After the SXSW screening of Todd Rohal’s hilarious “The Catechism Cataclysm” we had a chance to meet-up with Todd, as well as the star of the film, Steve Little, and the co-star and executive producer, Robert Longstreet. “The Catechism Cataclysm” is a whirlwind of a comedy shot on a micro-budget (and with the help of Kickstarter) in the backwoods of Washington. It also played at Sundance, where it was picked up by IFC Films.

(From L-R) Robert Longstreet, Todd Rohal and Steve Little

Death To The Movies: Alright guys, it’s great to have you all here. I want to start first by asking about the film’s title. It’s such a great title, did it come before you started production or was it something you came up with afterward?

Todd Rohal: The title came pretty early, I thought it was an intentionally bad title because it was unpronounceable.

DTTM: [laughs]

Todd Rohal: But no, the title was supposed to be unpronounceable. You’re kind of not supposed to be able to read it when it’s written out in that font, which is kind of for death metal bands. It’s a sort of code. Like to have a name written out in that insane typeface you may not be able to read what it says, but if you know that band then you just know what it is. It kind of ties into some Japanese things too, like Japanese symbols mean things and stuff like that… I just made that up now, but it sounded good [laughs]. But it also has to do with the catechism things of having to memorize lessons or rules of the church and Steve’s character is going through this crisis within the church of leaving and coming back. So, there’s a bit of a mess of disobeying the laws that are set forward in that and also set forward in the storytelling.

DTTM: Watching this film, it felt like you guys had a lot of fun making it. I think that almost made it more enjoyable because you rarely feel that in films anymore. What was the vibe on set?

Robert Longstreet: Oh man, I had a ball. I’m really glad that came through. I felt like I was at camp, like getting to play with a buddy or a new friend you meet over a summer and he’s someone you just hang out with really intensely for that one month you’re at camp. I mean that’s what I felt like. I was just so happy because I had wanted to work with Todd ever since I saw “Guatemalan Handshake”, I sent him emails, phone calls, and I just did not leave him alone. Thankfully he wasn’t repulsed by that and somehow we developed a friendship and then this film happened. And I was also a fan of Steve, so to work with him was just a pleasure. For me it really was a joyride.

DTTM: Steve, was it an enjoyable experience for you as well?

Steve Little: It was. It was weird because it was kind of like a vacation staying out there a little bit. I mean it was definitely hard work but it was also a lot of fun. But you know, when you perform there is this seriousness of it because there’s investors, or you want to make sure you get the shot, but then also if you’re not having fun then that is kind of contagious. So it’s weird, because there is a business aspect, but you also wanna… play. You know? That’s always the weird thing about it for me.

DTTM: What about for you, Todd? Was it fun or was it stressful? I’m sure it can be stressful to be on a short production schedule with a tight budget, but was it still a fun experience for you?

Todd Rohal: It should have been a disaster. It should have been horrible. It should have rained everyday and been hard on the crew and it also should have been really difficult for the actors with what we were asking them to do. But from the day I landed in Seattle to start shooting it was like every phone call we got was a good one. It was just constantly good news or something funny to add to the project, or something to up the production value of what we had. So, for me it was one of the best times of my life. I really had a great time watching these guys, and just felt much more comfortable directing.

Robert Longstreet: I can add something here. That kind of attitude comes from the director. It trickles down. I think the reason why it was so fun is that Todd just seemed relaxed and would come to us and make sure we had what we needed. He was such a great guy for the whole thing, and really happy to be there, which not everyone is on a lot of these movies. With smaller films like this, it’s more a labor of love. Everyone wanted to be there, no one is just taking paychecks and going home. But yeah, a good experience really starts with the director and trickles down.

Steve Little: I will say, the crew didn’t get paid or anything like that. So as an actor it makes it kind of hard for you to then complain. Not that we were getting paid a lot, but we were at least getting a paycheck.

DTTM: Robert, you were also the executive producer on this film. Did that add a little more weight to your role on set?

Robert Longstreet: Not at all. I wrote the first check and was so happy to do it because as a fan I really wanted to see the next Todd Rohal movie. I never even meant to be in the film. He wrote it for Steve and another actor, but that actor couldn’t do it because of a conflict in his schedule. Then when Todd asked me to do it, I didn’t believe him. I thought because I wrote the first check and got other investors he felt obligated, so I initially declined. I just wanted to invest and give him that 70′s experience where everyone says “yes” and the director is king. But then I finally agreed to do it and I’m so glad I did.

DTTM: How many days of production did you have?

Todd Rohal: It was 12 days. It probably should have been a few more. There were some things we would have liked to spend a little more time on, but it was scheduled really tight.

DTTM: You didn’t encounter any weather problems shooting in Washington?

Todd Rohal: No, we didn’t. But the day after we wrapped it snowed.

Robert Longstreet: Yeah, the day we were pulling out it was raining and then later snowing. But literally, the last day it rained. Up until then we didn’t have a single drop. So yeah, it was blessed.

DTTM: You guys put this film on Kickstarter.com to help raise funds. How was that? Would you go that route again?

Todd Rohal: I hated the idea of doing that, not because of the site, but I didn’t want to announce that we were making this movie in case it turned out to be a disaster or something. I didn’t like the idea of that happening and then someone coming up to me and being like, “Hey, how’s the movie going? How’s that fifty dollars I gave you? Did that… go well?” I didn’t want that guilt. Coming from making “Guatemalan Handshake” where we didn’t pay our investors back at all, it’s kind of odd because you run into those people fairly often. They are very nice folks and deal with it, but now with Kickstarter people give you that money and what if you never finish that movie and now there’s like 50 or 100 people that are wondering what happened to their money. So, I was really hesitant to announce that we were doing this movie, I was happy with just doing it very quietly. But we were in Seattle and all these crew people said, “We wanna work. We want to do this thing and we’re willing to do it for free.” and so we needed to pay to feed and house them. So, we needed to raise this extra money. We put it on Kickstarter and immediately money started coming in. We’d be out location scouting and would constantly be getting these emails notifying us of all these donations we were receiving. A lot of our friends gave big chunks. So it was nice, you feel like you’re not harassing people as much. It paid for the housing we needed for everybody, it was pretty great.

