SXSW Archives - Directors Notes

Salt and Pepper Shakers Meredith Moore SXSW Short Film

The Best Short Films at SXSW 2023

If you're heading to SXSW 2023 we've got a list of 10 short films that should be top of your watchlist.

Bianca Poletti Tests the Boundaries of Traditional Dating & Relationships in Comedy Short ‘Radical Honesty’

Bianca Poletti reveals how she drew out the more subtle moments of comedy in her deliciously awkward portrayal of a first date in the modern era.

Animation, Music

Kristian Mercado Figueroa Brings Reggaeton Culture to Futuristic Life in SXSW-Winning Animation ‘Nuevo Rico’

Kristian Mercado Figueroa takes us inside the oversaturated colours, steampunk aesthetic and blend of styles comprising his Latinx Futurism short.

Film Festival, Live Action

A Contemporary Narrative on the African Diaspora Shines Through a Tale of Redemption in Ivan Herrera’s ‘Bantú Mama’

We talk to Ivan Herrera about working with young non-professionals, shooting on a single lens & rejecting the lazy trap of porno-poverty in 'Bantú Mama'.

Film Festival, Live Action

A Rambunctious Portrayal of a Surprise Pregnancy Jumps from Page to Screen in Yngvild Sve Flikke’s ‘Ninjababy’

Yngvild Sve Flikke discusses walking the fine line between humour and causing offence in her offbeat SXSW winning unwanted pregnancy feature 'Ninjababy'.

Film Festival

Best Feature Films at SXSW 2021

The features landing at SXSW were a mixed bag of scrappy documentaries and heartfelt debuts — here are ten of our favourite films.

Film Festival, Live Action

Molly Gillis Explores a Woman’s Yearning to Overcome Her Current Fragility in Graceful Short ‘Plaisir’

Molly Gillis takes DN inside the creation of her sun-soaked autobiographical tale of self-discovery and unrequited love in the South of France.

Film Festival, Live Action

Mitch Kalisa’s SXSW Winning Drama ‘Play It Safe’ Challenges the Unconscious Racism in Self-Defined Liberal Spaces

Mitch Kalisa explains the unconscious racism that informed 'Play It Safe' his drama school-set film about a student coaxed into playing a racial stereotype.

Film Festival, Live Action

A Daughter Attempts to Restore Broken Familial Ties in Hannah Bang’s Coming of Age Drama ‘Soak’

Hannah Bang discusses channelling the visual flourishes of Wong Kar-wai & Park Chan-wook into the subtle cinematic style of her family drama short 'Soak'.

Film Festival, Live Action

Ng Choon Ping & Sam H. Freeman Capture the Threat of Heterosexual Spaces in Intense Late-Night Thriller ‘Femme’

Co-Directors Ng Choon Ping & Sam H. Freeman discuss the importance of rehearsal when crafting the visceral tension of their jaw-dropping thriller 'Femme'.