SXSW 2008 Film Festival wrapped up this weekend, leaving in its wake a single tattered, oh so earnest, snapshot of Indie filmmaking.  If Sundance is the official word on the state of indie filmmaking, SXSW is what you’ll learn going to your local bar.  Getting down with SXSW is what it takes to get your ear close to the American independent film underground. Here’s a look at the Top 5 Key Trends that emerged from this year’s diverse group of fiction features and documentaries. 

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"The 5 Trends That Make SXSW 2008 the Indie Film Fest You Need to Know About"

SXSW Film took a backseat to the SXSW Interactive on the blogosphere. While film coverage has been few and far between, the Interactive component has, perhaps not surprisingly, engaged the minds and keypads of bloggers from all over.

The fest’s biggest news so far was Sunday’s keynote address by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Of interest was not his address per se but the manner in which interviewer Sarah Lacy alienated the entire crowd as the whole talk ended in heckling and chaos – and much Twittering.

However, if you’re actually interested in film...well, Variety has you covered:

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=festivals&jump=sxsw

A brief note on the film fest’s opening: www.keyetv.com

A story that ran everywhere, basically an ode to the fest’s hip-ness: National Post

Laremy Legel gives some mini-reviews/grades to Secrecy, We Are Wizards and American Teen. We Are Wizards comes out on top, with the grand praise as one of the best films of 2008.

A review of the documentary Second Skin that finds the film, a look at people addicted to online multi-player games, “depressing”:

http://www.news.com/8301-13772_3-9889170-52.html?tag=blogFeed

South by Southwest Film Fest starts today with a flurry of film screenings and a treasure trove of panels and discussions. Here are a few picks from the festival’s opening weekend.

Films

Second Skin. World premiere of this much-buzzed doc that looks at the lives (or lack thereof) of some hardcore online gamers. Think of it as the Cinemania of the gaming set.

Sex Positive. Docs are really where it’s at this SXSW. Sex Positive is the story of AIDS activist Richard Berkowitz and his pioneering work in “inventing” safe sex.

Films on geeks and geek culture are the rage these days. We Are Wizards looks at the culture of Harry Potter fans and the imaginative and creative ways they engage with their super-fandom.

Panels / Workshops

As well as films, the festival has a ton of panels set up that look at every aspect of filmmaking, financing, distribution, etc. All well and good, but I would go and hang out at Arrested Development‘s Jeffery Tambor’s acting workshop just to see him live.

Documentary trends are difficult to nail down as the sheer proliferation of content keeps the subject matter broad, but a mini-trend seems to be emerging in ought-8’s documentary slate.  A number of recent pics are focusing on the addictions, habits, and casual self-destruction or escapism that accompany modern life.  Documentary’s revenge on fiction or an answer to the age of ‘truthiness’?

Recently acquired by Magnolia Pictures, Bigger Stronger Faster, a standout doc at this year’s Sundance, takes a hard and honest look at steroid use in the steroid nation.

And two upcoming documentaries at SXSW (which stars this Friday) Second Skin and Super High Me, take a look at, respectively, massively multiplayer online games and marijuana use.

All of these films are not interested in judgment or cautionary tales as much as they are invested in looking at real-world ramifications of “bad behavior.” What is coming across in the films is that every day in every way, people are looking for some way to check out of reality.