Tracie Laymon poses for a photo outside the Paramount Theatre after winning the Narrative Feature Competition for her film “Bob Trevino Likes It” at the Film & TV Awards during SXSW 2024 in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Photos Kyle Heise/SZNS MAG)
The SXSW Film & TV Festival wrapped with an official awards ceremony at the Paramount Theatre in Austin last night.
“Bob Trevino Likes It” won for Narrative Feature Competition, with the award being accepted by Houston director and screenwriter Tracie Laymon. The film is a semi-autobiographical account of Laymon’s real-life experience, seen through the eyes of the fictional Lily Trevino, played by lead Barbie Ferreira. Trevino meets a stranger on Facebook named Bob Trevino, played by John Leguizamo, who shares the name of her estranged father. In her award acceptance, Laymon thanked the cast and crew and emphasized how important her real experience with Bob was.
“We wouldn’t be here without Facebook Bob and his small acts of kindness,” Laymon said. “He isn’t here, but I told his widow, ‘I never told him what he meant to me, so I have to tell everybody.’”
Laymon also said that she first stepped onto the Paramount Theatre stage 20 years ago for SXSW, as she was recognized for her work in shorts and music videos. This was her first feature film, which premiered at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on South Lamar on March 12.
The Special Jury Awards for Performance and Filmmaking were given to “Mamifera” and “We Were Dangerous,” respectively. The story of a couple’s unexpected journey with pregnancy, “Mamifera” was described by the jury as “detailed, unflinching, and unquestionably palpable.” The film premiered at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on South Lamar on March 8.
“We Were Dangerous” tells the story of two New Zealand girls in 1954 who are kept in a Christian reform facility on a remote island. The jury described the film as “a spirited and affecting tale of female rebellion.” The film premiered at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on South Lamar on March 11.
“Jedo’s Dead” won the Texas Shorts Competition and the award was accepted by Dallas-based director and screenwriter Sara Nimeh. “Jedo’s Dead” follows two young children as they find their beloved grandfather who died peacefully in his bed. Nimeh thanked her producers and the SXSW programmers, jury and volunteers, and described the personal meaningfulness of filmmaking.
“I, as a child, really struggled to learn how to read and write,” Nimeh said. “My parents speak primarily Arabic, so learning language was difficult. But when I found my mother’s video camera, it was like I was able to communicate.” The film premiered in the Rollins Theatre at The Long Center on March 8.
“Hair Care” won the Texas Shorts Competition Special Jury Award and follows the story of Jamila, an Ivorian-American woman, and her trip to a local salon, where she enters into an otherworldly, animated version of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire.
“We went out of our way to work with as many Black filmmakers and as many diasporic African filmmakers here in Austin,” said director Fatima Wardy. “The thing I’m most proud of is this film has a legacy now because of us working together.” The film premiered in the Rollins Theatre at The Long Center on March 8.
“Preconceived” earned the Best of Texas Award for documenting the journey of two women in need of terminating their unplanned pregnancies. Maleeha lives in Texas, Maria in Colorado, and both are put through a slew of anti-abortion messaging and efforts at the hands of crisis pregnancy centers. Accepting the award was Kate Dumke, who co-directed the documentary with Sabrine Keane.
“I was told I wasn’t in competition, so this is a very big surprise,” Dumke jokingly said. “We’re so happy to tell a Texas story in this very important time for reproductive healthcare.” The film premiered at the ZACH Theatre on March 9.
“Wander to Wonder” won the Animated Shorts Competition, with Dutch director Nina Gantz accepting the award. The film follows Mary, Billybud and Fumbleton, the animated stars of the fictional television program “Wander to Wonder,” after the show’s creator dies. Gantz thanked her husband Terence Dunn, who composed the film, and joked about all she’s learned from Texas in her time here.
“I found out what grits is,” Gantz said, to audience laughter. “I found out honky tonk — and I know that it’s not line dancing.”
Gantz finished by thanking all the filmmakers, audience members and SXSW programmers. The film premiered in the Rollins Theatre at The Long Center on March 9.
Winning the Animated Shorts Competition Special Jury Award was “Bug Diner,” an eccentric stop-motion comedy about a diner that serves animal and insect customers. The award was accepted by director, producer and screenwriter Phoebe Jane Hart, who also served many other roles in the production. The film premiered in the Rollins Theatre at The Long Center on March 9.
The Documentary Feature Competition winner was “Grand Theft Hamlet,” a full “Hamlet” production made within the chaotic virtual world of “Grand Theft Auto Online.” Husband-and-wife-team Pinny Gryllis and Sam Crane, the film’s directors and “Hamlet” performers, accepted the award with their crew onstage, thanking their team and family for supporting their work. The film premiered at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on South Lamar on March 13.
The awards celebration continued with an afterparty at the ZACH Theater, open to Premium and Film & TV pass holders only.
2024 SXSW Film & TV Award Winners
- Feature Film Grand Jury Awards: Narrative Feature Competition: Bob Trevino Likes It
- Feature Film Grand Jury Awards: Special Jury Award for Performance: Mamifera
- Feature Film Grand Jury Awards: Special Jury Award for Filmmaking: We Were Dangerous
- Documentary Feature Competition: Winner: Grand Theft Hamlet
- Documentary Feature Competition: Special Jury Award for Bravery and Empathy: We Can Be Heroes
- Short Film Competition Grand Jury Awards: Narrative Short Competition: Dissolution
- Short Film Competition Grand Jury Awards: Special Jury Award: Trapped
- Documentary Short Competition: Winner: Remember, Broken Crayons Colour Too
- Documentary Short Competition: Special Jury Award: Frank
- Midnight Shorts Competition: Winner: Transylvanie
- Midnight Shorts Competition: Special Jury Award: Meat Puppet
- Animated Shorts Competition: Winner: Wander to Wonder
- Animated Shorts Competition: Special Jury Award: Bug Diner
- Music Video Competition: Winner: Célen – Mom told you so
- Music Video Competition: Special Jury Award for Technical Wizardry: The Burning Hell – All I Need
- Texas Shorts Competition: Winner: Jedo’s Dead
- Texas Shorts Competition: Special Jury Award: Hair Care
- Independent TV Pilot Competition: Winner: Marvin Is Sorry
- Independent TV Pilot Competition: Special Jury Award: Halfrican American
- Poster Design Competition: Winner: 7 Beats Per Minute
- Poster Design Competition: Special Jury Award: If I Die in America
- XR Experience Competition: Winner: The Golden Key
- XR Experience Competition: Special Jury Award: Soul Paint
- SXSW Special Awards: Janet Pierson Champion Award: Kara Durrett
- SXSW Special Awards: Kickstarter NextGen Award: Family
- SXSW Special Awards: SXSW Best of Texas Award: Preconceived
FULL GALLERY: The Film & TV Awards at the Paramount Theatre during SXSW 2024 in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Photos by Kyle Heise/SZNS MAG)
SZNS MAG 