Steven Abrams is a writer living in Austin, Texas.
Fawzia Mirza makes our 10 Filmmakers to Watch list for 2017 with her film Signature Move, a feature that she co-wrote, produced, and stars in, which premiered at SXSW. The film tells the story of a Muslim lesbian in a new relationship, her Lucha-style wrestling, and the pressures of her conservative live-in mother. It is a romantic comedy.
Veteran SXSW-goer Steven Abrams takes in what has become a monolithic, all-things cultural experience. Here he offers the film highlights from 2016, including documentaries about silence, disabilities, and going from YouTuber to star.
Last year Steven Abrams said that women “brought the substance” to SXSW. This year, in keynotes and panels, they continued to call for equality and change, citing independent storytelling as fertile ground for that change.
Garrett Zevgetis makes our 10 to watch list with his documentary, Best and Most Beautiful Things, a portrait of a young woman’s journey to assert her identity and find her purpose outside of her disability. The film premiered at this year’s South by Southwest.
The Independent seeks out the collaborators, mentors, colleagues, and friends of our 10 to Watch filmmakers in order to hear more about how they inspire others working in independent film. Steven Abrams talks with Eden Brolin and Danielle Brooks about what they learned from working with 10 to Watch’s Katie Cokinos.
Katie Cokinos returns to Austin, the scene of her ad-hoc film school in the red hot ’90s, for the world premiere of her directorial debut, I Dream Too Much, which puts her on our 10 to Watch for 2015. The Independent’s Steven Abrams caught up with her at SXSW to talk about the transition from script to screen and how in film, too, directors must kill their darlings.
From two boxing documentaries to the viewpoints of Afghan photojournalists, much of the buzz during this year’s SXSW surrounded films by or about women. Steven Abrams offers up his observations of this festival, growing each year in every direction, as it struggles to keep the margins front and center.
With more than 240 offerings, even seasoned SXSW attendees like Steven Abrams can feel overwhelmed. Abrams took a step back and gleaned the best nuggets from the film panels so that those of us who couldn’t attend can get a sense of what’s what.
A reality TV dating show might be the last place you would think to explore the societal pressures women face,…