Robert Longstreet: And now, I mean, this movie sold at a profit. I remember when Kickstarter first came out, I had a really cynical idea about it. I was like, “Fuck you, go find your own damn money. Don’t like pass the UNICEF bucket around to everybody.” But now I love it and have contributed to a bunch of different productions on Kickstarter. I think it’s a great idea. I actually feel like it’s a great community that should go on, I really like it now. But I bet there are still a lot of people out there that feel bitter about it like I initially did.

DTTM: Did you guys sell after Sundance? Is that when IFC picked it up?

Todd Rohal: Yeah, we worked with Cinetic, which was crazy. I mean this was a small movie and then to sit down and talk with John Sloss, who works on real movies and then is working with us and our little movie. But they all genuinely loved the movie which is great to see. You want people who are working for the movie to genuinely love it. There are people out there who will work on a project just to work on it. It was such a great experience to be at Sundance and play at The Egyptian and have John Sloss come up afterwards and give me a hug. It was a thrill. I really believe that his heart was genuinely into this kind of movie. John really gets the difference in comedy and where it’s coming from. It was just great to see him back something that we just kind of pooped out in the woods… well, I shouldn’t say it was that easy. It was a hard poop.

DTTM: The tagline for the film, which I love, how did that come to be? Was it just thrown out there and it stuck, or was it always part of the film?

Todd Rohal: That tagline comes from the song “Hand of the Almighty” by John R. Butler, that we use at the end of the film. One of my oldest friends’ fathers went to school with that guy and told me about it… when I heard it I wrote it into the film and it’s been an honor to have it in there.

DTTM: Does IFC plan to keep the tagline when the release the film?

Todd Rohal: I don’t know if IFC will keep it (or our poster) just yet — we’re just getting into those conversations, but they seem to like all of the sensibility surrounding the film so far.

DTTM: I want to talk about the chemistry between Robert and Steve. I thought it was very funny and natural. Was there a lot of rehearsal time? Did you improvise much?

Steve Little: Well, I met Rob a year and a half ago. It was only for ten minutes for a reading on Todd’s film “Scoutmasters”. Then I met him for dinner the night before we started shooting this film and that was when I feel like we really officially met. There wasn’t too much time to rehearse. Todd had written an outline and only got us the script a couple days before shooting. We rehearsed every day before shooting, but it wasn’t like these stories you hear where we had weeks to rehearse before we even thought of shooting.

DTTM: So, were you signed on to “The Catechism Cataclysm” pretty early since you were already involved with “Scoutmasters”?

Steve Little: No, I just did a reading for “Scoutmasters.” But for this film I got an email that said “Do you want to do this movie? It’s about a priest who drops his Bible in the toilet.” I thought that was really funny so I checked with my mother and she laughed so…

DTTM: I thought Steve was a perfect casting decision, was the role written specifically for him?

Todd Rohal: I got an email from David Gordon Green after they filmed the pilot for “East Bound and Down” saying to take notice of Steve’s performance. Once I saw the episode it was like seeing Danny Mcbride in “All the Real Girls” where there was this feeling that this guy is going to become a superstar. But as we saw with Danny, that doesn’t always happen right away. It wasn’t until “The Foot Fist Way” that people really started taking notice of Danny. So, I felt like Steve was in a similar place and after his reading for “Scoutmasters” I wrote this part for him.

DTTM: Was there a specific scene in “The Catechism Cataclysm” that was especially challenging from a production standpoint?

Robert Longstreet: The argument scene was very hard to film. Because we rescheduled it last minute and were a little unprepared. We got the script so late we were trying to memorize our lines real fast and I also was real scared because I had to sing a song that day, but that ended up getting cut.

Steve Little: The first scene in the coffee shop was a little tough, but logistically the canoe scene was probably the most interesting. We had a raft connected to the canoe with steel bars.

DTTM: The soundtrack for the film was great, will that be available to purchase?

Todd Rohal: There are talks about it, Joey Stevens who did the music just knocked it out of the park. He also did the music for “East Bound and Down” and “Observe and Report”. He’s got such a huge range of capabilities and is just super talented.

DTTM: Shooting with the Canon 7D, how was it working with a DSLR camera for a change?

Todd Rohal: It had its good points and bad points. There is a time where you just had to stop caring. I really just wanted to make this movie. While they are not perfect and did slow us down sometimes, I set it aside and realized the material was more important. To just be able to go out and make something that looks so great for such a fraction of the price is amazing. It’s more about actually making the film rather than what you’re actually making the film with.

Todd Rohal w/ Producer Megan Griffiths

DTTM: Ben Kasulke was your DP on this film, didn’t he shoot like 5 films this year?

Robert Longstreet: I swear there is more than one Ben Kasulke out there. I think he found a way to clone himself.

DTTM: With all the connections to “East Bound and Down”, having Danny Mcbride and David Gordon Green as producers on this film, and of course Steve starring in it, are there any talks for you, Todd, to be involved with the next season?

Todd Rohal: Yeah, I’m gonna be the star of the next season. No, I haven’t been told anything about doing the show. That’s more of their thing. I love watching that show, but I have no idea what they are up to.

DTTM: The film isn’t the easiest to describe because it’s not of a specific genre. If someone was recommended “The Catechism Cataclysm” on Netflix through other films they have watched, what would the other films be?

