Gone South (by Southwest)
What do a class of sweet-faced fourth graders and a bunch of gritty parking lot attendants have in common? Well, to start, each is the subject of a Charlottesville film that will premiere at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin in March. But those shared accomplishments aren't their only commonality; both films find philosophers in unexpected places. And the director of one of the films, World Peace and other Fourth Grade Achievements, also happens to be a star of the other, The Parking Lot Movie.
A longtime filmmaker whose friends describe him as either "the nicest guy ever" or "so nice it's not even funny," Chris Farina says his head is spinning over the success of both films.
"The fact that we've gone to a national stage is really wonderful," he says with his nearly ever-present grin, noting that without festival exposure, independent films have little chance of finding distribution and reaching broader audiences.
"It's really impressive," says Barry Sisson, producer of the indie smash hit The Station Agent, adding he was "shocked" to hear that two Charlottesville films had been accepted into South By Southwest, "an up-and-coming, respectable festival that's hard to get into."
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