I’m returning to Austin this March for my 11th consecutive South by Southwest and, borrowing an idea from myself, I’ve decided to solicit filmmakers ahead of time. Since I live in Canada, and the postal service can take up to two weeks to deliver a package from the US, I wanted to put out the call as early as possible, even though the official lineup won’t be announced for a few more days. Here’s my standard pitch:
Each of the past three years, I’ve solicited filmmakers whose work has been accepted to screen at the South by Southwest film festival to send me their films ahead of time, thus improving the chances of me seeing and reviewing them. This year, I’m doing it all over again! So here’s the deal: if you are a filmmaker with a film screening at SXSW 2011, and you’d like to generate a bit of coverage, get in touch. The regular disclaimer applies: I have a paying job that often gets in the way of me writing about films, and so I cannot guarantee that I’ll review your work in a timely fashion. In fact, I can’t guarantee I’ll review it period. But I’ll do my best, depending on response, etc. Email me at james@ this domain and I’ll let you know my coordinates. Oh, and by the way, congratulations! SXSW is an important festival, Austin is a great town, and you are going to have a blast if you can make it there in person.