South by Southwest (aka SXSW) has firmly established itself as a film festival with its own identity. From the original selections of movies, to the panels, to the parties free of Hollywood elitism, it’s the most fun you will ever have at a festival. The problem now is that the world has noticed and more folks than ever before are making the annual trek to Austin, Texas to experience the best in independent film from all over. It’s crowded, but in a good way.

What I love most about what program director Matt Dentler has done with South-by is remaining dedicated to seeking out original programming. Most festival programs are populated with depressing family dramas or indies bordering on cliché. Dentler is as open to a zombie-comedy as he is to a romantic comedy. The result is a festival program that satisfies on all levels. Some credit is also due to the audiences in Austin who are savvy filmgoers who are proudly unpretentious in their love of all things movie-related.

I spent a short weekend in Austin and followed my tried and true festival rule to catch as many documentaries as possible – the reason being that these movies will not be hitting a theater near you anytime soon. Here’s a round-up of the docs I saw at SXSW along with a glimpse into the greatest party festival on the planet…


Confessions of a Superhero is a revealing portrait of those costumed folks on Hollywood Boulevard.

Confessions of a Superhero
This documentary, by director Matt Ogens, follows a group of real-life misfits dressed as costumed heroes on Hollywood Boulevard who pose with tourists for pictures to make a few bucks. Some have called them panhandlers while others love the heroes. Exploring an odd cast of characters including Christopher “Superman” Dennis, Maxwell “Batman” Allen, Jennifer “Wonder Woman” Gehrt, Joe “Hulk” McQueen, the film is both ridiculously funny and moving. Ogens gets very intimate with his subjects as we see them go through their morning ritual to prepare to hit the boulevard in full superhero regalia. Christopher Dennis owns 14 Superman costumes and does look strikingly like Christopher Reeve. He’s also had his share of drug problems, but had an epiphany when he discovered a love for all things Superman. Dennis Maxwell, the Batman, has had his own share of difficulties when he reveals his life as an enforcer for criminals in Texas and actually confesses to a murder that he tells his psychiatrist will never be solved. Jennifer Allen is quite stunning in her Wonder Woman attire, and we see the toll her life takes as her acting career falters and her marriage crumbles. Joe McQueen was homeless until he donned a Hulk costume and joined the group to make a living. While there many hilarious moments, each is followed by something touching and sad about the life these people lead. Ultimately, each emerges better for donning their costumes and the journey we take with them is a touching portrait of what life has in store when you really pursue your dream.


Hell on Wheels documents the rebirth of roller derby in Texas.

Hell on Wheels
I was too young to experience roller derby in its heyday, but it could not have been nearly as cool then, as it is now. The sport has had a resurgence with all-female teams and Hell on Wheels documents the rebirth and the struggles of the league in its infancy. Director Bob Ray followed the roller derby in Texas for nearly five years now and the result is an epic doc.

In addition to seeing woman dressed as angels, devils, schoolgirls, cowgirls mashing it up on the track, we see a group of powerful women clash as they attempt to start a real business. Their struggles to establish the sport as a seriously good time in Texas has reverberations around the world as leagues pop up all over the globe, but it all started here. In excruciating detail, we see the battles between rival leagues of the Lonestar Rollergirls and the Texas Rollergirls in the form of meetings where the players are pitted against the management, each ill-equipped in dealing with all the problems facing the re-emergence of the sport. It’s fast, fun, and inspiring.


Michael Moore's methods were taken to task in Manufacturing Dissent.

Manufacturing Dissent
Canadian filmmakers Debbie Melnyk/Rick Caine take on the methods used by Michael Moore as they attempt to expose the “documentarian” as a fraud. Moore (Fahrenheit 9/11, Bowling for Columbine, Roger and Me) has built a career criticizing the right and laying blame for problems without providing any hope. And it seems this is a very lucrative venture for the man in the ball cap.

The doc contains interviews with John Pierson, Noam Chomsky, Harlan Jacobson, Dave Marsh, Ralph Nader, as well as respected documentarians Albert Maysles and Errol Morris as each begin to question Moore’s methods. The most shocking revelation is that in Moore’s movie Roger & Me, he actually did interview the Roger in question during shooting. Twice, in fact. This is a blow since Moore’s film is built on the premise that he can’t actually get an interview with Roger Smith, the chairman of Ford at the time. While the movie brings up many questions about Moore’s movies and their “truthiness,” what is disappointing is that filmmakers Debbie Melnyk and Rick Caine seem to use exactly the same methods in making their own movie. The doc is sure to cause plenty of debate and that’s the important part – this issue should be discussed further, but one should question the motivations behind the makers of this film as much as Moore’s.


The King of Kong is not just the greatest video game documentary, it may be one of the best docs of all time.

The King of Kong
Director Seth Gordon lucked into a great story. The story of Steve Wiebe, a bright-eyed middle school science teacher in his fight with hot sauce mogul and video-game legend Billy Mitchell in a battle for the Guinness World Record score on the arcade classic Donkey Kong. But it takes talent to tell that story well, and Gordon has delivered not just a great doc about the world of gaming, but one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. Gordon actually found a way to make watching someone play a video game look exciting. It's amazing. And any other description would not do it justice. Four times during the screening, the audience broke out in applause and cheers I have not seen since the original Rocky. It's that good. A standing ovation followed the climactic finale. This doc will be getting an theatrical release in August, so prepare for an uplifting good time at the arcade.


I was in Austin to promote the screening of a short I recently produced called A Sim-ple Romance featuring actress Niki Foster.

A Sim-ple Romance
This is the third time I have attended SXSW as a filmmaker. This year I came with a 16mm short I produced, which was written and directed by Sally Foster. It’s sometimes awkward to be at a film festival that I am covering while also promoting a film I was involved in making, but I made the best of it. Luckily the short was programmed to screen in front of The King of Kong and it played to a packed house on Saturday morning and received a great response. I also appear in the short in a bit part. If you know the game The Sims, you’ll enjoy this cute short. Anyway, I shouldn’t really say anything more since my opinion is completely invalid; suffice it to say that you’ll have a chance to see it at other festivals throughout the year and can judge for yourself.


These friend requests were accepted! The SG girls were in force in Austin as they made new friends at the Film Threat party sponsored by our pals at Red Bull. (L-R) Napalm, Chris_Gore, Posh and Selket.

The Film Threat Party
I teamed up with Red Bull to put on a party (an event not officially affiliated with SXSW). Suicide Girls from Austin and abroad were in full force to join in on the action. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this was the best party I’ve been to at South-by. It really got going after midnight when the pouring rain forced many into the Hi-Lo Lounge off Sixth Street for what turned into a love-fest. Literally. It must have been the Texas heat that got the girls kissing other girls. This lip-smacking good time went on for the rest of the night…


No surprise... it got out of hand in a very good way. Smiling on the right is SG girl Illyria.

And I can’t think of a better way to end a festival than that.

Gore gone.

Chris_Gore is an author, a filmmaker, the creator of Film Threat, and considers Austin a liberal oasis in the midst of Texas.