SXSW Film Festival 2024
Cubers' Films at SXSW 2024: We Strangers, We're All Gonna Die, Make Me A Pizza, and Ghostlight, Can, Beach Logs Kill, My idea
Check out the SXSW first-timers, multiples and sustainable practices.
This was my first experience within the film industry--originally an architect--and we've all been thrilled and proud of its reception so far.
ArtCube Members in SXSW 2024
We are showcasing the Art Cubers with films at SXSW 2024 and it’s with an impressive lineup of feature-length, short films and music videos.
BIG WOW to Linda Lee, Chicago Architect, and first-time Production Designer for her project, “Ghostlight”. This film makes its Texas Premiere, marking a significant milestone for a two-person art department!
Amelia Steely, Production Designer and member of the Art Director’s Guild Green Committee and Production Designer’s Collective‘s Sustainability Committee. and takes the spotlight with three projects under her belt at the film festival this year! “We Strangers,” “We’re All Gonna Die,” and “Make Me A Pizza.” Each promises a unique cinematic experience, with h showcasing Steel as a very productive and popular production designer! Most impressively, she tries not to produce production waste when she designs. That is an accomplishment the festivals won’t recognize, but at ArtCube it’s an automatic win!
Tahryn Smith, Los Angeles Production Designer, whose THREE projects in the SXSW 2024 lineup are two shorts, “Can”, and “Beach Logs Kill” and a music video “My Idea”.
Natalie Bonnano‘s feature debut as a Set Decorator in “We Strangers” adds another layer of talent for this film! We love celebrating these terrific achievements Cubers. Its hard work and untold miracles are performed daily by these pros making it happen.
Why are film festivals so exciting?
Firstly, the Art Department never gets the credit we deserve.
Secondly, sometimes you never see the final result, if there is one.
Overall, Film festivals serve as crucial platforms for filmmakers to showcase their work, connect with industry professionals, and potentially launch film careers onto a global stage or get the next job at the very least.
These film fests are a discovery tool for emerging talent, providing opportunities for both established and up-and-coming filmmakers to gain recognition. At festivals like SXSW, films that push boundaries and captivate audiences often receive acclaim, propelling their creators into the spotlight and the production value makes a difference – thanks Art Department!
Additionally, festival success not only boosts a filmmaker’s and crew’s CV but also attracts attention from sales agents, producers, and talent scouts, paving the way for future opportunities and collaborations. With their ability to foster networking, industry connections, and audience engagement, film festivals play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of filmmakers’ careers.
Ghostlight
When a construction worker unwittingly joins a local theater’s production of “Romeo and Juliet”, the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life.
SXSW Festival Favorite
Production Design | Linda Lee
"We were an Art Department of two."
It was my first time working on a feature and my first time Set Decorating. It was a lot of hard work but also a lot of fun.
We Strangers
As Ray attempts to gain ownership over her own identity, she finds herself in an odd new position of power.
"The crew and I are very proud."
We're all gonna die
A struggling beekeeper is forced to team up with an emotionally raw EMT on a roadtrip to retrieve her bees (and his car) after their stuff is suddenly teleported across the country by the alien spike.
SXSW World Premiere
Production Design | Amelia Steely
Make Me a Pizza
A very hungry woman tells a pizza delivery guy she can’t pay for the pizza she ordered. But can the sex she offers instead of currency possibly equate to the true value of a pizza? Is there anything that can be worthy of pizza, aside from what the market has decided? Together the two decide that their only option is to become the pizza object themselves, to make each other into pizza, in order to become free.
SXSW World Premiere
Production Design | Amelia Steely
"I made it a personal goal to only make 2 bags of trash on this film - and succeeded!"
"It's my first year having anything in, so it is extra fun."
Beach Logs Kill
In this nightmarish queer awakening story set at a high school football game, the star quarterback promises to pass down her lucky number to the most deserving girl on the team. But when the game goes horribly awry, an awkward girl in detention attempts to prove herself worthy of the captain’s love, legacy, and soul…
SXSW World Premiere
Production Design | Tahryn Smith
"Through some weird fluke, I have three projects in selection."
Can
Filmmaker Kailee McGee’s world turns sideways with a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis. She’s in the middle of treatment but just beginning to reevaluate reality, love, and identity while being sick. Kailee loses track of where her cancer journey ends and her life begins. As the voice inside her head toggles between existential crisis and self-actualization, Kailee resorts to the only way she knows how to heal: to figure out a way to watch a version of her journey unfold on a screen.
SXSW World Premiere
Production Design | Tahryn Smith
My Idea
Filmmaker Kailee McGee’s world turns sideways with a late-stage breast cancer diagnosis. She’s in the middle of treatment but just beginning to reevaluate reality, love, and identity while being sick. Kailee loses track of where her cancer journey ends and her life begins. As the voice inside her head toggles between existential crisis and self-actualization, Kailee resorts to the only way she knows how to heal: figure out a way to watch a version of her journey unfold on a screen.
SXSW World Premiere
Production Design | Tahryn Smith
"It's my first year ever having anything in, so it is extra fun."
In conclusion, Art Department Rocks. It just does.
It’s wonderful to be able to celebrate Cubers from all over the map, it’s a big community and so rarely is there a common thread like a festival to highlight that.
We are so proud and happy for all the Cubers and their projects. YES, we are biased, we want them all to win and win big!
What’s most impressive and important to reveal is that it might encourage you to take a stab at something new, and remove yourself from your comfort zone, there can be big rewards, exciting feedback, and maybe a life direction you never thought possible.
Don’t dream your dreams – design them with Creative Courage.
If an Art Department of TWO with a first-time Production Designer can be a festival favorite, then there’s not a lot that can’t happen with your talent and hustle in tow.
We certainly hope ArtCube Nation is a useful tool to hire film crew or reduce film waste via ArtCube Market.
If you have a screening at SX, contact us! We’ll add it to this article.
EXTRA CREDIT: PARTY LIKE A LOCAL
Mojo's Final Mayhem 3/16 Continental Club
In 2022, ArtCube’s Founder and Austin Native, Eva Radle had a “legitimate” reason to attend SXSW as producer of the rock doc, The Mojo Manifesto: The Life and Times of Mojo Nixon
The NYC interviews took place in Film Biz Recycling, Radke’s prop and set dressing salvage shop now in Savannah, Georgia.
Well, rock and roll unexpectedly lost Mojo. He died just before his last scheduled performance and it sent shock waves through the legions of fans and musicians who lined up around the block at 9 am for a “no-badges” all-day event in its 20th year.
The Final Mayhem is just a Mojo would like it.
MOJO’S FINAL MAYHEM!
“Fu@k You + Your Fu@kin’ Feelings!”
NO TRIBUTE! NO MEMORIAL!
No cover, no badges, no wristbands, no guest list, no tribute, no memorial.
21+ only
Doors open @9:30am
