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Read More: A24 Acquires SXSW Winner 'Krisha,' Will Distribute and Produce Trey Edward Shults' Second Feature The red carpet photos, interviews and reviews coming out of Cannes tell one side of the story. But how does a day in Cannes look through a first-time filmmaker's eyes? In the second installment of "Krisha" writer-director Trey Edward Shults' exclusive video diary from Cannes (which you can view at the top of this page) we explore the Palais, catch a glimpse of "The Lobster" star Colin Farrell and get to experience the audience reaction to Jeremy Saulnier's "Green Room," sitting just a few rows back from Saulnier and star Anton Yelchin. "Krisha" will have its first Cannes screening, as part of the Critics' Week program, on Wednesday May 20 at 11:30 a.m. at the Miramar. To view part 1 of Shults' video diary, click here. Stay tuned for more updates as the festival continues.

The Us rights deal to Trey Edward Shults’ acclaimed Critics’ Week selection includes rights to his next film.

It Comes The Night will follow a father who will stop at nothing to protect his wife and son from a malevolent, mysterious presence outside their doorstep. A24 will develop and produce the psychological horror.

Krisha premiered at SXSW and won the grand jury and audience awards for narrative feature. The story centres on a estranged woman’s shambolic return to a family gathering.

Shults began his career as an intern on Terrence Malick’s The Tree Of Life.

“Trey is an artist on the rise and we are proud to partner with him,” said A24. “His unique approach, singular style, confident storytelling and edge shines through Krisha and we are excited to collaborate with such an exceptionally talented filmmaker at the beginning of what will no doubt be a long, celebrated career.”

Shults is represented...

Read More: SXSW Review: 'Krisha' is an Extraordinary Portrait of Addiction and Family Strife First-time feature filmmaker Trey Edward Shults is taking the global film scene by storm with his microbudget drama, "Krisha," which screens in the prestigious Critics' Week program this week at the Cannes Film Festival. Since it marks Shults' first film and his first time at Cannes, Indiewire asked him to keep a video diary of his experiences at the festival, the first of which can be seen at the top of this page. Written and directed by Shults, "Krisha" is more than just another drama about addiction. What sets the film apart is the casting of Shults' own family members in a story that draws inspiration from an amalgamation of separate, real life experiences. The drama, which had little to no buzz around it going into its premiere at the SXSW Film Festival earlier this year,...

At March’s SXSW, Krisha was all many could talk about. The Thanksgiving-set family reunion drama took home the festival’s grand jury and audience awards for narrative feature and, after much acclaim, has now secured release from A24. Not only that, the distributor has struck a multi-picture deal with Krisha director Trey Edward Shults, who will make…

The post A24 to Produce Krisha Director’s It Comes at Night appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

Read More: The Story Behind 'Krisha,' the Family Affair That Rocked SXSW A24 announced today that it has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Trey Edward Shults’ first feature film "Krisha," as well as signed on to distribute his upcoming production. "Krisha" tells the story of a woman who returns to her family after years of absence. It recently premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in March to rave reviews, winning grand jury and audience awards for narrative feature. Our SXSW review described it as powerful and intense with an extraordinary lead. A24 will also produce and distribute Shults’ second feature, "It Comes At Night," a psychological horror film which follows "a father who will stop at nothing to protect his wife and son from a malevolent, mysterious presence terrorizing them right outside their doorstep." "Trey is an artist on the rise and we are proud to partner with him,...

Exclusive: In the continuing evolution of A24, the indie distributor has found a young filmmaker it wants to back long-term and has made its first multi-picture deal with a director. The company has acquired Krisha, the first film by director Trey Edward Shults that won 2015 SXSW's grand jury and audience awards for narrative feature, and strong reviews for its inventiveness. The deal calls for A24 to produce and distribute his second feature, It Comes At Night. Who’s…...

StudioCanal has acquired UK rights from Visit Films to the Critics’ Week selection.

Trey Edward Shults’ Krisha premiered at SXSW and recounts the story of a troubled woman who unravels at a holiday gathering.

Visit is enjoying a strong reception to the slate and just scored Us sales to Invincible Pictures on Just Jim and Gravitas Ventures on The Nymphets.

The American Pavilion has an amazing line up of panels this year at Cannes in the Roger Ebert Concert Center. Seating for all panels is first come, first served for Standard Members. Reserved seating is available for Red Carpet members which will be held until 10 minutes prior to start time, at which point they will be released.

Please arrive early!

Here is a detailed look at the events taking place ar the Pavilion starting Friday May 15.

Friday May 15

10:00–2:00 Pm

Industry in Focus:

How Advanced Imaging Techniques Should Impact the 3D Movie Experience

Workshop and reception sponsored by 3D Stereo Media, with participation of the Advanced Imaging Society, and the support of UP3D and Xpand 3D.

Walk-ins accepted if seats are available.

2:00 Pm

Industry in Focus:

The Casting Process

How can producers and directors collaborate with casting directors to secure the best possible cast?

