Out of the tens of thousands of films submitted, 12 films received recognition in this year’s Audience Awards. The winning films are given additional screenings for festival-goers who may have missed out or want to enjoy the films all over again. Head here for the full list of winners.
Best Narrative Feature: Transpecos
Greg Kwedar’s feature film directorial debut, Transpecos,” follows the lives of three border patrol agents working at a remote checkpoint in the desert. Scored by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, the thriller offers strong performances from relatively known talent including Johnny Simmons, Gabriel Luna and Clifton Collins.
Documentary Feature: TOWER
Through a combination of animation and archival footage, director Keith Maitland takes viewers back to August 1, 1966 — the day Charles Whitman incited America’s first mass school shooting. The film takes the focus away from Whitman, instead allowing the victims and heroes of the historic tragedy reclaim their stories. Before the film ends, it reminds viewers that the story isn’t over — 50 years after the shootings, campus carry will go into effect at the University of Texas, making the future of gun violence on campus uncertain.
Headliner: Demolition
Academy Award-winning director Jean-Marc Vallée puts a spin on the otherwise morbid topic of the death of a loved one in his drama, “Demolition,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal. As an apathetic widower, Gyllenhaal struggles to navigate through the grieving process of losing his wife, stumbling into characters played by Naomi Watts and newcomer Judah Lewis.
SXSWGlobal: Ghostland
After the Namibian government banned hunting In the Kalahari Desert, the Ju/’Hoansi Bushmen were forced to adapt to modern life. Ghostland follows their transition as they travel from Africa to Europe. While viewers get a glimpse into the lives of one of the planet’s most ancient cultures, it also allows them to see the Western World, through their eyes, in an entirely new light.
Episodic: Vice Principals
In the premiere of the new HBO show Vice Principals, rival administrators Neal Gamby (Danny McBride) and Walton Goggins (Lee Russell) band together to run their new principal out of a job. The show began filming in 2015 after HBO bought 18 episodes to air over two seasons, set to be released this July.
