SXSW 2009 Guide to Film Festival Venues

Note: A 2010 guide to SXSW Film Fest venues is now available.

Update, March 4: Another cool and helpful video from SXSW. This one explains the tiers of admission for SXSW movies, including the new "advance ticket" system that badgeholders can use.

Update, March 2: Check out our extra guide for locals who plan to buy film passes or tickets this year.

Update #2, March 2: SXSW has created a fun video guide to the film-fest venues on YouTube. The video includes some excellent visuals, so be sure to check it out.

Welcome to the third annual Slackerwood guide to SXSW film-festival theaters and venues. These guidelines are intended to help you get the most out of your filmgoing experience during the festival: the best seats, the least crowded theaters, and decent meals and wireless access between or even during the movies.

A few significant changes have occurred since the 2008 guide. The biggest and best change is that SXSW will run a shuttle for SXSW Film badgeholders and passholders from Friday 3/13 through Tuesday 3/17, 10 am to 2 am, that stops at Austin Convention Center (ACC), the Paramount, and Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar. This will make it so much easier for out-of-towners to get to Alamo South, at least during the first part of the fest.

The other big change is that Dobie Theatre is no longer a SXSW venue, which may disappoint locals who liked the ease of parking and the lack of downtown crowds. Instead, SXSW will be using three screens at Alamo South, which will consolidate the venue choices and make it easier to move between theaters.

Here are the SXSW 2009 theaters, with info on location, nearby food, and nearby wireless access. If I've missed some tips and tricks, please add a comment or contact me and I'll be happy to update this guide.

The Paramount -- 713 Congress Ave.

The Paramount is nearly 100 years old and hosts the official opening-night and closing-night SXSW films, as well as other SXSW movies likely to draw large crowds. The theater often fills to capacity -- about 1200 seats -- for splashy premieres and local favorites. Lines for the films form outside the theater and wrap in both directions down Congress. The lines look deceptively long, and just because a line is stretched around the block and halfway down the next street doesn't mean you won't get in.

Pros: It's a big enough theater that if you have a film badge, you are going to see the movie. Film passes have a strong chance too, unless it's a very popular film indeed. While you're waiting for the movie to start, have a look around the theater -- it's lovely. This is the best venue for celebrity spotting and perhaps even a red carpet or two.

Cons: The seats are narrow and close together, and since the theater often fills up, you may feel a little too friendly with your neighbors. The house lights are dim if you're trying to take notes beforehand.

In the past, the Paramount has been the one venue where audience members without press passes on their cameras have had trouble taking photos. The theater normally has a no-photography rule and the ushers aren't shy about enforcing it.

Best/worst seating: The box seats on the sides look cute but give you a limited view of the film (although a great view of the audience below, if you're a filmmaker gauging reaction on your premiere). The boxes also may partially block your view if you're sitting far left or right on the lower level. Some short people claim the best view is from the middle of the very last row of the orchestra/mezzanine level, but that doesn't work well for me.

Balcony seats have cramped legroom but offer good visibility if you're short. However, don't sit on the front row of the balcony; your view will be impeded by a big iron bar. The balcony isn't always open during movies that aren't expected to draw a big audience.

Parking: No Paramount-specific parking. You can park in nearby garages or, on weekends and after 5:30 on weekdays, on the street in metered spots. Once SXSW Music starts, downtown parking lots become appallingly expensive. (I've seen $5-7 parking turn into $15-18 parking, which is ridiculous.) I like parking at St. David's garage (E. 7th) if I want to avoid the hassle of finding a spot on the street, but they jack up the prices after the music fest starts just like everyone else.

Distance: You're downtown, so you can walk to any venue except Alamo South.

Food and Beverages: You can buy bottled water, soft drinks, and beer and wine. Food is limited to popcorn and candy. Nearby dining options include Roaring Fork in the Stephen F. Austin hotel next door, which has weekday happy-hour food specials at the bar; Silhouette across the street, which has happy hour sushi; and the 1886 Cafe and Bakery at the Driskill, which has some reasonably priced items before 5 pm like soup and salad. Jamba Juice down the block offers vitamin C-filled smoothies if you're worried about getting sick. Sadly, most nearby fast-food places are closed at night (except Wiki Wiki Teriyaki and possibly Jimmy John's) and even on Sundays.

