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September 14, 2018

Register Now for SXSW 2019 & Save: Early Deadline Extended Through September 17

Photo by Judy Won

This week marks the reveal of the first round of 2019 Keynotes and Featured Speakers. Register today to gain access to our exciting lineup of programming and great hotel options at the lowest rates of the season! Take advantage of the early registration deadline extension through Monday, September 17 at 11:59pm PT and save.

Join us for the 2019 SXSW Conference & Festivals from March 8-17 for an event packed full of showcases, screenings, conference sessions, exhibitions, tacos (so many tacos), workshops, networking events, mentor sessions, and so much more.

Read on for more information on programming, badge access, booking your hotel, and other participation opportunities.

Programming Overview

SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. As an essential destination for global professionals, SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together.

SXSW Conference (March 8-16)
The conference program provides an opportunity for global professionals at every level to participate, network, and advance their careers. With one unified conference that spans 25 tracks of programming, experience compelling Keynotes, Featured Speakers, panels, sessions, workshops, book readings, podcasts, and more.

SXSW Interactive Festival (March 8-12)
Playing host to a variety of evening networking events, the Interactive Festival also holds numerous esteemed competitions and award ceremonies honoring some of the tech industry’s most important innovators and cutting-edge companies. Have a game-changing tech startup? Learn more about SXSW application categories.

SXSW Film Festival (March 8-16)
Celebrating raw innovation and emerging talent, the Film Festival has become known for the high caliber and diversity of films presented alongside its smart, enthusiastic audiences during its nine-day event footprint. Ready to premiere your own film? Film submissions are open through October 18.

SXSW Music Festival (March 11-17)
Featuring a variety of new, developing, and established Showcasing Artists, the Music Festival brings together 2,000+ artists across all genres. Dive into a curated mix of performances across Austin with artists, industry professionals and fans from around the globe. Want to take the stage? Showcasing Artist applications are open through October 25.

SXSW Comedy Festival (March 8-16)
Running simultaneously with the Interactive, Film, and Music Festivals, the Comedy Festival presents uniquely diverse programming of comedic performers, showcases, and events. Catch rising stars, established greats, and surprise guests all SXSWeek® long.

Exhibitions (March 8-16)
Beyond the festival scope, SXSW hosts many different world-class exhibitions that connect creatives across all industries. Applications for all SXSW Exhibitions are now open – explore all the available exhibition opportunities to position your forward-thinking company in front of thousands of creative professionals this March.

Coming later in the season, a suite of event resources will be released to help registrants prepare for the adventure ahead including the online SXSW Schedule, official mobile app, and more event navigation tools. In the meantime, view the 2019 SXSWeek® Timeline for a general breakdown of our daily programming schedule.

Badge Access

All attendees will receive primary entry to programming associated with their badge type, in addition to enjoying secondary access to most other SXSW events. There are four SXSW Badge types: Platinum, Interactive, Film, and Music. Badges are tied to three access types:

  • Primary: admitted first
  • Secondary: admitted second, after primary line
  • Convergence: one line where all badges have equal access

The Platinum Badge remains your best bet with primary access to all of SXSW. If you have an Interactive, Film, or Music Badge, you have primary access to the respective Conference tracks and events of your badge type, plus secondary access to other tracks and events outside your badge type, giving you the chance to experience more of what SXSW has to offer. All SXSW registrants also receive complimentary access to SXSW Gaming.

Explore 2019 registration rates and deadlines at sxsw.com/attend and use the Badge Comparison Chart to find out what each badge gets access to.

