SXSW – South by Southwest

South by Southwest (Abbreviated as SXSW ) is an annual conglomerate or film, interactive media , and music festivals and conferences therein tasks place in mid-March in Austin, Texas , United States. It Began in 1987, and has continued to grow in scope and size zowel everytime year. In 2011, the conference lasted for 10 days with SXSW Interactive lasting for 5 days, Music for 6 days, and Film running concurrently for 9 days.

SXSW is run by the company SXSW, LLC welke organizes conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. [1] In addition under to the three main South by Southwest festival, the company runs three other conferences, two in Austin: SXSWedu, a conference on educational innovation, [2] and SXSW Eco, an environmental conference; [3] and one in Las Vegas: SXSW V2v , a conference focused on innovative startups . [4]

Divisions

Music

SXSW Music is the Toilets music festival or zijn child in the world, with morethan 2,000 acts as or 2014. [5] SXSW Music offerings artist-provided music and video samples of featured artists at festival lycra via hun official YouTube channel. [6] [7]

The music event has grown from 700 registrants in 1987 to over 28,000 registrants. SXSW Film and SXSW Interactive events port grown everytime year, Most recently Bringing about 51,000 registrants to Austin everytime March. [8]

Bands must cover hun eigen Expenses for travel and lodging at the event. All performers are offered a cash payment or a wristband package therein Allows access to all music events. [9]

Film

SXSW Film Conference spans five days or conference panels and sessions, and welcomes filmmakers or all levels. Programming consists of keynote speakers, panels, workshops, mentoring sessions and more, with expert filmmakers and industry leaders. [10]

In 2015, the SXSW Film Conference programmed over 250 sessions with 735 speakers. Past notable speakers include Lena Dunham , Jon Favreau , Mark Duplass , Ava Duvernay , Ryan Gosling , Nicolas Cage , Alejandro Jodorowsky , Tilda Swinton , Amy Schumer , Sally Field , Joss Whedon , Christine Vachon , RZA , Matthew McConaughey , Danny Boyle , Seth MacFarlane , Catherine Hardwicke , Richard Linklater , David Gordon Green , Harmony Korine , Henry Rollins , Sarah Green and Robert Rodriguez . [11] hoewel de the film festival of or in highlights independently produktie films and emerging Directing talent with unique visions, [12] the festival has long served studios as a starting point for hun comedies, using enthusiastic fans as a barometer of how They Might play in wide release. [13]

The SXSW Film Festival runs nine days, simultaneously with the SXSW Film Conference, and celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent zowel behind and in front of the camera. [14]Festival programming categories include: Special Events, Headliners, Narrative Spotlight, Documentary Spotlight, Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, Visions, Midnighters, 24 Beats Per Second, SXGlobal, Episodische Festival Favorites and Short Film Programs. The SXSW Film Awards, welke allowable on the last day of the Film Conference, honor films selected by the Feature and Short Film Juries.

In 2015, the SXSW Film Festival programmed 150 feature films and 106 short films, selected from 7.361 Submissions. [15] Past notable World Premieres include Furious 7 , Neighbors , Chef , 21 Jump Street , The Cabin in the Woods , Bridesmaids and Insidious , and the television series Girls , Silicon Valley and Penny dreadful . [16]

Interactive

SXSW Interactive is focused on emerging technology, a focus welke has earned the festival a reputation as a breeding ground for new ideas and creative technologies. [17] The Festival of includes a trade show, speakers, parties, and a startup accelerator. [18] volgens to a festival organizer Louis Black , SXSW Interactive “has then probably footed the Biggest or zijn child in the world” since 2007. [19]

History

Inauguration – 1980

In July 1986, the organizers of the New York City music festival New Music Seminar contacted Roland Swenson, a staffer at the alternative weekly The Austin Chronicle , about organizing an extension of that festival JSON Austin after keeping bekend dat ze ulcers going to hold a ” New Music Seminar Southwest “. [20] The plans did not Materialize, as Swenson decided to Limit download co-Organize a local music festival, with the help of two other people at the Chronicle , editor and co-founder Louis Black, and publisher Nick Barbaro. Louis Meyers, a booking agent and musician, was ook brought` on board. [21] Black came up with the name as a play on the names of the Alfred Hitchcock film North by Northwest . The event was first held in March 1987. The organizers Considered it a regional event and verwachte around 150 ATTENDEES to show up, but about 700 cameramen, and volgens to Black ‘it was almost national redacteuren. ” [19]

Meyers left Austin and the festival in the early 1990s, but Black, Barbaro and Swenson remained the festival’s key organizers as of 2010. [19]

