SXSW Film 2011

SXSW 2011 Guides: Film Festival Theaters/Venues

SXSW 2010: "Cyrus" Q&A audience

Believe it or not, this is the fifth annual Slackerwood SXSW Venue Guide. I can't believe we've written five of these, and they get better every year. SXSW has a handy video with info on each theater, which we've embedded below because we like it so much. Our guide includes details on the best seats, the least crowded theaters, transportation options and decent food and wireless access between or even during the movies.

Keep an eye out for our Dining Guide next week. We joined forces with SXSW this year to create a printed Dining Guide that you should be able to find at SXSW venues and at the Beginner's Guide to SXSW Film panel ... and I'll be on that panel, so I hope to see you there. We're also updating our guide for local filmgoers who want to enjoy the fest on a film pass, or just buy a few individual tickets (pssst: you can buy tickets now for many SXSW screenings at The Paramount).

The festival has added several new theaters for 2011, and enlarged the ACC theater capacity considerably. Local festgoers with film passes can head over to Westgate or Arbor.  Out-of-towners who like staying downtown can find the State Theatre right next door to the Paramount, and cross Lady Bird Lake to the Rollins Theatre at the Long Center.

Stateside at the Paramount

Address: 
719 Congress Ave., Austin TX 78701

State TheaterStateside at the Paramount, formerly known as the State Theatre, is next to the Paramount on Congress Ave. downtown. The theater, which dates back to 1935, was previously used for live performances, and in 2006, was seriously damaged by flooding. It is fully equipped to show movies or host live performances.

Pros: The theater is right in the middle of downtown film-fest action. The theater seats are extremely comfortable and spacious, with good legroom.

Cons: It's downtown, so parking can be challenging. You are not supposed to shoot video in the State Theatre at any time, and depending on the event, you may not be allowed to take still photos either. Hide your water bottles in your bag or purse before you get to the entrance, because ushers are on the lookout for external food/drinks.

Screens and Capacity: The theater seats 298.

Parking: No theater-specific parking. You can park in nearby garages or on the street in metered spots (watch the maximum time, though). Parking at St. David's garage (E. 7th) is reasonably priced if you want to avoid the hassle of finding a spot on the street, although their rates often increase during special events (like SXSW, or some weekend nights).

Distance: You can walk to Alamo Ritz, Austin Convention Center, Violet Crown and many downtown hotels, bars and restaurants. Alamo on South Lamar is too far for a walk; grab a cab or find a ride. A cab stand is located on the southbound side of Congress and Sixth, a couple of blocks away.

On-site food and beverages: Standard movie-theater concessions, like candy and soft drinks.

Nearby dining options: Roaring Fork in the Stephen F. Austin hotel a few doors down offers weekday happy-hour food specials at the bar. Thai Passion has quick lunch specials and good service all day long.

If you're looking for a pre-movie cocktail, try the second floor of the Stephen F. Austin and sit out on the balcony, which is perfect for people-watching.

[Photo credit: "State Theater" by define23 (Rebecca) on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.]

Alamo Drafthouse -- South Lamar

Address: 
1120 South Lamar Blvd., Austin TX 78701
Phone: 
512-476-1320

IMG_6751

Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar reopened in August 2014 after a major remodeling of the strip mall in which it was located -- which is currently a giant mass of construction surrounding the theater. However, the Drafthouse and its adjoining parking garage are completely done and available. Alamo South Lamar is a popular location for many local film festivals.

Right now, the rest of the development is still under construction. The theater and bar look great but they're surrounded by a lot of chain-link fence and during the day, large machinery.

Pros: It's an Alamo Drafthouse, so the audience is generally well behaved (put up a flag if it's not). And of course you can enjoy food and a variety of beverages with your movie. Seating is reserved.

Cons: It's popular, so order your tickets online if you can. The garage can get really warm -- Don jokes that it's the oven for the theater's kitchen. The outdoor patio is gone, and there's really nowhere comfortable to sit outside the theater.

