Women directed 60 percent of the films screening in Competition at SXSW, and lo and behold, they dominated the awards. Women-helmed pics took home the Feature Film Grand Jury Awards in the Narrative Feature Competition and the Documentary Feature Competition. Josephine Mackerras’ “Alice” won the former, and Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts’ “For Sama” the latter.
Mackerras’ feature debut, “Alice” sees a picture-perfect marriage collapse when a wife discovers that her husband has spent all of their money, including her inheritance from her father. In an effort to rebuild her life — and provide for her child — she pursues sex work.
“Alice”: SXSW
“What starts off as a simple domestic story became a riveting tale of survival and female friendship that had us compelled from start to finish. For its nuanced character study and singular storytelling, the Grand Jury winner is ‘Alice,'” a press release from SXSW revealed.
A Special Jury Recognition for Best Ensemble was given to Karen Maine’s “Yes, God, Yes,” a portrait of a Catholic teen overcome with guilt about her masturbation habit. “Stranger Things'” Natalia Dyer stars. “I wanted to make a coming-of-age film focused on female self pleasure,” the writer-director explained in an interview with us. “Many films that explore young women coming of age feature partnered sex, which is often depicted as painful and not very much fun. While that is a legitimate narrative, young women are also exploring their own bodies for the first time at this age, but because there’s a lingering stigma around female sexuality it’s rarely portrayed on screen, even though the same narrative about young men has been shown in film and TV for a very long time.”
“Yes, God, Yes”
Regarding the pic’s ensemble honor, the jury said, “For this festival, we could have given out a dozen acting awards, but we could have also given a dozen acting awards for this movie. In this particular film, this entire cast made us laugh with their horny hijinks. The Special Jury Recognition for Best Ensemble goes to ‘Yes, God, Yes,’”
“For Sama” is a message to al-Kateab’s daughter, and the story of her life in Aleppo through five years of the Syrian revolution. “I was determined to document the horrors of this war, to show the world what was happening in the hope that the world would act,” she told us. The doc’s director emphasized, “I want people to understand that while this is my story and shows what happened to me and my family, our experience is not unusual. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians experienced the same thing and are still doing so today.”
Jenifer McShane’s “Ernie & Joe” received Special Jury Recognition for Empathy in Craft. The doc follows Texas police officers who are changing the way police respond to mental health calls. “I want people to consider the magnitude of the general mental health crisis in this country and how we are struggling to respond to it,” McShane told us. “My hope is that communities across the country will recognize the importance of training law enforcement to de-escalate crisis situations and seek help with their own mental health struggles. More personally,” she explained, “I hope the film generates conversation and action around the issue of decriminalizing mental illness. More mentally ill people in this country reside behind bars than in state hospitals. That is reason enough for this film to be made and seen.” The jury praised the doc’s subjects for “changing how police see their own jobs with their embrace of making empathy and the individual the priority over force and violence.”
“Ernie & Joe”: Jennifer McShane
Directed by Elizabeth Carroll, “Nothing Fancy: Diane Kennedy” was awarded Special Jury Recognition for Excellence in Storytelling. The doc tells the story of award-winning food writer Diane Kennedy. “The question of who writes history is delightfully explored as we travel to Diana Kennedy’s vibrant home and experience this white British woman’s fierce passion for and lifelong dedication to authentic, regional Mexican cuisine,” the jury said.
“Days of the Whale”
Women also took home a number of SXSW Special Awards. The SXSW Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, “a year-long experience that encourages and champions the talent of an emerging documentary editor,” was presented to Victoria Chalk (“Call Her Ganda”). The SXSW Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award, given in recognition of “fearless filmmaking from filmmakers who don’t give a f*ck about audience expectations and are hell bent on doing whatever it takes to deliver their vision,” was presented to Grace Glowicki’s “Tito,” a story about a man consumed by the fear of predators hunting him. “Alice” took home the CherryPicks Female First Feature Award. CherryPicks gave a Special Recognition Award to Catalina Arroyave Restrepo’s “Days of the Whale,” and said that the film stood out for its “unique, interesting story and a strong voice, showing filmmaking skill at a high level.” The drama centers on two young graffiti artists from Medellín, Colombia.