Click to View the Badge Comparison Chart

Primary
Access
Secondary Access
Interactive Tracks, Keynotes & Featured Speakers
Interactive Mentor Sessions & Workshops No Secondary Access
Interactive Festival Events
Interactive Festival Opening Party No Secondary Access
Film Tracks, Keynotes & Featured Speakers
Film Mentor Sessions, Round Tables, Workshops & Parties No Secondary Access
Film Festival Screenings & Events
Film Festival Exclusive Premieres No Secondary Access
Music Tracks, Keynotes & Featured Speakers
Music Mentor Sessions, Workshops & Parties No Secondary Access
Music Festival Showcases & Events
Music Festival Exclusive Showcases No Secondary Access
Convergence Tracks, Keynotes & Featured Speakers
Comedy Festival Showcases & Events
Trade Shows & Exhibitions
Networking Meet Ups
Film Festival SXXpress Passes No Secondary Access
Music Festival SXXpress Passes No Secondary Access
Closing BBQ & Softball Tournament No Secondary Access
Hotel Priority Booking & Assistance
Access to SXSW Social Online Registrant Networking
SXSW Festival Shuttles

To help you get started, we’ve created the 2019 SXSW Badge Quiz. Based on the interests you select, the quiz will suggest the badge that will help you get the most out of your SXSW experience. Take our quiz to find out which badge best suits your needs.

Take the Badge Quiz

Book Your Hotel

After you register, make hotel reservations through SXSW Housing & Travel. In 2018, the typical SXSW attendee using SXSW Housing’s contracted hotel rates saved between 35%-50% compared to online travel agencies and direct bookings.

Rooms during March go quickly, so be sure to check the Hotel Availability page and enter your dates to see all available hotels, room types, rates, and amenities. Read our Tips to Book Your Hotel including booking for an individual, large groups, and payment policies.

Hotel Availability Page

Join Us for SXSW 2019

Register to attend and book your hotel to begin your SXSW adventure! Get ready to help us write the next chapter of SXSW during March 8-17, 2019.

Currently enrolled students and accompanying faculty may apply for a special discounted rate – more details here. And groups of 10 or more can save big with Group Registration rates.

Learn how to participate in one of the many prestigious SXSW categories including Film Festival submissions, Music Festival Showcasing Artist applications, Interactive Innovation Awards, SXSW Pitch (formerly Accelerator) and more.

To stay in the SX know, sign up for SXSW Event Updates and read SXSW News for announcements, deadline reminders, programming features, and beyond throughout the 2019 season.

Follow us in all the usual social spots for daily updates – Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Register Now

Photo by Judy Won

The post Register Now for SXSW 2019 & Save: Early Deadline Extended Through September 17 appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film

September 14, 2018

Your Guide to SXSW 2019 Convergence Tracks: Food, VR/AR/MR & More

Swim with a Shark: Rise and Grind to Maximize Your Day - Photo by Debra Reyes

At the core of the SXSW Conference, Convergence Tracks blend technology and culture into innovative and cross-disciplinary programming that inspires new levels of creative collaboration.

Among many other topics, 2019 SXSW Convergence programming will explore the connection between tech, journalism, activism, and politics. Look forward to sessions about the eruption of new sectors like cannabis-focused enterprise, and the emergence of new technology like VR/AR/MR and its applications. Learn how previously separate industries have combined in unique ways to affect change and get inspired to disrupt and build something new of your own!

Convergence programming brings new industries and new ideas to the forefront of the event. Explore the full list of Convergence Tracks for SXSW 2019 below.

2019 Convergence Tracks

Cannabusiness

March 14-16 | Navigate the technological, cultural, and political ecosystem surrounding the future of cannabis-focused enterprise. As cannabis becomes more widely legalized, there is immense opportunity for entrepreneurs to seek funding and grow their businesses within a rapidly evolving industry.

Cities, Government, & Politics

March 8-11 | The Cities, Government & Politics Track focuses on innovative city development, privacy issues, and how politics plays a role in shaping policy on all levels of government.

CLE

March 14-16 | Designed for US-based attorneys, entrepreneurs, and beyond – the Continuing Legal Education Track will include up to 12 hours of accredited sessions available at no extra cost to SXSW registrants. Delve into sessions covering hot-button legal issues across the music, film and emerging technologies industries.

Experiential Storytelling

March 8-10 | Investigate how experimental strategies are redefining the ways in which audiences experience their world.

