SXSW Film Alumni Releases – June and July 2021

Trade in your swimsuit for sweats and cozy up with some new alumni releases.

SXSW Film Festival alumni releases for June and July include Edgar Wright’s debut documentary, a journey through the lives of bandmates Ron and Russell Mael – The Sparks Brothers; a tale about a girl joining a dangerous scrap metal crew to pay her way through college – Holler; Documentary Feature Lydia Lunch: The War is Never Over, a piece on the woman herself and her pioneering vision of a new kind of woman; and more.

Read more about the releases and where to watch below. Subscribe to Film Community Newsletters to stay up to date with Film news and more from SXSW.

The Green Knight

World Premiere, Narrative Feature, 2020

Based on the timeless Arthurian legend, The Green Knight tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur's reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men. Gawain contends with ghosts, giants, thieves, and schemers in what becomes a deeper journey to define his character and prove his worth in the eyes of his family and kingdom by facing the ultimate challenger. From visionary filmmaker David Lowery comes a fresh and bold spin on a classic tale from the knights of the round table.

In theaters July 30.

Kenny Scharf: When Worlds Collide

World Premiere, Documentary Feature, 2020

Kenny Scharf: When Worlds Collide was made over 11 years and features interviews and rare archival footage with Kenny Scharf, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Ed Ruscha, Dennis Hopper, Yoko Ono, Kaws, Marilyn Minter, and Jeffrey Deitch. The documentary shows Scharf’s New York City arrival in the early 1980s where he quickly befriended Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. This trio, amongst the fervent creative bustle of a depressed downtown scene, would soon take the art world by storm. While Basquiat and Haring both died tragically young, Scharf lived through cataclysmic shifts in New York City and the art world. Despite setbacks along the way, Scharf continues to follow his particular high-tone, technicolor artistic vision while growing public and critical appreciation for his earlier work has cemented his place as a pop art icon.

In Theaters and VOD June 25.

Echoes of the Invisible

World Premiere Documentary Feature, 2020

A profound exploration of the interconnectedness in the silence of time and space that we all share whether you are a blind long distance runner or a scientist breaking down the atom to monks who live in silence and isolation in the mountains.

VOD June 22.

Holler

World Premiere Narrative Feature, 2020

In a forgotten pocket of Southern Ohio where American manufacturing and opportunities are drying up, a determined young woman finds a ticket out when she is accepted to college. Alongside her older brother, Ruth Avery joins a dangerous scrap metal crew in order to pay her way. Together, they spend one brutal winter working the scrap yards during the day and stealing valuable metal from the once thriving factories at night. With her goal in sight, Ruth finds that the ultimate cost for an education for a girl like her may be more than she bargained for, and she soon finds herself torn between a promising future and the family she would leave behind.

In Theaters and VOD June 11.

The Sparks Brothers

Narrative Documentary, 2021

How can one rock band be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time? Edgar Wright’s debut documentary The Sparks Brothers, which features commentary from celebrity fans Flea, Jane Wiedlin, Beck, Jack Antonoff, Jason Schwartzman, Neil Gaiman, and more, takes audiences on a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers/bandmates Ron and Russell Mael celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band’s favorite band.

In Theaters June 18.

Gaia

World Premiere Narrative Feature, 2021

An injured forest ranger on a routine mission is saved by two off-the-grid survivalists. What is initially a welcome rescue grows more suspicious as the son and his renegade father reveal a cultish devotion to the forest. When their cabin is attacked by a strange being it’s clear there is a far greater threat in this unrelenting wilderness.

In Theaters June 18, VOD June 25.

Lydia Lunch: The War is Never Over

Documentary Feature, 2020

Lydia Lunch: The War is Never Over blends an audio bed of provocative stories with archival footage of 1970’s bands; photographs of the architectural landscape of New York City; interviews with Lydia Lunch and longtime Lunch collaborators; and contemporary on-stage performances by Lunch. The film is not only about Lunch, but about the scene that she helped spawn, continues to grow and influence, and the creative people who join her in creating a new vision of woman.

In Theaters and virtually June 30.

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