Festival programmer Peter Hall shares his tips and tricks around the highly anticipated lineup.

Grand Theft Hamlet hits the theaters at the South By Southwest Film & TV Festival this year. PHOTO COURTESY OF SXSW FILM & TV FESTIVAL

“They don’t make movies like this anymore” is what Peter Hall, festival programmer of the South By Southwest Film & TV Festival, expects the reviews to be when The Fall Guy makes its world premiere this year, featuring the talented Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. “It is truly the perfect action-packed rom-com,” he says, and believes it will be an immense SXSW success.

Film buffs are not the only people lining up to view the new and buzzing shows and movies from March 8-16; the lines are long for these world premiers, as everyone wants to be the one who “saw it before everyone else” or was lucky enough to attend a Q-and-A. There is nothing like seeing the actors jump on stage post-preview and describe secrets hidden in the scenes.

The Fall Guy hits the theaters at the South By Southwest Film & TV Festival this year. PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Hall explains that badge holders get priority seating, but if you’re not attending the festival, there are tickets for certain films hosted at larger theaters such as ZACH and The Paramount. Attendees can also obtain wristbands to access the screenings. “Your best bet is a badge; you can even purchase a specific film and TV festival-only badge if that is your sole interest,” says Hall. They don’t make it easier than that!

When asked what he is most excited about for this SXSW, Hall listed the following. “Babes is a film people will truly enjoy. It has the very talented Ilana Glazer, who most people would know from Broad City. Interestingly enough, it is also Pamela Adlon’s directorial debut.” It is one of the festival’s headliners, another being The Fall Guy. Bob Trevino Likes It is another film Hall anticipates getting rave reviews. “It’s about a girl who finds a man on Facebook with her father’s name, and though it’s not him, she looks for that bond through him. It’s really endearing and interesting,” he says. Lastly, Hall described Grand Theft Hamlet, a pandemic passion project that follows the tale of a group of people attempting to put on the play Hamlet in the video game Grand Theft Auto.“It’s a documentary, so it goes through the whole process. It is wild,” boasts Hall.

Babes hits the theaters at the South By Southwest Film & TV Festival this year. PHOTO COURTESY OF NEON

As far as Austin locals go, Hall says you’ll find them at all screening locations, but most people are locals at AFS Cinema. “This is sort of a locals hack,” says Hall. “Since AFS is not directly in the thick of downtown, it is not so crowded.” If you didn’t know Austinites, now you do! Of course, the midnight screenings are a blast for all. They are especially Hall’s favorite, featuring short and full length films in horror, gore and dark comedy in the spooky midnight hours.

The 512 is lucky to get all the buzz since SXSW is an official qualifying festival for the Academy Awards Short Film competition, among others. Many beloved celebrities, directors and producers frequent the town during the festivities. Look for Hall on stage while moderating Q-and-A’s, and afterward, you can thank him for organizing another riveting SXSW film and TV experience. sxsw.com