2019 SXSW Film Festival Headliner Stuber Now In Theaters [Video]

"It [the film] was a great way to exploit Uber as a new technology and turn that into a dramatic device to bring two very disparate characters together and have a lot of fun with it." - Jonathan Goldstein, Producer

Stuber follows a mild-mannered Uber driver named Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) and his passenger (Dave Bautista) who turns out to be a cop hot on the trail of a brutal killer. Stu is then thrust into a harrowing ordeal where he desperately tries to hold onto his wits, his life, and his five-star rating.

During the Q&A, SXSW Director of Film, Janet Pierson, asked how Nanjiani and Bautista got involved with the production. Director Michael Dowse explained that he had met Bautista and watched The Big Sick and thought the pair would be great in a movie together. "We were lucky enough to get them in a room for a cam read...they sat down in front of the camera and I'm like that's the movie," said Dowse.

"The action is great, the comedy is great, but what I love about it the most – and what I think is going to set us a part – is that there is so much heart in this film. In action-comedies, you don't get choked up...even I got choked up a few times." - Dave Bautista

Being an action film, there are a number of fight scenes that take place. During the Q&A, an audience member asked about filming those sequences and the actors' involvement. One particular fight scene in a sporting goods store took four days to choreograph and two days to shoot. "I love that scene because the way that his [Bautista's] character solves problems is through violence and the way my character solves it is through talking, and in that scene we are doing both. We are taking each other's approaches," said Nanjiani.

Stuber also stars Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Jimmy Tatro, Mira Sorvino, and Karen Gillan. Watch it in theaters starting July 12!

Apply to Participate

Don't forget that film submissions are now open for feature film, short, episodic or VR/AR/MR projects! Explore SXSW Film Festival application fees and deadlines and more participation categories for SXSW 2020.

Mark your calendars for August 1 when registration and housing opens for the 2020 SXSW season. In the meantime, get inspired by previous Keynotes, Featured Sessions, Red Carpets, and Q&A’s on our YouTube Channel.

Stuber (Work-In-Progress) - Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SXSW

By Neha Aziz

07/12/2019