Wish I Were Going SXSW
BY CYNDI GREENING, ARIZONA, USA — I attended the SXSW Film Festival for the first time last year. I had never been to Austin, Texas (and if I ever spoke of going to Texas, I generally had something fairly disparaging to say about the state) so I was totally shocked at how much I liked the city. Since I'm such a Sundance aficionado, I was even more surprised about how much I loved the festival. Of course I love the films at festivals but there TWO other things that make ache to attend them. First, I adore the panel discussions. The latest trends and current production methods are discussed by industry professionals. These discussions create the second incredibly valuable thing about festivals — access. All filmmaking is about getting connected to the "right" people, the people who can fund your film, star in your film, distribute your film. At the festivals, these normally well-insulated, virtually invisible people become very approachable. There are hundreds of film success stories that start at one festival or another.
SXSW has the MOST extensive panel discussion schedule I've ever seen. For the four days of the film festival, they host 17 panels PER DAY. Most panels are comprised of four or five panelists so the depth of knowledge and experience in the room can be quite substantial. (Although, there certainly are exceptions. Last year, I was on a panel about film blogging. It was a whole bunch of fun but, hey, it was me.) Even if you can't attend SXSW, you can check the Panel Schedule find out who the movers and shakers are in the industry. On Sunday, there was a panel on finding the narrative thread in documentary. I would have loved to catch it.