Screens and Capacity: Nine theaters with stadium seating, varying in size from 46 seats to 198, all with Sony 4K digital but still capable of showing 35mm films (#1 and #2 seat 46, #3: 63, #4 and 5: 198, #6 and #9: 126, #7 and #8: 86).

Parking: Park in the adjacent garage, which you can (and should) access from Treadwell. If it's full, be careful about parking in the neighborhood -- most of the streets are now permit-parking only.

Distance: You can't walk to downtown movie theaters (or bars) unless you're into serious hiking, but you can take a bus or find a friendly Austinite with a car. A cab from the theater to downtown isn't expensive, but taxis are unlikely to hang around, so be prepared to phone. Make sure the cab service has your name so they won't drive off with some other film geek.

On-site dining options: South Lamar has a full bar and dinner menu, with a brunch option early on weekends and special occasions. You can view the regular menu and current specials on the South Lamar menu. Whether you're vegan or need more meat on your fries, you can always try hacking the menu.

Nearby dining options: The Highball is immediately adjacent to the theater -- in fact, there's a door connecting them now. You can get small plates and a few entrees. Other nearby options:

  • Walking distance: Luke's Inside Out trailer right across the street for griddled sandwiches; Verts for cheap and filling kepabs (German sandwiches with kebab fillings); Odd Duck for fancy-ish small plates; Uchi for trendy spendy sushi.
  • A short drive: Kerbey Lane is open 24 hours and has great pancakes and burgers; Barton Springs has a whole row of restaurants including Green Mesquite (bbq), Chuy's (Tex-Mex) and Shady Grove (chili cheese fries!); the flagship Whole Foods at Lamar and 6th has a lot of prepared foods available, including made-to-order sandwiches, and is a great stop for vegetarians and vegans. And if all fails, there's always Taco Cabana.

Coffee (and wireless) break: 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. Further than a walk, drive north to Barton Springs Road, then turn right to Austin Java.

[Photo credit: Alamo South Lamar by Mike Saulters, all rights reserved.]

Regal Westgate 11 Theatres

Address: 
4477 South Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78745
Phone: 
(512) 899-2013

Westgate 11 Theatres is part of the large national Regal Cinemas chain. The theater usually shows first-run movies but in 2011, is being used as a SXSW venue for the first time. It has 11 screens, one of which will be used during SXSW. SXSW is billing Westgate and Arbor as "SXSatellite venues" that are intended to appeal to Austin festgoers (or anyone who wants to buy a ticket).

Pros: Because of its distance from downtown, this will be a very good SXSW venue for Austinites with cars, especially if you are hoping to see movies on a film pass or with individual tickets.

Cons: Traffic to/from downtown to Westgate can be very heavy during rush hour. Make sure you allow plenty of time to get here if you are traveling from the Paramount or Ritz. Audio and picture quality have been inconsistent at Westgate in the past, but we're hoping that SXSW quality control means it won't be a problem for the fest.

Screens and Capacity: Eleven screens. The theater being used for SXSW will seat 175.

Parking: Westgate has a large, ample parking lot.

Bus routes: The #338 (which requires a walk from Congress) will take you from Westgate to Alamo on South Lamar as well as downtown. For more information, visit the Capital Metro website (hint: click the Service Nearby link then select Submit). 

Distance: It's nearly a three-mile walk to Alamo on South Lamar, and more than four miles to reach downtown. If you don't have a car, then take a bus, call a cab or find a friendly Austinite to give you a lift.

Nearby dining options: Westgate is adjacent to a strip mall with good options for dinner or a snack. Hyde Park Grill has excellent brunches, lunches and dinners -- if you want to achieve near-cardiac arrest, try their Horseshoe open-faced burger. Madam Mam's, across the street, has great Thai food. Central Market, the nearby chi-chi grocery, has a cafe and a salad bar. And an Amy's Ice Creams is in the same strip mall as Central Market. If you drive down South Lamar to/from downtown, you'll find a wealth of dining possibilities from family-friendly Phil's Burgers to the small trendy Barley Swine.

Wireless: No wireless in the theater itself.

