Below please find the SXSW festival teaser for A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE. The documentary, which will have its world premiere at SXSW on March 11, chronicles the making of the bizarre (and buried) “Star Wars Holiday Special” as well as a specific bygone era of 1970s event television.

A DISTURBANCE IN THE FORCE

SXSW Screening Schedule

Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar

March 11 @ 8:45pm

ZACH Theatre

March 14 @ 11:00am

AFS Cinema

March 15 @ 6:00pm

SXSW Film Page: https://schedule.sxsw.com/2023/films/2079025

Directed by: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak

Written by: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak

Producers: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak, Kyle Newman

Starring: Seth Green, Weird Al Yankovic, Paul Scheer, Taran Killam, Donny Osmond, Gilbert Gottfried, Bonnie Burton, Bruce Vilanch, Steve Binder

Synopsis: In 1977, “Star Wars” became a cultural phenomenon that single-handedly revitalized a stagnant film industry, and forever changed how films were sold, made, and marketed. Movies would never be the same again.

A year later, neither would television.

In 1978, CBS aired the two-hour “Star Wars Holiday Special” during the week of Thanksgiving and was watched by 13 million people. It never re-aired.

While some fans of the franchise are aware of this dark secret, this bizarre two hours of television still remains relatively unknown among the general public. Simply put, we will answer how and why did the “Holiday Special” get made.

Screening Section: Documentary Spotlight