SXSW '08 | Film & Music Abound Along with the Late Late Nights

Encompassing two of the largest creative industries, SXSW has created a formula spotlighting both film and music during its nine-day run (not to mention the massive influx of interactive folks), and it's a unique opportunity for both to converge under one mega event. But some have observed amusing differences. Just the other day, a group of film industry members joked that coming to Austin for the film fest is so full of revelry and parties -- along with the many panels, screenings and other events that make up the SXSW Film Conference & Festival-- that mornings can be a bit rough after the late nights. Still, the group observed, the really good times and late night bacchanalias truly begin when the music industry and artists arrive, marking the official start of SXSW's signature music & media conference. 1700 bands arrived mid-week, along with their ubiquitous posse of friends and fans, and then the late late late nights...
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SXSW '08 DOC NOTEBOOK | Snapshots from the Competition: "Dorothy," "Wizards," "Assembly"

One of the films I was most interested in seeing at the South by Southwest film festival was a documentary called "They Killed Sister Dorothy," about the murder of Sister Dorothy Strang, a social and environmental activist, in Brazil. Daniel Junge's film won both the grand jury prize at the doc audience award at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival. Sister Dorothy, who had lived and worked as a missionary in Brazil since the 1960s, was involved in a sustainable living project in the Amazonian rain forest that was designed to set aside rain forest lands for poor farmers, allowing them to work the land in sustainable ways without destroying the biodiversity of the region.
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SXSW '08 NARRATIVE NOTEBOOK | The Latest from Austin: "Nights and Weekends," "Medicine for Melancholy," "Yeast," and "Woodpecker"

When South by Southwest film festival producer Matt Dentler introduced "Nights and Weekends" on Sunday night with the observation that some people have started referring to the festival as "South by South Swanberg," he was only half-joking. As the makeshift figurehead of a movement loosely held together by the term "mumblecore," Joe Swanberg -- the idea, not the man -- was born here, where his rambling, virtually plotless accounts of white young people hanging out strike familiar notes year after year. "Nights and Weekends" is technically his first collaborative directorial effort -- he shares the credit with "Hannah Takes the Stairs" star Greta Gerwig -- but they're also the lead actors in a claustrophobic set-up that puts them on camera almost all the time, talking about nothing until something comes up, and you get the sense that there's less direction going on than simply flow.
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SXSW '08 DISPATCH | "Sister Dorothy" and "Wellness" Big Winners at SXSW

Daniel Junge's documentary "They Killed Sister Dorothy," about the murder of a devoted nun who fought to protect the Amazon and tirelessly supported the region's poor, won the top two doc prizes at the SXSW Film Festival, which continues through this weekend in Austin, TX. The film won the documentary grand jury prize and the festival's doc audience award as the event's film conference came to a close on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Jake Mahaffy's "Wellness," a film about the chaotic journey of one man trying to succeed in a business that doesn't exist, won the narrative grand jury award. It recently debuted at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. The other big winner was actor-turned-director Mark Webber's "Explicit Ills" which received the narrative audience award and the jury's cinematography prize.
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SXSW '08 DOC NOTEBOOK | Sex, War, Bullfights and High School: SXSW Docs Run the Gamut

This year's South By Southwest Film Festival boasts an impressive range of subject matter among the films screening in the Documentary Competition. Last year the fest circuit was filled to capacity with Iraq war docs, so it's a refreshing change to see films on so many topics competing at this fest. "Sex Positive" is about Richard Berkowitz, a former gay S&M hustler turned AIDS activist, who spearheaded the safe sex movement in the gay community some 25 years ago. Back when AIDS was a new disease spreading like wildfire in the gay communities in cities like New York, San Francisco and London, Berkowitz was one of the few voices advocating safer sex practices like condom use.
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SXSW '08 NOTEBOOK | Notable Narratives: "Humbolt County", "Explicit Ills", "Natural Causes", and "A Necessary Death"

While the goofball stoner antics of "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay" and the sheen of the new Kevin Spacey vehicle "21" might help raise the profile of the South by Southwest Film Festival, its soul comes from filmmakers operating out of sheer creative impulses. Many of the entries contain little in the way of mainstream temptations, lacking both star power and strong budgets. The resulting productions frequently come closer than their heftier brethren to constructing authentic human experiences.
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SXSW '08: Eating, Drinking, and Shopping in Austin: An indieWIRE Insiders Guide

BBQ, Tex-Mex and muic are typically among the highlights of a trip to Austin, TX. But those who regularly attend SXSW often report back on the laid back, casual vibe that the city offers its guests. From the crowded movie theaters filled with slackers (or those who just sport the look) and industry attendees alike, to concerts all around town at the many local venues, Austin will be jammed with out-of-towners in the coming days. There are tons of movies to write about, but to ignite indieWIRE's coverage of SXSW '08, we decided to try something a bit different by taking a closer look at the city itself. Thousands of people will converge upon Texas's capital and coolest city over the next ten days or so for the film, music and interactive festival/conferences, socializing and networking all over town. indieWIRE surveyed a group of Austin locals and insiders about their favorites places to eat, drink, shop and chill, including some of our own tips gleaned during our past jaunts to Texas. The results of our informal, subjective survey follow.
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SXSW '08 | South by Southwest Sets Slate for 15th Film Fest