Food

March 11-13 | Chefs, entrepreneurs, activists, farmers, scientists, and enthusiasts come together in the Food Track to explore ways in which technology and innovation can be leveraged to change the way we grow, cook and consume food to create a more sustainable and healthier world.

Media & Journalism

March 8-14 | Explore how journalism, analysis, and content distribution are being impacted by technology and culture. This track will examine the fast-changing media landscape, as older institutions and newer organizations battle for consumer attention.

Social & Global Impact

March 8-13 | The Social & Global Impact Track highlights innovations and initiatives that are contributing to a better and more equitable world.

Sports

March 8-10 | Dive into topics such as diversity and equality in sports, the implications of legal gambling, and athlete entrepreneurship. The Sports Track explores the future of sport from a cultural, philosophical, and technological perspective.

VR/AR/MR

March 11-13 | Virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality are pioneering new ways to dramatically enhance how we experience the world around us. Learn about our current capabilities with these interfaces as well as where these systems are heading in the next few years.

Join Us in March 2019

Look out for programming announcements this fall! Register to attend and book your stay in Austin to join us for another exciting event from March 8–17, 2019.

If you’re unsure about which SXSW badge is right for you, take our badge quiz to find out. Whether you’re leaning towards a Film, Music, or Interactive badge, you can still explore as much Convergence programming as you’d like. All badge types receive primary access to Convergence Tracks, Keynotes & Featured Speakers.

Stay tuned to SXSW News for the latest SXSW coverage and be sure to follow us on social – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Swim with a Shark: Rise and Grind to Maximize Your Day – Photo by Debra Reyes

The post Your Guide to SXSW 2019 Convergence Tracks: Food, VR/AR/MR & More appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film

September 14, 2018

2019 Film Tracks Take a Look at Career Evolutions, Distribution, Production & More

There are three Film Tracks within the SXSW Conference programming: Entertainment Influencers, Film & TV Industry, and Making Film & Episodics. Recently we announced a Film Keynote and Featured Speakers for SXSW 2019. With hundreds of hours of television under her belt, Marti Noxon is one of the most prolific writer-producers in television today, and we are thrilled to have her keynote. Additionally, two-time Academy Award-nominated and two-time Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer Jason Blum will be in conversation with indie guru John Pierson, discussing Blum’s journey and evolution as a filmmaker.

Get a taste as to what more can be expected for SXSW 2019 – take a look back at past speakers from these Film Tracks including Academy Award winner Barry Jenkins; the cast of the NBC hit drama This Is Us; Darren Arronofsky; Lena Waithe and Common; the Westworld cast with Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy,; and Lena Dunham, to name a few.

Film Conference Tracks

Entertainment Influencers

March 9-12 | The Entertainment Influencers Track features Inspirational talks from thought leaders, experts, and innovators, including conversations with high-profile speakers from around the entertainment, film, and TV industries. A common theme within these talks: how can independent artists lead creative lives?

Film & TV Industry

March 9-12 | The current and future states of film and television, through the independent lens. Sessions in the Film & TV Industry Track cover topics such as distribution, financing, representation, technological advancements and the ever-changing nature of film and television.

Making Film & Episodics

March 9-12 | Do you have questions about how to develop and craft your project? Topics in the Making Film & Episodics Track include casting, sound design, and post production just to name a few.

Join Us For SXSW 2019

The early bird gets the best SX savings! Register and book your hotel now and save.

The Film Badge gets you primary access to all SXSW Film events including Film Keynotes and Featured Sessions, world premieres, round tables, workshops, parties, and more. Over the course of nine days, the SXSW Film Festival hosts over 450 screenings! Film registrants also have primary access to Convergence events, including the Comedy Festival and nine unique conference tracks, as well as secondary access to most Interactive and Music events.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and SXSW News for the latest SXSW coverage.

See you in March!

CherryPicks: Why Does a Critic’s Gender Matter?