-Nancy Bishop, "Snowpiercer," "Mission Impossible IV"

-Luci Lenox: "Traces of Sandalwood," "Vicky Christina Barcelona"

-Susan Shopmaker: Shortbus, "Martha Marcy May Marlene"

-Matthew Lessall: "Chronic"

Moderated by Keith Simanton, Senior Film Editor, IMDb/IMDb Pro

Saturday, May 16

2:00 Pm

Industry in Focus:

State of the Industry

-Rena Ronson, UTA

-John Sloss, Cinetic Media

-Linda Lichter, Attorney

-Jean Prewitt, Independent Film & Television Alliance (Ifta)

-Tom Quinn, RADiUS-twc

Moderated by Matt Belloni, The Hollywood Reporter

3:00–4:00 Pm

TimeTalks:

Sony Pictures Classic's Tom Bernard & Michael Barker

The New York Times presents the co-presidents and co-founders of Sony Pictures Classics, Tom Bernard and Michael Barker in conversation with Times contributor Logan Hill. They will discuss Woody Allen’s new film “Irrational Man,” which screened at the festival, the importance of film festivals like Cannes and the state of the movie industry, on screen and behind the scene

Sunday, May 17

12:00 Pm

TimeTalks:

Salma Hayek

The New York Times presents Oscar-nominated actress-producer Salma Hayek - "Tale of Tales," "Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet" - in conversation with Times contributor Logan Hill.

1:00 Pm

Industry in Focus:

American Producers at Cannes

Ram Bergman," A Tale of Love and Darkness," upcoming "Star Wars: Episode VIII" and IX, "Looper"

Justin Chan and Wilson Smith, "Krisha"

Carly Hugo, "Share," "Bachelorette"

Ryan Zacarias, "Mediterranea"

Moderated by Eric Kohn, Indiewire

3:00 Pm

Industry in Focus:

What Does Empathy Looks Like on the Big Screen?

If, as Roger Ebert has said, movies are a giant machine that generates empathy, what does it look like on the big screen and how do you encourage it in emerging writers and filmmakers? What implications would this have for the filmmaking industry amid a sea change in production deals and distribution? How does it affect the critical writing about films? What influences will it have for society as a whole? And is it tilting at windmills or who has done it successfully?

Chaz Ebert from The Roger Ebert Center and RogerEbert.com joins Jeff Skoll of Participant Media, a leader in telling important stories that matter; Ann Thompson of Indiewire, Thompson on Hollywood; John Sloss of Cinetic Media and Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival in a discussion moderated by Nate Kohn, Vice President of the Peabody Awards, and Festival Director of Ebertfest.

-Chaz Ebert (The Roger Ebert Center)

-John Sloss (Cinetic Media)

- Cameron Bailey (Artistic Director, The Toronto International Film Festival)

-Anne Thompson (Indiewire)

Moderated by: Nate Kohn, Vice President, The Peabody Awards

4:30–6:30 Pm

Emerging Filmmaker Showcase/ Lgbtq Showcase

Presented by American Express

10:00 Pm

Queer Night

With guest DJ John Cameron Mitchell

Monday, May 18

10:00–12:30 Pm

Student Filmmaker Showcase

Presented by American Express

1:00–3:00 Pm

Emerging Filmmaker Showcase

Presented by American Express

Tuesday, May 19

10:00–11:00 Am

TimeTalks:

Disney• Pixar’s "Inside Out"

New York Times contributor Logan Hill interviews director Pete Docter, producer Jonas Rivera, and actors Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Lewis Black and Phyllis Smith, who provide the voices of Joy, Disgust, Anger and Sadness in this original new movie.

11:00 Am

Industry in Focus:

Film Acquisitions

-Jeremy Boxer, Head of acquisitions at Vimeo On Demand

-Ben Browning, Co-President of Production and Acquisitions, FilmNation Entertainment

-Matt Brodlie, Evp Acquisitions, Relativity

-Bill Bromiley, Saban Films

Moderated by Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter

1:00 Pm

Industry in Focus:

American Directors at Cannes

Pippa Bianco, "Share" - Cinéfondation Competition

Jeremy Saulnier, "Green Room" - Directors’ Fortnight

Trey Edward Shults, "Krisha" - Critics’ Week

Moderated by Aaron Hillis

4:00 Pm

TimeTalks:

John C. Reilly

The New York Times presents one of the most versatile actors in movies today - John C. Reilly, who appears in three films at the festival - "The Lobster," "Tale of Tales" and "Les Cowboys."

Wednesday, May 20

10:00 Am

Oculus Story Studio

Virtual Reality Filmmaking

-With filmmakers like Spike Jonze, Robert Stromberg and Guillermo Del Toro embracing virtual reality as a filmmaking medium, meet the founding team of Oculus’ own film studio - ‘Oculus Story Studio’. Having premiered their first Vr movie at Sundance 2015 they are at Cannes to talk about learnings on Vr storytelling.