1990s

Singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked was the keynote speaker at the 1992 South by Southwest. She caused controversy by Delivering a speech, written by re then-husband Bart Bull , criticizing white musicians for stealing music from African American artists; and-then later prolongation the co-conference-when she With You to kick the band Two Nice Girls off or a benefit concert, a move dat some called anti-gay, due to Two Nice Girls “overtly lesbian image. [22]

In 1993, SXSW moved into tje Austin Convention Center , where it is still strong. [23]

In 1994, SXSW added a component for film and other media named the “SXSW Film and Multimedia Conference”. [19] Johnny Cash was the keynote speaker. [24]

That year, the three brothers of the band Hanson ulcers brought` to SXSW with hun Father in order to perform impromptu Auditions for music executives in the Hopes of getting industry attention. Among the people who overheard Them was A & R executive Christopher Sabec , who became hun manager and mention anything soon afterward get them signed to Mercury Records . [25]

In 1995, the SXSW Film and Multimedia Conference was split JSON two separate events, “SXSW Film” and “SXSW Multimedia”. [19]

In 1999, SXSW Multimedia was renamed “SXSW Interactive”. [19]

2000s

Singer-songwriter John Mayer ‘s performance at the 2000 SXSW Music Festival led to his signing soon there after with Aware Records , his first record label .

A performance by the band The Polyphonic Spree at the 2002 SXSW Music Festival helped bring them to national attention voordat they ‘had signed with a major label. [26]

At the 2002 SXSW Film Festival, the film Manito won the jury award for narrative feature, while the documentary Spellbound won the jury award for documentary feature.

British singer James Blunt was when making producer Linda Perry while playing a small show at the 2004 SXSW Music Festival, and was signed to Perry’s Custard Records soon there after, [27] where he mention anything go on to release all three of his subsequent albums.

The 2005 SXSW Film Considered by some to be the origin of the mumblecore film genre. A number of films now classified as mumblecore, zoals The Puffy Chair , Kissing on the Mouth , Four Eyed Monsters and Mutual Appreciation , ulcers screened, and Eric Masunaga , a musician and the music editor on Mutual Appreciation , is credited with coining the term ” mumblecore “at a bar while at the festival. [28]

The film Hooligans won zowel the Feature Film Jury Award and the Feature Film Audience Award for narrative feature, while The Puffy Chair won the Feature Film Audience Award in the “Emerging Visions” category. The documentary film Cowboy del Amor won the SXSW Competition Award and the Audience Award.

A secret concert at the 2006 SXSW Music by the band The Flaming Lips was called one of the “Top 10 Music Festival Moments” or all time by Time magazine in 2010. [29]

The 2006 SXSW Interactive featured a keynote panel of Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales and Craigslist founder Craig Newmark . [30]

That year, “Screen Burn at SXSW”, a component for video games were added to SXSW Interactive. [19]

The 2007 music festival took place from March 14 to 18, and morethan 1,400 acts Performed.

Two of the top movie premieres dat year ulcers Elvis and Anabelle and Skills Like This .

The social media platform Twitter notably gained a good deal of early traction and buzz at the 2007 SXSW Interactive, [31] though it did not launch at SXSW 2007 than sometimes reported. [19]

The 2008 SXSW Interactive got media attention due to a keynote interview or Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in technology journalist Sarah Lacy that was Considered by some observers to be a “train Wreck” due to an audience perception dat Lacy was Asking uninteresting questions, as well as mocking or terse answers in response from Zuckerberg. [32]

In 2008, a comedy element was added to SXSW; it was held for one night. (In 2012, comedy performances occurred on all nights of the festival.) [33]

The 2009 festival was held March 13-22. The Interactive section or SXSW mn drew larger attendance levels; the influx strained the networks of providers zoals AT & T (primarily due to heavy iPhone usage). [34] Also new was the founding of an international organization for Those Attending not, dubbed NotAtSXSW. Coordinating through Twitter and other online tools, notatsxsw events were held in London, New York, Wisconsin, Portland, Oregon and Miami. [35]

The 2009 SXSW Interactive saw the launch of the Foursquare application, welke was called “the breakout mobile app ” of the event by the Mashable blog. [36]

The 2009 SXSW Film screened 250 films, zoals 54 World Premieres. The event was notable for keeping the United States premiere of the film The Hurt Locker , welke went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2010. [19] The winners of the feature jury awards ulcers, for documentary feature, 45365 , and for narrative feature, Made in China . [37]

2010

The 2010 music festival, welke took place March 12-21, was dedicated to Alex Chilton , who mayest shortly have voordat was to perform with Big Star . [38] A tribute concert was Performed in his honor on March 20, 2010. [39]

