We did a series of posts about Cinetic Media and its reputation as an ‘unseen hand’ at the Sundance Film Festival...well, well, well: we learn today that Cinetic has made a stunning strategic move, tempting South by Soutwest Film Festival director Matt Dentler away from sunny Austin to the cool blue-gray towers of NYC.  Clearly, this consolidates Cinetic’s position as a premiere player in the American Independent film scene.

But that’s just the beginning.

According to this IndieWire article, Dentler is joining Cinetic as part of the Cinetic Rights Management (CRM) unit, a new team dedicated to navigating the brave new digital world of distribution.  Is this the dawn of a legitimate alternative distribution network for indies, or is Cinetic poised to become the next CAA?  Very exciting times.

From IW:

“Reflecting on the tough market at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, [Cinetic founder] John Sloss cited a, “recession of revenue streams from traditional media,” while adding that the, “corresponding revenue streams of digital have not filled in the hole, but they are going to...”

“It’s a changing landscape,” prefaced Cinetic partner Rob Nathan on the iW call, with Sloss adding, “As pay TV deals recede and as the DVD revenues plateau these are the [areas] that are going to rise.”

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"

South By Southwest 2008 Film Fest winners have been announced, see results at: http://2008.sxsw.com/film/

Over at Cinematical, they give top marks to Doug Benson’s Super High Me, a silly but incredibly funny stoner-comedy doc.

http://www.cinematical.com/2008/03/13/sxsw-review-super-high-me/

SXSW veteran and San Francisco native Gabriel Fleming showcased his second feature The Lost Coast to positive press. I admit I know Fleming form back in the days when we were both schlepping at the Telluride Film Fest and I’m thrilled for his success. He’s also the epitome of the sort of emerging artist that SXSW caters to.

http://www.cinematical.com/2008/03/13/sxsw-review-the-lost-coast/

Reviews of lots of SXSW films can be found at:

http://www.spout.com/sxsw

and http://www.filmthreat.com/

Final Farewell To Austin
Here at IPEX we looked at the whole sweding fad tied to the online promotion of Be Kind, Rewind. And, as you know, we’ve also have been following the blog coverage of the SXSW film fest in Austin. Now these two obsessions have miraculously dovetailed. While neither a part of SXSW nor a part of the official promotion of Be Kind, Rewind, the Austin based Filmmaking Frenzy and Austin Drafthouse have the results of their own Rewind, Kindly sweding contest online now. A bunch of sweded films of everyone’s romp favorites, the results are well worth checking out. See them at:

http://beta.filmmakingfrenzy.com/ViewFrenzy.aspx?FrenzyId=5

and start your schemes and dreams for SXSW 09.

SXSW has a pretty great blog promoting the music component of the fest, but not so for the film section. Fortunately, film and film fest fans online have taken over and the 2008 SXSW film festival is now chugging along full-steam ahead through the world-o-blogs. Here are my Top 5 blog picks for festival coverage.

1. Great set of interviews with SXSW participants, including an interview with early fest favorite We Are Wizards director Josh Koury.

http://www.indiewire.com/people/2008/03/sxsw_08_intervi_12.html

2. Probably the most comprehensive online coverage of the fest can be found at Spout. Interviews, festival news and more from their roving correspondents.

http://blog.spout.com/

3. Great coverage from the films to the parties can be found at:

http://www.cinematical.com

4. Indie film stalwarts Film Threat provide all things SXSW at:

http://sxsw.bside.com/2008/

5. Not coming to a theater near you has just a few reviews of the fest films so far, but should be building over the week. And while some of these films will be coming to a theater near you, a bunch will not, so check this out while you can.

http://www.notcoming.com/

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.

Long the cultural beat in the heart of Texas, Austin is just now enjoying its status as Indie film capital of America. As far back as Richard Linklater’s Slackers (1991), Austin has offered glimpses of a small but vibrant film scene, one that has now fully flourished. All the stars have aligned and Austin is the city to be in if you are a young filmmaker.

Here are 5 reasons why:

1. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Every scene needs a venue. Austin has the best. Austinites may take this theater for granted but for those of us living in Muliplex hell, the Alamo sounds too awesome for words. Food and beer, watching movies in a mature environment, with programming that covers everything form first run to eccentric audiovisual events. Want to watch Showgirls with David Schmader’s live running commentary? You can at the Alamo. Am I out for a movie, or have I died and gone to heaven?

2. SXSW
Every scene needs a festival. Austin’s South By Southwest is the little fest that could—and did. Already having proven its bankability—2002’s Spellbound broke at SXSW and went on to an Oscar nom—SXSW gets better every year and has yet to sacrifice any of its credibility. Programming at the fest manages to ride the fine line between hipness and accessibility, providing a vibrant venue for emerging filmmakers.

3. University Of Texas Film Institute
Every scene needs a draw for the local talent and UTFI may be one of Austin’s biggest as far as film is concerned. The institute has been aggressive in looking for opportunities for their students, partnering with Burnt Orange Productions and giving students a chance to work on feature length films (2005’s The Quiet was a part of this initiative).

4. Filmmaking Frenzy
Every scene needs a website. This is one of the best online sites for young filmmakers. Constant competitions are running with videos posted online. If you live in the area you can check out Frenzy events at the Alamo; if you don’t, check out the site for a dose of inspired filmic antics.

5. Congress Avenue Bats
Every scene needs its bat cave. Under Austin’s Congress Avenue bridge is the world’s largest urban bat hangout. The bats have even spawned their own music fest—Batfest. Peak seasons sees over 1 Million bats congregate and at sunset these little devils whoosh out from under the bridge, creating a spectacle that is equal parts inspiring, beautiful and a little creepy. A bat colony, it’s just so cool.

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.