Ok, You Won Me Over, SXSW! (All Because of SWEETHEARTS OF THE PRISON RODEO)

Despite running into the guy I dig wth his no longer ex-girlfriend, I managed to have a good night tonight. I actually enjoyed you, SXSW! Did you hear that? My one and only film I will see at the festival was SWEETHEARTS OF THE PRISON RODEO...and I'm ok with that because this movie is amazing. I'm lucky enough now to be working for the team that was a part of the making of this movie.

It's the sort of film that makes you want to go out and change the world after viewing it. In short, the film is the true story of the women who participate in the Oklahoma Prison Rodeo. We follow four women as they tell us their stories and their hopes, fears, aspirations, and dedication to the rodeo. As we learn, the rodeo is solace for these women. It gives them something to look forward to and will be the only time they see outside the prison walls. This film gives a face to the countless women behind bars (sadly, most of the women are serving long terms for drug related charges). The ones we forget about, the ones we don't care about, the ones we feel deserve to be there. This is a story about the human spirit and how everyone deserves to have it pumped with life. I write terrible reviews. Just go see the movie if you can.

After work, I headed over to South Congress where American Apparel held a secret show up on the roof. The L.A. bands, War Tapes and Jesus Makes a Shotgun Sound, performed. Both were decent though I have to say the latter's band name sucks ass. War Tapes was good, but nothing new. They had a nice L.A. sound a la The Bravery or The National. Jesus Makes a Shotgun Sound looked like Arcade Fire. Their music, not so much. They were an experimental band that had way too many band members with unwashed hair.

My camera was dead. I took swigs from countless strangers' whiskey hidden in their backbacks, and ate cold pizza on the roof of someone's car. The night was warm, my heart was sinking, and I was with people I can call my friends.