Shot in 2023, Andrew Patterson’s “Rivals of Amziah King” had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. Matthew McConaughey is the lead in Patterson’s sophomore effort.
‘Amziah King,’ dubbed as a a crime thriller, and set in Oklahoma, follows a man who oversees the premier honey-making operation in town, but the honey game is “ruthless” and everything he has built is soon threatened by the town’s rivals.
The film is earning strong reviews out of SXSW. Deadline, The Playlist, Variety, Roger Ebert and Next Best Picture are all writing positive things about this atmospheric film.
The reaction to Patterson’s film is even drawing comparisons to the impact Oscar winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once” had when it premiered at SXSW in 2022. Hyperbole? Possibly.
Of course, this being SXSW, reactions will be over the top, that’s what the Austin-based festival is known for, and IndieWire‘s C+ review does pour some water on the previous raves. THR‘s review isn’t any better. The film still has no distribution but folks on the ground anticipate strong interest from studios and streamers looking to acquire rights.
Patterson is said to immerse the viewer into the unique subculture of beekeeping in the American South through its people, music, and way of life. Patterson’s camerawork is being mentioned as a highlight. Although McConaughey is getting good ink from critics, newcomer Angelina LookingGlass’s performance is being cited in every review.
Production on ‘Amziah King’ began in June 2023. The film was one of 39 indie productions, exempt by SAG, that continued shooting during the strike. Reshoots occurred sometime last year.
Patterson premiered his first film, the micro-budgeted “Vast of Night,” at the 2019 Slamdance Film Festival. Amazon acquired distribution rights to the film, premiered it at TIFF and then released it on May 29, 2020 to positive reviews.
Although the budget on ‘Vast of Night’ wasn’t divulged, some reports had the total production cost at just under $500,000. Although I wasn’t a huge fan, there was so much energy, enthusiasm, and a clearcut love for its decades-old influences that many critics praised the film.
Meanwhile, McConaughey hasn’t acted in a movie since 2019 where he starred in three projects: “Serenity,” “The Beach Bum” and “The Gentleman.” ‘Amziah King’ is his first film in almost six years.
I’ve narrowed down the hundreds upon hundreds of films that will screen this fall to 34 titles—vote for your most anticipated.