Director Craig Zobel and co-stars Kene Holliday and Pat Healy talk about the scam that provided the story for Great World of Sound. Credit: Richard Whittaker

“Song sharking”, the business of scamming musicians out of their cash for fake recording fees, is at the heart of Great World of Sound, which had its regional premiere at SXSW. In a Q&A after yesterday’s screening, director Craig Zobel was asked where he got the idea for the movie, and gave a surprising answer: his father had been involved in a similar scheme when he was younger.

Star of the film Kene Holliday had his own indirect experience: a few weeks ago, he was getting some new headshots taken, and he was telling his photographer about the movie. “I looked round,” Holliday said, “and he had a tear in his eye. He said to me, ‘I know about that. That’s why I put my axe down for 25 years.'”

“It seems like, every time we do a screening, someone comes up to us with their own story,” said Zobel. “If just one person finds out about this from our film, that would be great.”

This article appears in March 16 • 2007.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.