SXSW 2017 begins March 10, 2017!
The 2017 SXSW Film Festival runs from March 10th to the 18th and always brings a collective mix of interesting events, unexpected moments, and cool movies. Besides escaping the frigid Colorado winter, I enjoy spending these days in Austin TX. It has become a Spring Break for this tech-savvy, movie geek such as myself. Here is what I am eagerly anticipating from this year’s SXSW.
Expanded Access
This is my most anticipated thing about SXSW in 2017. With a film badge, I was primarily able to attend movies and conference sessions related to the movie industry. This year, the sky is the limit with what I can see or experience. I can attend anything so coverage might be unpredictable (but related to film, VR or gaming. I am relieved for this because last year I wanted to attend Brene Brown, but wasn’t allowed to with just a film badge. I could see bands like Chicano Batman or Weezer after watching a movie. (I will try to focus on things more Film Fad appropriate though.) This is a great idea that I hope works out for the conference!
Conference Sessions
Speculating about the future of technology as well as the movie viewing habits tend to catch my eye!
These are always interesting and thought-provoking and a fun time for networking and exchanging ideas. Speculating about the future of technology as well as the movie viewing habits tend to catch my eye! Topics arrange from social media, big data, journalism, streaming, sports, race, pop culture, distribution, content creation, etc. The list goes on and on. I plan to cover some gaming breakouts since this subject has significant interest on our site. Likewise, there are professional meetups which are always handy to attend one.
Experiential Marketing
As an event junkie who is a Millennial with a marketing background, I love the immersive way of going experiential. The sponsors have a way of incorporating the brands and taking them to the next level. Expect a post on cool about some of the more unique campaigns (related to movies, media, TV, gaming, or pop culture, of course). We will see what things like Comcast or National Geographic Live might have in store, too.
VR Exhibits
A tech event like SXSW will have first class VR experiences and a few break out sessions intrigue me including how the technology will shape documentaries as well as discussing if it has a place in hospitals. For a little fun, I am looking forward to THE MUMMY Zero Gravity VR Experience. Viewers are able to view an extreme stunt for the upcoming movie. This is co-sponsored by IMAX! Virtual Cinema is a collection of shorts I hope to catch during the week.
The Movies…Obviously!
There’s a lot of movies to watch from flashy world premieres in large venues, festival favorites looking to maintain buzz, and smaller movies waiting to be discovered.
Where to start? There’s a lot of movies to watch from flashy world premieres in large venues, festival favorites looking to maintain buzz, and smaller movies waiting to be discovered. I am looking forward to the smaller movies (“Bad Lucky Goat,” “The Challenge,” “Hot Summer Nights,” “Let There Be Light,” and “Serve Like A Girl”) just as much as the bigger movies (“Atomic Blonde,” “Baby Driver,” “The Disaster Artist,” “Free Fire,” and “Song to Song.”) Interacting with members of Film Twitter is always an amusing diversion from the seriousness of the subject matter or big ideas from the breakout conference sessions.