This coming March, I’ll be headed back to SXSW which has become one of my favorite domestic festivals. The collision of film, music and tech set against the background of Austin, TX is a winning combination. This year I’ll be speaking on two panels. One film and one interactive.

In addition a number of us will be in town to promote FROM HERE TO AWESOME the new discovery and distribution fest that I co-founded with a number of other DIY filmmakers (FEM and WATS). We’re going to be hosting a number of causal filmmaker dinners with food, drink and talk. There are also some rumblings about a FHTA party. More details but if you’re headed to SXSW let us know.

Digital Cinema for Indies
Saturday, March 8th
11:30 am – 12:30 pm

How can indie directors/producers get their work onto the growing number of digital screens in the US, and what are the economics of encoding your film so it can be downloaded digitally and onto a cinema’s server? We’ll also explore how digital cinema is changing the balance of power between Hollywood studios and independents, and what new developments lie ahead.

Independent Film Distribution: It Takes an Online Community
Monday, March 10th
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

As the distribution platforms for media converge, so must we – the filmmakers and the geeks – to define the future of the new media industry. Join us for a discussion with tech-savvy filmmakers who have been successful not only promoting their films online but in creating true cross-platform media brands. We will find out what they’ve learned along the way and why independent filmmakers must work with new technologies to be viable – today and in the future. Don’t forget your business cards to swap with your favorite geek/filmmaker!

One last plug the most recent issue of Filmmaker currently on newsstands has a feature article that I wrote about the current state of digital downloads – “Navigating the Digital Divide” You can read it online here.