After having early starts every other day at South by Southwest, our first event’s press check-in wasn’t until 6pm at ZACH Theater. After spending the entirety of the week downtown, this gave us our first glance at the roaring Colorado River. While driving over the river, kayakers and paddle boarders were speckled down the river. With 90-degree weather, the conditions couldn’t be more ideal for water activities. As the adventurists were floating down stream, our sights were set on the premier of Craig Robinson’s new film “Morris From America”.

“Morris From America” premier at Zach Theater
With the heat at full peak, our cameras were ready for the stars to arrive. Mike O’Keefe took the lead ready to interview the cast. As soon as Robinson stepped on the carpet the whole atmosphere changed. His energy instantly created a buzz. When initially interviewing with an Australian publication, Robinson quickly grabbed the mic and sang, verbatim, the Australian National anthem. As this was all going on our attention was on our interviews with Markees Christmas and Chad Hartigan. Touching on their excitement with the film’s premier, Austin and their experience in the city, they gave us a real sense of the passion behind the film and their SXSW experience.

After his impeccable Aussie rendition Robinson turned his attention to SCP. He cracked a friendly, quick-witted jab at O’Keefe’s last name and the interview began. His aura matched his big-screen characters, full of personality, passionate and larger than life. His compliments of the city, especially the people of it, were heartfelt. Robinson’s excitement for the film showed through. He really loved the process and the people he co-starred with. As the cast wrapped up their interviews and photo-ops, they interacted with some fans and entered the theater.

“Sausage Party” premier at The Paramount
With time of the essence we had to quickly gather our gear and jet across the river towards downtown. Our spot on the Red Carpet wasn’t guaranteed to such an exclusive event. We rushed there hoping we could be first in line for additional spots and arrived, thankfully, second. After a little waiting we were approved and shown our spots next to some of the biggest media companies in Austin and the United States. Christopher Remmers was on the mic ready to interview the cast, directors and writers of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s animated adult creation “Sausage Party”.

The much-anticipated film has been in the works for over eight years and is still, upon its premier, unfinished in parts. Yet, for the entire audience of film enthusiasts, it gave a fascinating behind-the-scenes look into the animation process. The raw version of the film did not detract from the hilariously-raunchy comedy in the slightest. The film had the entire audience in tears from the opening line all the way until the credits hit. Once the stage lights turned on, the cast took the stage to a ruckus applause. In a show of friendship and support, Robinson was brought onstage as an exclamation point to the crowd. With that, our unforgettable day was complete.