If you're carrying your own water bottle (a good idea if the weather is warm), stow it in your car/hotel or conceal it in your bag before you get to the theater entrance. The ushers take pains to ensure that no outside food or drinks enter the theater, although they won't check inside bags and purses.

Wireless: Walk a block towards Sixth Street to The Hideout (a SXSW venue this year, see below), or a couple of blocks to Schlotzsky's (closed on Sunday). For a less crowded alternative, walk a couple of blocks toward the Capitol to Little City Coffeehouse, which has great sandwiches at lunchtime.

Alamo Ritz -- 320 East Sixth Street

[Photo credit: B-Side Entertainment, used with permission (thanks guys!).]

Alamo Ritz was the most popular SXSW Film venue in 2008 (according to me) -- the theater serves food and alcohol and is in walking distance of ACC, so what do you expect? SXSW uses both screens at Ritz: the smaller theater seats about 90, and the larger one up to 200, depending on how balcony seating is arranged. The lines often spill out of the theater and onto the nearby sidewalk on Sixth, as you can see in the photo at the top of this page.

Pros: The pre-show clips are usually fun. And did I mention you can order food and beer (and yummy root-beer floats)? If you've never been to an Alamo Drafthouse, you really need to see at least one movie here or at the South Lamar venue. The seats are comfy except in the balcony, but the view from there can be pretty cool and makes up for whatever temporary seating they've arranged up there.

Cons: Every SXSW screening at Alamo filled very quickly in 2008, because out-of-towners loved the Alamo experience. Even with a badge, it was often difficult to get in. The front row of the smaller theater is a challenging angle for watching movies. When you sit down at an Alamo, don't try to put an empty seat between you and the people next to you -- the waitstaff will ask you to move so seats can be consolidated if the theater fills up.

Parking: No Alamo Ritz-specific parking; same advice as with the Paramount. If you're seeing a midnight movie and parking in a garage, make sure it will still be open after the movie ends.

Distance: You can walk to ACC and the Paramount, but not Alamo South Lamar. No, not even if you're a New Yorker who's used to walking everywhere.

Food and Beverages: Alamo Ritz offers a full menu for lunch and dinner, including an extensive beer menu and full bar. I believe they may also be offering weekend brunch this year (the french toast is awesome). If you've never been to an Alamo before, ordering instructions are on the menu, and waitstaff can help. (Please don't forget to tip if you order anything.) You also can get standard movie-theater fare like popcorn and candy. I recommend the salads because you know you'll need your vitamins and veggies during the long festival week.

If you're starting to burn out on Alamo, Iron Cactus next door has Tex-Mex. Sixth Street has lots of food and most of it's not so hot. If you have time on your hands and want one of the best burgers in Austin, walk a few blocks down Sixth towards I-35 to Casino El Camino (where you should conceal your SXSW badge so you're not mocked as a tourist).

Wireless: The Ritz has wireless in the lobby but the theater walls are so thick that it doesn't penetrate there very well. Sixth Street tends to have bars rather than coffeehouses -- walk over to the Hideout or try Halcyon on Fourth Street. [Math points out that it might be easiest to go back to ACC and use their wireless. He also advises checking the Driskill lobby to see if they have free wireless, although I can't confirm that.]

Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar -- 1120 South Lamar

Alamo South Lamar is my favorite SXSW venue in terms of comfort and convenience, since I'm a local with a car. The six theaters are various sizes: I think the largest can seat about 200 people. I don't know which three screens will be used for SXSW (and it may vary by day). Lines for the movies may be inside the lobby or outside depending on the size of the crowds and the weather.

Pros: Like Alamo Ritz, you get pre-show clips, food, and beer. Little lights under the tables in front of your seat are meant to make menu-reading easier, but are also helpful if you're taking notes on the film. Sometimes Alamo puts a tray full of glasses of ice water near the entrance to a specific theater, which can be a real blessing during the festival (hint to Alamo: please do this again for 2009).

Cons: The big festival crowds can sometimes tax this Alamo's normally smooth kitchen service, although that's becoming a rarer problem with every fest. If you intend to order food, get to the theater early and order as soon as possible. Avoid the first two rows of the theater unless you like craning your neck.

Parking: Alamo South Lamar is part of a strip mall with a big parking lot. If the lot looks full, you can park behind the theater in a smaller lot.

