Beast and The Will at SXSW

FESTIVAL. "Beast" by Christoffer Boe and "The Will" by Christian Sønderby Jepsen are selected for the South by Southwest film festival in Texas (March 9-17).

Two Danish films have been selected for The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, starting on Friday 9 March.

Beast

The psychological drama "Beast" by Christoffer Boe ("Reconstruction", "Allegro", "Everything Will Be Fine") will screen in the Festival Favorites category.

In "Beast", Bruno loves his wife Maxine, but his love and body are slowly undergoing a transformation. Something is beginning to stir inside him and there is nothing he can do to stop it. Because when you first delve into the dark side of love to find power, aggression and hatred, there is no turning back.

"An obsessive, destructive love transforms a caring husband into a bloodthirsty "Beast" in this perversely fascinating psychodrama," wrote Alissa Simon in her Variety review in November.

Beast has been shown at numerous festivals, including Warsaw, Sitges and Palm Spring.

Read interview with Christoffer Boe and leading actor Nicolas Bro Boe and the beast

"Beast" is produced by Tine Grew Pfeiffer for Alphaville Pictures Copenhagen with support from the Danish Film Institute.

The Will

Christian Sønderby Jepsen's documentary "The Will" will have its North American premiere in SXSW's section SXGlobal.

In the darkly shaded family story, Henrik is in deep trouble. His girlfriend has split, his drug and alcohol abuse have gotten totally out of hand, and he is deeply in debt. When everything seem most dire and his problems almost insurmountable, a door to new life is opened when Henrik’s wealthy grandfather dies and leaves him a huge fortune. But at the promise of money a family war breaks out, and years of failure and betrayal are revealed.

"The Will" screened at IDFA and has won the DANISH:DOX AWARD at CPH:DOX and a Danish Bodil Award for Best Documentary.

Read interview with Christian Sønderbye Jepsen The Inheritance

Screen's critic Mark Adams calls "The Will" "An absorbing and oddly entertaining film, impressively shot and edited and offering a fascinating insight into a family torn apart by money." Read Screen review

"The Will" is produced by Julie E. B. Pedersen and Sarita Christensen for Copenhagen Bombay Sales Aps with support from the Danish Film Institute.

About SXSW

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas started as a local music festival in 1987 (now one of the largest music festivals in the United States) and added film to the programme in 1994. The film festival focuses on independent film and has a reputation for championing buzz titles. It was the breeding ground of the mumblecore movement in the early 2000's. Set in the spring, the festival has positioned itself as a logical destination for the post-Sundance crowd of films. 

"We skew edgier, more entertaining. We are not particularly politically correct, which doesn’t mean we don’t have socially conscious films," says festival director Janet Pierson in a recent Screen interview

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival (March 9-17)