At the 2010 festival, nearly the 2,000 bands ulcers officially Scheduled to perform, [40] and festival reps Estimated dat over 13,000 industry representatives attended. [41] though Traditionally the Austin Music Awards kick off the festival, dat year organizers slated it as the closing act. Local musician Bob Schneider earned 6 awards, zoals Song of the Year, Singer of the Year, and Artist of the Year (with Lonelyland .) [40] The 2010 festival was ook notable for appearances by the Surviving members of the band Moby Grape . [42]

At the 2010 Film Festival, Magnolia Pictures Bought the film rights to the science fiction film Monsters on the night it screened in what was the first-ever “overnight takeover” at SXSW. Journalist Meredith Melnick or Time magazine called this purchase a turning point for SXSW, leading to a grotere interest onder movie studio executives in Attending the festival in person. [43] That year ook saw the premiere of the indie favorite Tiny Furniture , welke won the award for Best Narrative Feature.

The 2010 Interactive festival had an Estimated 12 to 13.000 paying ATTENDEES, welke represented a 40% jump over the previous year. [44] This was the first year in welke the interactive festival’s attendance surpassed the music festival’s. [44] The keynote presentation was an interview or then-Twitter CEO Evan Williams at Umair Haque, an interview dat many in the audience found disappointingly superficial. [45] Also prolongation the interactive festival, the first-ever (and so far only) “Hive Awards For the Unsung Heroes of the Internet” were held.

2011

The 2011 SXSW festival ran from March 11 to 20.

The keynote presenter for SXSW Interactive was Seth Priebatsch , founder and CEO of the mobile gaming platform Scvngr . [46] The 2011 Interactive festival was at the far Toilets it had ever leg with an Estimated 20,000 ATTENDEES. [47]

Also in attendance at SXSW was boxing legend Mike Tyson , promoting his new iPhone game with Rock Live at the Screen Burn Arcade. [48]

At least two films screened at the SXSW Film Festival gained distribution deals, the documentary Undefeated (welke went on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature ) and the thriller The Divide . As a result, film critic Christopher Kelly wrote dat in 2011, SXSW Film went from being “a well-regarded but Fundamentally regional event” to keeping “joined the big leagues or film festivals around the world.” [49] That festival was ook notable for keeping the premiere of the movie Bridesmaids . [50]

The March 15th screening of the Foo Fighters documentary Back and Forth was Followed by a surprise live performance by the band Itself, with a setlist therein included the entirety of the then-upcoming album Wasting Light . [51]

2012

SXSW 2012 ran from March 9 to 18.

The standout technology of the 2012 SXSW Interactive was algemeen stated to be ” social discovery ” mobile apps, welke note users locate other nearby users. Social discovery apps dat had a presence at SXSW included Highlight , Glancee, Sonar and Kismet. [52] [53]

SXSW Film saw the premiere of two major Hollywood films: The Cabin in the Woods [54] and 21 Jump Street . [50] Two films obtained distribution deals: Girls Against Boys and The Tall Man . [55] Another film, Gimme the Loot , welke won the SXSW Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize, got a distribution deal a week after the festival. [56] Bay of All Saints RECEIVED the Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary. [57]

2012 was ook the first year the music portion-was expanded to Tuesday. The musical festival included rappers zoals Talib Kweli and Lil ‘Wayne , Along with surprise appearances by Big Sean and Kanye West ; indie bands dat Appeared included MENEW and The Shins . Bruce Springsteen was the keynote speaker for the music festival. [58]

2013

SXSW 2013 ran from March 8 to 17.

The big-budget film The Incredible Burt Wonder Tone and Evil Dead premiered at the 2013 SXSW Film, and Spring Breakers had zijn US premiere. [59] The film Short Term 12 won the grand jury award for Best Narrative Feature. The films Cheap Thrills and Haunter RECEIVED distribution deals, [60] and Drinking Buddies obtained a distribution deal verschillende days later. [61]

The 2013 SXSW Interactive saw Another huge jump in registration, now with 30.621 paying ATTENDEES. [62] This was about three times the number dat had attended in 2008 (9,000), just five years to post. [63] The keynote talk for the 2013 SXSW Interactive was bepaald at SpaceX CEO Elon Musk . [64] The “Screen Burn” and “Arcade” components ulcers renamed to “SXSW Gaming” and “SXSW Gaming Expo”, respectively. [65] The Interactive conference was noted voor zijn Increased corporate presence, featuring major participation by Samsung , 3M , Target , American Airlines , Adobe Systems and AT & T , Vodafone onder. [64] [66] CNN , CBS and CNET called Grumpy Cat the Undisputed “Biggest Star” or SXSW Interactive on Musk, Al Gore and Neil Gaiman . [67] [68] [69]

2014

SXSW 2014 ran from March 7 to 16.

