SXSW 2022 - Roommates, Dear Mama..., and The Prank

Send us Fan MailIt's our 5th and final day of the SXSW Film Festival coverage, and we're ending it with 3 narrative films that we really loved!Roommates is a short film that follows 2 college roommates who were paired together because they're disabled, as things get personal and the vodka starts flowing. We were joined by writer/director Ashley Eakin and the film's stars Kelsey Johnson and Kiera Allen, who explain their bonding session in preparation for the film, the importance of representation for disabled people, and how Paul Feig became a producer on the project.In the short film Dear Mama..., the death of rapper Tupac Shakur ignites different reactions from a teenage girl and her father, which ultimately leads to them dealing with the tragedy and loss in their own family. Director Winter Dunn and actor Mykayla Lashae Bartholomew discuss the importance of talking about grief, the significance of having a cast and crew of 99% women of color, an old tech alert (this film is set in the 90s), and the cultural significance and impact of Tupac Shakur.The Prank is a feature length film about an overachiever high school student and his slacker friend who decide to play a prank on their high school teacher that ends up going further than they ever could have expected. We were joined by director Maureen Bahroocha and one of the film's stars, actor Ramona Young, who explain what the energy was like on set by having a cast of established actors (ie: Rita Moreno, Keith David, Kate Flannery, and Meredith Salinger) and fresh young faces (ie: Ramona and Connor Kalopsis). We discuss the many genres that this film covers, how the story touches on current topics such as the spread of fake news and journalistic integrity, and our collective disbelief that Rita Moreno is 90.BIG THANKS to our friends over at Lost Republic for sponsoring this year's coverage of the SXSW Festival, and for being The Official Whiskey of The Bitch Talk Podcast... visit them at LostRepub.com and find them at your local pub or bottle shop. You can follow director Ashley Eakin on IG & Twitter & FBYou can follow actor Kelsey Johnson on IG & FBYou can follow actor Kiera Allen on IG & Support the showThanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 , 2023 , and 2024 without you!--Fight fascism. Shop small. Use cash. Fuck ice.--Support Bitch Talk here!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and SubstackListen every Monday at 7 am on BFF.FM