While director Andrew Neel may not yet be a household name, in Austin, he’s been a regular fixture at SXSW over the past few years. His documentaries “Darkon” (about LARP-ing) and “New World Order” (focusing on conspiracy theorists) premiered at the fest in 2006 and 2009 respectively, with the former taking home the Audience Award that year. Well, once again Neel is back, this time with a narrative feature that again finds him exploring a fascinating subject.
“King Kelly” will tackle the YouTube generation, with the story centering around the title character, played by Louisa Krause, an aspiring Internet star who performs webcam stripteases. When Kelly’s car — filled with illegal narcotics that she must deliver — is stolen by her bitter ex-boyfriend Ryan (Will Brill) on the 4th of July, Kelly and her best friend Jordan (Libby Woodbridge) embark on an epic whirlwind of drugs, sex, violence, and mischief-making as Kelly tries to reclaim what is hers. Kelly’s biggest online fan, a wayward State Trooper (Roderick Hill), joins the journey as the night spirals into chaos.
To help capture the era in which nearly every social interaction is documented via social media or handy cameras, “King Kelly” was actually shot on iPhones, lending the production an extra air of authenticity. The exclusive poster below is also a hint towards the wild night that is in store. “King Kelly” plays as part of the Emerging Visions cateogry at SXSW and will have its premiere on Saturday, March 10th at 7:15 PM at the Canon Screening Room.
