3 things to know about 'Tetris' movie premiere at SXSW in Austin

If you've ever prayed for a long piece to fall down your screen so you can clear some rows, then here's a biopic for you: "Tetris."

The titular, popular puzzle game, omnipresent for decades on computers and handheld game consoles, crossed the Iron Curtain in the 1980s to the delight of the world. But its journey was a fraught one involving some pretty heavy Cold War odds and lots of ugly capitalism. The story is told in an Apple Original Films project that made its world premiere during South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 15 at the Paramount Theatre.

The cast and creatives behind "Tetris," including actor/executive producer Taron Egerton, walked the red carpet at SXSW before the film screenings. The American-Statesman was there, and here are three things you should know. "Tetris" starts streaming on Apple TV+ on March 31.

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1. Taron Egerton was back in Austin, a city he loves.

"I was born the day after the last scene in the movie," Egerton said on the red carpet. "I got a Game Boy when I was 10, and 'Tetris' was one of the games I received. I didn't play it that much, to be honest. I was like a 'Pokémon' guy."

The premiere of "Tetris" brought the actor back to Austin, and he had nothing but nice things to say.

"I was here for a month last year. I really love it here," he said. "In fact, last year I was viewing apartments, which is silly, because I have no reason to be here. But I love the vibe, I love the people, incredible food. I think the city's really beautiful and it's got a really special energy that I really, really like."

2. The man who invented 'Tetris,' Alexey Pajitnov, is stoked about the movie.

Alexey Pajitnov, the Russian computer engineer who programmed the first version of the game in 1984, was gushing on the red carpet. "It's a very big day for me, obviously," he said. Pajitnov is an executive producer on the film.

Nikita Efremov plays him in the movie as a family man just trying to stay off the radar of the KGB, which becomes difficult when an international rights battle over "Tetris" heats up. The film depicts the saga — fraught with dueling contracts, blackmail and lies — as a Cold War thriller.

"It's a very realistic and truthful movie," Pajitnov said. "You know that Hollywood is not that good with the truth, but they did a very good job on this one."

Pajitnov said that "Tetris" is a big part of his life and led to his career as a games designer. He and his business partner, Henk Rogers (played by Egerton in the film), still manage the game's brand, along with Tetris, Inc. CEO and President Maya Rogers (Henk's daughter).

"People still play 'Tetris,' maybe because of our efforts to keep its level up," Pajitnov said.

3. The man behind the main character, Henk Rogers, knows 'Tetris' is immortal.

"I created my own game back in the day and had my moment of fame, but this is lasting," Rogers, an executive producer on the film, told us on the red carpet. "It's the goose that laid the golden egg. This game is going to last forever."

Egerton portrays Rogers in the film as an ambitious video game entrepreneur who doesn't know the meaning of "no." In the film, he travels to the USSR to secure the rights to distribute the game, as big-money competitors try to cut him out and Kremlin politicos play cloak and dagger games.

Rogers thinks that audiences will find the story surprising, "that such a big deal could be made about a computer game. There's all that intrigue that went around a computer game, and then the Soviet Union gets involved, and (infamous British tycoon) Robert Maxwell gets involved, and Nintendo gets involved. All these big players get involved. I think people don't realize that part of the history. They know the game, because they've all played the game, but they don't know what actually happened."

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And as that history is immortalized in film, Rogers is confident the game will live on, too.

"I compare 'Tetris' to a song. We have lots and lots of songs, and one of them — which is 'Tetris' — is 'Happy Birthday.' Everyone sings it, and just keeps on, keeps on going," he said.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Tetris movie makes its world premiere at SXSW in Austin