Todd Rohal: Actually IMDB has already done it for us. It recommended “Oh, God!” the George Burns movie, “Saved”, “Don’t tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” and “Christmas Vacation”. So it’s pretty spot on.

Robert Longstreet: Good Lord, yeah.

Steve Little: I got one. It’s “Sister Act” meets “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. [laughs]

DTTM: Thanks for taking the time guys, it was great talking with you.

Death to the Movies will be attending SXSW for its second year. There are so many films to look forward to this year including new works from Monte Hellman, Todd Rohal, Azazel Jacobs, Ti West, Duncan Jones, Greg Mottola, Joe Swanberg, Michael Tully, Mike Mills, Errol Morris, Takashi Miike, and Werner Herzog… in 3D!?

Among Herzog’s venture into 3D, the 2011 SXSW Film Festival will feature:

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

96 MINUTES
Director & Writer: Aimée Lagos
Four young lives. One night. One terrifying event. These 96 minutes will change everything.
Cast: Brittany Snow, Evan Ross, Christian Serratos, J. Michael Trautmann, and David Oyelowo
(World Premiere)

A Year in Mooring
Director: Chris Eyre, Writer: Peter Vanderwall
In his first leading dramatic role, Josh Lucas walks an isolated line between solitude and redemption.
This quiet cinematic journey tells a of tale grief, solace and peace. Cast: Josh Lucas, Ayelet Zurer,
James Cromwell, Jon Tenney, Taylor Nichols (World Premiere)

American Animal
Director & Writer: Matt D’Elia
Jimmy – eccentric, delusional, dying – feels betrayed when roommate James gets a job. During one
night of drinks, drugs and women, a classic battle of wills ensues as James prepares for work and
Jimmy goes mad. Cast: Matt D’Elia, Brendan Fletcher, Mircea Monroe, Angela Sarafyan
(World Premiere)

Charlie Casanova (Ireland)
Director & Writer: Terry McMahon
A ruling class sociopath knocks down a working class girl in a hit-and-run and uses a deck of playing
cards to determine his fate. Cast: Emmett J. Scanlan, Leigh Arnold, Damien Hannaway, Ruth
McIntyre, Tony Murphy (World Premiere)

FLY AWAY
Director & Writer: Janet Grillo
A poignant yet humor filled story about a single mother of a teenager with autism, confronting her
child’s future. What will sustain her daughter, and herself? A parent/child love story, when love means
letting go.  Cast: Beth Broderick, Ashley Rickards, Greg Germann, JR Bourne, Reno (World Premiere)

HAPPY NEW YEAR
Director & Writer: K. Lorrel Manning
A war torn marine returns home to face his fiercest battle yet — the one against himself.
Cast: Michael Cuomo, JD Williams, Monique Gabriela Curnen, Tina Sloan, Alan Dale (World
Premiere)

Natural Selection
Director & Writer: Robbie Pickering
When a dutiful, albeit barren, housewife discovers that her ailing husband has an illegitimate son, she
sets out to find the young man and reunite him with her husband before he dies.
Cast: Rachael Harris, Matt O’Leary, Jon Gries, John Diehl (World Premiere)

Small, Beautifully Moving Parts
Directors & Writers: Annie J. Howell & Lisa Robinson
Technology-obsessed Sarah Sparks is pregnant and ambivalent, afraid she relates better to machines
than to people. Looking for answers, she hits the road in search of her estranged mother, now living
off the grid. Cast: Anna Margaret Hollyman, André Holland, Sarah Rafferty, Susan Kalechi Watson,
Mary Beth Peil (World Premiere)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION

A Mouthful
Director: Sally Rowe
Considered a rising star of haute cuisine, Paul Liebrandt found his career stalled in New York’s
austere environment post 9/11. Paul struggles over the next decade as he tries to make his way back
to the top. (World Premiere)

Better This World
Directors: Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega
Two childhood friends from Midland, Texas cross a line that changes their lives forever. The result:
eight homemade bombs, multiple domestic terrorism charges and a high stakes entrapment defense
hinging on a controversial FBI informant. (World Premiere)

The City Dark
Director: Ian Cheney
The film chronicles the disappearance of darkness, following astronomers, cancer researchers,
ecologists and philosophers in a quest to understand what is lost in the glare of city lights. (World
Premiere)

DRAGONSLAYER
Director: Tristan Patterson
Killer Films presents the transmissions of a lost kid, falling in love, in the suburbs of Fullerton,
California.  Featuring skateboarding, the usual drugs, and stray glimpses of unusual beauty.
(World Premiere)

FIGHTVILLE
Directors: Michael Tucker & Petra Epperlein
A documentary about the art and sport of fighting: a microcosm of life, a physical manifestation of that
other brutal contest called the American Dream. (World Premiere)

Kumaré (U.S.A/India)
Director: Vikram Gandhi
A documentary about a man who impersonates a wise Indian Guru and builds a following in Arizona.
(World Premiere)

LAST DAYS HERE
Directors: Don Argott & Demian Fenton
The film follows middle-aged rocker Bobby Liebling, lead singer of the cult hard rock/heavy metal
band Pentagram, as he leaves his parents’ basement in search of the life he never lived.
(World Premiere)

Where Soldiers Come From
Director: Heather Courtney
From a snowy small town in Northern Michigan to the mountains of Afghanistan and back, the film
follows the four-year journey of childhood friends and their town, forever changed by a faraway war.
(World Premiere)

HEADLINERS

13 Assassins
Director: Takashi Miike, Writers: Shoichirou Ikemiya & Daisuke Tengan
Distressed by the Lord’s murderous rampage, top Shogun official Sir Doi secretly calls on esteemed
samurai Shinzaemon Shimada to assassinate the evil Naritsugu. Outraged by Lord Naritsugu’s vile
acts, Shinzaemon willingly accepts the dangerous mission. Cast: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada,
Yusuke Iseya, Goro Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura

Ain’t It Cool News 15th Anniversary Screening
Harry Knowles will curate a surprise screening in honor of the 15th Anniversary of his popular cult
website Ain’t it Cool News.