The post 2019 Film Tracks Take a Look at Career Evolutions, Distribution, Production & More appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film

September 14, 2018

Assemble Your 2019 SXSW Squad & Save With Group Registration Rates

Photo by Jordan Hefler

Bring your team to the 2019 SXSW Conference & Festivals from March 8-17 in Austin, TX to make amazing new connections while saving big with Group Registration rates.

Fostering creative and professional growth alike, SXSW is the premier destination for global professionals and discovery. People from across the globe and every corner of the interactive, film, and music industries come to SXSW each March looking for new ideas and new collaborators amid endless networking opportunities. We want to help you take your company to the next level while saving big on registration rates for groups of 10 or more.

Experience 10 days of sessions, festivals, exhibitions, startup competitions, one-on-one mentor sessions, awards ceremonies, networking and industry meetups, and much more. Register your group today for big savings by filling out the Group Registration Form below.

If you haven’t decided who will be attending yet, you can still purchase registrations using placeholder names. Once your group is registered, book hotel accommodations through SXSW Housing & Travel. Our local team of travel professionals is available to help you with your large group housing needs throughout the season. It is always a good idea to get an early start if you’re considering bringing a large group, as rooms are available on a first come, first served basis.

Join us March 8-17, 2019 to be a part of one of the most diverse, collaborative, and inventive communities in the world. Assemble your SXSW squad, fill out the Group Registration form below, and start planning your team’s SXSW experience! Stay tuned to SXSW News as more programming announcements are released throughout the SXSW season.

Group Registration Form

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Join Us in March

Flying solo? Early registrants benefit from great discounted rates and selections on available Austin hotels. Explore the SXSW registration rates and deadlines chart and take the Badge Quiz to see which credential is right for you.

Are you a currently enrolled student planning to join us in March? Students and accompanying faculty may apply for a special discounted rate. More discount details and the application form can be found here.

Photo by Jordan Hefler

The post Assemble Your 2019 SXSW Squad & Save With Group Registration Rates appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film

September 13, 2018

Show Off Your Style: Apply to Join SXSW Marketplace 2019

Marketplace attendees browse a local Austin boutique booth

Do you run a business in the fashion industry? Are you looking to show off—and sell—your latest trends to the large, diverse crowds at SXSW? Then SXSW Marketplace is just the opportunity for you!

Now in its third year, SXSW Marketplace runs March 15-16 and is held in the Austin Convention Center, adjacent to the popular Flatstock Poster Show. This elevated shopping experience features local Austin brands as well as hand-picked national and global favorites. With such a wide mix of vendors and attendees, this truly is a unique shopping experience in the heart of SXSW. Not only will you be able to take advantage of unmatched exposure to a diverse and international crowd, but you’re sure to make a few friends in the process!

Last year SXSW Marketplace and Flatstock Poster Show saw a three-day attendance of 42,000, featuring more than 70 exhibitors in 108 Marketplace spaces. Exhibitors included brands and organizations like Austin Pets Alive!, TOMS, Leatherandvodka, Cat Footwear, Die Trying TX, and many more. A full list of 2018 vendors can be found here.

Exhibition spaces range from 10’x10’ booths to 50’x50’ islands, providing your organization or business —no matter the size— the opportunity to sell your products over multiple days. We also offer additional opportunities for one-hour design presentations, hands-on workshops, and demos.

Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to show SXSW your best! Spaces are limited, so apply soon!

Apply to SXSW Marketplace

Photo by Nicky Lockman

The post Show Off Your Style: Apply to Join SXSW Marketplace 2019 appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film

September 9, 2018

Palme d’Or Winner Jacques Audiard Says He’ll Never Bring a Movie to Cannes Competition Again — TIFF

Among the anticipated 2018 movies that didn’t surface in the Cannes lineup earlier this year, one stood out: The bloody Western “The Sisters Brothers,” the first English-language movie from French auteur Jacques Audiard. Arguably the most acclaimed French director working today, the 66-year-old director of tough, masculine dramas won the Palme d’Or for this last movie, “Dheepan,” and has been a part of the festival’s exclusive directors club for years. He won a best screenplay award for “A Self Made Hero” in 1996, the festival’s Grand Prix in 2009 for “A Prophet,” and returned to the competition four years later with “Rust and Bone.” But “The Sisters Brothers” skipped the festival, reportedly because the September 21 release plan from Annapurna Pictures made a fall launchpad more attractive.

