Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

This year features an impressive group of professionals from around the globe, scheduled to map out the filmmaking future while evaluating the present state of the business. Plus, there will be Conversation panels with film icons and veterans, including "Seabiscuit" director Gary Ross, "Animal House" director John Landis, "Silence of the Lambs" director Jonathan Demme, and 2929 Entertainment CEO Todd Wagner. The panels will end with a 90-minute One-on-One Conversation between independent film icons Jim Jarmusch and Richard Linklater, on Tuesday, March 16.

"The panels at the SXSW Film Festival are amazing," says Festival Producer Matt Dentler. "It's not every day that you find so many leaders of the independent film business together, chatting about the industry. We're honored that they've let SXSW host these discussions."

The panels are separated into various sections, with over 50 different sessions to choose from. The topics range from Documentary Editing to Making Sports Films to Cable and Video Distribution. A full schedule is available at www.sxsw.com/film/. Highlights from the 2004 SXSW Film Panels include:

- Sets, Lies, & Videotape: The Business of Being Independent - Saturday, March 13, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Moderated by Dana Harris of Variety; Featuring: Michael Barker of Sony Pictures Classics, Bob Berney of Newmarket Films, Eamonn Bowles of Magnolia Pictures, Micah Green of Cinetic Media, Larry Meistrich of Film Movement, John Pierson of Grainy Pictures, and Bingham Ray of October Films and United Artists.

- Film Politics As Usual - Sunday, March 14, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Moderated by Paul Stekler, director of "Last Man Standing"; Featuring: Rob Corddry of "The Daily Show with John Stewart", Udy Epstein of Seventh Art Releasing, Zack Exley of MoveOn.org and "Bush in 30 Seconds," Ed Helms of "The Daily Show with John Stewart", political author Molly Ivins, Ron Mann of Go Further, and Harry Thomason of "The Hunting of the President."

Also in the Austin Convention Center the three day iF! Interactive and Film Trade Show and Exhibition continues to offer a unique opportunity for thousands of industry professionals to meet in one-on-one scenarios and exchange information. Innovative companies from across the country are coming to unleash their vision presenting hands-on workshops, panel presentations, a Web/Email kiosk, Digital Editing Suite, the Koss Music for Film Listening Kiosk, Interviews at Studio SX presented by TechTV, special happy hours, product demonstrations, the wireless PowerUp Lounge, live music and much more. The Day Stage alone is presenting an impressive array of offerings including the Texas Interactive Media Awards, InkNoise - Video Blogging Basics, Modern Movie Machines Product Demonstration, Sony - Product Demonstration, Laptop Studio Panel Discussion, Apple Computer, Inc. Final Cut Pro Seminar and the 4th Annual Weblog Awards. A complete list of Exhibition participants with full web pages and direct links to each company is available at www.sxsw.com/tradeshow/if/.

But the centerpiece of SXSW Film is the film festival. With 170 films screening, the hardest decision will be what film to see next. The features this year are incredibly strong with competition films leading the way.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION includes: "A Hard Straight" directed by Goro Toshima; "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen" directed by Christopher Browne; "Still Doing It" directed by Deirdre Fishel; "This Land Is Your Land" directed by Lori Cheatle; "Up For Grabs" directed by Michael Wranovics; and "Witches In Exile" directed by Alison Berg.

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION includes: "Blackballed" directed by Brant Sersen; "I Love Your Work" directed by Adam Goldberg; "Knots" directed by Greg Lombardo; "Luck" directed by Peter Wellington; "Male Fantasy" directed by Blaine Thurier; "Mind The Gap" directed by Eric Schaeffer; and "Rick" directed by Curtiss Clayton.

Other programs offered at SXSW Film:
EMERGING VISIONS with "24 Hours On Craigslist" directed by Michael Ferris Gibson; "Able Edwards" directed by Graham Robertson; "Brother To Brother" directed by Rodney Evans; "Homework" directed by Kevin Asher Green; "The Naked Feminist" directed by Louisa Achille; "Public Domain" directed by Kris Lefcoe; "Straight-Jacket" directed by Richard Day; and "Trading With The Enemy" directed by Jawad Metni.
'ROUND MIDNIGHT with "Azumi" directed by Ryuhei Kitamura; "Dead & Breakfast" directed by Matthew Leutwyler; "Gozu" directed by Takashi Miike; "The Grudge" directed by Takashi Shimizu; "Haute Tension" directed by Alexandre Aja; and "Red vs. Blue" directed by Bernie Burns;
24 BEATS PER SECOND with "270 Miles From Graceland" directed by Danny Clinch; "Five Sides of a Coin" directed by Paul Kell; "Jandek on Corwood" directed by Chad Freidrichs; "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster" directed by Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky; "The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of all Time" directed by Chris Bran; "The Portrait of Billy Joe" directed by Luciana Pedraza; "Radio Revolution: The Rise and Fall of the Big 8" directed by Michael McNamara; and "Welcome to Antone's" directed by Dan Karlock.
LONE STAR STATES with "A Few Good Dykes" directed by Mocha Jean Herrup; "Barbecue: A Texas Love Story" directed by Chris Elley; "Dear Pillow" directed by Bryan Poyser; "Dreams of Her" directed by Salvatore Botti; "Last Man Standing" directed by Paul Stekler; "Mojados: Through The Night" directed by Tommy Davis; and "Nuclear Family" directed by Don Howard.
A small sampling of the SPECIAL SCREENINGS PREMIERES includes: "The Agronomist" directed by Jonathan Demme; "Blind Horizon" directed by Michael Haussman. "Bush's Brain" directed by Michael Shoob, Joseph Mealey; "Code 46" directed by Michael Winterbottom; "Dogville" directed by Lars von Trier; "Duck You Sucker" directed by Sergio Leone; "Hair High" directed by Bill Plympton; "Intermission" directed by John Crowley; "Jersey Girl" directed by Kevin Smith; "Killer Diller" directed by Tricia Brock; "The New Americans" Exec. Prod: Steve James; "Slasher" directed by John Landis; "Super Size Me" directed by Morgan Spurlock; "When Ocean Meets Sky" directed by Crayton Robey; and" Young Adam" directed by David Mackenzie.

SXSW Film Registrants have access to informative panels and workshops and priority access to the film festival as well as the opportunity to attend the Film Awards, the iF! Trade Show and Exhibition, and SXSW sponsored parties. A year long benefit to being a SXSW Film Registrant is the SXSW.com Online Registrants Directory, a searchable listing of film industry professionals attending the conference. Also available are film trailers of many of the films shown at SXSW. Before stepping off of the plane, participants can see who will be here and what they can see. For more information or to register for the conference, go to www.sxsw.com or e-mail [email protected].

The South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival is sponsored by Miller Lite, The Austin Chronicle and 107.1 KGSR.