With the cancellation of the 2020 South by Southwest® (SXSW) festival because of the coronavirus, some of the movies that were to be screened at this event will now appear on Amazon Prime for a short period of time. Amazon announced that it will host a 10-day event in which movies scheduled for screening at SXSW 2020 will appear on the online platform. Amazon also announced that these films will be available to everyone with an Amazon login rather than only those with a Prime subscription during this 10-day period.
Films That May Be Included
The date of the Amazon launch for these films has not yet been announced. Organizers of the SXSW festival are working with filmmakers to encourage participation in the Amazon event. Some of the potential candidates for the Amazon 10-day film festival include the following:
The Donut King
Directed by Alice Gu, this documentary follows the life and experiences of a Cambodian refugee who worked his way from poverty to wealth by building a dynasty of donut shops and employing many other immigrants along the way.
Bad Trip
This crowd-pleaser is directed by Kitao Sakurai and follows the exploits of two friends on a cross-country trip filled with humorous adventure. Eric André and Tiffany Haddish are among the top-billed performers for this feature film.
The King of Staten Island
Judd Apatow directs this comedy about a man (Pete Davidson) who lives with his mother in Staten Island. Marisa Tomei and Steve Buscemi round out the cast of this offering by one of the top directors in the United States.
We Don’t Deserve Dogs
A heartwarming look at the ways in which dogs contribute to the lives of humans, this top documentary is the work of director Matthew Salleh.
Red Heaven
Directors Lauren DeFilippo and Katherine Gorringe worked together to create a documentary about a NASA experiment that placed six people in an environment simulating the habitat of Mars and looking into the effects of isolation on humans in future space missions.
The Green Knight
David Lowery helms this fantasy, which recounts the story of the Green Night and Gawain of the Round Table and stars Alicia Vikander and Dev Patel.
Archive
One of the elite narrative features that was scheduled to debut at SXSW 2020, Archive is a futuristic exploration of a scientist who is developing an AI prototype that will rival human cognition. The film stars Theo James, Rhona Mitra and Stacy Martin and is directed by Gavin Rothery.
Freak Power
Directed by Robert F. Kennedy III, Freak Power stars Jay Bulger as Hunter S. Thompson in a retelling of his unsuccessful campaign to become Sheriff of Aspen, Colorado, in the 1970s. The film features Cheryl Hines and Maxwell Loeb in supporting performances.
Bulletproof
School shootings and violence in classrooms and hallways are the subjects of this documentary directed by Todd Chandler.
The Lovebirds
Billed as a comedy-mystery, this film is directed by Michael Showalter and stars Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani as a couple trying to clear their name after a murder. It was expected to be one of the headliners at SXSW 2020.
Cut Throat City
Directed by RZA and written by Paul Cuschieri, Cut Throat City stars some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Wesley Snipes, Terrence Howard, Ethan Hawke and Isaiah Washington. The film tells the story of a heist set in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Console Wars
One of the spotlight documentaries scheduled to be shown at SXSW 2020, this film was directed by Blake J. Harris and Jonah Tulis and goes in-depth and behind the scenes to interview the men and women who lived through the fierce competition between Nintendo and Sega for video game console dominance in the 1990s.
You Cannot Kill David Arquette
Directed by David Darg and Price James, this documentary was expected to draw crowds interested in the wrestling career and comeback of David Arquette, a well-known film actor.
While no firm lineup has yet been announced for Amazon’s 10-day SXSW festival, some of these films are likely to be included in the event and available to the general public for a limited time. Eager viewers and film buffs should keep their eyes open for more news on this exceptional opportunity to catch major films from cutting-edge directors on the small screen.