Austin Convention Center (ACC) Vimeo Theater at SXSW

Address: 
500 E. Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX 78701
Phone: 
512-404-4000

Austin Convention Center

The Vimeo Theater in the Austin Convention Center (ACC) is a temporary setup on the ground floor of the convention center during the SXSW Film Festival. It's in ACC Exhibit Hall 2. 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, but it's even easier to find a seat at most screenings.

Pros: ACC may be the best downtown venue for passholders or individual ticket buyers to see SXSW films. The location is unbeatable during the film conference -- you're right in the heart of the festival. The seats are on a good incline and short people should have no problem viewing the screen. And it's right on the SXSW Film Flyer shuttle route.

Cons: You don't get the movie-theater vibe that you would with other venues. 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.

Screens and capacity: The Vimeo Theater holds 645, making it the second-largest SXSW film venue (after the Paramount). Lines are always indoors, which is nice on a wet day.

Parking: If you get downtown super-early, you can pay to park in the garage next to the convention center. If not, try the ACC secondary garage at Brazos and 2nd Street. Honestly, I'd recommend the Long Center and take the shuttle or walk across the bridge. (Free parking? No such animal during SXSW anymore.)

Distance: You can walk without much effort to the Paramount, Alamo Ritz and Violet Crown. and you're smack in the middle of the film conference.

Food and Beverages: Skip the convention center itself unless you're dying of hunger or in need of (not-so-terrific) coffee. Outside, you'll find affordable spots like Iron Works, PF Chang's and Mongolian BBQ. These places will be super-swamped at lunchtime, so walk a few blocks more and explore Austin's many downtown lunch options. Or you can walk over to Rainey Street and try the SouthBites food-trailer setup, which has some tasty options. (I've had people stop and give me free ice cream on that walk, so you might get lucky.)

Rollins Studio Theatre, Long Center for the Performing Arts

Address: 
701 West Riverside Drive, Austin TX 78704
Phone: 
(512) 474-5664

Long Center 7 by codexterity on Flickr

The Debra and Kevin Rollins Studio Theatre is part of the Long Center for the Performing Arts complex, and occasionally is used as a venue for special screenings and film festivals. The theater can be configured to seat from 80 to 229 people. You enter the theater from a side door right near the Long Center box office.

For film festivals, chairs are placed on risers, much like the ACC theater configuration at SXSW. The seats are fairly comfortable and have pretty good legroom. The screen is a little small, but picture and sound quality are usually good.

Pros: Close to other downtown venues and restaurants, but at enough of a distance that this venue usually has space for passholders and even ticketholders.

Cons: There are often no concessions, so if you're walking from a free parking lot or from downtown on a warm day, bring a water bottle. The Long Center parking garage is expensive for movie parking ... but reasonable for SXSW. If other events are going on at Long Center or Auditorium Shores, your free parking possibilities dwindle considerably.

Screens and Capacity: The theater usually seats about 200 people for film festivals.

Parking: You can pay to park in the Long Center garage, but alternative parking nearby isn't usually hard to find on evenings and weekends. After business hours and on weekends, the surface lot at One Texas Center (505 Barton Springs) has free parking, which is a short walk from Rollins. If you prefer a walk across the park part of the complex, there's a small free parking lot by Dougherty Arts Center (Barton Springs and Dawson), but it fills up quickly.

Distance: It's a long but manageable walk to the downtown area, which you might not want to try if you're in a hurry (stopping halfway at 2nd Street for a drink and snack is recommended). If you've got a car, this venue is pretty convenient to downtown nightlife; and if you don't, a cab shouldn't be too pricey. It's not difficult to find a cab downtown to get to Rollins, but getting a cab at Rollins is sometimes challenging.

Food and Beverages: A kiosk in the lobby sometimes offers coffee, bar drinks and a few snacks, but it's not reliably open. However, when it's closed, no one seems to notice if you sneak your own water bottle in there. If you want to stay on this side of the lake, you can have a hearty "home-cooking" meal at Threadgill's, or grab a bite at Sandy's Hamburgers, an old-fashioned burger stand that also offers delicious frozen treats. Or you can cross the river and return to downtown Austin for a wealth of restaurants, cafes and coffeeshops.