However, in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival — where “The Sisters Brothers” screened following its world premiere in Venice — Audiard said his relationship to Cannes had evolved since winning its top prize three years ago.

“I don’t feel a need to be there,” he said, and added that he no longer wanted his films programmed in the festival’s venerated Official Competition section. If Cannes director Thierry Fremaux offered Audiard a slot, the director said, “I will refuse it. I don’t really care if I go to Cannes or not.” He clarified that he had little interest in competition sections at other festivals: “I don’t want to be in competition anywhere,” he said.

At a press conference before Cannes in May, Fremaux told a roomful of journalists that he anticipated American films would be more likely to avoid Cannes due awards season plans. “The French are more and more obsessed with Cannes, and Americans are more and more obsessed with the Oscars,” he said.

While taking a break from Cannes this year, Audiard said he was bored by all the drama surrounding the festival, particularly the rule banning Netflix films from competition that led the streaming platform to pull all its titles from the lineup. “I don’t give a shit,” he said, when asked about the fracas. Nevertheless, he sided with the festival. “It’s always difficult to make films,” he said. “The world is changing and I don’t know if people still want films. That’s the problem with Netflix. Are we talking about theaters or cinema when it’s on the tablet? That’s not cinema.”

Despite his many years of experience, Audiard acknowledged that “The Sisters Brothers” would provide most American audiences with their first introduction to his work. “I think people like me here,” he said. “They just don’t know me. That may change, but I won’t.” The movie, which stars John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix as siblings who work as hired guns in the Old West, veers from gritty shootouts to more sensitive family moments. “It presents me well,” Audiard said, “because it’s a little witty.”

Source: IndieWire film

September 9, 2018

CBS Chief Les Moonves Expected to Resign Following Six More Accusations of Sexual Harassment

Following the publication of a New Yorker report that includes six more allegations against the embattled CBS chief, Les Moonves is expected to resign his post by tomorrow morning. A total of 12 women have now accused him of sexual misconduct, with some of their stories dating back decades; according to CNN, CBS’ board of directors will announce the departure after a “global” settlement that could be worth more than $100 is finalized.

“I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances,” Moonves said in a statement following the first round of accusations. “Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely. But I always understood and respected — and abided by the principle — that ‘no’ means ‘no.’”

The latest New Yorker report was written by Ronan Farrow, as was the first; he has also reported extensively on Harvey Weinstein and other high-profile figures accused of sexual misconduct.

Among Moonves’ accusers is Illeana Douglas, who alleges that he held her down and forcibly kissed her in 1997. “You sort of black out,” she said at the time. “You think, How long is this going to go on? I was just looking at this nice picture of his family and his kids. I couldn’t get him off me…It has stayed with me the rest of my life, that terror,” she added.

Source: IndieWire film

September 9, 2018

‘Hotel Mumbai’ Review: Armie Hammer and Dev Patel’s Harrowing, Humane Film About the 2008 Mumbai Terrorist Attacks — TIFF

If we have to keep making action movies out of the most unspeakably horrifying terrorist attacks of the 21st century (and that’s still up for debate), they might as well be as lucid and humane as Anthony Maras’ “Hotel Mumbai.” A dramatization of the November 2008 ambush on India’s largest city, the film — it should go without saying — is harrowing to the extreme. Almost unbearable, in fact.

However, Maras’ powerful debut feature only deserves so much credit for its immaculate craft. It isn’t hard to pillage riveting entertainment from the scene of a real massacre, and scavenging the dead for cheap suspense often is closer to robbing graves than it is to making art. The value of a movie like “Hotel Mumbai,” or “U-July 22,” or “United 93” is not and cannot be measured by how engaging it is to watch. The grisly spectacle is only a means to an end. What redeems “Hotel Mumbai” from morbid opportunism is that, in all but its slickest and most Hollywood moments, the thrills of Maras’ heart-wrenching re-enactment are never an end unto themselves. Even when a desperate Armie Hammer is running around in search of his missing baby, or a stoic Dev Patel is delivering a covert audition to be the next James Bond, the movie is leveraging its sick violence to humanize the people on either side of it.

