Haley Elizabeth Anderson (top) and Max Walker-Silverman (AP, Seymour Magazine)
SXSW 2021 has come to a close, with alumni Haley Elizabeth Anderson and Max Walker-Silverman emerging victorious.
Anderson’s “Summer Animals” took home the Special Jury Prize in Texas Shorts. “Summer Animals, Haley Elizabeth Anderson’s short film entry for SXSW 2021, captivated us with its naturalistic style and layered approach to storytelling,” the festival said in a statement. “Ostensibly a story about three siblings and their quest to find a moment of relief — or a pool to cannonball into — during a particularly grueling summer, the film evolves into something else entirely, and is anchored by the cast’s stellar performances and Anderson’s clear-eyed direction.”
Walker-Silverman’s “Chuj Boys of Summer” became a Special Jury Award Winner, receiving the Mailchimp Support the Shorts Award. The festival gave a glowing review on behalf of the film: “With its gentle, observant eye, 'Chuj Boys of Summer' offers a vision of unexpected compassion and tender masculinity. Director Max Walker-Silverman and writer Marcos Ordoñez Ixwalanhkej Mendoza know too much about the world to provide convenient answers to the film’s complicated questions, so they instead focus on the little gestures that define their characters’ lives. Against the grandeur of the San Juan Mountains, these small moments become unspeakably powerful.” The short was Walker-Silverman’s Thesis film and was shot by fellow alum Alfonso Herrera Salcedo.
Find a full list of winners at SXSW.