November 30, 2017

Hey Startups: Apply to Tech Startup Spotlights

Imagine walking into a room full of the most influential investors in the world, and every one of them wants to meet you and learn about your startup. Sound like a dream? You can make it a reality by applying to be part of the Tech Startup Spotlight at SXSW 2018.

Spotlights are casual exhibitions that bring 20 of the most promising startups together in a reception setting with complimentary drinks. At the Tech Startup Spotlight, companies taking the tech world by storm get to pitch their business in a fun, relaxed environment at SXSW.

Apply Now

During each two-hour Spotlight, participants are encouraged to provide demos and showcase their innovations to attendees. Many life-changing connections happen between startups and the hundreds of attendees of the Tech Startup Spotlight.

SXSW is a well-known catalyst for startups. In fact, approximately $4.63 billion* has been invested in startups participating in events at SXSW between 2009-2017.

Don’t miss your chance to propel your startup to the next level. Apply for the Tech Startup Spotlight today!

*Does not include certain undisclosed funding. This data is as of June 6, 2017.

Photo by Kit McNeil

The post Hey Startups: Apply to Tech Startup Spotlights appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film

November 30, 2017

From the StoryCorps App: Lives Impacted by AIDS

Did you know that the broadcast pieces you hear on NPR and our podcast are excerpts of interviews pulled from the StoryCorps Archive? Participants visit one of our recording locations with a friend or family member to record a 40-minute interview with the help of a trained StoryCorps Facilitator, or record a conversation using the StoryCorps App. All interviews recorded using the StoryCorps App, including the selections below, can now be accessed at archive.storycorps.org, our first step towards making our collection of voices accessible to the public. 

World AIDS Day takes place on the first of December each year. On this day, we recognize the ongoing fight against HIV, show solidarity with the estimated 36.7 million people living with HIV worldwide, and honor those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses. In these interviews from the StoryCorps App, people share the impact that AIDS has had upon their lives and the lives of their loved ones.

Sisters Melissa Hippler (left) and Judy Hippler Bello remember their brother, author and journalist Michael Hippler, who died of AIDS-related complications on April 2nd, 1991. They describe Michael as a multi-talented storyteller, writer and advocate — “the toast of each town” when he was living in New York and San Francisco.

Judy and Melissa share how the night before he passed away, Michael’s friends came to see him in the hospital. “He entertained everyone,” Judy says, “It was a stand up comedy act — the only difference was he wasn’t standing! He was the MC; he was the host with the most; he gave his monologue; he interviewed people; he had everyone in stitches.”

Henry Windle interviews his mother, Dr. Stephanie Windle (left), about the role she played in founding the first AIDS treatment clinic in Wisconsin. Dr. Windle, now an Assistant Professor of Nursing at San Francisco State University, talks about the pervasive fear of HIV among nurses in the 1980s.

“Nobody knew if you could catch it by taking care of a patient,” she says. “I remember making a decision at one point, when no nurses would come into that patient room. I thought, this is not going to happen, I am not going to be one of those people that don’t come in the room — and it defined my career.”

In an interview recorded at the Art AIDS America exhibition in Chicago, friends Stephen Starr (left) and Dave Howser talk about growing up in the Baptist Church, coming out as gay in the midst of the AIDS crisis, and the ways that witnessing the impact of HIV and AIDS has changed their spirituality.

After completing seminary, Dave moved to Chicago to serve as the resident AIDS chaplain at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center. “That could have been me,” he says, recalling the AIDS-related death of a young patient. “I had to decide at that point, was I going to allow HIV/AIDS to keep me from living a full and fulfilling life?”

All material within the StoryCorps collection is copyrighted by StoryCorps. StoryCorps encourages use of material on this site by educators and students without prior permission, provided appropriate credit is given. This interview has not been fact-checked, and may contain sensitive personal information about living persons.

Source: SNPR Story Corps

November 28, 2017

25 Years of SXSW Film Festival – Joe Cornish, Leigh Janiak and Sophia Takal

To commemorate the 25th edition of the SXSW Film Festival, we continue our weekly alumni spotlight on careers launched, artists discovered, powerful performances, and more with filmmakers Joe Cornish, Leigh Janiak, and Sophia Takal.

Joe Cornish

Cornish debuted his first feature Attack the Block in 2011 and received the Audience Award in the Midnighters category. Prior to his SXSW debut, Cornish was one half of The Adam and Joe Show, a UK comedy series with Adam Buxton, from 1996-2001. Subsequently, he’s a co-writer of the film adaptations The Adventures of Tintin (2011) and Ant-Man (2015). Cornish’s next feature, The Kid Who Would Be King, is due out September 2018.

“SXSW changed my life by choosing my first feature film Attack the Block for its Midnighters section in 2011. It was the first time the movie had been shown to a real audience anywhere in the world.

I love SXSW because it has the best crowds, the best atmosphere and the best movies. The connection between the audience and the movie they’re watching is something else. It’s an amazing launch pad for new filmmakers and new films, with a unique mix of passionate film fanatics and industry people that can propel a movie and its makers like nowhere else.

I’ll never forget sitting in the corridor leading to the theatre while my movie played, curled into a ball of nervous anxiety, listening for the audience response, then hearing a massive cheer as Moses ran from those alien-gorilla-wolf motherfuckers at the film’s climax. To hear the movie connect with the audience like that was an unforgettable thrill.”

Leigh Janiak

Janiak worked as a crew member on many films before premiering her first feature, the mystery-thriller Honeymoon, at SXSW 2014. She continues to work in the horror genre, directing the pilot episode of Outcast and episodes of Scream: The TV Series.

“My first feature Honeymoon premiered opening night of the Midnighters. It was a whirlwind – a mix of incredible nausea from out-of-control nerves and utter amazement at the milkshakes and cookies at the Alamo – but most of all the amazing support and enthusiasm I received from both the festival and audiences. I was surrounded by true film lovers, people that just love movies. The festival really helped launch the next step of my career and I try to remember the joy of that experience with every new project I tackle!”

Sophia Takal

Takal is an actress and filmmaker and has appeared in thirty films. She premiered her feature directorial debut Green at SXSW 2011 and won the Chicken & Egg Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award. In 2012, she acted in SXSW selection V/H/S, a horror anthology film. Takal returned to the SXSW Film Festival in 2014 with Wild Canaries as a producer and cast member.

“SXSW changed my life by connecting me with the filmmakers who inspire me most – the ones who make vibrant work, push boundaries, and use art as a way of bringing humans together.”

Stay tuned each week to SXSW News for more 25th edition stories.

Join Us For SXSW 2018

Grab your Film Badge today for primary access to all SXSW Film events including world premieres, roundtables, workshops, and parties. Register to attend by Friday, January 12 and save. Book your hotel through SXSW Housing & Travel for the best available rates.

Stay tuned for the 2018 SXSW Film Festival lineup which will be announced in January.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and SXSW News for the latest SXSW coverage, announcements, and updates.

See you in March!

World Premiere of Attack the Block – Photo by Michael Paolini
World Premiere of Honeymoon – Photo by Yoomi Park
World Premiere of Green – Photo by Will Hollis Snider

The post 25 Years of SXSW Film Festival – Joe Cornish, Leigh Janiak and Sophia Takal appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film