SXSWORLD

Opening Night Film: Duncan Jones Unlocks the Source Code by Erik Davis Jake Gyllenhaal, Duncan Jones, and Michelle Monaghan on the set of Source Code. and starring Sam Rockwell in a widely acclaimed performance. Moon screened at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival and became a festival favorite. After SXSW ended, Jones' smart science fiction drama quickly T wo years ago, Duncan Jones stormed the independent film scene with Moon, a film about an astronaut put in a peculiar situation as his three-year mission on the moon comes to an end developed a rabid following that led to distribution by Sony Classics and earned its director a place among Hollywood's hottest new filmmakers. Many of those fans believed so much in Moon that they went above and beyond to promote it through various social networking channels, including an effort to champion Sam Rockwell for an Oscar nomination. Unfortunately the Oscar never came, but Jones' devoted following continued to grow, especially as Moon arrived on DVD and Jones became a prominent Twitter personality. So, naturally, as he prepares to world premiere Source Code as the 2011 SXSW Film Festival's opening night feature, it is these very fans whom he thinks of first. "For me, SXSW is so much more about fans and, generally, film 34 SXSW ORLD / F EBRUAR Y 2011 " I always like rich, rich character, but I do appreciate those directors who are able to make things visually interesting and sumptuous." lovers who may not necessarily be involved in 'the industry,' but who care about film as much as anyone else," Jones observes. "They've got real lives; real jobs—and this is just something they have a real passion for. It doesn't feel 'industry.' These people are going to see it because they want to, not because they have to." Source Code is much different from Moon in more ways than just its larger budget, but from the frenetic tone in his voice, Jones is obvi- ously enjoying putting the final touches on his sophomore effort. As in Moon, the director is again paired with a dynamic actor in Jake Gyllenhaal, who, according to Jones, is very similar to Rockwell. "They're both very smart guys, and they're also both incredibly funny guys," he says. "I know every director says this, but I really think this is Jake's strongest performance. I really think you will see how he fits into the mold of a Harrison Ford in the Indiana Jones films– that kind of leading man." In Source Code, Gyllenhaal stars as a soldier who is part of a near- futuristic program that sends him into the body of a stranger on a Chicago train minutes before a terrorist attack, in order to prevent JONATHAN WENK

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