SXSW Film Premieres had of the big-budget films Neighbors , Veronica Mars and Chef , and Cesar Chavez had zijn North American premiere. [70] [71] A clip for the big-budget movie Godzilla was ook screened. The movie Space Station 76 [72] and exists got distribution deals at the festival, [71] while Fort Tilden (welke won the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize) and Open Windows got distribution deals shortly afterward. [73] [74]

A new section, “Episodische” (on television programming) was introduced to SXSW Film. Television series dat Previewed at the festival include Silicon Valley and From Dusk till Dawn: The Series . The talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! was taped for a week at the festival; it joined the talk show Watch What Happens: Live , welke Began taping at SXSW in 2013. [75]

SXSW Interactive featured a keynote speech by NSA leaker Edward Snowden , via streaming video, about privacy rights. The festival ook featured a talk from Another famous leaker, Julian Assange , turned speaking remotely. [76] Besides privacy issues, Another major focus of the Interactive festival was wearable technology , zoals devices for augmented reality , activity tracking , identity authentication, charging cell phones and others. [77]Computerworld magazine called the Oculus Rift , a virtual reality gaming headset, the “sleeper hit” of the festival, hoewel de ironically it was displayed not at the Interactive but at the Film portion-as part of a Game of Thrones exhibit. [78]

The keynote presenter and headline act this year for Stubb’s was Lady Gaga . [79] [80] To promote re upcoming album, Food , Kelis cooked and served barbecue-style food from a food truck to festival ATTENDEES. [81] [82]

On March 13, 2014, a drunk driver, Rashad Charjuan Owens, drove his car JSON a crowd of festival ATTENDEES while Trying to evade a traffic stop. [83] Two people killed ulcers redacteuren, Another two mayest later from injuries hun and Another 21 injured ulcers but Survived. [84] Owens was convicted of capital murder charges after a November 2015 trial in welke eyewitnesses testified dat about “a chaotic and harrowing scene” on the night, as Hundreds of people ran and screamed as the car sped through crowds of people. [85] [86] Owens was bepaald an automatic sentence of life imprisonment without the Possibility of parole . [87]

On March 15, 2014, rapper Tyler, The Creator was arrested on misdemeanor charges of ” inciting to riot ” after Yelling to fans to push hun way fits security guards at a sold-out show the previous day. [88] In February 2016, the riot charges ulcers dropped Against Tyler, The Creator pursuant to a plea agreement with prosecutors (under welke the rapper pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of Disorderly conduct and paid a $ 100 fine, with the case to be dismissed if he Stays out of trouble for three months). [89]

2015

SXSW 2015 took place from March 13 to 22.

SXSW Film screened 145 feature films, an all-time high for the festival. [90] The big-budget films Furious 7 (welke was a last-minute addition under to the lineup), [91] Get Hard , Spy , a rough cut or trainwreck , Moonwalkers and The Final Girls [92] had hun World Premieres, as did the documentaries Danny Says , [93] Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine and Fire: A Second Coming . [94] Ex Machina had zijn North American premiere. 6 Years , Manson Family Vacation and Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine all got distribution deals at the festival. [95]

The 2015 festival hosted the Swearing-in ceremony of Michelle K. Lee as the new head of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Administered the oath of office to Lee at the festival on Friday, March 13. [96]

Various sources called Meerkat , an iOS app dat was launched two weeks earlier dat lets users live streaming video on Twitter, the breakout technology or SXSW Interactive. [97] [98] Another product dat got significant buzz was a prototype of the roadable aircraft AeroMobil , welke zijn makers, the company AeroMobil sro, zegt mention anything be ready for operation by 2017. [97] [98]

2016

SXSW 2016 Began on March 11 and ended on March 20. [99]

On March 11, President Barack Obama showing a speech at SXSW Interactive in welke have called on the technology industry to help solvency many of America’s problems, zoals upgrading outdated networks, helping in balance security and privacy, and the FBI Apple encryption disputes . [100]

Movies dat premiered at SXSW Film include Everybody Wants Some !! , Keanu , Sausage Party , Pee-wee’s Big Holiday and Do not Think Twice . [101]

On the night of March 20, Gunshots rang out on 6th Street single cylinder mass HYSteria and panic. No injuries ulcers Reported and a man from Memphis was arrested with discharging a firearm and disturbing the peace .

