South by Southwest, the expansive family of conferences and festivals exploring interactive development, film and music in Austin, Texas, is back for another year.
SXSW, as it’s more commonly known, encompasses an array of speakers, sessions and artists from Al Gore to Iggy Pop. In the past few years, gaming and comedy have earned their own streams.
Musicians, filmmakers and speakers vie for a slot at SXSW because the exposure can lead to greater opportunities.
Anderson Le, film programmer for the Hawaii International Film Festival, said SXSW is a prime festival to scout independent American films and music documentaries that Hawaii filmgoers might appreciate.
Le visits SXSW annually to "get educated, work with speakers and transfer ideas and people over to Hawaii," he said. It wasn’t such a stretch to do that with "I Am Not a Hipster," a film Le picked up from SXSW last year; writer-director Destin Cretton is originally from Maui.
This year the transfer of creative ideas is moving from Hawaii to Texas, too, as Le’s brother Andrew, a chef, brings highly praised Honolulu pop-up restaurant The Pig & the Lady to Austin for a one-night dinner sponsored by Austin movie chain Alamo Drafthouse as a "Rolling Roadshow." The event includes an outdoor screening of Hayao Miyazaki’s "Spirited Away" on Sunday.
Hawaii acts in the official music fest are Anuhea, a singer and songwriter who was featured at last year’s NFL Pro Bowl, and Mike Love, who is touring to promote his new album,"The Change I’m Seeking."
Another act, Skinny Lister, a London-based five-piece band, includes Hawaii’s Michael Camino, a founder of the Hell Caminos.
Black Pistol Fire, a duo from Canada now living in Austin, provides another isle connection, having composed music used on "Hawaii Five-0."
Phil Tripp, SXSW’s Australia-based liaison for the Pacific, notes that the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism has some fledgling programs to support "creative content" by Hawaii artists. The state agency backed HIFF panels on music, digital development and film last year, as well as a national competition for Asia-Pacific screenwriters.
Last month, DBEDT issued a request for proposals to support professional development for Hawaii’s creatives in the arts, culture, music and literary-publishing fields.
This could boost Hawaii’s participation in events like SXSW and in homegrown arts festivals such as Mele Mei, an expansion of the Na Hoku Hanohano awards program. Government incentives in Australia and New Zealand have long done the same.
"Hawaii desperately needs to nurture its homegrown talents in creation and technology to work in a global market," Tripp said.
In the meantime, SXSW lures local creatives to Texas for the shared ideas and creative excitement. At least 25 Hawaii-based digital-industry, film and music types are registered. And Kings of Spade and Quadraphonix are planning to play at "unofficial" events in Austin during the event.
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On the Net:
» sxsw.com