The Beaver
Director: Jodie Foster, Writer: Kyle Killen
Two-time Academy Award® winner Jodie Foster directs and co-stars with two-time Academy Award®
winner Mel Gibson in an emotional story about a man on a journey to re-discover his family and re-
start his life.  Plagued by his own demons, Walter Black was once a successful toy executive and
family man who now suffers from depression.  No matter what he tries, Walter can’t seem to get
himself back on track…until a beaver hand puppet enters his life. Cast: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster,
Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Cherry Jones (World Premiere)

Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
Director: Rodman Flender
Did Conan O’Brien go on tour to connect with his fans or fill a void within himself?  Rodman Flender’s
documentary captures an artist trained in improvisation at the most improvisational time of his career.
(World Premiere)

Paul
Director: Greg Mottola, Writers: Simon Pegg & Nick Frost
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost reunite as two geeks who meet an alien named Paul (Seth Rogen) on a
pilgrimage to America’s UFO heartland.  Their road trip will alter our universe forever. Cast: Simon
Pegg, Nick Frost, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Blythe Danner, John Carroll Lynch, with
Sigourney Weaver, and Seth Rogen as Paul (North American Premiere)

Source Code
Director: Duncan Jones, Writer: Ben Ripley
When soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he
discovers he’s part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.  In an assignment
unlike any he’s ever known, he learns he’s part of a government experiment called the “Source Code,”
a computer program that enables him to cross over into another man’s identity in the last 8 minutes of
his life. Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright (World Premiere)

SUPER
Director & Writer: James Gunn
In this outlandish dark comedy, James Gunn has created what is perhaps the definitive take on self-
reflexive superheroes. Cast: Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Michael Rooker
(U.S. Premiere)

WIN WIN
Director: Tom McCarthy, Writers: Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni
Tom McCarthy, acclaimed writer/director of The Visitor and The Station Agent, once again explores
the depths and nuances of human relationships in his new film about the allegiances and bonds
between unlikely characters. Cast: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor, Burt
Young, Melanie Lynskey, Alex Schaffer, Margo Martindale, David Thompson

SPOTLIGHT PREMIERES

A Bag of Hammers
Director: Brian Crano, Writers: Brian Crano & Jake Sandvig
An offbeat comedy about two misfit best friends incapable of growing up, whose direction is tested by
an abandoned child, worn beyond his years; together they invent the family they’ve always needed.
Cast: Jason Ritter, Jake Sandvig, Chandler Canterbury, Rebecca Hall, Carrie Preston (World
Premiere)

Becoming Santa
Director: Jeff Myers
In an effort to rekindle his Christmas spirit, Jack decides to spend this season as Santa Claus, but the
role of Kris Kringle is more complex than he thinks. (World Premiere)

Beginners
Writer & Director: Mike Mills
A young man is rocked by two announcements from his elderly father: that he has terminal cancer,
and that he has a young male lover. Cast: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent,
Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox (U.S. Premiere)

Bob and The Monster
Director: Keirda Bahruth
A highly compelling portrait of outspoken indie-rock hero Bob Forrest, through his life-threatening
struggle with addiction, to his transformation into one of the most influential and controversial drug
counselors in the US today. (World Premiere)

Detention
Director: Joseph Kahn, Writers: Joseph Kahn & Mark Palermo
A downtrodden 17-year-old girl is sent to detention where she must survive a slasher film killer and
save the world in time for prom. Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Dane Cook, Shanley Caswell, Spencer
Locke, Aaron David Johnson (World Premiere)

Elevate
Director: Anne Buford
From a basketball academy in Senegal, to the high-pressure world of American prep schools, the film
documents the extraordinary personal journeys of four particularly tall West African Muslim teenage
boys with NBA dreams. (World Premiere)

Fambul Tok
Director: Sara Terry
Victims and perpetrators of Sierra Leone’s brutal war come together for the first time in an
unprecedented reconciliation program of grassroots truth-telling and forgiveness ceremonies.
(World Premiere)

Fubar: Balls to the Wall (Canada)
Director: Michael Dowse, Writers: David Lawrence, Paul J. Spence
Documentarian Farrel Mitchner explores the lives of headbangers Dean Murdoch and Terry Cahill.
Cast: Paul J. Spence, David Lawrence (U.S. Premiere)

Girl Walks Into a Bar
Director & Writer: Sebastian Gutierrez
A sharp-witted comedy that follows a group of apparent strangers in interlocking stories taking place
in ten different bars during the course of one evening in Los Angeles. Cast: Carla Gugino, Zachary
Quinto, Danny DeVito, Josh Hartnett, Rosario Dawson (World Premiere)

The Innkeepers
Director & Writer: Ti West
Hotel clerks by day, amateur ghost hunters by night, the last two employees of the historic Yankee
Pedlar Inn set out to prove that their place of business is as haunted as its reputation.
Cast: Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis (World Premiere)

It’s About You
Director: Kurt Markus
First-time filmmakers, photographer Kurt Markus and son, Ian, document John Mellencamp’s 2009
summer tour and recording of his latest album. This film celebrates the visual beauty and power of
Super8 film and the human voice. (World Premiere)

