From the creator of Ex Machina (2014) and Annihilation (2018), Alex Garland brought his latest dystopian feature, Civil War, to the SXSW Conference & Festivals. The A24 project was met with jam-packed audiences teeming with anticipation as it launched on screens here in Austin.
The World Premiere was an opportunity for interviews on the SXSW Conference stage, the Film & TV Festival Red Carpet, and in a Post-Screening Q&A. It's in these talks where we uncover the thought-provoking context the creators intended while perhaps opening space for a bigger conversation.
Conference
Richard Whittaker, journalist at The Austin Chronicle, sat down with filmmaker Alex Garland and Civil War cast for the SXSW Conference Featured Session. Garland recounts his father's newspaper colleagues and how he was inspired by an adolescence in the company of war correspondents. From there, he was able to mold a compelling storyline, calling attention to the bravery, dedication, and responsibility of journalists.
"Kirsten and Wagner's characters are in the whirlwind and being knocked each way, trying to hold onto what they believe but also being destroyed by it. And then trying to warn this younger journalist from entering into that world. Not just for their physical safety, but also their psychological safety." – Alex Garland, Civil War Writer/Director