-Saschka Unseld, Creative Director Oculus Story Studio (Director Pixar’s Blue Umbrella)

-Max Planck, Cto, Oculus Story Studio

-Edward Saatchi, Executive Producer, Oculus Story Studio

1:00 Pm

Industry in Focus:

Genre Film

Jeremy Saulnier, Director, Green Room

Mette Marie Katz, Xyz Films

Tom Quinn, RADiUS-twc

Jenny Jacobi, Drafthouse Media

Moderated by Jarod Neece, SXSW

2:00 Pm

Film Panel:

"Krisha"

Hear from the "Krisha" filmmakers that won the 2015 SXSW Jury Award and playing in Critics Week. Director Trey Edward Shults, Krisha Fairchild and other key cast and crew

Moderated by Claudette Godfrey, SXSW

Thursday, May 21

2:00 Pm

Indiewire's Screen Talk Podcast Live from Cannes with Eric Kohn and Anne Thompson

4:30 Pm

Film Panel:

"Dope"

A 2015 Sundance favorite, and playing in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Director Rick Famuyiwa, producer Nina Yang Bongiovi and key cast Zoe Kravitz, Chanel Iman, Toni Revolori, Quincy Brown, Kiersey Clemens, Shameik Moore , A$AP Rocky

Moderated by Jada Yuan, New York Magazine

8:00 Pm

Karaoke Night...

Exclusive: Visit Films chief Ryan Kampe has beefed up the slate and flies to Cannes with four new titles led by the Critics’ Week selection.

Visit holds international rights to Trey Edward Shults’ SXSW grand jury and audience award winner Krisha, (pictured) about an aunt who makes an ill-advised return to the family fold over a holiday gathering. Krisha Fairchild stars. Attorney George Rush represents Us rights.

The New York-based sales agent has also acquired international rights to I Smile Back starring Sarah Silverman as a suburban housewife who struggles to keep her family together when her secret life of drugs, alcohol and infidelity spirals out of control.

Adam Salky directed the Sundance premiere and the cast includes Josh Charles and Thomas Sadoski. Broad Green holds Us rights.

Dark comedy Just Jim, which Visit represents worldwide excluding the UK, marks the directorial debut of Submarine star Craig Roberts.

The story also stars Emile Hirsch as an enigmatic...

When it comes to international film festivals, there are sprinters and there are distance runners. Spanning 25 days across May and June, Seattle International Film Festival is the Pheidippides of American fests. Unlike its splashier cousins, Sundance and SXSW, Siff doesn’t pander to big movie stars or flashy hipsters. Staying true to its Northwest sensibilities, Siff quietly grinds out one terrific program after another. The 41st edition boasts a whopping 193 feature films, 164 short films, and 70 documentaries, many of which are either World or North American premieres. It’s enough to make even the most ambitious cinephile curl up in a corner with his festival guide and cry. Here, then, is a brief preview of some hotly anticipated films, as well as some obscure titles that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Familiar Faces

Strategically positioned in the middle of the calendar year, Siff has the advantage of playing favorites. More specifically, they...

Think Drive-in sans automobile. Think film festival that isn’t over with the blink of an eye. We’ve mentioned just how important a role it has in supporting works in progress from the participating Ifp’s Independent Filmmaker Lab folks, but it’s also a indie film love-in destination for some of the more innovative items found on the film fest circuit. Brooklynites and visiting cinephiles have several reasons to rejoice as the Rooftop Films folks have unveiled their 2015 Summer Series program and they’ll be serving up a must see plate of indie, docu and shorts.

Among the more tantalizing offerings, Sundance is well repped with Tangerine, The Wolfpack and Finders Keepers and SXSW menu offerings are found in Trey Shults’ Krisha award-winner and in Bob Byington’s 7 Chinese Brothers, which technically opens the 19th edition on May 30th. Here is the list of feature film offerings (dates...

"Krisha" makes its Cannes premiere in the Critics' Week program, which is designed to steer attention toward promising discoveries and first-time filmmakers. Shults' debut is also a claustrophobic horror movie that unfolds over one hot, sweaty Thanksgiving Day in Florida, where Krisha (played by the director's real-life aunt Krisha Fairchild, a psychologist), a painkiller-addled, ex-alcoholic teetering on the edge of the wagon, reunites with her estranged and leery family members for the first time in years. Read More: Cannes Critics' Week Lineup: Louis Garrel's Debut, SXSW Winner Among Highlights Shults' decision to shoot the film with his own relatives -- and in nine days -- may feel like a stunt. He even casts his 90-year-old grandmother. But this is a strong first film, and his focused direction does yield some breakout performances, including his own turn as Krisha's disappointed son. The film's most mesmerizing scene is a revolving long take that whirls.

The complete lineups for the Directors' Fortnight and Critics' Week sidebars at Cannes have been announced.Directors' FORTNIGHTOpening Film: In the Shadow of Women (Philippe Garrel)A Perfect Day (Fernando León de Aranoa)Beyond My Grandfather Allende (Marcia Tumbutti)Arabian Nights (Miguel Gomes)Les Cowboys (Thomas Bidegain)Embrace the Serpent (Ciro Guerra)Fatima (Philippe Faucon)Green Room (Jeremy Saulnier)Much Loved (Nabil Ayouch)Mustang (Deniz Gamze Ergüven)Peace to Us in Our Dreams (Sharunas Bartas)Songs My Brothers Taught Me (Chloé Zhao)The Here After (Magnus von Horn)The Brand New Testament (Jaco Van Dormael)My Golden Days (Arnaud Despleschin)Special Screening: Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War of the Underworld (Takashi Miike)Closing Film: Dope (Rick Famuyiwa)Shorts:Blue Thunder (Jean-Marc E. Roy & Philippe David Gagné)Calme ta joie (Emmanuel Laskar)The Broken Past (Martín Morgenfeld & Sebastián Schjaer)Kung Fury (David Sandberg[/link])Pitchoune (Reda Kateb)Trials, Exorcisms (Susana Nobre)Pueblo...

