LOVE FEST

WITH THE PREMIERE OF SONG TO SONG AT SXSW, THE GREAT AUSTIN DIRECTOR TERRENCE MALIC TAKES ON ROMANCE AND ROCK ‘N’ ROLL.

For a few years starting in 2010, Austin’s most enigmatic filmmaker ventured out into the most public of places: the city’s music festivals. Fest-goers might not have known the man with the hat tied under his chin was Terrence Malick, but they recognized the actors he followed-—including Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, and Michael Fassbender-— through the crowds at South by Southwest, ACL, and Fun Fun Fun. The filming was for an untitled project that remained a mystery until earlier this year, when it was revealed that Song to Song, also starring Natalie Portman and music legends like Patti Smith and Iggy Pop, will have its world premiere March 10 on SXSW’s opening night and then open wide March 17. Two of his longtime producers, Austin’s Sarah Green and Nicolas Gonda, share a taste of what to expect. GONDA: “It’s a modern love story set against the Austin music scene that involves two entangled couples, but there’s much more than that... Throw Terrence Malick in the middle of ACL, and you’re going to see a lot of things the average person wouldn’t in terms of symbolism and imagery.”

GREEN: “SXSW is just the right festival for this movie because it’s such a music-driven festival and so Austin related. There’s a wealth of Texas folk in the movie, both musicians and actors.”

GONDA: “In Song to Song there’s yet another verse in this language of cinema that Malick is helping to write.”

For the complete interview, go to austinway.com