SXSW has reached its second half, and as you may or may not have noticed, I have done a horrible job in blogging whilst here. What can I say, I’ve been super busy and honestly, there isn’t much that I could add to this year’s reporting that you couldn’t already get from one of the many wonderful sources in attendance. I’ve been Tweeting more than anything, so feel free to follow that if you wanna keep tabs on some highlights and observations. As we embark upon the second weekend of the festival, and the focus sharpens on musicians and their industry, I wanted to share this cool addition to Hulu. In honor of SXSW, we’re launching the 2008 festival selection Agile, Mobile, Hostile: A Year With Andre Williams. The documentary is a great portrait of a somewhat obscure singer who still tours throughout the country. Check it out now on Hulu:
UPDATED: The entire Seen at SXSW collection has now launched on Hulu. This features 21 other films as well, including diverse titles, from Crawford to Storefront Hitchcock to Blackballed.
I was trying to think of something to blog about that was not SXSW-related, but I soon realized that was pointless. My three favorite industries (film, music, new media) have their eyes focused on SXSW starting today. The 8 a.m. JetBlue flight from JFK on Thursday morning was seemingly packed with nothing but SXSW attendees, both new and familiar faces. When I worked at SXSW, this was always one of my favorite days. Festival Eve was not just “the calm before the storm” but the most relaxed reunion in the world. People arrive one day early to ease into the upcoming 11 days of chaos.
There are Thursday night gatherings both formal (the Texas Film Hall of Fame) and informal. In 2006, I started an annual tradition of SXSW filmmakers and other guests meeting at some random bar. Something was happening for the first time that year: people arrived on Thursday even though no films or panels started until Friday night. Before 2006, there was never that rush of coming to town over 24 hours before the Opening Night films. That year, we realized a shift was occurring, and decided we should come up with something for these filmmakers to do. Each year that has followed, it feels like more and more folks decide to arrive on Thursday.
Before I left for Austin I asked my former SXSW colleague Jarod Neece, “you guys doing the meet-up on Thursday night?” His answer: “You know it.” When most of us arrive a day early to film festivals, you do it because of stress. One gets to Sundance early to shop for groceries and condo supplies. You get to Cannes early in hopes of curing jetlag. At SXSW, people started to come early because everyone’s just so excited to start having fun. I hope I’m always able to experience that.
A few days ago, I mentioned two films that we’re launching out of SXSW 2010. If you’re attending SXSW, come check them out, and meet the filmmakers who are coming over from the UK. If you’re not attending SXSW, you will be able to watch Erasing David and Crying With Laughter on iTunes and Amazon VOD. Either way, here are their trailers now available on Hulu:
And by “titles,” I mean “title sequences.” SXSW is working with AIGA, the professional association for design, for the “Excellence in Title Design” prize. The 18 finalists will be screened on Monday, March 15 and the winners will be announced during the annual SXSW Film Awards ceremony on Tuesday, March 16. The finalists include everything from popular TV shows like Community and Bored to Death, to films such as Up In The Air and Where The Wild Things Are. There are even a few indie productions, as highlighted by Michael Cieply forThe New York Times:
For “Wowie,” one of 18 finalists chosen from about 100 entries, the emphasis was more on imagination than technique. The credits were scrawled with a Sharpie on the writhing belly and hairy limbs of that eight-minute short’s star.
“He was going to have them written on his hand, that’s where it started,” said Craig Webster, a University of Iowa graduate arts student who, with Florina Titz, directed, edited and produced the film, a love story about a “delusional postman.”
But the film’s star, Luther Bangert, whom Mr. Webster describes as a “guy who rides a unicycle” around Iowa City, turned out to have been a circus performer. Among other things, Mr. Bangert did some impressive contortions to get an abdominal shot crediting the directors of photography.
The first real trailer for Tron Legacy is now online. This sequel to the beloved 1982 Disney film, starring Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner (both returning), opens December 17. Get ready for a lot more on this film between now and then:
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