[Photo credit: "Long Center 7" by codexterity. Found on Flickr, used under Creative Commons license.]

Regal Arbor Cinema at Great Hills

Address: 
9828 Great Hills Trail Suite 800, Austin, TX 78759
Phone: 
512-231-9742

Shadow of the Jane Austen Universe

Regal Arbor Cinema at Great Hills is usually called the Arbor or Arbor Great Hills. It is part of the national Regal Theatres chain. The six-screen theater focuses on arthouse films and "big indies" like Sideways, Mamma Mia and 500 Days of Summer. For SXSW 2011, it's a "SXSatellite venue," catering to local filmgoers who want to avoid downtown crowds.

Pros: Comfy seats in roomy theaters. The lobby has some nice little gathering areas with tables and chairs. Good programming of indie/arthouse movies.

Cons: Except during film festivals, the Regal ad reel plays before all movies. TV monitors in the lobby play trailers and commercials, but usually aren't too intrusive. This theater has also had some audio problems in the past, such as speakers not working properly.

Screens and Capacity:  The Arbor has a total of eight screens with sloped (not stadium), with seating capacity ranging from 150-287.  One screen has a digital projector, and all screens have 35mm projectors. The theater used for SXSW will seat 175.

Mobility Impaired Access:  No stairs to worry about, and seating space is available in the back of the theater. You could move to the front but you would be very close to the screen. 

Parking: Plenty of parking is available in lots at the front and side of the theater.

Bus routes: #3, 383, 392, 982 & 983. The #383 bus goes between Arbor and Alamo Lake Creek, but it's a long and winding route.

Distance: The theater is in the middle of the Arboretum area of shopping, restaurants and hotels. It's a 15-30 minute drive to downtown, depending on traffic.

Food and Beverages: Arbor offers the usual movie-theater concessions. In the adjacent strip mall, you can find La Madeleine, Fire Bowl Cafe, Texadelphia, Elevation Burger and Pok-E-Joe's. Cross the street to the Arbor mall and enjoy Amy's Ice Cream as well as some other chain restaurants.

Wireless: No wireless in the theater, but you can walk around the nearby strip mall to La Madeleine, which offers wireless access.

Alamo Drafthouse -- Ritz

Address: 
320 East Sixth Street, Austin TX 78701
Phone: 
512-476-1320

SXSW 2008: Alamo Ritz

Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz, aka Alamo Ritz, is a renovation of the old Ritz Theater in downtown Austin, built in 1929. The theater has two screens and shows a combination of first-run movies, arthouse films and the interestingly obscure. The Ritz often shows movies in 35mm and the larger theater is capable of screening in 70mm.

Pros: The location is ideal for downtown-based film festivals. The seats are comfy, and there are really no "bad seats" in either theater anymore. Most (non-fest) Alamo Ritz screenings now have reserved seating.

Cons: We wish both theaters were larger, especially during film fests when all the visitors want to hang out at an Alamo. If you're seeing a film-fest movie in the smaller theater, get there especially early ... it often fills up quickly. When you sit down at an Alamo theater, don't try to put an empty seat between yourself and the people next to you -- the waitstaff will ask you to move so seats can be consolidated if (when) the theater fills up.

Alamo Ritz tends to draw a somewhat rowdier crowd than the other Drafthouse locations -- don't be shy about raising a flag if your neighbors get too drinky and bothersome.

Screens and Capacity: The smaller theater seats 69 people; the larger one, 172. For film fests, the balconies in the larger theater are usually reserved for filmmakers or VIPs.

Parking: No Alamo Ritz-specific parking; park on the street or find a downtown lot/garage. St. David's parking garage is usually a good bet. If you're seeing a midnight movie and parking in a garage, make sure it will still be open after the movie ends.

Bus routes: All downtown routes.

Distance: Only three blocks from Congress Ave. You can easily walk to the Paramount, Austin Convention Center, Violet Crown, and many downtown hotels and restaurants. A cab stand is located on the southbound side of Congress and Sixth, a couple of blocks from the Paramount.

