SXSW Film Festival 2008: Spotlight Premieres
SXSW FILM FESTIVAL 2008 – SPOTLIGHT PREMIERES
The SWSW Film Festival runs March 7–15
21
Director: Robert Luketic. Writers: Peter Steinfeld, Allan Loeb. Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne.
Based on the true story of a group of MIT students who, under the guidance of a cryptic professor, take Vegas casinos for millions through the mathematical art of counting cards. (Opening Night Film)
American Teen
Director: Nanette Burstein. A documentary on seniors at a high school in a small Indiana town, and their various cliques. (Regional Premiere)
Assassination of a High School President
Director: Brett Simon. Writers: Tim Calpin, Kevin Jakubowski. Starring: Reece Thompson, Mischa Barton, Melonie Diaz, Bruce Willis.
A rookie journalist for the school paper unravels a mysterious plot involving the class president, drugs, and a ring of stolen test scores in this noir caper set at a quirky Catholic High School. (Regional Premiere)
At the Death House Door
Director: Steve James & Peter Gilbert.
An investigation of the wrongful death of Carlos DeLuna, who was executed in Texas on December 7, 1989, after prosecutors ignored evidence inculpating a man, who bragged to friends about committing the crimes of which DeLuna was convicted. (World Premiere)
Baghead
Director/writers: Jay Duplass & Mark Duplass. Starring: Steve Zissis, Ross Partridge, Greta Gerwig, Elise Muller.
An in-depth study of the relationship dynamics for a group of desperate actor friends. And a bag. And a head. (Regional Premiere)
Bananaz
Director: Ceri Levy.
An in-depth and revealing glimpse at the cryptic cartoon band, Gorillaz. (North American Premiere)
Battle in Seattle
Director/writer: Stuart Townsend. Starring: Martin Henderson, Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta.
An all-star, edge-of-your-seat glimpse at the 1999 WTO demonstrations in Seattle, told from the perspective of protesters, police, and city officials. (U.S. Premiere)
Beautiful Losers
Directors: Aaron Rose & Joshua Leonard.
A feature documentary film celebrating the independent and D.I.Y. spirit that unified a loose-knit group of American artists who emerged from the underground youth subcultures of skateboarding, graffiti, punk rock and hip-hop. (World Premiere)
Choke
Director/writer: Clark Gregg. Starring: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald.
An adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, this is the sardonic story about mother and son relationship, fear of aging, sexual addiction, and the dark side of historical theme parks. (Regional Premiere)
Crawford
Director: David Modigliani
Just a short time before George W. Bush announced his intentions to run for the Presidency, the New Haven-born hopeful bought a ranch in tiny Crawford, Texas. This is what happened next. (World Premiere)
Dreams With Sharp Teeth
Director: Erik Nelson.
A documentary portrait of acclaimed author Harlan Ellison, as he looks back on his fabled and influential career as one of the world’s top genre writers for television and print. (World Premiere)
Flawless
Director: Michael Radford. Writer: Edward Anderson. Starring: Demi Moore, Michael Caine.
In 1960s London, a talented but overlooked diamond executive is convinced to participate in a jewelry heist when a veteran janitor hatches a plan. (Regional Premiere)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Director: Nicholas Stoller. Writer: Jason Segel. Starring: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Jonah Hill, Russell Brand.
A comic look at one guy’s arduous quest to grow up and get over the heartbreak of getting dumped. If only his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend weren’t staying at the same hotel.
Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay
Director/writers: Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg. Starring: Kal Penn, John Cho, Rob Corddry, Neil Patrick Harris.
The triumphant return of the two hilarious, slacker anti-heroes. This time, the boys get themselves in trouble trying to sneak a bong onboard a flight to Amsterdam. Now, being suspected of terrorism, they are forced to run from the law and try to find a way to prove their innocence. What follows is an irreverent and epic journey of deep thoughts, deeper inhaling and a wild trip around the world that is as "un-PC" as it gets.
Living with the Tudors
Directors: Karen Guthrie & Nina Pope.
After four years of participation as costumed historical re-enactors, Karen Guthrie & Nina Pope were given unprecedented access with their cameras to the UK’s oldest and largest historical re-enactment at Kentwell Hall in rural Suffolk. (North American Premiere)
Lou Reed’s Berlin
Director: Julian Schnabel.
An artful document of musical legend Lou Reed, performing his influential record, "Berlin," to audiences in New York City. (U.S. Premiere)
Love Songs
Director/writer: Christophe Honore. Starring: Louis Garrel, Ludivine Sagnier, Chiara Mastroianni, Clotilde Hesme.
Ismael and Julie are the ideal young Parisian couple. They both have good jobs, a great apartment and are considered part of each other’s families. After several years together, they decide to add a spark to their relationship and take on a third lover, Alice. (Regional Premiere)
Mister Foe
Director: David Mackenzie. Writers: David Mackenzie, Ed Whitmore. Starring: Jamie Bell, Sophia Myles, Ciaran Hinds, Claire Forlani.
