Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick return to the director’s chair together for the first time in 20 years with their latest project, Family Movie, a meta-horror comedy that had its world premiere on March 13 at the SXSW Film and TV Festival.
During the premiere of Family Movie at the SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin on Friday, March 13, Bacon spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about returning to the director’s chair for the first time in nearly 20 years for his latest project. Speaking about working a second time with his wife of almost 38 years, Bacon told PEOPLE it was “great”. Torn between love for their family and their commitment to making horror movies, the filmmakers star in the movie as the Smith family, a dysfunctional family living in a rural area, producing a feature-length horror film on a small budget from their farm. The family’s lives are turned upside down when they discover a real dead body on their set, including comical and gory twists.
Bacon noted to PEOPLE that directing a film is time-consuming and a lot of work; however, having Sedgwick direct alongside him made it easier, saying, “to go from co-directing with my partner to co-directing again with my partner has been awesome, it feels like I never left the role of directing. If I looked away at the wrong time or forgot about a scene, or something, she’s always been there to catch me.” Bacon acknowledged that growing up, he had the ability to either have or require help, which is often difficult upon arriving at adulthood.
A genuinely family-oriented movie. The couple’s offspring, Sosie Bacon (33), who plays Ula Smith, and Travis Bacon (36), who plays Trent Smith, are vividly involved in the film, as is their son, Travis, as he was responsible for composing the music, thus providing yet another level of cooperation. Bacon called it “magical,” while Sedgwick added that it was “sublime” and “truly amazing,” although both agree on how delighted they are with how the end product turned out.
This is Bacon’s first time back directing since Loverboy (2005), which featured both Sedgwick and young Sosie. The couple has been married since 1988 and has continued to bring their personal and professional worlds together to create something special on-screen.
Family Movie had a successful premiere, bringing laughter and applause from the audience while demonstrating that the Bacons share an endless amount of chemistry on and off-screen.