Lead by Charles Tesson, the Cannes Critics’ Week programming team (the competition section that specializes in feature film work from 1st, and 2nd time filmmakers) have revealed the make-up of the 54th edition and it’ll be Elie Wajeman‘s sophomore film Les Anarchistes (our #63 pick in our most anticipated foreign films for 2015) that will open the section. Wajeman who makes his second trip to Cannes (he premiered Aliyah at the Directors’ Fortnight in 2012) collected Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Color) and Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) for a set in 1899 Paris, France tale about how a poor and orphaned person’s choice to infiltrate a group of anarchists.

Joining his father on the Croisette and in the directing side of things, Louis Garrel gets a special screening status for Les Deux Amis – which stars the actor alongside Vincent Macaigne and About Elly starlet Golshifteh Farahani.

Of the seven selected...

Read More: Cannes Names 2015 Critics' Week Jury President  The 2015 Cannes Film Festival has announced its lineup for this year's Critics' Week. Elie Wajeman's "The Anarchists," about a group of rebel youths in Paris and the man who is supposed to infiltrate them, world premieres and opens this year's lineup. The closing film is "Learn By Hearth," in which a film extra is determined to win the heart of a mysterious salesgirl with plenty of secrets. This year's SXSW Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner "Krisha," from first-time director Trey Edward Shults, is also featured in the competition. Of the 11 feature films selected, nine are first features while two are second. Seven of those are in competition with four being special screenings. There are also 10 short and medium length films in competition. The full lineup is below. Critics' Week is May 14-22.  Feature Films In Special SCREENINGSOpening Film: "The Anarchists (Les.

“Krisha”

Shortly after last week’s announcement of the In Competition and Un Certain Regard lineups, the 2015 Cannes Film Festival has unveiled one of their sidebar attractions, the Critics Week Lineup of screenings.

The lineup is headlined by a film starring Adele Exarchopolous (Blue is the Warmest Color) called The Anarchists, which will be the opening night movie, is directed by Elie Wajeman and also stars Tahar Rahim (A Prophet, The Past).

Found in competition is a Canadian director, Andrew Cividino, with his film Sleeping Giant, as well as a film that won the Grand Jury Award at SXSW 2015, Krisha, from director Trey Edward Shults. Critics Week runs from May 14 to May 22. Take a look at the full lineup below via Deadline.

The Anarchists, Elie Wajeman (opening film)

La Vie en Grand, Mathieu Vadepied (closing film)

Les Deux Amis, dir: Louis Garrell (special screening)

In Competition

Dégraded, dir: Arab and Tarzan Abunasser

Krisha,...

The Critics’ Week program at next month’s Cannes Film Festival announced its competition lineup and special screenings on Monday. Elie Wajeman’s “The Anarchist” will open the program on May 14, and Mathieu Vadepied’s “Learn by Heart” will close it on May 22. Other special screenings include South Korean film “Coin Locker Girl,” directed by Jun-hee, and another French selection, Louis Garrel’s “Les Deux Amis.” Trey Edward Shults’ SXSW grand jury prize winner “Krisha” will make its international premiere in competition during Critics’ Week, a program independent of the Cannes Film Festival and selected by artistic director Charles Tesson.

Elie Wajeman’s The Anarchists, starring Palme d’Or winner Adele Exarchopoulos and Cesar winner Tahar Rahim, to open Critics’ Week

Scroll down for full list

Cannes Critics’ Week, devoted to first and second features, has unveiled the line-up for its 54th edition (May 14-22).

In total, 1,750 shorts and 1,000 features were submitted for consideration.

Artistic director Charles Tesson said this year’s poster - showing actress Lou de Laâge, seemingly embracing the air on a beach - captured the spirit of the parallel section.

“On the poster the actress Lou de Laâge embraces the open horizon in front of her,” he said. “This wonderful energy and amazing life force it carries embody the desire leading us to discover the new breath of fresh air in cinema worldwide.”

The section will open with French Elie Wajeman’s second film The Anarchists (Les Anarchistes) set in Paris in 1899, starring the reportedly sizzling on-screen couple of Tahar Rahim and Adèle Exarchopoulos...

The 54th edition of Critics' Week, La Semaine de la Critique, will open with Elie Wajeman's The Anarchists, with Adèle Exarchopoulos and Tahar Rahim, and close with Mathieu Vadepied's feature debut, a comedy, Learn by Heart. There'll be a special screening of Louis Garrel's debut feature, Les Deux Amis, plus: Augusto Cesar Acevedo's Land and Shade, Jonas Carpignano's Mediterranea, Andrew Cividino's Sleeping Giant, Clément Cogitore's The Wakhan Front, Santiago Mitre's Paulina, Arab Nasser and Tarzan Nasser's Dégradé, Trey Edward Shults's Krisha and ten shorts. » - David Hudson...