On-site food and beverages: Alamo Ritz offers a full menu for lunch and dinner, including an extensive beer menu and full bar. In addition, you can get standard movie-theater fare like popcorn and candy. (Please don't forget to tip if you order anything.) The coffee is exclusively French-press now (no drip).

Nearby dining options: Iron Cactus next door has pretty fair Tex-Mex. The Driskill Hotel's 1886 Cafe is fine for lunch, but not speedy. Jackalope across the street has great burgers. Or walk a little further to Easy Tiger, which has a ground-floor bakery where you can pick up a quick treat (get the pretzel), and a downstairs cafe/patio for tasty sausages and sandwiches. If price is not a primary consideration (or if it's happy hour), splurge on small plates or even a full meal at Parkside, about a block away.

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 to The Hideout on Congress, or try Halcyon on Fourth Street.

[Photo credit: Jette Kernion. All rights reserved (but if you ask and promise to credit, I'll probably let you use it).]

Paramount Theatre

Address: 
713 Congress Avenue, Austin TX 78701
Phone: 
512-472-5470

Paramount's summer movies begin

The Paramount is the grande dame of Austin theaters. The downtown theater is primarily a venue for live performances, but shows movies during film festivals, red-carpet premieres, and the theater's annual Summer Classic Movie Series.

During film festivals and gala screenings, lines for the films form outside the theater and wrap in both directions down Congress. The lines often look deceptively long -- just because a line is stretched around the block and halfway down the next street doesn't mean you won't get in.

If you're carrying a water bottle, conceal it in a backpack or purse 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.

Pros: It's usually easy to gain admission to most film-festival movies, even if you're not a badgeholder. This is the best venue for celebrity spotting and perhaps a red carpet or two. And let's face it, it's a beautiful theater.

Cons: The seats are narrow and close together, and you may feel a little too friendly with your neighbors. The legroom in the balconies is terrible. You're not supposed to shoot video in the Paramount at any time -- the ushers keep an eye out for this -- and depending on the event, you may not be allowed to take still photos either.

Best/worst seating: Avoid the box seats. 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. Balcony seats have cramped legroom but offer good visibility if you're short. However, avoid the front row of the balcony; your view will be impeded by a big iron bar.

Screens and capacity: The Paramount is a single-screen theater that seats nearly 1200 people (1199 to be precise). For screenings that draw a smaller crowd, the ushers may try to fit everyone in the lower level and not open the balcony area.

Parking: No Paramount-specific parking. You can park in nearby garages or on the street in metered spots. Parking at St. David's garage (E. 7th) is often reasonably priced if you want to avoid the hassle of finding a spot on the street, although its rates often increase during special events (like most of SXSW, or some weekend nights).

Distance: You can walk to Alamo Ritz or the Hideout, to Austin Convention Center and many downtown hotels, bars and restaurants. Alamo on South Lamar is too far for a walk; grab a cab or find a ride. A cab stand is located on the southbound side of Congress and Sixth, a couple of blocks from the Paramount.

On-site food and beverages: You can buy bottled water, soft drinks, and beer and wine. Food is limited to popcorn and candy.

Nearby dining options: Roaring Fork in the Stephen F. Austin hotel next door offers weekday happy-hour food specials at the bar, and the Driskill's 1886 Cafe and Bakery has some reasonably priced items before 5 pm like soup and salad, and very filling breakfasts. Wholly Cow, next to the Hideout, has great burgers but can take a little time.

If you're looking for a pre-movie cocktail, try the second floor of the Stephen F. Austin and sit out on the balcony, which is perfect for people-watching.

Pro tip: Our favorite place for grabbing a bite on the run before/between downtown movies is the excellent Royal Blue Grocery, less than a block down Congress (toward 6th) from the Paramount. We would never admit to or encourage anyone to pick up some non-noisy, non-smelly salad from the deli section and sneak it into a Paramount movie (and if you do it, don't sneak it out of your bag until the theater is dark and the ushers are not nearby).

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