I may catch some flak for posing that question. So I'll just stand back now and let the true film-festival junkies fight over which festival, in their opinion, really is number one. (Does it really matter?)
Last year, Indie Slate Magazine sent me to cover some of the moviemaking aspects of the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) film, interactive and music festival in Austin, Texas.
It was the fourth or maybe fifth time I had attended and reported on the film and interactive portions of SXSW for various print-media publications.
The world, of course, has changed a lot in the past year. Print-media gigs -- especially paying ones -- are disappearing faster than globally warmed Arctic ice. And this time, I really don’t feel like spending a thousand bucks or so of my own money just so I can blog about SXSW 2011 to maybe 38 distracted readers momentarily squinting at their iPhones.
Therefore, in case you missed last year's article, I am presenting below a modified and somewhat updated version of what I previously wrote about SXSW.
The general advice for attending SXSW this year is very simple: Bring lots of money to Austin and be early, sometimes very early, for every panel and movie you hope to see.
Everything will be expensive – and crowded.
-- Si Dunn
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SXSW: Is It America’s Best Film Festival?
By Si Dunn
By all standard measures, South by Southwest 2010 was a box-office smash.
SXSW’s three festivals—film, music and interactive – all saw attendances rise sharply over 2009. SXSW Film 2010 scored a 33% increase, with more than 9,500 people and organizations buying badges. The music festival, which typically draws the biggest crowds, scored an 11% increase, with more than 13,000 badge holders. And the high-tech interactive festival soared to more than 14,200 badge buyers, also a 33% gain over 2009.
Meanwhile, SXSW-related sales surged in bars, restaurants, hotels and other businesses clustered along Austin’s famed 6th Street and nearby thoroughfares. Popular attractions in South, Central and North Austin also benefitted, as people came to SXSW from across the United States and world.
By some estimates, SXSW 2010 gave Austin an economic bump of more than $100 million.
SXSW has bragged that at its Film Conference panels “world-class speakers, creative minds, and notable mentors tackle the latest filmmaking trends amidst the unmatched social atmosphere of the SXSW experience.”
Many SXSW 2010 film panels were, in fact, well-attended, and not simply because the panelists were well-known. There was a visible hunger for information, and most panel moderators had done their homework. They posed thoughtful questions and made sure each panelist got turns in the spotlight.
Danny Costa, an independent film distribution consultant and principal at San Francisco-based DeLarge, said that he considered SXSW simply “the best film festival.” While having some “misgivings” about SXSW 2010, he still viewed it as “a success. The programming was strong--though distinct from past years--and there were some really great panels, particularly the crossover panels that included panelists and topics from both interactive and film,” he said.
Victim of Its Own Success?
Of course, whether it’s Sundance, Cannes or Tribeca, every successful film event draws critics and criticisms, as well. SXSW Film 2010 proved it is no exception.
Logistical problems ranged from not enough available movie seats to inadequate access for handicapped festival goers. Some badge holders and ticket-buyers complained, after long waits and being turned away, that the media and filmmakers’ friends were getting almost all of the screening seats in the smaller venues.
According to Eric Kohn in the Wall Street Journal, some film fans blamed the extra-long lines on people from SXSW Interactive trying to check out movies, too.
Karina Longworth, writing in the Village Voice, predicted an ominous future for SXSW Film: “As the once-boutique festival attains a higher profile, the community of idiosyncratic filmmakers it fosters could be at risk of getting glossed over by hype,” she stated.
But she also noted that it has “taken a long time for the masses to care about stuff that SXSW audiences eat up,” such as mumblecore movies starring Greta Gerwig, “…if they ever come to care at all.” Indeed, some movies wildly popular at SXSW never get distribution or bomb at the box office, she pointed out.
Yet, distribution deals have never been the point at SXSW’s film festival, Jay A. Fernandez argued in The Hollywood Reporter. In his view, the “laid-back Lone Star love-in” atmosphere just helps film fans and industry people enjoy “a new crop of films without the pressure of marketing concerns.”
Simon Rumley, writer-producer-director of Red White & Blue, could have had the feature’s North American premiere at a festival other than SXSW. But, after shooting in Austin, he decided it made “100 percent sense for us to come back and help celebrate and promote the film with the people who supported it and helped make it.”
The Sweet Side of Success
Still, SXSW Film has had several noteworthy sales successes during its 17-year run. The Hurt Locker, for example, debuted at SXSW 2009 and later won six Oscars and numerous other awards.
Austin producer-director-writer Reagan Peterson expressed disappointment with some SXSW 2010 panels. “I learned some stuff, but I think the Austin Film Festival has better information,” he said. “A lot of it [SXSW panels] feels like a rehash of what they heard at Sundance.”
But did he agree that SXSW may now be America’s best film festival? “In terms of film, yeah,” Peterson said. “The best way to get the bang for your buck [at SXSW] is to get a film pass and go to every movie you can.”
Film-Interactive Trade Show
Several moviemakers and movie fans expressed dismay that display spaces at SXSW’s Film-Interactive trade show were now become almost completely dominated by high-tech companies pushing hardware, software, networking services and “solutions.”
The Louisiana and Texas film commissions both had high-profile booths highlighting state production incentives. Montana and Nevada also had displays. Kodak had one of the few other movie-related booths.
DeLarge’s Costa, however, saw this as a natural outgrowth of social media tools such as Twitter. The growing ability for “filmmakers and other creatives” to share information online “takes some of the necessity away from having a physical presence at the fest,” he said.
The Future?
Costa in 2010 predicted continued success for SXSW.
“SXSW has shown itself…to be an ideal mix of productivity and pleasure with a healthy dose of genius--from the minds of creatives, innovators and businesspeople alike--thrown in for good measures,” he said.
Many other festival goers echoed his sentiment, even as they grumbled about the bigger crowds and higher prices.
As for SXSW 2011, some of the 2010 attendees offered straightforward advice: Bring lots of money and show up early--for everything.
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Si Dunn is a screenwriter in Austin, Texas, and owner of Sagecreek Productions LLC.
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