The 54th edition of Critics' Week, La Semaine de la Critique, will open with Elie Wajeman's The Anarchists, with Adèle Exarchopoulos and Tahar Rahim, and close with Mathieu Vadepied's feature debut, a comedy, Learn by Heart. There'll be a special screening of Louis Garrel's debut feature, Les Deux Amis, plus: Augusto Cesar Acevedo's Land and Shade, Jonas Carpignano's Mediterranea, Andrew Cividino's Sleeping Giant, Clément Cogitore's The Wakhan Front, Santiago Mitre's Paulina, Arab Nasser and Tarzan Nasser's Dégradé, Trey Edward Shults's Krisha and ten shorts. » - David Hudson...

Trey Edward Shults, whose film Krisha won the Special Jury and Audience awards for feature film at SXSW this month, has signed with Wme. Adapted from Shults’ 2014 short film of the same name, Krisha follows an alcoholic woman struggling to reconnect with her family after years of distance. It is Shult’s first feature. Made on a tiny budget raised primarily through Kickstarter, it’s a family affair, with his aunt, actress Krisha Fairchild, in the title role, with his…...

"Krisha," the film that made its presence known at last week's SXSW festival awards, also made an impression on critics. As we usually do at the close of major film festivals, we asked the members of our Criticwire Network who made it to SXSW 2015 to give us their favorite films and performances from their trip to Austin. See The Results: SXSW Film Festival 2015 Critics Poll  Trey Edward Shults' tale of a woman ingratiating herself with her estranged family finished in the top three in five different categories, including top marks for Best First Feature and Krisha Fairchild's Lead Performance. The other two films that appeared on a significant number of ballots come from the sci-fi ranks: Alex Garland's artificial intelligence drama "Ex Machina," making its North American premiere, and Benjamin Dickinson's "Creative Control," a thriller that's "at once otherwordly and familiar," according to Eric...

This disarming discomfort of this character study is not only escalated by Brian McOmber's alarmingly dissonant and discordant score (which brilliantly echoes the unraveling unease of Krisha's mental state), but also by Shults' bravely personal approach to the story. Loosely based upon his own family’s history, Shults casts himself, his mother, aunt and others to play fictionalized versions of themselves, thus intensifying the extreme naturalism of the scenarios.

Read More: The 2015 Indiewire SXSW BibleKrisha Fairchild, "Krisha" (Actor)Actress Krisha Fairchild returned to SXSW after attending the festival last year in support of a project by the same name, only this time she emerged as one of the biggest breakthroughs of the event. Fairchild impressed in last year's short, written and directed by her nephew Trey Edward Shults, which went on to win a cinematography award. But in its feature-length form, Fairchild got to show her full range embodying the titular troubled mother and astonished all who saw her in Shults' feature debut. In "Krisha" (the story is not based on her own life, despite its title), Fairchild plays a drug and alcohol abuser who reunites with her family for a holiday gathering after years of absence. She relapses when the stress of the situation brings back her demons. Unlike most of her co-stars in "Krisha," Fairchild's been a...

SXSW is over, and while our team is off sending their clothes to the dry cleaners to figure out how to get out stains from five different barbecue sauces, organizers in Austin have one more thing left to announce. Following the Jury awards last week, they've unveiled the Audience Awards, and there are a couple of notable crossover winners. Trey Edward Shults' drama "Krisha," (our review) and Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber's documentary "Peace Officer" (our review) repeated their victories in the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature slots. Meanwhile, audiences gave their approval to the Sally Field starring "Hello, My Name is Doris" and Todd Rohal's oddball sequel "Uncle Kent 2.""Turbo Kid" is also continuing to pick up buzz following its Sundance premiere with a win here. Check out the full list of winners below. Narrative Feature Competition Audience Award Winner: Krisha Director: Trey Edward...

"Krisha," the micro-budget drama that premiered last week at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival and won both the Grand Jury prize and the Audience Award for narrative feature, is not only about a family unraveling over the course of a tumultuous holiday. Its production was also a full-blown family affair. Read More: SXSW Review: 'Krisha' is an Extraordinary Portrait of Addiction and Family Strife Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Trey Edward Shults, who also plays a minor role in the film, "Krisha" stars his aunt -- actress Krisha Fairchild -- as the titular drug and alcohol addicted black sheep of her family. Shults' own mother Robyn Fairchild (who's not an actress, but works as therapist) co-stars as Krisha's exasperated sister. Even Shults' 90-year-old grandmother has a pivotal role as the clan's grandmother. When Indiewire put the request out to interview someone from the project shortly following its SXSW Grand.

The winners of South By Southwest festival's Audience Awards have been revealed.

A total of 13 projects were announced as winners in categories such as Narrative Feature Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Headliners and Narrative Spotlight.

The Hollywood Reporter states that Krisha by Trey Edward Shults won Narrative Feature Competition, while Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber's Peace Officer was awarded Documentary Feature Competition.

Hello, My Name is Doris (Michael Showalter) took home the Headliners title, as Josh Lawson's The Little Death won Narrative Spotlight.

Documentary Spotlight went to A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story directed by Sara Hirsh Bordo, and Uncle Kent 2 by Todd Rohal was awarded the Visions category.

Turbo Kid directed by Rkss Collective was awarded Midnighters, while Episodic went to director Niels Arden Oplev and Mr Robot.

The 24 Beats Per Second category went to Graham Townsley's Landfill Harmonic, as Kings of Nowhere took home the SXGlobal award.

This year’s festival saw over 150 features screened, including 102 world premieres and 14 North American premieres.

