The sun is shining in Austin, the beers are flowing and the smells of Texan BBQ are teasing us into what’s going to be a week of indulgence. Monday spells the beginning of the SXSW Music program for 2016 and we’ve done for the last few years, the AU will be bringing you some exclusive…
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One of the most unusual films to come from the SXSW film festival is Nicole Lucas Haime’s Chicken People. The documentary is a character story at heart, telling the tales of American snowbird breeders as they prepare their birds for competitions. Larry took some time with director Nicole Lucas Haimes and cast-member Shari McCollough to…
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The hype around AMC’s Preacher has never been as big as it is now, immediately following its debut at this year’s SXSW. Larry caught up with lead star Dominic Cooper to talk about how he got involved with the project. Check it out below: Preacher premieres on May 22nd 2016. ———- This content has recently been ported from…
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Supported by experimental London septet The Moonlandingz and Brooklyn solo instrumental artist (and birthday girl) Noveller, Iggy Pop officially kicked off his USA tour tonight as part of the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas. The show technically marked the second of two nights for legendary American artist at ACL Live’s Moody Theater, having taped in the venue the…
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On our way to the lakeside at Austin’s Four Seasons hotel, Eliot Sumner, her guitarist Nick Benton, publicist Sarah and I come across two birds engaged in one hell of a fight on a busy downtown roadside. We edge closer to see if they’re tangled in some painful trap, but we scoot off as we realised that no, one of…
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Japanese rock band X Japan have had a tumultuous and downright devastating career. Plagued by the subsequent deaths of band members, the band led by Yoshiki, soldiers on and still find success to this day. A documentary has been made chronicling the dramatic life of X Japan called We Are X. Larry sat down with…
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Based on the short film of the same name, My Blind Brother is an uplifting comedy featuring raw, authentic characters played by some of comedy’s brightest actors. Stars Zoe Kazan, Jenny Slate and Charlie Hewson and their wonderful director Sophie Goodhart sat down to talk with us about the characters, themes and process behind the film. Sophie,…
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The Iris’ Larry Heath took some time with screenwriter Adam Hirsch at the SXSW film festival to talk about the motives for his new film The Trust and the origins of his partnership with the film’s directors Ben and Alex Brewer. Larry: Congratulations on the film, tell me a little about how you and Ben…
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A millennial coming-of-age story, Teenage Cocktail has been making waves through the SXSW film festival. The plot centers on two teenagers and their turbulent escape from a small town to NYC, with the monetary help of theft and webcam modelling. Larry sat down with the cast members Fabianne Therese and Nicole Bloom along with director…
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After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, Morris from America is screening at this year’s SXSW. Director Chad Hartigan’s third feature film tells the tale of an African-American boy who relocates to Germany with his single father. Larry had a chat to cast-members Craig Robinson and Markees Christmas about the film. Larry: Congratulations on this film. Everyone’s…
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Wednesday morning saw hundreds of SXSW attendees pour into Ballroom D of the Austin Convention Centre to be present for First Lady Michelle Obama‘s special keynote address. Focusing on the Let Girls Learn initiative, the First Lady was joined by Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, Sophia Bush and Diane Warren for the session, the latter three also involved in the making of…
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It must be said before I review this documentary that I know little to nothing about rock ‘n roll. But what compelled me to watch this documentary was that I am a fan of Japanese culture; everything from food to film to settings so their musical culture should be a must see for me. The…
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Who would have thought that a heist film starring Nicholas Cage and Elijah Wood would be one of the most talked-about films of SXSW? The Iris’ Larry Heath talked to Directors Alex and Benjamin Brewer about The Trust and moving from music videos to feature films on the red carpet interview with at SXSW 2016. Check it out…
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Directed by John Michael McDonagh, War on Everyone sees Alexander Skarsgård and Micheal Pena as two corrupt cops in Mexico City who blackmail and frame criminals for their own benefit. That is until they cross someone with more power than them. It’s funny and it’s crazy, and Larry caught up with Alexander Skarsgård and spoke about the…
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Jenny Slate and Zoe Kazan were on-hand at the premiere of their latest film My Blind Brother at SXSW, along with co-star Nick Kroll, who all formed part of a panel to answer questions after a screening at the Topfer Theatre in Austin. The audience Q&A that followed didn’t quite start the way anyone expected…
