A Little Bit Of SXSW In St Kilda

The music industry has been taking notice of the annual SXSW event in Austin since it began in 1987. But in 1994, event organisers added a film element that has now grown to have as much influence on the global film community as it musical counterpart has in its industry.

In 2013 Hollywood films (Spring Breakers, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone) competed for bums on seats at SXSW alongside HBO premieres, BBC productions, cult favourites (Amy Acker spoke) and a healthy slab of local productions (including a session called Texas High School Shorts).

Claudette Godfrey (pictured below) is the Short Film Programmer and Film Festival Co-ordinator for SXSW. We asked a few questions about what to expect.

The SXSW Film Conference & Festival has been an event for nearly 20 years, how has is it changed and grown over this time?
“We like to think it's only gotten bigger and better. The passion behind the event continues to intensify and our filmmakers can feel that it's all about celebrating the filmmakers and their great work.”

Is this the first time the film festival is leaving Austin to head overseas?
“No, it's not the first time, but it's not something we do regularly.” 

Why Australia?
“When St Kilda approached me it seemed like a great fit for us. There are a lot of innovative short films coming out of Australia and I routinely include them as part of my program at SXSW, so it seemed like a fun opportunity to share the work of my filmmakers with the Australian audience.”

What do Australian audiences have to look forward to at the SXSW screenings?
“Australian audiences can expect too see some of my favourite films from the last five years of SXSW. We're showing four programs of films at St Kilda. Two showcase the Best Of SXSW through narrative, documentary and animated shorts. The Best Of SXSW Music Video program highlights the unique music-focused component of SXSW Film and the Best Of Texas program showcases the amazing local talent. It's a very diverse group of films, but they're all supremely well executed and I'm excited to share them with the St Kilda audience.” 

What's the best thing about short films?
“When a short film is well made, it can deliver the impact of longer form filmmaking and offer a unique and satisfying viewing experience in a very short runtime. It's actually much more challenging than most people think. It's hard to pull an audience into a film to deliver impact and emotion in such a short time so when a filmmaker can do it well, it's pretty amazing.” 

What makes SXSW Film Festival like no other festival?
“SXSW is a massive cross-platform cultural event unlike anything else in the world. It's not just a film festival. It's also SXSW Interactive and SXSW Music. Each year, fans and industry professionals from across the film, music and technology spectrum converge on Austin, Texas to network, launch new products and celebrate their creative practice together. It really creates a unique environment for growth and inspiration.” 

What does the future hold for SXSW Film?
“We'll continue to focus on providing a great environment for our attendees to learn, grow, network and be inspired by fantastic filmmaking.”

THREE OF THE SXSW MUSIC VIDEOS YOU NEED TO SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN

Screenings, Astor Cinema, St Kilda:
Best Of Texas - 5pm, Saturday 25 May (Book here)
The Best Of SXSW 1 - 6.45pm, Sunday 26 May (Book here)
Best Of SXSW Music Video - 6.30pm, Friday 31 May (Book here)
The Best Of SXSW 2 - 4.45pm, Saturday 1 June (Book here)
St Kilda Film Festival is on in Melbourne until Saturday 1 June.