HEADED SOUTH

If New York’s dense assemblage of moviegoers ever faces extinction, someone should call Austin for reinforcements. The youth-oriented city sports a flourishing film culture united by its Alamo Drafthouses, where audiences can order drinks and food from their seats without losing sight of the screen. Such multitasking suits Austin’s evolving South by Southwest Film Festival, which opened the nine-day movie and music orgy on March 9. Programmer Matt Dentler did a stellar job this year with a diverse selection primarily composed of documentary and horror cinema. The two areas of filmmaking have nothing immediately in common—save for microbudgets and inspired starving artists.

Continue reading about South by Southwest in the New York Press...