LBF (Australia)
Director & Writer: Alex Munt
A pop-art film based on the novel “Living Between Fucks” by Cry Bloxsome.  It follows Goodchild, a
young writer back home for his ex-girlfriend’s funeral, The Dead Girl. Love, Loss & Desperation.
Cast: Toby Schmitz, Bianca Chiminello, Gracie Otto, Septimus Caton, April Rose Pengilly
(World Premiere)

The Other F Word
Director: Andrea Blaugrund Nevins
When the most anti-authoritarian among us become the ultimate authorities… we might just have to
use The Other F Word. (World Premiere)

PRESSPAUSEPLAY (Sweden)
Directors: Victor Köhler & David Dworsky
The first real testimony of the digi-creative revolution. It’s an 80 minute global journey capturing how
digital technology and mindset has transformed the concept of art and culture.
(North American Premiere)

Something Ventured
Directors: Dan Geller & Dayna Goldfine
Apple. Intel. Genentech. Cisco. Atari. This film tells the story of a handful of risk-takers who alongside
visionary entrepreneurs created these revolutionary companies, and in the process ignited the
industry known as venture capital. (World Premiere)

Square Grouper
Director: Billy Corben
A colorful portrait of Miami’s pot smugglin’ scene of the 1970s, populated with redneck pirates, a
ganja-smoking church, and the longest serving marijuana prisoner in American history.
(World Premiere)

UNDEFEATED
Directors: Dan Lindsay & T.J. Martin
A volunteer coach helps a neglected inner-city football team in their quest to win the first playoff game
in the high school’s history. (World Premiere)

Yelling to the Sky
Director & Writer: Victoria Mahoney
As her family falls apart, seventeen year old Sweetness O’Hara is left to fend for herself in a
neighborhood where her survival is uncertain. Cast: Zoe Kravitz, Jason Clarke, Antonique Smith,
Gabourey Sidibe, Tim Blake Nelson (U.S. Premiere)

YOU INSTEAD (Scotland)
Director: David Mackenzie, Writer: Thomas Leveritt
Two rival musicians find themselves handcuffed together at the world renowned music festival,
T in the Park, where they are both scheduled to perform. Cast: Luke Treadaway, Natalia Tena, Sophie Wu,
Ruta Gedmintas, Kari Corbett (North American Premiere)

EMERGING VISIONS

Bad Fever
Director & Writer: Dustin Guy Defa
A humorless loner attempts to win the admiration of a drifter with his debut performance at the local
comedy club.  Cast: Kentucker Audley, Eléonore Hendricks, Annette Wright, Allison Baar
(World Premiere)

The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye
Director: Marie Losier
A portrait of the life and work of ground-breaking performance artist and music pioneer Genesis
Breyer P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV) and his wife Lady Jaye, centered around their
sexual transformations for their “Pandrogyne” project. (North American Premiere)

Bellflower
Director & Writer: Evan Glodell
A love story with apocalyptic stakes. Cast: Evan Glodell, Jessie Wiseman, Tyler Dawson, Rebekah
Brandes, Vincent Grashaw

The Catechism Cataclysm
Director & Writer: Todd Rohal
Father William Smoortser drops his bible into a toilet at a rest stop just before embarking on a day-
long canoe trip, breaking loose all glorious hell. Cast: Steve Little, Robert Longstreet, Walter Dalton,
Miki Ann Maddox, Koko Lanham, Rico

Caught Inside (Australia)
Director: Adam Blaiklock, Writers: Adam Blaiklock & Matt Tomaszewski
A surfing holiday turns deadly when a group of friends fight over a beautiful woman. Cast: Ben
Oxenbould, Daisy Betts, Sam Lyndon, Simon Lyndon, Peter Phelps (North American Premiere)

CONVENTO (Portugal)
Director: Jarred Alterman
Artist Christiaan Zwanikken resurrects deceased wildlife by reanimating the skeletal remains with
servomotors and robotics.  He breeds these new species in a 400-year-old monastery in Portugal,
restored from ruins and converted into his laboratory. (North American Premiere)

The Dish & The Spoon
Director: Alison Bagnall, Writers: Alison Bagnall, Andrew Lewis
In this poignant comedy, Rose (Greta Gerwig), reeling from her husband’s affair, collides and forms
an unexpected bond with a marooned teenager from England (exciting newcomer Olly Alexander) in a
boarded-up Delaware beach town. Cast: Greta Gerwig, Olly Alexander, Eleonore Hendricks, Amy
Seimetz, Adam Rothenberg (World Premiere)

Fuck my life (Chile)
Director & Writer: Nicolás López
Love in the times of Facebook is worst than love in the times of cholera.
Cast: Ariel Levy, Lucy Cominetti, Andrea Velasco, Paz Bascuñan, Leonor Varela (U.S. Premiere)

Green
Director & Writer: Sophia Takal
An intimate friendship between two women dissolves as they are drawn into an irrational, destructive
spiral of jealousy and paranoid fantasy in this haunting examination of the female psyche.
Cast: Kate Lyn Sheil, Sophia Takal, Lawrence Michael Levine (World Premiere)

THE KEY MAN
Director & Writer: Peter Himmelstein
Bobby Scheinman is an insurance salesman struggling to provide for his family. Enter Vincent and
Irving, two con men who convince Bobby to join them for a moneymaking scheme that quickly spirals
out of control. Cast: Jack Davenport, Hugo Weaving, Brian Cox, Judy Greer, Ben Shenkman
(World Premiere)

New Jerusalem
Director: R. Alverson, Writers: R. Alverson & Colm O’Leary
Ike (Will Oldham), an Evangelical Christian, befriends Sean, an Irish immigrant, and attempts to
ensure his salvation. A meditation on the allure and limitations of modern utopian belief. Cast: Will
Oldham, Colm O’Leary, Thomas Bowles, Walter Scott, Roxanne Ferris (North American Premiere)

