It's on now. SXSW kicked off last night and excitement is high. Rebecca & I went to the Texas Film Hall of Fame, which went off very well, despite the fact that we had a 4-hour power outage at the office. When I showed up at work around 11:30 or so, everyone was in the dark, but soldiering on as best they could. The power eventually came back on and the event was a certain success. Dan Rather was a charming and sweet host, the food was great and Mariska Hargitay gave a heart-felt teary speech about her mother Jayne Mansfield that had most of the crowd reaching for their hankies, or the hand of their sweeties. From what I've heard, we raised a boat-load of cash, so we can keep the lights on in the office (y'know when the power doesn't go out on us) and can give away some scratch to hungry filmmakers this summer.

Still duded up in my tie and sportcoat, we headed downtown to the SXSW Opening Night Party, where we got to reconnect with many familiar, happy faces. The Buffalo Billiards party is always a laid-back blast and surprisingly easy to manuever even tho it's packed.

This morning, I'm trying to finish up some AFS biz before heading down to the South Lamar Alamo to see the premiere of goodbuddy's Jake's Mr. P in Reel Shorts 1, a film I've seen countless cuts of as he's been editing it over the last several months. This final one is definitely the best and I think it's gonna rock the crowd.

After that, I'll have a few hours to catch up with folks before I settle in to the Hideout for the AFS Member Showcase screenings - 1 & 2. There's some pretty great stuff in the two compilations, so if you're stumbling by the Hideout, stumble inside and check 'em out.

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From the Hideout	08:25 pm

I'm writing this from the Hideout, since there's no room for me in the screening room for the 2nd AFS Members Showcase, but I can hear the applause when each film finishes. We got capacity crowds for both and nearly all the filmmakers were here to answer questions.

After this Q & A, I may go to a party or two, but try not to stay out late. I haven't seen any features yet, just shorts. The program with Mr. P, Reel Shorts 1, was actually really fantastic. The best for me, besides Mr. P, natch, was this Australian film Crossbow. Very disturbing story of a teenage kid driven to the brink by his disinterested parents, as narrated by his unseen neighbor, but done with an unexpectedly distinct voice and sense of place. And, it didn't hurt that it was beautifully shot on 35mm. God bless those countries that give major support to thier young filmmaking talents.

I managed to scarf down dinner at the Texas Film Commission's annual reception at the Iron Cactus, since I knew I was gonna be at the Hideout for a long 4-hour chunk of time. Got to catch up with a few more people there, both out-of-towners and locals I hadn't seen in a while.

Man, I'm kinda tired. I've been waking up too early the last few days - but that's what the festival adrenaline does to me. Gotta just ride with it.

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Back to Me - March 8th, 2008

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