There’s a version of The Pirate King that sounds almost too eccentric to work: a PTSD-stricken veteran, a custody battle, and a pirate re-enactment troupe. And yet, in the hands of director Josh Plasse, this unlikely blend becomes something deeply human, disarmingly funny, and quietly powerful. At its core, the film follows Todd Gillis (Rob…
There’s a scrappy, endearing charm running through Crash Land that feels baked into its DNA – the kind of film that knows exactly where it comes from, even if it occasionally treads familiar ground getting there. Drawing clear inspiration from the DIY chaos of Jackass and the offbeat sincerity of early-2000s indie comedies, the film…
There’s a particular kind of comedy that thrives on chaos: a ticking clock, a doomed plan, a gathering of people who should absolutely not be in the same room together. Same Same But Different gleefully embraces that tradition, then complicates it with something far more interesting – the messy, contradictory puzzle of cultural identity. The…
For producer Jenna MacMillan, stepping behind the camera for the first time wasn’t about abandoning what she already knew, it was about trusting herself to lead the story. With The Snake, her offbeat directorial debut premiering in competition at this year’s SXSW Film & TV Festival, MacMillan brings writer-star Susan Kent’s sharp, darkly funny script…
A murder mystery usually begins with a body. In Kill Me, it begins with a question: what if the detective and the victim were the same person? Blending a darkly comic whodunit with an unexpectedly candid exploration of depression, the film follows Jimmy (Charlie Day), who begins investigating his own attempted murder, unsure whether he’s…
The SXSW Sydney Games Festival is now back, and it’s bringing the heat. Across one dynamic week, the festival unites some of the most daring, inventive, and genre-defying titles from across the world, spotlighting the visionaries shaping the future of play. The celebration will reach its crescendo on Saturday, the 18th of October, with the…
Directed by Alexander Ullom, It Ends was originally a short film that turned into a feature (87 minutes, to be precise), which debuted at SXSW 2025. It tells the story of a group of college kids embarking on a road trip. However, when they miss a turn-off, they realise they are driving directly through a…
The 72nd Sydney Film Festival (June 4th – 15th, 2025) program has officially launched, with Festival Director Nashen Moodley unveiling an exceptional line-up, including 15 films direct from the Cannes Film Festival, including Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident and Kelly Reichardt’s 1970s-set art heist drama The Mastermind. Other major highlights include The Life…
Screening as part of this year’s SXSW Film & TV Festival in the Narrative Spotlight section, which showcases features having their World, North American or U.S. premiere, Sweetness tells of the chance encounter between 16-year-old Rylee and her rockstar crush, which leads to the discovery of his drug addiction and the subsequent spiral of her…
That feeling of being a teenage music fan taps into an obsession that is both incredibly singular, yet universally known. Specific music and, in many cases, the artist behind such can imprint so intimately on one’s psyche, and it’s that worship that forms the core of Emma Higgins‘ debut feature, Sweetness. Granted, Higgins laces this…
It was revealed today at SXSW that the creators of some of the world’s best immersive art experiences, Meow Wolf, are readying their seventh permanent location in the USA – New York City. The news comes less than a year after they revealed that a Los Angeles location would open in a movie theatre in…
From the ICC to multiple UTS venues, the Palace, and beyond, the energy of Australia’s film industry was unmistakable at SXSW Sydney 2024’s Screen Festival. Here are some of our highlights from panels, interviews, and sessions featuring indie pioneers and industry giants alike. Creative folks talking candid shop What better way to open a festival…
Whether you’re a seasoned gamer, industry veteran, or somewhere in between, SXSW Sydney 2024’s Games Festival delivered and injected sweet fuel and fire into the Australian and Sydney side of our beloved games industry. With the dust now settled, here are some of our personal highlights and standout moments from the week that was. 3…
Whilst there is a sense of an on-the-nose metaphorical aspect to Pools, and a whole lot of “girl who is going to be okay” mentality to it too, Sam Hayes‘ dramedy manages to just keep itself afloat enough in the self-discovery genre it serviceably adheres to. College student Kennedy (Odessa A’zion) doesn’t have her shit…
Despite a seasonal Sydney thunderstorm, the SXSW Sydney music action was still going strong at venues in the inner west. Down at the UTS Underground, for the Rolling Stone Music takeover, Singaporean rapper Yung Raja was giving it all he had. The Rolling Stone House event ran for three nights, in partnership with American Apparel,…
Thursday was another jam packed day of local and international music at SXSW Sydney. Opening the day is Ila Barker, a singer / songwriter from Winnipeg, Canada. Her gentle introspective folk songs come a place of recovering from an abusive relationship. She played songs from her latest album “Fool Under Water.” Her songs are of…
With less than two weeks until SXSW Sydney 2024 descends on Darling Harbour, its Games Festival has released its highly anticipated 2024 Games & Screen Awards shortlist. As one of the festival’s marquee events, the awards recognise standout indie games from the festival’s showcase, celebrating the best in mechanical design, gameplay, narrative, and creative direction….
