Our SXSW preview series continues, following-up on yesterday's look at the Headliners, Midnight, and Visions sections with today's tour of the documentaries of the fest. It's a great crop of films spread out across a number of sections. We couldn't preview them all, so here's a few that caught our eye.
David Lynch – The Art of Life
Jon Nguyen's Venice-premiering self-guided docu tour of the life and career of David Lynch will make its way to screens soon via Janus films.
Fest Faves
Becoming Bond
Josh Greenbaum's much anticipated follow-up to The Short Game looks at the man, the myth, the legend that is George Lazenby, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service's 007.
Visions
Let There Be Light
Documentary producers/directors/DPs Mila Aung-Thwin and Van Royko team up for this examination of the great scientific quest for Nuclear Fusion. The quest takes them from multi-billion dollar multi-national projects to small startups working in rented office space.
Docu Competition
Muppet Guys Talking - Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched
Frank Oz directs himself and bunch of pals from the old Muppet days (Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Fran Brill, Bill Barretta) talking about the amazing show and the genius of Jim Henson. This is Oz's first turn as director since Death at a Funeral.
Docu Spotlight
California Dreams
Mike Ott (Analog Days, Lake Los Angeles, Actor Martinez) examines the mystical draw of a life in Hollywood in his comedic documentary feature.
Visions
G-Funk
Karam Gill takes us to the LBC and inside he G-Funk era of 80s/90s with Snoop, Nate Dogg, and Warren G. Mount up.
24 BPS
I Am Another You
Director Nanfu Wang just took home the Independent Spirit Truer Than Fiction Award for her first feature Hooligan Sparrow. Her follow-up follows an intentionally homeless drifter across the USA.
Docu Competition
Pornocracy
French porn-feminist-activist-filmmaker Ovidie examines how the company behind PornHub hijacked the entire adult video world and disrupted the old system.
Docu Spotlight
May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers
Judd Apatow teams up for the second time with his 30 For 30: Doc & Darryl co-director Michael Bonfoglio in this docu trip inside the recording of the Avett Brothers' latest album.
24 BPS
Maineland
Beijing Taxi director Miao Wang follows rich Chinese teens in America known as "parachute students" as they attend a boarding school in Maine.
Docu Competition
Spettacolo
Cult docu classic Marwencol director Jeff Malmberg teams with Chris Shellen to tell the story of a village in Italy that confront the town's/nation's/world's problems each year via its annual play.
Docu Spotlight
The Work
Jairus McLeary, a court videographer by day, teams up with documentarian Gethin Aldous to make this docu set in a small room in the notorious Folsom Prison where felons and their therapists confront their pasts.
Docu Competition