SXSW has unveiled the winners of this year’s Audience Awards.

Trey Edward Shults’ Krisha and Scott Christopherson & Brad Barber’s Peace Officer repeated their Jury Award wins in Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature, respectively, while Rkss Collective’s Turbo Kid (Midnighters) and Joshua Oppenheimer The Look of Silence (Festival Favourites) took the Audience Award in their categories.

Other winners included Josh Lawson’s The Little Death in Narrative Spotlight, Michael Showalter’s Hello, My Name is Doris in Headliners and Todd Rohal’s Uncle Kent 2 in Visions.

All Audience Award results were certified by the accounting firm of Maxwell Locke & Ritter.

This year’s SXSW screened over 150 features, consisting of 102 world premieres, 14 North American premieres and 11 Us premieres. 106 shorts screened as part of ten curated shorts programmes.

Full list of Audience Award winners

Narrative Feature Competition - Krisha, Director: [link=nm...

To cap off the last day of the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, the event announced its Audience Awards winners today. Both Trey Edward Shults' family drama "Krisha" and Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber's hard-hitting documentary "Peace Officer" repeated their Tuesday juried wins, taking home the respective Audience Award prizes. Also among today's winners were the Sally Field-starrer "Hello, My Name is Doris," which won in the headliners category, and Todd Rohal's comedy "Uncle Kent 2," in the visions section. Read More: SXSW: Complete List of 2015 Film Awards Winners Here’s the complete list of Audience Awards winners: Narrative Feature Competition Audience Award Winner: Krisha Director: Trey Edward Shults Documentary Feature Competition Audience Award Winner: Peace Officer Directors: Scott Christopherson, Brad Barber Headliners Audience Award Winner: Hello, My Name is Doris Director: Michael Showalter Narrative...

With the film festival portion of SXSW 2015 ending today, the organization has unveiled the Audience Award winners, and unsurprisingly, the choices line up pretty squarely with the Jury Award winners revealed earlier this week. Trey Edward Shults’ Krisha, about a recovering alcoholic reconnecting with her family, took the award for Narrative Feature, repeating its Jury win. Likewise, Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber’s Peace Officer, a look at how U.S. police forces…...

The SXSW Film Festival has announced its 2015 Audience Award winners are narrative feature “Krisha” and documentary feature “Peace Officer” — both of which also won Jury Awards. Over the course of nine days, SXSW screened over 150 features and 106 short films. The full list of winners is below. Narrative Feature Competition Audience Award Winner: Krisha Director: Trey Edward Shults Documentary Feature Competition Audience Award Winner: Peace Officer Directors: Scott Christopherson, Brad Barber Headliners Audience Award Winner: Hello, My Name is Doris Director: Michael Showalter Narrative Spotlight Audience Award Winner: The Little Death Director: Josh Lawson Documentary Spotlight Audience Award Winner: A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story...

South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival unveiled the Audience Award winners on Saturday. Read More Watch SXSW Music Fans Proclaim Their Love for Fake Bands on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' (Video) The following winning categories were announced: Narrative Feature Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Headliners, Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, Visions, Midnighters, Episodic, 24 Beats Per Second, SXGlobal, Festival Favorites and Design Award categories. See the complete list of 2015 SXSW Film Festival Audience Award Winners: Narrative Feature Competition Audience Award Winner: Krisha Director: Trey Edward Shults Documentary Feature Competition Audience Award Winner: Peace Officer Directors: Scott Christopherson, Brad Barber Headliners Audience

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Krisha is why we go to film festivals.

In a world full of great films that are very much alike -- even indie movies at festivals -- Krisha rises above the been-there-seen-that noise with a truly unique style and vision. Trey Edward Shults' odd but arresting drama is a thoroughly original twist on a well-worn genre, the family holiday film.

Krisha rose far enough above the noise at this year's SXSW Film Festival to take home the Narrative Feature Competition Grand Jury Award. Those who had the foresight and good sense to attend the film's world premiere at SXSW (which did not sell out, but should have) know it certainly deserves the honor.

Based on Shults' short film of the same title, which won the Narrative Short Special Jury Award at SXSW 2014, Krisha is a story many of us know too well. The film's titular character arrives at a...

Take that moment of hesitation when you hear that writer/director Trey Shults’ past three high-profile gigs were under Terrence Malick and what that might mean aesthetically for his first feature “Krisha”, and toss them out immediately. A few waist-level Steadicam shots do in fact track animals at play and family members in silent thought during a lousy Thanksgiving, but consider the unblinking lead performance from Krisha Fairchild, Shults’ strongly personal assembly of family starting with Krisha and ending with himself, and a thread of pressure-cooker humor and tension, and you get “Krisha”, a stunner of a directorial debut. Consistently staying one half-step off a comfortable register, Shults places the audience in the mind of a truly unwell individual from frame one. Krisha pulls up to a row of Texas mini-mansions in a blue truck with a suitcase and dog in tow. Shuffling, mumbling to herself and sporting a mess of shock-white hair,...

