story that literally has mine and my family's DNA all over it and to be able to share our cultural practise as storytellers through film to the world.”

24 BEATS PER SECOND
UNDER THE VOLCANO (Director: Gracie Otto, Screenwriters: Cody Greenwood, Gracie Otto, Ian Shadwell, Producers: Cody Greenwood, Richard Harris) The story of George Martin’s AIR Studios Montserrat and the island that changed music forever, Otto’s documentary features interviews with Sting, Mark Knopfler, Nick Rhodes, Jimmy Buffett, Verdine White, Tony Lommi, Stewart Copeland, Guy Fletcher, Midge Ure, and Roger Glover. Producer Cody Greenwood said, “The festival is universally recognised for its music documentaries, so to have Under The Volcano premiere at this festival is a huge honour. Our whole team worked tremendously hard to pull the film together and I can’t wait for it to be shared with audiences.” (Pictured, above: Andy Summers and Sting in Under The Volcano. Photo credit: Danny Quatrochi)

MIDNIGHT SHORTS
THE MOOGAI (Director/Screenwriter: Jon Bell) An Aboriginal psychological horror, The Moogai is the story of a family terrorized by a child-stealing spirit. In a statement following his selection, Bell said, “The festival pulls from a number of mediums and speaks to multiple disciplines. I think The Moogai will find an audience with the patrons of SXSW because they’re up for the kind of story we’re telling. A story of loss from an Indigenous point of view. There are many similarities between Australian Aboriginal and Native American connection to country and the clash of cultures with the western world that I think it will feel familiar and foreign to American audiences.” After receiving impressive accolades locally, including an AACTA Award 2020 nomination for Best Short Film and winning the Erwin Rado Award for Best Audience Short Film at Melbourne International Film Festival 2020, The Moogai will make it’s international premiere at SXSW. (Pictured, above: Shari Stebbens in The Moogai)

MUSIC VIDEO COMPETITION 
JULIA STONE - 'BREAK' (Director/Screenwriter: Jessie Hill) Award-winning Australian folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Julia Stone’s latest clip, directed by Jessie Hill. (See the full clip below)

VIRTUAL CINEMA COMPETITION
OF HYBRIDS AND STRINGS (Australia, France, Germany; Director: Lauren Moffat, Producer: Fabbula) Of Hybrids and Strings is a fabulatory immersion into possible human and non-human connectedness. In a forest, at night, one becomes strangely entangled to plants and creatures. Until the forest starts to crystallize…  "With Of Hybrids and Strings, I wanted to create a science-fiction-like experience, but without forcing people into a particular perspective," says Moffat on the film's website. "I wanted to construct a speculative narrative that would shift classic science-fiction themes—such as environmental disorders—by thinking them outside all preconceptions." (World Premiere) (Pictured, above: Moffat's 'Hybrid Flowers' from Of Hybrids and Strings)

Register for SXSW Online 2021: From March 16-20, experience conference sessions and keynotes addresses, music showcases, film screenings, exhibitions, networking events, mentor sessions, professional development, and more, all in a digital setting.

BREAK by Julia Stone; directed by Jessie Hill.