Some 113 feature films are set to screen at the 15th South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference & Festival in Austin, TX. Running, March 7 - 15, 2008, the event's showcases are the documentary and narrative feature competitions (see complete lists below). Also on tap are high-profile, anticipated films in the Spotlight Premieres section, including Nanette Burstein's "American Teen," Jay & Mark Duplass' "Baghead," Aaron Rose & Joshua Leonard's "Beautiful Losers," Clark Gregg's "Choke," Nicholas Stoller's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," Michael Almereyda's "New Orleans Mon Amour," Joe Swanberg & Greta Gerwig's "Nights and Weekends," Martin Scorsese's "Shine A Light," Kimberly Peirce's "Stop-Loss," Liz Mermin's "Shot In Bombay," and Morgan Spurlock's "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?". The event, while will open Robert Luketic's "21," will close with Stephen Walker's "Young@Heart."
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SXSW '07 DAILY DISPATCH: Buzz Bands Stir SXSW: British and Euro Acts in Spotlight Alongside Music Legends

A host of British and European acts seemed to stir the most buzz at the 2007 SXSW Music Festival, a leading music event attended by recording industry executives, thousands of locals, numerous journalists, and a number of film folks who stuck around to catch some shows. But tackling the music festival can be daunting, considering that it features some 1400 bands playing over four nights at 65 competing venues around downtown Austin. Thankfully, some acts also perform at one of the many day parties or private gatherings that flesh out an SXSW attendee's jammed schedule. Even before the essential music event begins, press, blogs and attendees buzz about must-see shows and once the many concurrent showcases kick-in during the music festival, anticipation for some acts intensifies before and after their official SXSW appearances. Those who keep their ear to the ground and their eyes on the daily online and print coverage can get great tips on shows to catch. Based on informal surveys of a mix of attendees, acts from across the Atlantic seemed to be among the most popular at this year's showcase.
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SXSW '07 DAILY DISPATCH: SXSW Boasts Film and Music Convergence

Music and film tend to converge at festivals throughout the year at events such as the Woodstock Film Festival and even the Sundance Film Festival has become a destination for bands, with daily music sets on Main Street in Park City. Still other fests are also looking to grow a music component these days, but the place where film and music naturally co-exist is SXSW in Austin. Dubbed the live music capital of the world, the South by Southwest Film Festival & Conference launched along with an interactive event in 1994, emerged as an outgrowth of the famed SXSW music event that began seven years earlier. The Music Conference & Festival annually lures bands, many of them independent, from all over the world to Texas. So, as the film festival hits its midpoint movie industry types head home after a long weekend in Austin and the downtown area really comes to life with more than 10,000 visiting artists, executives, journalists and music fans filling the clubs and streets of Austin.
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SXSW '07 CRITICS NOTEBOOK | Quiet, Personal Moments Make Biggest Impact at 2007 SXSW Fest

With an incredibly varied program offeatures put together by event producer Matt Dentler and panels and production manager Jarod Neece, one can easily find something to enjoy at the SXSW Film Festival. Obvious choices (and big ticket sellers) are films like the Morgan Spurlock produced potshot at consumerism during Christmas-time "What Would Jesus Buy" and the low-budget version of a modern teen-horror movie "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane". But don't be fooled by those one-trick ponies. The real strength in the SXSW film programming this year lies in the surprisingly quiet, personal moments of several of the films on the slate. Whether it be a studio blockbuster like "Reign Over Me" or a two-day-shoot DV documentary like "Silver Jew," Dentler and Neece's program finds its strength in telling true-to-life stories.
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SXSW '07 DAILY DISPATCH: Mumblecore Movie? Swanberg, Bujalski, Duplass and Others Unveil "Hannah Takes The Stairs"

Two years ago, duing an interview for indieWIRE, acclaimed indie director Andrew Bujalski spoke of a mumblecore movement made up of a group of filmmakers whose films debuted at SXSW that year. In the Spring of '05, SXSW producer Matt Dentler programmed the Duplass Brothers' "The Puffy Chair," Susan Buice and Arin Crumley's "Four Eyed Monsters," Bujalski's own "Mutual Appreciation," and Joe Swanberg's "Kissing On The Mouth," spawning early talk of some sort of movement. Each film starred its director(s) and they were, to use Bujalski's words, "a bunch of performance-based films by young quasi-idealists." This group of emerging American independent filmmakers, each working in different parts of the country but loosely connected online and supported in their efforts by a host of bloggers, get together in person when possible and, as is evidenced from a recent spate of new movies, often act in each other's projects.
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SXSW '07 DAILY DISPATCH: "Billy The Kid" and "Itty Bitty Titty Committee" Win Top Jury Prizes At SXSW

