The News Reel

A new interview with director Bradley Beesley has cropped up on his Sweethearts of The Prison Rodeo website. The doc was a world premiere at SXSW 2009.

Jennifer Steinman's SXSW 2009 world premiere Motherland has been announced for an August 26 release by burgeoning digital distro outfit Gigantic Digital.

New York magazine talks to Youssou N'Dour, star of SXSW 2009 premiere
Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love.

Anvil! The Story of Anvil continues to entrance audiences around the country. Check out some regional reviews here, here and here.

Twitch has posted a new French trailer for Ong Bak 2, which played at SXSW 2009 as part of SXSW Presents: Fantastic Fest @ Midnight.

Crawford director David Modigliani has just launched Flow Nonfiction, a commercial production arm with collaborators Matt Naylor and David Rice. For more info, check out the official site for flownonfiction.com. Crawford was a world premiere at SXSW 2008.

Anyone who saw 500 Days of Summer at SXSW 2009 may remember that Zooey Deschanel's apparent resemblance to a 'Jenny Beckman' is "purely accidental". Well, Cinematical has kindly lifted the lid on the enigma of Jenny Beckman, who it seems is very much a real person.

Meanwhile, Hollywood Reporter suggests that 500 Days of Summer is spearheading an an industry-wide foray into "smart, quirky movies for a sophisticated young audience."

"'Jesus Camp' meets 'Lost in La Mancha'"
Indeed. SXSW 2007 world premiere Audience of One is available next month on DVD. More details here.

Oscilloscope Laboratories have teamed with Warner Bros for a new foray into digital distribution. The partnership will bring a number of films to VOD and download, including SXSW premieres Frontrunners and Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father (both SXSW 2008). More info here, here, and here.

Over at their blog, the folks behind another SXSW film from the Oscilloscope slate, Burma VJ, discuss their partnership with the UK's Co-operative bank.

Variety has just posted a review of SXSW 2009 world premiere Modern Love Is Automatic.
Meanwhile, another of this year's SXSW world premieres, Winnebago Man, is reviewed at Gordon and the Whale.

Cary Fukunaga has been named as one of the directors of the new Levi's campaign, which kicks off July 4th. Fukunaga's Sin Nombre screened as a spotlight premiere at SXSW 2009.

Check out the trailer for Andrew Bujalski's Beeswax, recently posted by the New York Times. The film received its North American premiere at SXSW 2009.

A world premiere at SXSW 2007, Bob Ray's roller derby doc Hell On Wheels is now available for free streaming at SnagFilms.

Gary Hustwit's Objectified gets another airing next week, thanks to the AIGA design series and the Alamo Drafthouse. The film was a popular world premiere at SXSW 2009 so get tickets while you can!

The Hot Blog has posted a video interview with Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, whose doc Soul Power received its US premiere in the 24 Beats Per Second section of SXSW 2009.

The LA Times takes a peek behind the scenes of Brüno, as Universal releases production notes ahead of next week's release. Also, if you're one of the few people who didn't see it, check out the Austrian fashionista's appearance on The Tonight Show. A Brüno sneak peek screened at SXSW 2009.

Big things ahead for Moon director Duncan Jones, as news emerges of follow-up projects.

New film and music distribution outfit Factory 25 has acquired rights to SXSW 2007 world premiere Frownland. The label has also picked up High School Record from SXSW 2005. More info at SpoutBlog and IndieWIRE.

Check out this intriguing video essay in response to Kathryn Bigelow's SXSW 2009 spotlight premiere The Hurt Locker. Be warned - there's a slight spoiler. Also, head to his blog to check out Glenn Kenny's review of this "damn good movie".

Following an earlier interview back in February, Military blog YouServed takes another look at Aron Gaudet's SXSW 2009 world premiere The Way We Get By.

British viewers should look out for the TV premiere of Jocelyn Cammack’s The Time of Their Lives. The doc received its North American Premiere at SXSW 2009, and features as part of BBC4’s Grey Expectations season.

Today sees the NYC and LA release of Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker, triggering a flurry of online activity. Check out features and reviews from any number of sources including Slate, more Slate, Cinematical, IFC, and JoBlo. The film was a spotlight premiere at SXSW 2009, and look out for a wider release on July 10.

Burma VJ, a special screening at SXSW 2009, has received the honor of being "The first film ever to be screened at No. 10 Downing Street". Head to The Independent for more info.

A great week for SXSW 2009 world premiere All Tomorrow's Parties, with successful screenings that included the film's UK premiere. Read some of the glowing reports here, here, here and here.

Tonight sees the opening of Bare Knuckle Brawlers, a special poster exhibition in conjunction with Died Young, Stayed Pretty, a US premiere at SXSW 2009.

It would seem like an oversight to omit to mention the deaths of two entertainment icons, so we'll leave it to David Hudson's ever-thorough IFC Daily round-ups on Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.

As mentioned last week Austin Film Society is today hosting a community forum to discuss recent events. Get there quick, it starts at 11am CST at AFS. More info here.

Eileen Yaghoobian's Died Young, Stayed Pretty receives its NYC premiere at IFC center, July 17-23, but she's also revealed the intriguingly named Bare-Knuckle Brawlers poster show ahead of a screening at MFA Boston from July 31-August 7.

DVD Talk reviews the DVD release of RiP: A Remix Manifesto, available from next Tuesday.

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the screenwriting honors for the Lake Mungo remake go to one David Leslie Johnson. The original film receive its US Premiere at SXSW 2009.

Check out this interview with filmmaker Bruce McDonald. His film Pontypool received its US Premiere as part of SXSW Presents: Fantastic Fest @ Midnight at this year's festival.