For nearly four decades the city of Austin, Texas, has played host to the SXSW festival, a massive multi-tendrilled celebration of film, music, tech, live events and general all-round good vibes.
That’s a long time to be afflicted with extreme FOMO – and so to soothe our festivalgoing ills, the good folks at SXSW have struck up a new iteration of the festival, which takes place from 2-7 June in and around East London.
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Although the inaugural SXSW London will offer up everything its vaunted predecessor does (and probably a little more), here at LWLies towers we’re especially interested in the Screen programme, and it’s one that we’re pleased to see includes a range of hot titles from across the globe.
The festival has snagged itself a world premiere for its opener in the form of Steven Leckart’s Stans, whose name derives from the classic Eminem track of the same name which darkly satirised the life of an obsessive fan. It’s a documentary not only about the man himself, but also those who have dedicated their lives to repping for him.
Horror guy Mike Flanagan has made a bit of a name for himself as an expert adapter of Stephen King, and he returns for his third bite of the cherry with The Life of Chuck starring Tom Hiddleston. The film is not your usual grizzly King fare, and focuses on the denizens of a small American town and the solace they seek in the face of certain death.
We’re big fans of the British writer/director Tom Kingsley, and so it’s a thrill to see his newest and biggest work, Deep Cover, playing in the Centrepiece Gala slot at the festival; it’s a London-set heist thriller with a dash of comedy and starring Orlando Bloom and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Elsewhere, there’s the UK premiere of the 12-part ITV serial, What It Feels Like For a Girl, there’s Olivia Cappuccini’s Love & Rage: Munroe Bergdorf, a profile of the pathfinding trans activist, and also the world premiere of upcoming series, The Institute, based on a novel by (that guy again!) Stephen King.
And on top of all that, there’s a film competition strand with seven key titles vying for a prize and coming from locales such as Spain, India, Switzerland, Australia, Turkey, Lesotho and the US. It’s a huge and diverse programme, covering features, shorts, series and new XR work, so tonnes and tonnes to dive into and discover.
Oh, and we’re hosting our very own panel event all about the rise of physical media in the digital age, with a special focus on boutique Blu-ray labels in the UK. Please do join us for that on Friday 6 June at Rich Mix from 4.30pm.
To see the full SXSW London programme and to book tickets, visit sxswlondon.com