Films by women dominated the awards as the 2007 SXSW Film Festival hit its wet and rainy mid-point here in Austin, TX. Jamie Babbit's narrative feature "Itty Bitty Titty Committee" and Jennifer Venditti's documentary film "Billy The Kid" won the top jury prizes at the festival, while in the audience award voting Monty Miranada's "Skills Like This" won the narrative audience award, and Marlo Poras' "Run Granny Run" won the documentary audience prize.
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SXSW '07 DAILY DISPATCH: Docs and Journalism Stir Talk at SXSW with Morgan Spurlock, Michael Moore, and Dan Rather in Focus

"Did you find Osama bin Laden?," began a conversation with director Morgan Spurlock on Sunday at SXSW moderated by indieWIRE's Eugene Hernandez. indieWIRE's inquiry referred to Spurlock's secretive new film, tentatively titled "Where in the World...", which was recently acquired at the EFM in Berlin in a multi-million deal with The Weinstein Company. "We'll have to wait until the movie's finished to see," responded Spurlock who said that he would not reveal too much about his new documentary quite yet, but added, "It's about the state of the world right now. I hope that like 'Super Size Me' it will make people question the choices we make, and maybe the film will help us start to think of the world beyond our borders more then we do now." Spurlock added that despite an intial goal to finish the film in time for the Cannes Film Festival, he is now aiming for a Fall completion date.
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SXSW '07 DAILY DISPATCH: Linklater (Reluctantly) In Austin Spotlight; And, Scott Frank's "Lookout" Opens SXSW

Austin's own Richard Linklater was an unlikely honoree at the Austin Film Society's 7th annual Texas Hall of Fame Awards on Friday night, not because anyone thought the honor was undeserved but the director has typically resisted stepping into the spotlight at the largest annual fundraiser for the organization he founded more than 25 years ago. Over the past two days, though, at the Texas Hall of Fame event at the Film Society's Austin Studios and on Saturday at SXSW in downtown Austin, the director received a rush of attention from a local community that clearly appreciates his tremendous contributions.
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SXSW '07 | 61 World Premieres Set for 2007 Fest in Austin; Frank's "The Lookout" Opens March Event

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival unveiled the feature lineup for its upcoming 14th edition, with 110 films slated for the fest's diverse sections over nine days. The increasingly important U.S. film festival and conference precedes the popular SXSW Music gathering in Austin, but continues throughout the music industry event. This year's film roster includes 61 world, nine North American and seven U.S. premieres screening at the fest, taking place March 9 - 17 in Austin, Texas. As previously announced, SXSW's film event will open with the world debut of Scott Frank's "The Lookout."
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SXSW Film Fest to Open with "The Lookout"

The world premiere of writer/director Scott Frank's "The Lookout" will open the the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference & Festival at the Paramount Theater in Austin March 9, the organization announced Tuesday. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Isla Fisher, Matthew Goode, and Jeff Daniels, the new film is described by SXSW as "a crime thriller with a twist." Levitt plays a small-town athlete who becomes the unlikely and unpredictable addition to a bank heist after he suffers a haunting physical debilitation. Frank received a best screenplay Oscar nomination in 1999 for "Out of Sight" (directed by Steven Soderbergh). Miramax plans to release the film nationally March 23.
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DISPATCH FROM SXSW: 10 Films To Watch From SXSW '06

The 2006 SXSW Film Festival comes to a close Saturday with a screening of Paul Weitz's "American Dreamz," starring Hugh Grant and Mandy Moore. While the high profile new film joins the list of star-driven premieres, including Robert Altman's "Prairie Home Companion" opening night -- as well as this week's debut of "V For Vendetta" and a special sneak screening of Richard Linklater's "A Scanner Darkly" -- SXSW has made a name for itself as a premier showcase of new American films, many by emerging directors.
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DISPATCH FROM SXSW: Beasties Among Artists On Big Screen In SXSW Music Docs

As South by Southwest (SXSW) made the transition into its massive music festival and conference here in Austin, music documentaries shared the spotlight -- at a crowded panel Tuesday afternoon and during even more jammed interview session with the Beastie Boys yesterday afternoon. As many have reiterated this week at SXSW, this is the place to launch a music-oriented doc, particularly in the fest's 24 Beats Per Second section.
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Byler's "AMERICANese" Wins Two at SXSW; "Darkon," "Jam," and "Live Free or Die" Also Win Top Prizes

At the midpoint of the 2006 SXSW Film Conference and Festival here in Austin, organizers presented jury and audience prizes for this year's festival. Eric Byler's "AMERICANese" won two prizes tonight in Austin, receiving the narrative audience award and a special jury prize for outstanding ensemble cast. The win was particularly sweet for Byler, since he also won the audience prize at SXSW four years ago for his previous feature, "Charlotte Sometimes". The festival's narrative jury award went to Andy Robin and Gregg Kavet's "Live Free or Die". Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer's "Darkon" won the documentary audience award and Mark Woollen's "Jam" was the jury prize winner in the doc competition.
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