Monday, March 11, 2013

SXSW: Bad to Way, Way Better

My not-so-good start was not the fault of SXSW in any way, shape or form. It is the fault of a possessed clock radio that began blaring classical music by itself at 4 a.m. And I am a girl who  has seen far too many horror movies to even consider venturing out of my bedroom and down the hall to check it out. So it played for 2.5 hours. (Sorry neighbors.)

From there I saw the sneak preview of A&E's Bates Motel--great work by Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highsmith. Q&A afterwards with one of the writers of the show.

The afternoon brought two doc screenings. Both attended by people who participated in creating the films, which is always the best part of SXSW. The first, Xmas without China, explored a Chinese American's challenge to an American family to go without anything made in China for the entire month of December. It's not easy.

The second, Crash Reel, told the story of champion snowboarder Kevin Pearce, his horrific head injury and his long road to recovery. The footage available for the making of the movie was astounding, and the story is an important one. Look for a theatrical release around Thanksgiving, and on HBO as well. Seeing the screening would be experience enough, but Kevin and his brother Adam and two-time Academy Award nominee Lucy Walker also attended and did a Q&A. #loveyourbrain

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