South by Slackery News Tidbits, March 3
By Jette Kernion on March 3, 2010 - 10:30am
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Let's see what the latest Austin and SXSW film news is today.
- The big big news: Robert Rodriguez is bringing a rough cut of Predators, which he's produced, to SXSW. He and director Nimrod Antal will present a "First Look" at the movie, which was partially shot in Austin, on opening night (Friday, March 12) at Alamo Ritz at 10:15 pm. The dark side of this news is that the bigger Ritz theater only holds about 200 people, maybe a few more if they squeeze folks into the balconies. Even though the event is open only to SXSW badgeholders, you'd probably have to line up outside the Ritz before the opening-night film even starts in order to get a seat. (People are already talking about lining up that afternoon.) So sadly, I'm unlikely to be reporting on this event myself.
- In addition, the SX Fantastic "Super Secret Screening" has been announced: it's the world premiere of 13, Gela Babluani's bigger-budget remake of his 2006 film Tzameti. The film stars Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Ben Gazzara and (Fantastic Fest favorite) Alexander Skarsgard.
- SXSW film passes are now on sale: $70 for eight days, which is an excellent deal for second-tier access to a lot of good movies around town. Individual tickets are $10 so if you see 8 movies you're ahead financially (plus, ahead in the admission lines). You can buy passes at Alamo Ritz, South Lamar, and Village, and at Waterloo Records. Look for our special guide for passholders and ticket buyers next week.
- AT&T says it's ready to handle the onslaught of iPhone users downtown during SXSW. I have a Palm Pre, so I'm hoping Sprint is equally prepared (or at least that few people are using the Sprint network downtown).
- Other websites have been publishing some great preview articles for SXSW. Film School Rejects has a section devoted to SXSW, where they've been posting a film preview every day. Twitch has also been posting a lot of SXSW news and previews.
- Also, Austin Movie Blog has been posting short interviews with directors who have films at SXSW. Addie Broyles has posted a listing of all food-related events at the festival.
- And you shouldn't miss Austinist's article about SXSW film news, and keep an eye on their website for their usual top-notch coverage.