The Rush

Rebecca Stern's short documentary The Rush explores the effect of the festival's cancellation on filmmakers who had so much at stake. In The Rush, filmmakers who would have premiered at SXSW express how they feel having their premiere canceled in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, musing on how to feel the pain of a canceled film premiere simultaneous with the real threat of a global health crisis. Although all of the interviewees agree that canceling the festival was the right thing to do, they admit to feeling a sense of loss that one of the filmmakers describes as "devastating." As the film progresses, you see a closed and shuttered Austin, TX, which is usually alive with one of the country's largest festivals, with small events still going and then slowly being removed from the city. The city, like the filmmakers, is caught off-guard by the sudden cancellation, and sits in a sense of shock. At the end of the film, the filmmakers express resolve that this will not be the end of their path forward with these creative projects, and begin to look towards a better future. The film is based in the immediate reaction to the pandemic and the festival's cancellation, becoming more mood piece than plot driven, allowing the audience time to understand the disappointment and guilt the filmmakers are feeling. The film leaves room for others who have also lost or postponed important life events to take a moment to reflect without guilt. This short film premiered on The Atlantic one month into social distancing.