South by Southwest Sydney (SXSW Sydney) is thrilled to roll out the purple carpet for its Headliners, announcing today five films that embrace the signature bold, genre-focused storytelling of the SXSW Sydney 2024 Screen Festival, presented by IHG Hotels & Resorts. Colin Daniels, Managing Director, SXSW Sydney said: “We are incredibly excited to unveil our Screen…
SXSW Sydney (October 14th – 20th, 2024) is back for its second year, and its bringing a bold and inspiring mix of local and international features, showcasing the best across drama, horror, comedy and documentaries for its Screen Program. The lineup includes the Australian premiere of Lucy Lawless‘s directorial debut, Never Look Away, a documentary about…
“I knew that band before they were famous” Does anyone have that friend who seems to say this constantly? For the people in my life, I was that friend. In my 20s, it was my life’s mission to discover every fantastic band before anyone else. I wanted to be the guy who always had an…
A psycho-thriller about a woman’s search for a missing monster hunter and her growing realisation that she is inescapably linked to the creature being pursued, Kryptic is sure to be one of SXSW’s most talked about projects. And it’s why Peter Gray had to speak to the film’s director, Kourtney Roy, and lead actress, Chloe…
Towards the beginning of the creepy and ambiguous Kryptic, a tour guide overseeing the Cedar Springs Women’s Walking Club explains what cryptozoology is. “It means the study of the hidden,” he states as he details Barb Valentine, a cryptozoologist who went missing in the very same British Columbia hinterland the group is currently hiking through….
Men behaving badly is at the core of Annick Blanc‘s Hunting Daze, a surreal visualisation of toxic masculinity that refuses to ever pigeonhole itself into one category. It’s horrific without ever devoting itself entirely to that genre. It’s blackly funny, though never satirical. And it’s always engaging, even if the extreme manner in which Blanc…
After losing everything in a cryptocurrency scam, a ragtag team of vigilante Redditors attempt to kidnap the kingpin who screwed them over. But when the home invasion takes a turn for the worst, they become victims in a sadistic game. Directed by Sundance-awarded Best Director Cutter Hodierne, Cold Wallet is a topically relevant genre blend of…
Though there’s an enjoyable “Robin Hood”-like mentality to the narrative of Cutter Hodierne‘s always watchable thriller Cold Wallet, this cryptocurrency-heavy tale takes a less jovial approach to the world of tech talk and monetary scams than last year’s similarly themed Dumb Money. But, despite opting for a more intense, oft-violent approach, the emerging filmmaker has…
Nina, a young and headstrong exotic dancer, finds herself stranded in the far North. She convinces her recent customers, five men on a bachelor hunting trip, to put her up for a few days. In this masculine microsociety, by turns hilarious and philosophical, she starts to feel a sense of belonging she never has before. But…
The annual convergence festival that takes over downtown Austin, Texas, is back for another year, and this year, it is going to be impossible not to feel the presence of Australia at South by Southwest. 32 Australian artists will be featured in showcases and pop-ups around the Texas capital. South by Southwest is a one-of-a-kind…
Following on from yesterday’s poster debut, Amazon MGM Studios have released the first full-length trailer for Doug Liman and Jake Gyllenhaal‘s Road House, an adrenaline-fueled reimagining of the 80s cult classic, about an ex-UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not…
For those in the know, South by Southwest (always referred to as SXSW) is an institution. It’s an all-encompassing media, technology, gaming, film and music conference, networking opportunity and party that lasts a week and –some would say – takes a year to get over. It’s been going for 35 years in its hometown and…
SXSW celebrated its inaugural event in Australia with events happening all across the city of Sydney. While there were over 500 events to choose from, we managed to whittle it down to the five best gaming experiences we had during our time across the various events. Please note, these are in no particular order. Troy…