The South by Southwest Film Festival wrapped Tuesday night in Austin, though screenings are continuing throughout the week as SXSW music gets under way. Jury members Kyle Buchanan, Wesley Morris and Krista Smith handed the Grand Jury narrative prize to Trey Edward Shults' addiction drama "Krisha," shot in nine days with members of his family in the cast. But the jury members were torn about which film to give top kudos, and thus awarded Benjamin Dickinson's inventive sci-fi "Creative Control"—a delicious sophomore feature destined to have a life after the fest—a Special Jury Recognition for Visual Excellence. Distributors should be paying serious attention to this sizzling title that is among the best SXSW films of the year by miles. Rumors abound that one of these films (Indiewire projects "Creative Control") may end up at May's Cannes Film Festival, whose director Thierry Fremaux was trawling the Austin lineup for potential candidates.

Krisha, Trey Edward Shults’ drama of an older alcoholic woman attempting to reconcile with her family one holiday weekend, won the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize last night at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival. At an awards ceremony at the Paramount Theater hosted by Trainwreck co-star Vanessa Beyer, the Documentary Grand Jury Prize went to Peace Officer, Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber’s expose of militarized police. Special Jury Prizes were given to two films. Benjamin Dickinson’s dramatic feature Creative Control — a social satire set in New York’s advertising world of the near future — was cited for “Visual Excellence.” […]...

Krisha, Trey Edward Shults’ drama of an older alcoholic woman attempting to reconcile with her family one holiday weekend, won the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize last night at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival. At an awards ceremony at the Paramount Theater hosted by Trainwreck co-star Vanessa Beyer, the Documentary Grand Jury Prize went to Peace Officer, Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber’s expose of militarized police. Special Jury Prizes were given to two films. Benjamin Dickinson’s dramatic feature Creative Control — a social satire set in New York’s advertising world of the near future — was cited for “Visual Excellence.” […]...

The winners of this year’s jury and special awards were revealed tonight [March 17] at the ceremony hosted by Vanessa Bayer.

SXSW has announced the winners of this year’s Jury and Special Awards.

Trey Edward Shults’ Krisha, expanded from his award-winning short of the same name, was named the Grand Jury winner of the Narrative Feature Competition, with Special Jury Recognition for Visual Excellence going to Creative Control director Benjamin Dickinson.

Grand Jury winner of the Documentary Feature Competition went to Scott Christopherson & Brad Barber’s Peace Officer, with Special Jury Recognition for Directing going to A Woman Like Me directors Alex Sichel and Elizabeth Giamatti.

Twinsters directors Samantha Futerman and Ryan Miyamoto were awarded Special Jury Recognition for Editing.

Kyle Buchanan, Wesley Morris and Krista Smith made up the Narrative Feature Competition jury, while the Documentary Feature Competition jury consisted of Tabitha Jackson, Jason Spingarn-Koff and Alison Willmore.

Short Film Jury Awards went to the likes...

Though SXSW will carry on screening films through Saturday, the awards were presented tonight. Trey Edward Shults's Krisha wins the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award, while Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber's Peace Officer takes the Documentary Feature Grand Jury Award. Among the other winners: Benjamin Dickinson's Creative Control, editor Jeff Consiglio for Samantha Futerman and Ryan Miyamoto's Twinsters, Alex Sichel and Elizabeth Giamatti for A Woman Like Me, Yvonne Kerékgyártó's Free Entry and Bill Ross and Turner Ross for Western. » - David Hudson...

Though SXSW will carry on screening films through Saturday, the awards were presented tonight. Trey Edward Shults's Krisha wins the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award, while Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber's Peace Officer takes the Documentary Feature Grand Jury Award. Among the other winners: Benjamin Dickinson's Creative Control, editor Jeff Consiglio for Samantha Futerman and Ryan Miyamoto's Twinsters, Alex Sichel and Elizabeth Giamatti for A Woman Like Me, Yvonne Kerékgyártó's Free Entry and Bill Ross and Turner Ross for Western. » - David Hudson...

Though SXSW will carry on screening films through Saturday, the awards were presented tonight. Trey Edward Shults's Krisha wins the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award, while Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber's Peace Officer takes the Documentary Feature Grand Jury Award. Among the other winners: Benjamin Dickinson's Creative Control, editor Jeff Consiglio for Samantha Futerman and Ryan Miyamoto's Twinsters, Alex Sichel and Elizabeth Giamatti for A Woman Like Me, Yvonne Kerékgyártó's Free Entry and Bill Ross and Turner Ross for Western. » - David Hudson...

Though SXSW will carry on screening films through Saturday, the awards were presented tonight. Trey Edward Shults's Krisha wins the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Award, while Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber's Peace Officer takes the Documentary Feature Grand Jury Award. Among the other winners: Benjamin Dickinson's Creative Control, editor Jeff Consiglio for Samantha Futerman and Ryan Miyamoto's Twinsters, Alex Sichel and Elizabeth Giamatti for A Woman Like Me, Yvonne Kerékgyártó's Free Entry and Bill Ross and Turner Ross for Western. » - David Hudson...

SXSW announced its 2015 Film Festival Jury and Special Awards winners on Tuesday, with top feature prizes going to Trey Edward Shults’ narrative “Krisha,” and Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber’s documentary “Peace Officer.” In a ceremony held at Austin’s famed Paramount Theater, “Saturday Night Live” cast member and “Trainwreck” co-star Vanessa Bayer doled out honors. “Krisha” follows a woman returning home for Thanksgiving after a 10 year absence. Her good intentions sour, transforming the movie into a “war film” by dinner’s end. “Peace Officer” tracks the real-life policeman who established his rural state’s first Swat team only to see it kill his son-in-law.

