Extra: SXSW Film Tips for Non-Badgeholders

Update: A SXSW 2011 guide for non-badgeholders is now available.

Several commenters on the SXSW 2009 Guide to Film Fest Venues asked about the best way to enjoy the festival if they are using film passes instead of badges, or if they want to buy individual tickets for a few movies.

The SXSW film pass is the film-fest equivalent of the Music fest wristband. You're in a second-tier line, and are admitted into a screening after the badgeholders line has been let into the theater, if space permits. Passes for 2009 are $70 and are now available at Waterloo Records or any Austin-area Alamo Drafthouse. Someone asked me whether they'll be able to buy film passes halfway through the festival -- I don't know if there's a limited number and if they ever sell out. Anyone?

I used a SXSW film pass in 2005. It was an excellent deal for me -- I saw 14 features and one short-film collection, and I got into everything I wanted except one midnight movie (The Aristocrats, which I had ample opportunity to see later that year). If you have no interest in the conference and are willing to postpone seeing the big-buzz movies, it's a great deal.

Individual tickets for SXSW screenings are sold about 15 minutes before a movie starts, if space is available after badgeholders and passholders are seated. This year tickets cost $10.

If you're planning to attend SXSW films without a badge, here are some tips and tricks from my own experiences as well as input from the helpful commenters on the 2009 Venue Guide.

• The earlier in the day the movie is scheduled, the better your chances of getting in. The badgeholders may all be hung over, or tired from watching midnight movies, so you've got better odds before noon. The Paramount almost always has space available during the day.
• Which means you should avoid midnight screenings. They're always packed. Get some sleep so you can catch those early screenings the next day.
• Get to the theater at least 30 minutes before the movie starts if you have a pass -- longer if you're trying to buy a ticket, or if you're dying to get into a popular movie. I'd tell you to bring a book, but it's more fun to find chatty people in line and talk with them. If they're also passholders, they may have up-to-the-minute advice about which venues are least crowded this year.
• Aim for seeing movies from Wednesday through Saturday, especially if they're "bigger" films. Many out-of-town badgeholders will be gone by then, so the lines may be shorter. The talent who appeared at Q&As earlier in the week will either have left or will look exhausted ... but the movie is the same one everyone saw earlier in the week.
• The ACC theater crowd in particular often thins out during the Music festival, and seats are usually available. The downside: you then have to deal with Music attendees in the convention center, taking up all the parking.
• Check out Agnes Varnum's A Geek's Guide to SXSW Film, which includes a list of screenings that Interactive badgeholders can attend. They'll have priority over you in the lines. Some of these movies play again after the Interactive conference is over, which may be better times for non-badgeholders to see the films. (On the other hand, apparently everyone got into Helvetica even with the longest line ever, so I could be totally off-base here.)
• Avoid Alamo Ritz during the first half of the festival. If you absolutely must see something there, you may want to get in line an hour beforehand. After the film conference ends, your odds may improve slightly, but this is still the fastest-filling venue for movies at SXSW.
• Movies shot in Austin or with Austin ties may fill up quickly. Sometimes cast and crew members and their families are invited and a number of seats are reserved. On the other hand, these are the movies that often draw more ticketholders than badgeholders, because the audience is full of locals wanting to see their neighbor or coworker's movie. So if you get there early, you might be okay.
• Make friends with badgeholders and see if they can't save seats for you near them. That way, if you get in, you might not have to sit in the front row. (This doesn't always work, though, especially if it's a full screening.)
• Avoid the big-name titles, especially if the movie is only screening once during SXSW. Many of those movies will come back to Austin sooner or later. Instead, take a risk with a lesser-known film that you might not get another chance to watch. The short films are worth watching -- I love shorts, and SXSW always has a great selection.

The parking situation for locals:

The ideal solution for local attendees with cars appears to be Alamo South, because it has free parking on-site and it's at a distance from downtown crowds. During the first part of the festival, however, badgeholders and passholders can ride a shuttle from downtown to Alamo South, so those theaters may fill up more quickly than in previous years. Last year, Alamo South movies were often full even without the shuttle service.

On the other hand, you might be able to plan a day during the second half of the fest to stay at Alamo South the whole time and watch the movies available there. If you time it well and the badgeholders don't all have the same idea, this could be wonderfully convenient. Bear in mind that Alamo South will only have two screens for SXSW films, instead of three, on the last Friday and Saturday of the fest. (I always want to do this myself, and unfortunately I always have to be downtown. So if you make this work, I'll be envious.)

Parking downtown after the Music festival starts is aggravating and obnoxiously expensive. Forget about your usual "secret" spots for parking near the Paramount or the Ritz -- you're going to have to pay $18 or park a half-mile away.

Now is the time to get acquainted with Capital Metro. You may want to park a little further away and take a bus to the downtown theaters. Cap Metro has Night Owl buses that run after midnight, too. SXSW occurs during Spring Break and you might be able to find better parking deals near the UT campus. I've also heard people claim they like to park at the Statesman and take a bus, but please confirm that this is still legit and you won't be towed (or annoy a lot of nice Statesman staff).

If you live in north Austin, this option gives you free, non-towed parking: Park in a park-and-ride space in the Triangle garages, then take the #101 or the #1 to Sixth and Congress. Bus fare is currently $.75 each way. You won't have to walk a mile to your car, and it's free covered parking. The ride should take 20-30 minutes depending on the time of day, and the buses generally arrive every 12 minutes or so. (This is how I get to my day job, so I can vouch that it works pretty well.)

Next year, I'm wondering how easy it'll be to park at Crestview Station and take the train to ACC. That could potentially rock. We'll see.

Please share your own tips and tricks for passholders and ticketbuyers in the comments. As with the venue guide, I'll update this entry whenever I receive any new information or tips.

[Photo credits: Top photo, MoxyJane; second photo, mac steve; third photo, Math Smath. All via Flickr and used under Creative Commons license. Thanks, y'all.]