Shot with quiet confidence, “Hotel Mumbai” begins with the terrorists, as 10 members of Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba land their inflatable speedboat on the city shores. Within minutes, two of the jihadists are indiscriminately shooting up the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, while the others spread the bloodshed across the city. Meanwhile, at the monumental Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, a low-ranking employee named Arjun (a movingly heroic Patel) is having a rough day; his sick baby made him late to work, and he’s lost a shoe on the way. That kind of thing doesn’t fly at a five-star luxury resort that prides itself on excellence — an excellence embodied by world-class chef Hemant Oberoi (the great Anupam Kher, recently seen in “The Big Sick”), who is the only real person represented in the movie aside from the terrorists.

Everyone else is a fictional composite of victims, survivors, and police, all of whom have clearly been engineered for maximum narrative efficiency. While Arjun is almost sent home for his misconduct, the rest of the staff at the five-star luxury resort are racing to get things ready for their VIP guests, including a white architect called David (Hammer, convincing in a thankless role), his beautiful Middle Eastern wife Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi), their babysitter (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), and their baby.

The other high-roller we meet is a (very) lecherous (and very) Russian businessman played by Jason Isaacs, who starts off as something of a heel before the terrorists storm the hotel and the battle lines are redrawn. His accent alone is thick enough to tip the movie toward Hollywood every time he speaks, but Isaacs’ over-the-top performance is comic relief in the truest sense. After sitting through the savageness of the attack, which Maras stages (on a convincing Adelaide set) with excruciating but unostentatious clarity, any respite is welcome.

Of course, Isaac’s ultra-affluent character also serves a deeper narrative purpose: His white and wealthy entitlement allows him a presumption of survival. Everyone flees to the expensive hotel when the shooting begins on the streets outside, and Vasili epitomizes why: Money and class are naturally conflated with safety. There’s a good reason why the terrorists knew that indiscriminate bloodshed would funnel people toward such a towering symbol of wealth and progress. Needless to say, a large bank account is no guarantee of coming out alive, and “Hotel Mumbai” dismantles the notion that it should be. It’s not that Maras suggests the rich deserve to be murdered, but rather that he sees this vivid nightmare as a reminder that social hierarchies — and the otherness they inspire — are anathema to what little solidarity still keeps this world cinched together.

There’s a big sign in the employee area of the hotel that the staff is forced to read aloud every day and repeat as a mantra: “Guest is God.” If the terrorists are motivated by one demented ideology, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the staff is motivated by another — some of them are even willing to risk death for their faith in customer relations. In a lesser movie that fixated on its Western victims, this might have gone unquestioned; in a lesser movie, it might have been taken for granted that brown lives were somehow worth less than the white ones they served.

But, with the benefit of facts on its side, “Hotel Mumbai” leverages the broken dichotomy between guests and staff as an opportunity to celebrate the heroism of the Taj’s Indian employees, who don’t abandon their clientele just because they can. When the world is upside down, and the people who work in the bowels of the hotel are given the greatest chance of escape, most stay behind (though the film makes a point not to shame the ones who leave). They refuse to make the distinction between tourists and natives, refuse to be clouded by the shadow of colonialism, refuse to believe that they were stronger alone than they were all together. Even when Maras’ script (co-written by John Collee) is a bit clumsy about how it pushes Arjun and Oberoi into leadership roles — brace for a racist old white lady, and a scene in which Arjun dissolves her fear by explaining the meaning of his turban — Patel and Kher are believable enough to push through these eye-roll moments.