No Matter What
Director & Writer: Cherie Saulter
The story of Nick and Joey, two best friends living in the crumbling landscape of rural Florida, whose
lives and friendship are changed by the journey to find Joey’s mother. Cast: Matt Webb, Waylan
Gross, Amy Seimetz (World Premiere)

Our Day Will Come (France)
Director: Romain Gavras, Writers: Romain Gavras & Karim Boucherka
Two outcast redheads set off on a roadtrip of hate, violence and self-destruction. The time for revenge
has come… Cast: Vincent Cassel, Olivier Barthelemy (U.S. Premiere)

Riscado (Brazil)
Director: Gustavo Pizzi, Writers: Gustavo Pizzi & Karine Teles
What’s the importance of luck in life? Is luck part of the craft? Cast: Karine Teles, Camilo Pellegrini,
Dany Roland, Otavio Muller (North American Premiere)

Septien
Director & Writer: Michael Tully
A reclusive sports hustler returns home to his family farm after years of absence to reunite with his
two eccentric, unhinged and emotionally damaged brothers. Cast: Robert Longstreet, Onur Tukel,
Michael Tully, Rachel Korine, Mark Darby Robinson

SILVER BULLETS
Director & Writer: Joe Swanberg
Filmmaking and life converge around a werewolf film. Cast: Kate Lyn Sheil, Ti West, Amy Seimetz,
Joe Swanberg, Jane Adams (North American Premiere)

Surrogate Valentine
Director: Dave Boyle, Writers: Dave Boyle, Joel Clark, & Goh Nakamura
Musician Goh Nakamura is hired to teach TV actor Danny Turner how to walk and talk like a rock star
for his new movie. Cast: Goh Nakamura, Chadd Stoops, Lynn Chen, Mary Cavett, Joy Osmanski
(World Premiere)

Turkey Bowl
Director & Writer: Kyle Smith
Ten friends gather to play an annual game of touch football in this real-time comedy.
Cast: Morgan Beck, Adam Benic, Kerry Bishé, Troy Buchanan, Tom DiMenna (World Premiere)

Weekend (England)
Director & Writer: Andrew Haigh
A one-night stand that becomes something else, something important – a (sort of) love story between
two guys trying to take control of their lives. Cast: Tom Cullen, Chris New (World Premiere)

LONE STAR STATES

Apart
Director: Aaron Rottinghaus, Writers: Aaron Rottinghaus & Josh Danziger
Young love is derailed by a rare psychological disorder known as icd-10 F24. Cast: Olesya Rulin,
Josh Danziger, Michael Bowen, Bruce McGill, Joey Lauren Adams (World Premiere)

blacktino
Director & Writer: Aaron Burns
Sad, fat, black, latino, nerd. It doesn’t get any worse than that.  Cast: Austin Marshall, Devyn Ray,
Tiger Sheu, Danny Trejo, Jeff Fahey (World Premiere)

Building Hope
Director: Turk Pipkin
Filmmaker Turk Pipkin’s promise to help build the first high school for a remote African community
connects Americans and Kenyans in this true story. (World Premiere)

Five Time Champion
Director & Writer: Berndt Mader
A film about love, hope, petty theft, adultery, and the boundless opportunities presented by science.
Cast: Betty Buckley, Dana Wheeler Nicholson, Jon Gries, Ryan Akin, Robert Longstreet
(World Premiere)

INCENDIARY: The Willingham Case
Director: Steve Mims
Cameron Todd Willingham:  A martyr for anti-death penalty activists, a ‘monster’ for right-wing
politicians and a flash point for an astonishing twenty-first century fight between science and folklore.
(World Premiere)

Inside America (Austria)
Director & Writer: Barbara Eder
A portrait of six teenagers during their senior year at Hanna High School in Brownsville and “a
relentless, downbeat but convincing indictment of a small Texas high school.” Cast: Raul Juarez,
Aimeé Lizette Saldivar, Zuleyma Jaime, Luis De Los Santos, Carlos Benavides, Patty Barrera
(U.S. Premiere)

My Sucky Teen Romance
Director & Writer: Emily Hagins
In a culture that is currently overrun with romanticized vampires, it is up to four geeky teenagers to
defend their friend and beloved sci-fi convention from a group of very real, blood-thirsty vampires.
Cast: Elaine Hurt, Patrick Delgado, Santiago Dietche, Lauren Lee, Tony Vespe (World Premiere)

Otis Under Sky
Director: Anlo Sepulveda, Writers: Anlo Sepulveda, Anis Mojgani, Roberta Colindrez
Otis is a socially inept web artist who struggles to connect with people. He falls into unrequited love
with Ursula, and his world is turned upside down. Cast: Anis Mojgani, Roberta Colindrez, Tony
Jackson, Jacqueline Leal, Ruth Sepulveda (World Premiere)

WUSS
Director & Writer: Clay Liford
A high school teacher is severely beaten by his own students. Too embarrassed to inform the
authorities, he plots his own revenge. Cast: Nate Rubin, Alicia Anthony, Alex Karpovsky, Jonny Mars,
Tony Hale (World Premiere)

24 BEATS PER SECOND

Benda Bilili! (France)
Directors: Renaud Barret & Florent de La Tullaye
Ricky dreams of making Staff Benda Bilili the best band in Congo Kinshasa.  Roger wants to join
these stars of the ghetto.  Together, they must avoid the pitfalls of the street and believe in music.
(U.S. Premiere)

Foo Fighters
Director: James Moll
The definitive documentary of the last great American rock n’ roll band: chronicling Foo Fighters’ 16
year history from their first club gigs to the recording of their new album in Dave Grohl’s garage.
(World Premiere)