Driven to expose the true cause of his mother’s death, young Hallam Foe instead finds himself searching the rooftops of the city of Edinburgh for love. (U.S. Premiere)
Mister Lonely
Director: Harmony Korine. Writers: Avi Korine & Harmony Korine. Starring: Werner Herzog, Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Denis Lavant.
A Michael Jackson impersonator lives alone in Paris and performs on the streets to make ends meet. At a performance in a retirement home, Michael falls for a beautiful Marilyn Monroe look-alike who suggests he move to a commune of impersonators in the Scottish Highlands. (U.S. Premiere)
New Orleans Mon Amour
Director: Michael Almereyda. Starring: Christopher Eccleston, Elisabeth Moss, Isabel Gillies.
A year after Hurricane Katrina, an affluent surgeon in New Orleans is attempting to get his life back on track. He is remarrying his ex-wife, renovating her house and restarting his medical practice. His plan begins to unravel when he runs into an old flame. (World Premiere)
Nights and Weekends
Director/writers: Joe Swanberg & Greta Gerwig. Starring: Joe Swanberg, Greta Gerwig, Elizabeth Donius, Jay Duplass, Lynn Shelton, Kent Osborne.
A man and woman must face the tension that builds between them during a long-distance relationship. (World Premiere)
Obscene
Directors: Daniel O’Connor, Neil Ortenberg.
Under Barney Rosset, Grove Press and Evergreen Review fought decisive battles to defeat legal censorship, and opened American life to new and dangerous currents of freedom. This is Rosset’s story. (U.S. Premiere)
The Order of Myths
Director: Margaret Brown.
A probing and artful portrait of the divided Mardi Gras communities that still exist today in Alabama. (Regional Premiere)
The Promotion
Director/writer: Steven Conrad. Starring: Seann William Scott, John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Lili Taylor.
The story of two mid-level supermarket employees who compete ruthlessly for a coveted post at a new store location. (World Premiere)
Run, Fat Boy, Run
Director: David Schwimmer. Writers: Michael Ian Black, Simon Pegg. Starring: Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton, Hank Azaria.
An out-of-shape divorced father makes one last attempt to win back the respect of his son, his ex-wife, and the community around him. All he has to do is finish his first marathon. (Regional Premiere)
Second Skin
Director: Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza.
An intimate look at people whose lives have become transformed by the virtual worlds in online games such as World of Warcraft, Everquest and Second Life. (World Premiere)
Shine A Light
Director: Martin Scorsese.
A career-spanning documentary on the Rolling Stones, with concert footage from their "A Bigger Bang" tour. (North American Premiere)
Shot In Bombay
Director: Liz Mermin.
Yes, Bollywood makes gangster films. This fast paced documentary, populated by a charismatic and often surreal cast of characters, goes beyond the tinselly glamour of "Bollywood" to explore some of the industry’s darker sides.
(North American Premiere)
Stop-Loss
Director: Kimberly Peirce. Writers: Kimberly Peirce, Mark Richard. Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Back home in Texas after fighting in Iraq, a soldier refuses to return to battle despite the government mandate requiring him to do so.
Super High Me
Director: Michael Blieden
Comedian Doug Benson, a famous marijuana advocate, decides to test the limits of his body during two, 30-day stretches. (Regional Premiere)
Then She Found Me
Director: Helen Hunt. Writers: Alice Arlen, Victor Levin, Helen Hunt. Starring: Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick.
Adapted from Elinor Lipman’s novel of the same name, Helen Hunt makes her feature directing debut with this touching story of schoolteacher April Epner and her very unlikely path towards personal fulfillment. (Regional Premiere)
The Toe Tactic
Director/writer: Emily Hubley. Starring: Lily Rabe, Daniel London, Kevin Corrigan, Sakina Jaffrey.
In this hybrid of live-action and animation, a young woman grieves for her father while unaware of the magical world around her. (World Premiere)
Where In The World is Osama Bin Laden?
Director: Morgan Spurlock.
Acclaimed filmmaker Morgan Spurlock heads to the Middle East for two reasons: to understand cultures overseas and to find Osama Bin Laden. (Regional Premiere)
Wild Blue Yonder
Director: Celia Maysles.
Celia Maysles had no idea her father and his brother Albert were pioneers of verite documentary filmmaking. Determined to uncover the secrets surrounding her background, Celia sets out on a quest to rediscover her father by using his own artistic process. (North American Premiere)
Young@Heart
Director: Stephen Walker.
The touching and heartfelt portrait of a New England senior citizens chorus that has delighted audiences worldwide with their covers of songs by everyone from The Clash to Coldplay. (Closing Night Film)
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