Distance: You can't walk anywhere from here unless you're into hiking, but you can take the shuttle during the first part of the fest. During the second part, you can take the #3 bus from downtown (or the #484 Night Owl after midnight), rent a bike, or find a friendly Austinite with a car. A cab from the theater to downtown isn't expensive, but they're unlikely to hang around the parking lot, so be prepared to phone. Make sure the cab service has your name so they won't drive off with some other film geek.

Food and Beverages: The menu is similar to Alamo Ritz. The milkshakes are my favorite in Austin. A few restaurants are nearby, too: Suzi's Chinese Kitchen and Casa Garcia are in the same strip mall, and the super-trendy (and pricey) Japanese restaurant Uchi is across the street and down about a block. If you've got a car, you can hit restaurant row over at Lamar and Barton Springs, or go further south for Kerbey Lane's gingerbread pancakes.

Wireless: Wireless is usually available in the lobby and the theaters, although the signal isn't consistent. If the weather is nice and the wireless is strong, I recommend the picnic benches next to the theater. The closest and easiest-to-find coffeehouse with free wireless is probably Flipnotics, on Barton Springs Road about a block west of Lamar, but that's not walking distance. About two blocks further south down Lamar (away from downtown), you'll find a Starbucks in a strip mall across the street from Saxon Pub.

Austin Convention Center (ACC)

The ACC "theater" is a temporary setup in the convention center. It seats a surprisingly large amount of people and I've rarely seen a full house. During the film conference, this is the most convenient theater of the festival. During the music festival, I sometimes feel weirdly out of place here.

Pros: The location is unbeatable during the film conference and the theater rarely fills to capacity, especially after the film conference ends. ACC may be the best place for passholders or individual ticket buyers to see films in 2009, parking issues aside. During the film conference, you feel like you're right in the heart of the festival. The seats are on a good incline and short people should have no problem seeing the screen.

Cons: The seats are cramped, with hardly any legroom (or room for your backpack). You don't get the movie-theater vibe that you would with the Paramount ... this feels more like a big classroom. Also, once the music festival starts, the area outside the theater gets even more crowded than usual, although the theater itself almost always has seats.

Parking: You have to pay to park near ACC -- I think even the very few street spots are gone now. Try the garage next to the convention center, or the big surface/dirt lot closest to Cesar Chavez.

Distance: You can walk to the Paramount and Alamo Ritz, and you're smack in the middle of the film conference. If you've got a room at the Hilton, you barely have to walk at all, you lucky dog.

Food and Beverages: Skip the convention center itself unless you're dying of hunger or in need of coffee. Outside, you'll find some good, affordable spots like Iron Works, PF Chang's, and Mongolian BBQ. These places will be super-swamped at lunchtime, so you might want to walk a few blocks more and explore Austin's downtown lunch options.

Wireless: When the conference is going on, the wireless lounge is usually right next to the theater. Can't beat that.

The Hideout -- 617 Congress Ave.

The Hideout is a combination coffeehouse and performance venue. The downstairs theater, located in the back of the coffeehouse, seats about 75. I've never seen a line form for Hideout movies during SXSW, but SXSW has never shown this many movies at Hideout before. Even if you aren't seeing a movie here, it's a good place for coffee-and-wireless, but the coffeehouse area can get extremely busy at night.

Pros: Good coffee and other caffeinated beverages, and comfy couches in the coffeehouse area. You can sometimes get a bagel or other snack here for emergency sustenance when other nearby restaurants are closed. The theater has a cozy, intimate feeling.

Cons: It's not primarily a movie theater and I've noticed problems with the digital projection at other events. Since SXSW is using the venue more this year, hopefully they've got the technical issues covered.

Parking: Downtown (see Paramount and Alamo Ritz listings).

Distance: It's a block away from the Paramount, and also convenient to Alamo Ritz and ACC.

Food and Beverages: Lots of coffee drinks, frappes, tea, etc. They also have baked goods and snacks, depending on the time of day (the earlier you go, the better the selection). The Espresso Rocket Shake is delicious but I was asked a few years ago not to drink those any more because I become intolerably wired afterwards.

Wireless: Free wireless right there, yay. And you can relax on a sofa with a tasty beverage while you use your laptop, if it's not too crowded.