SXSW Film Preview: Better This World

Outside the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota was a highly charged political scene. Police stood by while activists -- their faces covered with bandanas -- marched, shouted, and didn’t always keep their protests peaceful. Among the arrests made were David McKay and Bradley Crowder, two Austin boys who had come to try and help change the world.

What started out as a simple “disorderly conduct” charge didn’t stay that way when the boys, angry about what they felt was an illegal seizure, decided to take their efforts even further. According to FBI tapes, McKay and Crowder, both in their early 20s, had Molotov cocktails, homemade shields, and other paraphernalia in their possession.

The case is still considered quite controversial. Some call the two boys anarchists and attempted terrorists who should be behind bars. Others say they were simply passionate kids tricked by the FBI into doing something they would never have done otherwise. Were they well meaning activists or dangerous revolutionaries bent on destruction?

Directors Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega, both award-winning documentary filmmakers, bring this fascinating story to SXSW, examining not just the events that happened, but the effect those events have had on the boys, their families, and everyone else involved. This promises to be an interesting tale with no clear-cut answers, and a riveting story we don’t want to miss.

Better This World plays Saturday March 12, at 11am at the Vimeo Theater, with additional screenings Monday, March 14 at 1:45pm (Alamo Lamar B) and Friday, March 18 at 2:pm (Paramount Theatre). For the full schedule, go to SXSW.com.