Monkey Man

Source: SXSW

‘Monkey Man’

Dev Patel’s Monkey Man has won the SXSW Headliner audience award and Bob Trevino Likes It directed by Tracie Laymon has earned the Narrative Feature Competition Prize.

Patel has garnered strong reviews for his feature directing debut in which he stars as a Mumbai underground boxer out to avenge his mother’s death. Universal holds worldwide rights and will distribute in the US and UK on April 5.

Bob Trevino Likes It stars John Leguizamo and Barbie Ferreira ahs enjoyed a successful SXSW after it won the Narrative Feature Competition juried award announced last week.

It tells of a woman searching for her estranged father who strikes up a friendship with a grieving man who shares her father’s name. Myriad Pictures handles international sales and UTA Independent Film Group represents US rights.

In other key feature categories there was recognition for Alison Tavel’s Resynator in Documentary Feature Competition, Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’ My Dead Friend Zoe in Narrative Spotlight, David Altrogge’s Clemente in Documentary Spotlight, and Damian McCarthy’s Oddity in Midnighter.

Contessa Gayles won the Visions audience award for Songs From The Hole, Yoel Morales’ Bionico’s Bachata earned the Global award, while Faders Up: The John Aielli Experience by David Hartstein and Sam Wainwright Douglas took 24 Beats per Second honours, and Greg Kwedar’s Sing Sing won the Festival Favorite category.

Short film highlights saw Kailee McGee earn the Narrative Short Competition award for Can, and Frank by David Gauvey Herbert collect the Documentary Short Competition award.

The 31st edition of SXSW ran March 8-16 and presented 118 features including 91 world premieres.