Documentaries give us a glimpse at humanity and different parts of the world we may not usually see, and one of our favorite categories at SXSW! This year there are a bunch of new documentaries hitting the festival scene this year including from 42West. From Bigfoot to legal issues there’s a little bit of everything for documentary lovers.
CAPTURING BIGFOOT – World Premiere – Documentary Spotlight – Acquisition
On October 20, 1967, Roger Patterson captured 60 seconds of film showing a creature walking through the Northern California woods—footage that became the most analyzed and debated in history. Fifty-seven years later, a reel of 16mm film discovered in a safe changes everything.
“Capturing Bigfoot” reveals the untold story behind the world’s greatest mystery, told for the first time by Patterson’s own son and the people who were there.
This is a story about family legacy, broken friendships, and belief itself.
I GOT BOMBED AT HARVEY’S – World Premiere – Documentary Spotlight – Acquisition
In 1980, an ingenious boobie-trapped ticking time bomb – filled with 1,000 pounds of dynamite – was wheeled in the front doors of Harvey’s Wagon Wheel Casino in Lake Tahoe. Along with the bomb was a note demanding $3 million within 24 hours. While the bomb squad attempts to disarm the explosive, the FBI races the clock to deliver the ransom and simultaneously catch the extortionists. Nothing goes as planned, and each step uncovers darker secrets and suspicions of a deeper motive.
MY NDA – World Premiere – Documentary Feature Competition – Acquisition
Three people bound by non-disclosure agreements face extreme personal risk to expose how a simple intellectual property contract is weaponized to silence, manipulate and control.
PHOENIX JONES: THE RISE AND FALL OF A REAL LIFE SUPERHERO – World Premiere – Documentary Feature Competition – Acquisition
In 2010, reports began surfacing of a masked vigilante in a black-and-gold supersuit stopping crime on the streets of Seattle. His name is Phoenix Jones. Armed with pepper spray, a taser, and a team of costumed crime fighters, he quickly becomes an international media sensation. But when his true identity is exposed by the Seattle Police, the heroic image begins to unravel and his team abandons him. Ten years later, as protesters seize six blocks of Seattle and declare a no cop zone, Phoenix reemerges amid legal trouble and public skepticism. Is he a hero, or a con-artist hiding behind a mask?
THE ASCENT – World Premiere – Documentary Feature Competition – Acquisition
“The Ascent” is the inspiring true story of Colorado Springs bilateral-amputee climber Mandy Horvath’s record-breaking attempt to crawl to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro on her hands. At 21, Mandy lost both of her legs under mysterious circumstances—an event that shattered her trust in the world around her. As she pushes her body to its limits on Africa’s tallest mountain, Mandy must reckon with the unanswered questions of her past and learn to trust again in order to succeed.
Dan Farah (Director, Producer) – THE AGE OF DISCLOSURE
The Age of Disclosure is an explosive documentary that reveals an 80-year global cover-up of non-human intelligent life and a secret war among major nations to reverse-engineer advanced technology of non-human origin. Featuring testimony from 34 U.S. Government, military, and intelligence community officials, the film exposes the profound stakes for the future of humanity.
The timely documentary arrives amid historic bipartisan Congressional hearings on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) and the proposed UAP Disclosure Act, led by Senators Schumer, Rounds, and Gillibrand, calling for transparency about what the government knows about UAP and non-human intelligent life.