Le Tigre: On Tour
Director: Kerthy Fix
A concert film that follows a feminist electronic band across 4 continents and 10 countries and
provides an unusual peek behind the curtain of the contemporary pop machine. (World Premiere)

Live at Preservation Hall: Louisiana Fairytale
Director: Danny Clinch
The film documents the collaboration between New Orleans’s legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band
and American rock band My Morning Jacket, demonstrating the power of Preservation Hall to inspire
a whole new generation of musicians. (World Premiere)

Love Shines (Canada)
Director: Douglas Arrowsmith
Love Shines follows Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith as he makes his latest studio album
with legendary producer Bob Rock. (U.S. Premiere)

NYMAN IN PROGRESS (Germany/England)
Director: Silvia Beck
A documentary about composer and artist Michael Nyman, who at 65, surprises the world with a new
insight into his creativity. (U.S. Premiere)

Outside Industry: The Story of SXSW
Director: Alan Berg
Four guys living on next to nothing created a music event in the hopes of giving bands a way of
connecting with music insiders. The result was the biggest music industry event in the world.
(World Premiere)

Sound It Out (England)
Director: Jeanie Finlay
A documentary portrait of the very last record shop in Teesside. A distinctive, funny and intimate film
about men, the North of England and the irreplaceable role of music in our lives. (World Premiere)

Taken By Storm: The Art of Storm Thorgerson and Hipgnosis
Director: Roddy Bogawa
Real? Surreal? Iconic? Impossible? The album art of Storm Thorgerson is so far deeply embedded
into our psyche, it’s hard to believe it all came from one mind. (World Premiere)

UPSIDE DOWN: THE CREATION RECORDS STORY (England)
Director: Danny O’Connor
The definitive and fully authorized documentary of the highs and lows of the UK’s most inspired and
dissolute independent record label – Creation Records. (North American Premiere)

SX GLOBAL
A diverse panorama of international filmmaking talent, including premieres, interactive documentaries
and shorts.

Films screening in SX Global are:

Andante (Israel)
Director & Writer: Assaf Tager
In a post-industrial world people are no longer able to dream. Sarah, the single surviving dreamer,
sets out to the only place that can provide answers to her strange night visions: the dream factory.
Cast: Sarah Adler, David Fire, Liron Levo, Nicole Veronica (North American Premiere)

Armadillo (Denmark)
Director: Janus Metz
Following a group of Danish solders on a 2009 tour of Afghanistan, Janus Metz’s acclaimed
documentary is a gripping, visually stunning probe into the psychology of young men in the midst of a
senseless war.

Beats of Freedom (Poland)
Directors: Leszek Gnoinski & Wojciech Slota
A captivating film about the birth of rock music in Poland.

El Ambulante (Argentina)
Directors & Writers: Eduardo de la Serna, Lucas Marcheggiano and Adriana Yurcovich
A traveler arrives at a village and proposes to make a feature film – but only the villagers will act in the
film.

El Bulli – Cooking in Progress (Germany)
Director: Gereon Wetzel
The starred chef Ferran Adrià is known as the best, most innovative and craziest cook in the world.
Every year, the restaurant closes for six months and Adrià and his creative team retire to their cooking
laboratory in Barcelona, to create a new menu for the following season. Everything is allowed –
except copying themselves.

Heaven Hell (Czech Republic)
Director: David Calek
A documentary film dealing with human diversity that doesn’t necessarily lead to hell even though it
might seem like that from the outsider’s point of view. (U.S. Premiere)

IDFA DocLab presents: New Documentary Narratives

My Life With Carlos (Chile/Germany/Spain)
Director: German Berger-Hertz
The film chronicles the journey of a son (director German Berger-Hertz) trying to learn the truth about
his father, who was killed in 1973 in Pinochet’s Chile.

Reindeer Spotting (Finland)
Director: Joonas Neuvonen
Without moralizing the film shows the real life of a group of friends in the Arctic Circle, dabbling in
petty crime and hard drugs. Disturbing, brutal and beautifully honest. Trainspotting in Santa Land.
(North American Premiere)

Self Made (England)
Director: Gillian Wearing
A diverse group of British people respond to an ad from artist Gillian Wearing. Taking part in an
experiment with Method acting, they find themselves for the first time confronting their innermost
personal truths.

Viva Riva! (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Director & Writer: Djo Tunda Wa Munga
The first major film out of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the story follows fast-living hustler Riva.
While being pursued by Kinshasa’s dangerous underworld, Riva finds himself inextricably drawn to a
gangster’s seductive, kept woman. Cast: Patsha Bay, Manie Malone, Hoji Fortuna, Marlene Longage,
Diplome Amekindra, Alex Herabo (U.S. Premiere)

WAY OF THE MORRIS (England)
Directors: Tim Plester & Rob Curry
Filmmaker Tim Plester journeys from the English village green to the killing fields of The Somme, in
search of a connection with the much-maligned native dance traditions that run deep in his blood.
(World Premiere)

FESTIVAL FAVORITES

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
Director: Constance A. Marks
Elmo is one of the most beloved characters among children across the globe. Meet the unlikely man
behind the puppet – the heart and soul of Elmo – Kevin Clash. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this
documentary includes rare archival footage and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street
and the Jim Henson Workshop.

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS (France)
Director: Werner Herzog
Filming in 3D, Herzog captures the wonder and beauty of one of the most awe-inspiring sites on
earth.

Ceremony
Director & Writer: Max Winkler
Sam Davis convinces his former best friend to spend a weekend with him to rekindle their friendship
at an elegant beachside estate but he is forced to realize how complicated love and friendship can be.
Cast: Michael Angarano, Uma Thurman, Reece Thompson, Lee Pace, Jake Johnson

The First Movie (Canada/England)
Director: Mark Cousins
What’s it like to be a child in war – not when the conflict is raging, but when the war tide is out, as it
were, when kids are telling stories or playing games?