Economic impact

SXSW is the Highest revenue-producing event for the Austin economy, with an Estimated economic impact of $ 190.3 million in 2012 [102] toenemende to $ 218 million in 2013. [103]

Criticism

The growth of the festival has brought` concerns about violence, crowd control , and safety. [104] [105]

The 2014 drunk-driving incident prompted discussion about Whether the festival had grown too large and raucous. [106] The organizers of the festival-SXSW Holdings LLC and SXSW Holdings Inc. ulcers Sued by families of the four victims. [107]

In May 2014, partially Motivated by the 2014 crash, Austin’s Urban Transportation Commission announced dat it was seeking to enhance safety at the festival, with an initial focus on implementeren transportation maatregelen To resolve issues linked to the festival. The Austin Music Commission ook with to DISCUSS music venues and sound problems linked to the festival. [108] The city voted to limit the number of special events welke mention anything be goedgekeurd to 114, a 32 percent decrease from the number or not approved events prolongation the 2014 festival. [109]

Another frequent criticism of the SXSW festival is dat it has Become overly commercialized. In 2013, NPR writer Andrea Swensson wrote dat she had decided to stop Attending the festival, writing, “I can not help but feel dat it has strayed far away from zijn original premise as a grassroots gathering place for new, Undiscovered talent and getting more feels like a big ol ‘ Times Square billboard-sized commercial. ” [110]

In October 2015, SXSW announced the cancellation of two video game panels ( “#SavePoint: A Discussion on the Gaming Community” and “Level Up: Overcoming Harassment in Games”) Scheduled for the 2016 festival due to threats of violence made to the festival hosting the sessions. [111] In response to the cancellations, Buzzfeed and Vox Media made statements saying they ‘mention anything pull out of the festival if the two panels ulcers not reinstated. [112] [113] In response to the criticism, South by Southwest admitted dat hun decision to cancel the panels was a mistake. In lieu of a panel, South by Southwest hosted a daylong “online harassment summit” on March 12, 2016. [114] on Despite Fears therein violent hecklers mention anything disrupt the summit, it was DESCRIBED Brian Fung as “a largely Peaceful affair” with protests limited to Those who ulcers angry about the bag searches conducted there. [115]

In popular culture

  • Comedian and actor Fred Armisen Began his comic career with the short film Fred Armisen’s Guide to Music and SXSW , released in 1998, in welke he poses as verschillende characters, Asking silly questions of musicians and other ATTENDEES at dat year’s SXSW Music Conference. [116] [117]
  • The 2011 documentary Winning America is about a US tour of Canadian band Said the Whale therein culminates in dat year’s SXSW Music Festival.
  • In the 2014 British film Frank , an experimental band (led by the title character) is booked to play a show at the SXSW Music Festival, but the gig leads to the band’s breakup.

Similar festivals

The creators of South by Southwest co-created two similar festivals in 1995: North by Northwest (NXNW) in Portland, Oregon (co-founded by the Willamette Week ), and North by Northeast (NXNE) in Toronto (co-founded by Now ). [118] North by Northwest ended in 2001, and was Replaced by MusicfestNW (MFNW), an event run entirely by the Willamette Week . [119] In 2006, SXSW organizers created West by Southwest (WXSW) in Tucson, Arizona , a music festival welke occurs rechtstreeks voordat South by Southwest and mostly features bands therein are Scheduled to play at SXSW. [120]

Other festivals inspired by SXSW include de volgende:

  • 35 Denton (formerly known as “North by 35” or “NX35” and “35 Conferette”) – Denton, Texas
  • C2SV (formerly known as “SVSX”) – San Jose, California
  • Incubate (formerly known as “ZXZW”) – Tilburg, Netherlands
  • Live at Heart – Örebro, Sweden
  • Midpoint Music Festival (MPMF) – Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Moso – Saskatoon, Canada
  • South from Due East – Houston, Texas
  • The Goa Project – Goa, India
  • The Great Escape Festival – Brighton, England
  • Tech Open Air (TOA) – Berlin
  • XOXO – Portland, Oregon
  • Yes and Yes Yes (YXYY) (formerly known as “Yes to Yes Yes”) – Palm Springs, California
  • South by So What ?! – Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex .

Festivals inspired by South by Southwest harbor leg collectively nicknamed “four-letter festivals.” Metro Silicon Valley , welke founded C2SV, wrote dat zoals festivals port Become important revenue sources for the alternative weekly Newspapers dat port founded them. [118]

On October 3, 2016, a one-day festival, called “South to South Lawn “, was held at the White House ; it was a collaboration tussen SXSW, US President Barack Obama , and the American Film Institute . [121]