St Kilda 2013 Preview: SXSW Sidebar to Showcase the Best of Texas

In this first preview of the St Kilda Film Festival which is held in St Kilda, Melbourne in May, I'm going to highlight the four SXSW sidebars that have been incorporated into the broader program this year. Known by its abbreviation SXSW, the South by Southwest Film Festival is a massive cross-platform event that takes place in Austin, Texas around March each year, and which coincides with the monster musical festival of the same name.

This year St Kilda will also bring out SXSW Short Film Programmer Claudette Godfrey to introduce the SXSW sessions, participate in the filmmaker workshops and party into the wee hours - possibly breaking out her renowned karaoke version of Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Hypnotize'.

The four programmed sessions from SXSW will include the Best of Texas, Best of SXSW 1, Best of SXSW 2 and the Best of SXSW Music Video. All sessions will include a mix of 2013 shorts with added best of selections from the last three or four years at SXSW.

Some SXSW shorts program selections I'm looking forward to are:

On the eve of departing overseas, Ellen makes the fateful decision to gift her boyfriend a new girlfriend.

Narrative Short Jury Winner 2013

2013 / 15:00 mins

Director Michelle Savill

Producer Desray Armstrong, Michelle Savill

Forced to play the role of "the hero" at his homecoming party, a traumatized teenage Marine forms an unlikely bond with a rebellious young girl.

2010 / 13:00 mins

Director Lauren Wolkstein

Producer Brigitte Liebowitz

The story of one boy's reaction to an outbreak of poisonous mold in his small town.

2012 / 12:00 mins

Director Grainger David

Producer Spencer Kiernan, Caroline Oliveira

A short explanation of what would happen in horror situations if smart characters made good decisions.

Midnight Shorts 2013

2013 / 3mins

Director Joe Nicolosi

Producer Stephanie Noone

Mr. Lee is an adopted stray cat who routinely disappears from his North Carolina home. Where does he go? An engineer straps a camera to the cat and inadvertently creates a media sensation.

2012 / 15mins

Director Seth Keal

Producer Seth Keal, Charles Miller

I Am Your Grandma is an autobiographical video diary log (vlog) that Jillian Mayer records for her unborn grandchildren.

Midnight Shorts 2012

2012 / 1:00 mins

Director Jillian Mayer

Producer Lucas Leyva

A young woman has an affair that leaves a hideous mark. Her attempts to remove it only make it worse.

Texas Shorts 2013

2013 / 12:15 mins

Director Caleb Johnson

Producer Caleb Johnson, Heather Johnson

A profile of the last days of a Czech dance hall in rural Texas--and the old-timers who come there to polka.

Documentary Shorts 2012

2011 / 12mins

Director Annie Silverstein

Producer Annie Silverstein

All hell breaks loose when seven-year-old Petey is left with his hell-raising brothers. Things go from bad to really, really bad when dad gets home...

Texas Shorts 2012

2012 / 6mins

Director Kat Candler

Producer Kelly Williams

Also, as a compliment to the already brilliant array of Australian music videos selected for the SoundKILDA sidebar at the festival, SXSW is also presenting a whole program of music videos to be projected in all their glory on the big screen at the Astor. For the full list visit the site here.

The St Kilda Film Festival is produced and presented by The City of Port Phillip and runs from Thursday 23 May - Saturday 1 June 2013 St Kilda's Palais and Astor Theatre.