GTFO: The Movie
Director: Shannon Sun-Higginson
Official Website
Release date: March 15, 2015 (SXSW)

Almost half of all gamers are women; yet, female gamers are disproportionately subject to harassment and abuse. GTFO: The Movie seeks to investigate misogyny in video game culture and questions the future of this 20 billion dollar industry.

Shannon Sun-Higginson‘s documentary is alarming, but it is far from alarmist. The film opens with a long clip of found footage from the now infamous Cross Assault incident of 2012. Sun-Higginson lingers with the footage and it’s painful to watch. A single female gamer, attempting to compete in a Tekken competition, is emotionally and psychologically destroyed by her male teammates and team captain. The main perpetrator of the abuse is her own team captain, but he is spurred on by an invisible and relentless online community spewing lewd and abusive suggestions. The female gamer loses focus and the game itself is forgotten, completely overshadowed by the mens’ harassing behavior. The message is clear.

The South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) is just weeks away, and this will be my first year in attendance. I’ve heard the stories. It takes careful, strategic planning, patience, and above all fastidious punctuality to make it into the screenings you want to see. So, after pouring over the SXSW 2015 film lineup, I’ve zeroed in on 5 films I will see, coming hell or hipster stampede.

Here are my 5 Anticipated Movies of SXSW Film Festival 2015.