Four days after SXSW kicked off amid controversy over Russell Brand skipping out on the premiere of the new documentary about him, we have the film festival’s Jury Award winners. Trey Edward Shults’ Krisha, about an alcoholic woman who tries to reconnect with her family at a holiday gathering after a long absence, won the Grand Jury Prize for narrative feature tonight at the Paramount Theatre awards ceremony. Saturday Night Live's Vanessa Bayer hosted the trophy show…...

Trey Edward Shults' feature directorial debut "Krisha," and Benjamin Dickinson's urban sci-fi drama "Creative Control," received top honors at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival awards ceremony, along with Scott Christopherson and Brad Barber's "Peace Officer," a documentary that confronts some of the most difficult issues and questions facing law enforcement, through the eyes of one of its own. Read More: 'Krisha' is an Extraordinary Portrait of Addiction and Family Strife Other notable winners included Don Hertzfeldt's animated short, "World of Tomorrow," and the Ross Brothers' documentary, "Western." The latter will next screen as part of the New Directors/New Films Festival, which kicks off tomorrow in New York City. Scroll down for the complete list of winners. Feature Film Jury Awards Narrative Feature Competition Grand Jury Winner: "Krisha" Director: Trey Edward Shults Special Jury Recognition for Visual...

More than once in writer-director Trey Edward Shults' grimly fascinating drama "Krisha," the camera slowly closes on the title character's troubled face. With her wizened features, sunken eyes and unkept white hair, Krisha (Krisha Fairchild, the filmmaker's aunt) wears the beaten down look of a woman baffled by a world that has slipped beyond her grasp. Shults' dizzying filmmaking technique compliments that distant gaze, as he chronicles the alcoholic woman's attempt to convince her estranged relatives that she has managed to stabilize her life over the course of a Thanksgiving dinner that careens into chaos. It's no surprise that things don't go as planned, but "Krisha" derives an extraordinary sense of mystery around the nature of the character's problems — and whether she indeed possesses the ability to control them. Read More: The 2015 Indiewire SXSW Bible Based on 2014 short film, Shults' feature-length debut was shot in nine days and the cast mainly.

After years of absence, Krisha reunites with her family for a holiday gathering. She sees it as an opportunity to fix her past mistakes, cook the family turkey, and prove to her loved ones that she has changed for the better. Only, Krisha’s delirium takes her family on a dizzying holiday that no one will forget [synopsis courtesy of SXSW]. Trey Shults shares details about the making of his new film "Kirsha," based off his short film that was awarded Special Jury Recognition at SXSW 2014. What's your film about in 140 characters or less? A woman returns to her family after years of absence, and the only things that stand in her way are her family, dogs, and turkey. In actuality, the only thing standing in her way is her self. Now what's it Really about? Family, love, hate, addiction, motherhood, confronting demons -- It’s about someone who is at war with their...

Krisha is a passion project by Austin director Trey Shults set during a fraught family Thanksgiving dinner. The intimate film was shot in his parents' house and stars members of his family, with his aunt Krisha Fairchild playing the lead. Shults based the feature -- premiering at SXSW 2015 -- on his short that played last year at the fest and won a Special Jury Award.

Some familiar faces with Texas ties also participated in the film: Chris Doubek and Alex Dobrenko, along with actress/director Augustine Frizzell (see my interview with her from last year).

Shults answered a few questions I had about the making of Krisha via email interview.

Slackerwood: What was the process like to adapt your short film into this feature?

Trey Shults: We got the ball rolling on the feature pretty soon after the short played SXSW last year. The short seemed to be well...

Amy Schumer and Bill Hader in TrainwreckPhoto: Universal Pictures With Sundance just wrapping up and Berlin starting up in a few days, we are now immersed in the year-long barrage of film festivals. One such festival in South By Southwest. A few weeks back they announced the first seven films of their program, including the opening night film Brand: A Second Coming. Today, they have revealed the rest of the features to be shown in March (except for the midnight program), and some of it has me very excited. The bigger titles announced do not do much for me. Paul Feig's Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, and the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart starrer Get Hard leave a lot to be desired in terms of anticipation, as does a work in progress cut of Judd Apatow's latest film Trainwreck. I'm guessing an Apatow work in progress is probably around three and a half hours.

With Sundance in the rear view mirror and Berlin just around the corner, another huge festival that’s now very much in mind is the 2015 South By Southwest Film Festival (SXSW 2015), to be held in Austin, Texas, this March. And this year, the lineup looks no less eclectic than in any previous year for the festival.

SXSW 2015 will see the debut of two big-studio comedies (Paul Feig’s Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy; and Etan Cohen’s Get Hard, starring Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart), some red-hot documentaries (none more so than Alex Gibney’s Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine) and a vast array of smaller indie titles. Intriguingly, Judd Apatow’s Amy Schumer vehicle Trainwreck will be screened as a work-in-progress.

Elsewhere, Alex Garland’s well-received Ex Machina will be making an appearance, as will Ryan Gosling’s much-maligned Lost River. And curiously, there will be a...