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In our second interview with the War on Everyone cast and crew, Larry talks to Writer/Director John Michael McDonagh about his first film away from Ireland. John: I’ve just spent 3 months in Australia Larry: Of course! You’re working on some stuff down there aren’t you? I’d like to be making a movie over there. My…
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It’s been a hot day in Austin, potentially indicative of the calibre of musical talent punters are still to see at SXSW; as the temperatures continued to soar this afternoon, venues throughout the city began kicking into high gear, with SXSW Music just around the corner. The Spotify House returned for another year and their…
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There’s no memorabilia like the ruby slippers. Ever since The Wizard of Oz came into the world in 1938, the iconic ruby slippers continue to draw us in to the point that the pair has its own history. The Slippers (directed by Morgan White) is a film documenting the ruby slippers throughout the years and…
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Are you looking forward to Elijah Wood and Nicholas Cage’s upcoming heist movie The Trust? Larry Heath caught up with the former on the red carpet on its SXSW debut. Check out the interview below: The Trust screened at SXSW. To find our more about the film, and to see if there are any more SXSW screenings, head here. ———-…
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Many independent music documentaries seek to uncover some of the most important moments or threads in music history, making them essential for just about anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the legacy, the complexities, the behind-the-scenes struggles, and the beauty of music, both as a vessel of expression and as a lifelong passion…
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It may not be Smokey and the Bandit but close, Burt Reynolds, now 80, returns to screen in Jess Moss’ The Bandit. A intimate documentary showcasing Reynolds’ relationship with Hal Needham, the director of Smokey and the Bandit, a legendary stuntman, and lifelong pal to Reynolds. Larry Heath caught up with the man himself. If you’re…
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The feature-length documentary Secrets of the Force Awakens premiered at SXSW this week. Abrams introduced the film, set to be bundled in with the Blu-ray release of The Force Awakens, to SXSW attendees. “What’s so cool about this is that it shows and highlights the people who put their heart and soul into making The…
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On the announcement of her addition to the Coachella 2016 lineup, Australian artist Sia seemed to confirm her return to the touring scene, some four years after calling it quits on her live shows – which would go onto create her much talked about “blonde bob” alter ego for 2014’s acclaimed 1000 Forms of Fear,…
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Ghostland isn’t your average documentary. It echoes the story of The God’s Must Be Crazy in both a whimsical and crushing way. Ju / ‘Hoansi Bushmen are a tribe in Namibia. After hunting laws came into place their way of life was changed. Without the ability to hunt they had to survive off bushland berries…
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Operator is a film with a lot to say and a lot more on its mind. It’s a romantic drama that’s sure to resonate as a cautionary tale for SXSW audiences. The film examines the relationship between Joe (Martin Starr), a programmer working on cutting-edge digital customer service software and his wife Emily (Mae Whitman), a hotel concierge who moonlights in a…
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South Australian music industry group Musitec have announced an exclusive partnership with the globe’s most prestigious music college out in the US in a push to foster opportunities for SA uni students. Linking up with the Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship (BerkleeICE), Musitec will be developing a program allowing SA students to develop, explore and…
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While the official music program of this year’s SXSW event is yet to kick off (it’s time is coming on Monday…), a run of unofficial label and company parties have filled up Austin’s downtown district as part of SXSW Interactive. One such party saw Grouplove return to the stage for their first live show in a…
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The sun is shining in Austin, the beers are flowing and the smells of Texan BBQ are teasing us into what’s going to be a week of indulgence. Monday spells the beginning of the SXSW Music program for 2016 and we’ve done for the last few years, the AU will be bringing you some exclusive…
Read more
When David Bowie passed away recently, his final album Blackstar took on a whole extra weight and meaning for the fans who were rocked by the news of his death. It was an album project that continued to grow as well in the weeks following, with the news of a special visual accompaniment to to the album in UNBOUND:…
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My favourite thing about SXSW (aside from the cheap pizza and cheaper alcohol, where you can find it) undoubtedly, is the discovery of new music. It sounds like such a generalisation and for an event the sheer size of SXSW, it can be hard to figure out how to establish an approach to the festival with a)…
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