Hesher
Director: Spencer Susser, Writers: Spencer Susser & David Michôd
Loud music. Pornography. Burning shit down – just a few of Hesher’s favorite things. And it’s just this
kind of anarchy that’s needed to shake the burdens of sorrow from a boy and his father.
Cast: Natalie Portman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rainn Wilson, Devin Brochu, Piper Laurie

How to Die in Oregon
Director: Peter D. Richardson
The film tells the complex stories of terminally ill Oregonians, their families, doctors and friends, as
they decide whether to end their life by lethal overdose under Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act.

In a Better World (Denmark)
Director: Susanne Bier, Writer: Anders Thomas Jensen, based on a story by Susanne Bier and
Anders Thomas Jensen
Golden Globe® Award winner and Academy Award® nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, and
told from the two very different worlds of an idyllic Danish town and an African refugee camp, a doctor
and his family are faced with conflicts that force them to make difficult choices between revenge and
forgiveness. Cast: Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Ulrich Thomsen, Markus Rygaard, William
Jøhnk Nielsen

Incendies (Canada)
Director & Writer: Denis Villenueve
Academy Award® nominee for Best Foreign Language Film and adaptation of Wajdi Mouawad’s
acclaimed play, Incendies tells the story of two siblings who set out to the Middle East to understand
the life of their deceased enigmatic mother, who has left them with a mystery only they can piece
together. Cast: Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette, Rémy Girard

Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times
Director: Andrew Rossi
Unprecedented access to the New York Times newsroom yields a complex view of a media
landscape fraught with both peril and opportunity.

POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
Director: Morgan Spurlock
Morgan Spurlock (Oscar nominee, Super Size Me) explores the world of product placement,
marketing and advertising in POM Wonderful Presents: THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD, a film
fully financed through product placement.

ROAD TO NOWHERE
Director: Monte Hellman, Writer: Steven Gaydos
Illusion is the First of all Pleasures. Cast: Shannyn Sossamon, Tygh Runyan, Dominique Swain, Cliff
De Young, Waylon Payne

Sound of My Voice
Director: Zal Batmanglij, Writers: Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling
A young couple infiltrate a cult that meets in the San Fernando Valley. Cast: Brit Marling, Christopher
Denham, Nicole Vicius

TABLOID
Director: Errol Morris
Errol Morris further redefines and pushes the boundaries of documentary film with the tale of Joyce
McKinney and the infamous “Case of the Manacled Mormon.”

Terri
Director: Azazel Jacobs, Writer: Patrick deWitt
A moving and often funny film about a big kid in a small town that doesn’t seem to have room for
anyone who is different. Cast: Jacob Wysocki, John C. Reilly, Creed Bratton, Olivia Crocicchia,
Bridger Zadina

Wasted on the Young (Australia)
Director & Writer: Ben C. Lucas
An incident at a high school party sets off a dramatic chain of events and two brothers must place
their lives at the mercy of popular opinion. Cast: Oliver Ackland, Adelaide Clemens, Alex Russell
(U.S. Premiere)

SPECIAL EVENTS

The Cameraman
Directors: Edward Sedgwick & Buster Keaton, Writer: Clyde Bruckman
Buster Keaton plays a bumbling street photographer who tries his hand as a newsreel cameraman to
impress a girl. Austin jazz/rock band Bee vs. Moth plays their original score live. Presented in
partnership with the Alamo Drafthouse.  Cast: Buster Keaton, Marceline Day, Harold Goodwin, Sidney
Bracey, Harry Gribbon

Fubar (Canada)
Director: Michael Dowse, Writers: Dave Lawrence, Paul J. Spence, Michael Dowse
SXSW presents the cult classic Fubar to celebrate the screening of SXSW 2011 Official Selection,
Fubar: Balls to the Wall. Cast: Dave Lawrence, Paul J. Spence, Gordon Skilling, Andrew Sparacino,
Tracy Lawrence

The National Parks Project (Canada)
A stunning collection of short films that represents the breadth of Canada’s artistic talent and diversity
of the country’s landscape, as it’s never been seen before. Cast: Sarah Harmer, Cadence Weapon,
Bry Webb, Melissa Auf der Maur, Sam Roberts (U.S. Premiere)

Red Riding Hood – Special Screening
Director: Catherine Hardwicke, Writer: David Leslie Johnson
Catherine Hardwicke will be present for Q&A following this special screening of her latest film, on
Thursday, March 10 at midnight.  In the film, a werewolf terrorizes a small village, especially when the
people discover that, by day, the beast could be anyone.  And one young woman discovers that she
has a unique connection to the wolf that makes her both suspect…and bait.
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons

The Rime of the Modern Mariner (England)
Director & Writer: Mark Donne
A documentary set to a spellbinding live musical score – which examines the nature of relationship
between a nation state and the seas in a globalized world. Cast: Mark Donne, Carl Barat (The
Libertines), Anthony Rossomando (The Klaxons) (U.S. Premiere)

About South by Southwest Film Conference & Festival
The SXSW Film Conference and Festival is a uniquely creative environment featuring the dynamic
convergence of talent, smart audiences and industry heavyweights. A hotbed of discovery and
interactivity, the event offers invaluable networking opportunities and immersion into the art and
business of the rapidly evolving world of independent film.

In this episode: We interview the very talented writer/director of the film The Guatemalan Handshake, Mr. Todd Rohal. Todd talks about The Guatemalan Handshake as well as his time spent at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab where he was invited along with his new screenplay, Scoutmasters.

Todd is the epitome of a true independent filmmaker. It was an honor to have him on our podcast and I look forward to any future films that have his name attached.