Each year the hippest of the hip converge on Austin, TX for SXSW, a music and media conference bringing the indie world’s most compelling film, music and web material to the world stage. Here’s how the 2010 South by Southwest Festival went down.
Drawing nearly 2000 bands and over 100,000 fans, SXSW 2010 proved that a shaky economy, struggling music industry and near-freezing temperatures are no match for media lovers.
The music
The highlight of the fest was no doubt the all-star tribute to Alex Chilton, frontman for Big Star and the Box Tops, who died of a heart attack three days before his scheduled performance.
The low point? Arguably Courtney Love kicking off her Hole tour. Not because the set wasn’t good — it got favorable reviews and Love seemed unusually unintoxicated — but because founding Hole member Melissa Auf der Maur was showcasing alone and not part of her very own band.
Keynote: Privacy and publicity
But SXSW isn’t all about music. Interactive highlights some of the newest and coolest technology and web apps like Spotify, Foursquare and Gowalla, while the keynote by Danah Boyd focused on internet privacy — or lack thereof.
Short film jury awards
SXSW even has its own film awards, and 2010 presented a compelling list of entrants. Some of the winners included…
Narrative shorts
Winner: Cigarette Candy
Director: Lauren Wolkstein
Special Jury Award: Teleglobal Dreamin’
Director: Eric Flanagan
Documentary shorts
Winner: Quadrangle
Director: Amy Grappell
Special Jury Award: White Lines and The Fever: The Death of DJ Junebug
Director: Travis Senger
Animated shorts
Winner: The Orange
Director: Nick Fox-Gieg
Special Jury Award: One Square Mile of Earth
Director: Jeff Drew
Experimental shorts
Winner: Night Mayor
Director: Guy Maddin
Special Jury Award: Kids Might Fly
Director: Alex Taylor
Music videos
Winner: Cinnamon Chasers, Luv Deluxe
Director: Saman Keshavarz
Special Jury Award: Grizzly Bear, Forest
Director: Allison Schulnik
Check out the SXSW video channel on YouTube for all kinds of panels and workshops from SXSW 2010 and years past!
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