Swarming bees, a story of sweet retribution, and a joyful, mandolin-playing Matthew McConaughey led “The Rivals of Amziah King” to a roaring standing ovation after its late night premiere at the SXSW Film & TV Festival on March 10. McConaughey introduced the film at the Paramount Theater by referencing Variety’s recent interview that noted the Oscar-winning actor had not appeared in a film since 2019. “I did not know — someone told me it’s been six years since I’d done a film or been on screen,” he said. “Seemed like it’d been quicker than that. I was writing a book and stuff; I thought I was busy!” McConaughey said he was drawn to the idiosyncratic characters who populate the script by writer-director Andrew Patterson, which centers on the powerful bond
