People running around catching wriggling catfish with their bare hands may not seem like the perfect subject for a documentary, but then again, who ever said there was a rule book for good docs? If you missed Bradley Beesley’s down-home classic Okie Noodling during its 2001 South by Southwest Film Festival premiere, where it was an audience favorite, you’re in luck: KLRU, The Austin Chronicle, and SXSW have teamed up for SXSW Presents, a new documentary series premiering this Friday, Sept. 10, at 10pm on Channel 18 (Time Warner Cable Channel 9), which kicks off with Beesley’s remarkable doc. KLRU, of course, has long been a supporter of independent cinema and the documentary genre, and this new, hourlong series featuring films and filmmakers that got their start at SXSW Film is yet another feather in the PBS affiliate’s cap. Hosted and co-produced by SXSW Film Festival producer Matt Dentler, the series runs Fridays through Oct. 18. Who says you have to wait in endless lines to catch classic SXSW programming? Not us. At least, not anymore.
This article appears in September 10 • 2004.