SXSW 2014: Documentary Spotlight
Shining a light on new documentary features receiving their World, North American or U.S. Premieres at SXSW.
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12 titles
- DirectorCary BellStarsAbigail EvansJohn EvansStacie EvansAt first glance, it is not obvious that Abigail Evans lives with a life-threatening skin disease. She is a typical teenager: moody, rebellious, irreverent, and is also strikingly beautiful. But her life is the antithesis of normal. Abbie grew up in hospitals, cared for by her protective mother and father. She then came into her own in honky tonks, selling merchandise for her dad's band. But just like any other 18 year-old, Abbie yearns for a life of her own. Butterfly Girl charts Abbie's journey towards a new understanding of how she must balance her past with her future, her parents with her independence, and her disease with her desires. But what price must she pay for that freedom?
- DirectorJohn FiegeStarsJulia Trigg CrawfordDavid DanielEleanor FairchildOne man risks family and future to stop the tar sands of the Keystone XL pipeline from crossing his land. Shot in the forests, pastures, and living rooms of rural East Texas, Above All Else follows David Daniel, a retired high-wire artist, as he rallies neighbors and environmental activists to join him in a final act of brinkmanship: a tree-top blockade of the controversial pipeline. What begins as a stand against corporate bullying becomes a rallying cry for climate protesters nationwide. As in his previous film, Mississippi Chicken, director John Fiege puts a human face on a complex case of social injustice, again capturing the South in its beauty and contradiction and revealing the intimate, often unfathomable, experience of creating social change at the grassroots.
- DirectorBen KnightTravis RummelStarsEdward AbbeyBruce BabbittLori BodiThis powerful film odyssey across America explores the sea change in our national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers.
- DirectorAlexandre O. PhilippeStarsKyle William BishopCharlie AdlardJoanna AngelThe definitive zombie culture documentary, brought to the screen by the makers of THE PEOPLE vs. GEORGE LUCAS.
- DirectorNeil BerkeleyStarsDan HarmonJeff Bryan DavisErin McGathyA documentary that follows Dan Harmon on tour for his podcast series after he was fired from Community in 2012.
- DirectorMark HerzogSandrine OrabonaStarsKristin BeckIn "Lady Valor", former U.S. Navy SEAL Christopher Beck embarks on a new mission as Kristin Beck as she lives her life truthfully as a transgender woman. In 2011, after 20 years of service on SEAL Team 1, she retired from service though continued to hide her true identity while working for the United States Government and the Pentagon. In 2013, a year and a half after retirement, Kristin came out publicly through LinkedIn and confirmed her true identity on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 taking many friends and family by surprise. While many people have been supportive, some in the some in the public have expressed more bigotry than she ever expected. After a lifetime of service, Kristin has learned that her fight for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness did not end on the battlefield.
- DirectorAngus MacQueenStarsFederico LouhauA documentary that chronicles the hunt for the notorious Mexican drug lord El Chapo.
- DirectorLeon GastRyan MooreStarsJimmy KimmelSardo MejiaLiam NeesonWorld Champion. Congressman. Father. Manny Pacquiao fights any obstacle that comes his way. As his home country of 100 million people watches his every move, the question now is: what bridge is too far for Manny?
- DirectorSandy McLeodChad ChamberlainSEEDS OF TIME follows agriculture pioneer Cary Fowler's global journey to save the eroding foundation of our food supply in a new era of climate change.
- DirectorBeth AalaMike MyersStarsShep GordonSylvester StalloneMichael DouglasThe life and career of the legendary Hollywood insider, Shep Gordon.
- DirectorElijah DrennerStarsDick MillerLainie MillerGilbert AdlerDocumentary about veteran character actor Dick Miller, whose career in and outside of Hollywood has spanned almost 200 films across six decades, featuring a diverse range of interviews with directors, co-stars, and contemporaries.
- DirectorAmy C. ElliottIn Minnesota, the winters are long but the jigsaw puzzling is fierce. Join some of the top teams in competitive puzzling as they prepare for the largest contest in the country at the St. Paul Winter Carnival. And feel the loneliness, despair and bitter cold that drives them to be the best.