That makes for a transparently stark contrast with the terrorists, who have been indoctrinated to think about their targets as if they’re animals. And yet, Maras’ script even affords the murderers a measure of humanity without absolving them of their sins. The terrorists are almost as scared as everyone else, instilling fear in others in order to obliviate their own. They tell jokes. They call their parents. The movie doesn’t ask its audience to forgive the killers, or to sympathize with them in the slightest; it just argues for the unrealized potential of these lost young men, who were nurtured by a hatred that didn’t come to them naturally.

As effective as “Hotel Mumbai” can be at illustrating these optimistic ideas, its obvious fictions can’t help but cheapen them; the decision to intercut real news footage from 2008 might have been necessary to make this dramatization more believable, but it also underscores the full extent of the film’s artifice. That the screenwriters’ guiding hand — and not the wrinkles of history — determine who lives and who dies, needlessly complicates the suspense. But if any of the humanity mined by Maras’ film ever takes root, perhaps the real victims who inspired these fine stand-ins will not have died in vain.

Grade: B

“Hotel Mumbai” premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Bleecker Street will release the film in theaters in 2019.

Source: IndieWire film

September 9, 2018

Sarah Silverman’s Monologue Helped Louis C.K.’s Daughter Understand How He Could Do ‘Bad Things’

Sarah Silverman has never been one to shy away from sensitive topics, but even she was reluctant to address Louis C.K.’s sexual harassment scandal last year. The two comedians are longtime friends, and in an episode of “I Love You, America” she felt compelled to address the situation and discuss how you can still love someone who’s done bad things.

In a new interview, Silverman says something good came of that: “I will say — and I hope this is OK to say — that after I did that [monologue], he called me. And he said it really helped one of his daughters to understand,” she said onstage, according to Vulture.

“She showed it to him and she said, I can love you even though you did bad things. And we cried. It was a small silver lining in a very bleak story,” Silverman added. She also touched on C.K.’s recent return to comedy, which has proven highly divisive: “I think he wronged people and my guess is he thought he could sneak on stage and try a few minutes,” she said. “I understand the backlash of it.”

C.K. admitted to masturbating in front of multiple women after being accused of doing so last year, leading to the dissolution of his working relationship with FX Networks and the cancelation of the the planned theatrical release of his film “I Love You, Daddy.”

Source: IndieWire film

September 9, 2018

‘Halloween’ Wins Over Toronto, With Critics Hailing It as ‘the Best Halloween Sequel Ever’

“The Predator” hasn’t been especially well received in Toronto, but it isn’t the only genre film premiering at TIFF. David Gordon Green’s “Halloween” is there too, and early word should come as a pleasant surprise to slasher fans in dire need of a good new movie. IndieWire’s Eric Kohn gives the film a B-, writing that Green “has made a slavish, sharply executed bit of fan service elevated by Jamie Lee Curtis’ transformation into a badass grandmother back to finish the job.”

Writing for Nerdist, Katie Walsh is even more enthusiastic:

“Forty years after the original film’s release, Green, McBride, co-writer Jeff Fradley, and most importantly, star and big beating heart of the franchise Jamie Lee Curtis, made a film that’s a profoundly feminist re-examination of its psychology of trauma through its iconography. It’s also a rip-roaring slasher flick that’s hands down the best Halloween sequel ever.”

Entertainment Weekly‘s Leah Greenblatt gives it a B+:

“Long live Michael Myers, so maybe someone can finally kill him — in a big, funny, scary, squishy, super-meta sequel that brings it all back to the iconic 1978 original.”

Peter Debruge of Variety is another fan:

“That makes this new ‘Halloween’ an act of fan service disguised as a horror movie. The fact it works as both means that Green (who flirted with the idea of directing the ‘Suspiria’ remake) has pulled off what he set out to do, tying up the mythology that Carpenter and company established, while delivering plenty of fresh suspense — and grisly-creative kills — for younger audiences who are buying into the “Halloween” brand without any real investment in Michael and Laurie’s unfinished business.”

“Halloween” is in theaters October 19, just in time for a certain Halloween.

Source: IndieWire film