Austinist Interviews SXSW: Film Festival Producer Matt Dentler

It seems like a lot of filmmakers meet through SXSW, and then end up collaborating. Do you have a favorite "we met at SXSW" story?

Yeah, last year we premiered a film called "Frownland" by a first-timer named Ronnie Bronstein. Before the festival, I told Swanberg to make sure he saw it, because I thought he'd like it. He'd never heard of the film, or heard of Ronnie. Swanberg went to the premiere at the Alamo Drafthouse on Sunday morning. He loved it, met Ronnie, and from that grew a collaboration that launched a new Web series called "Butterknife," which is currently airing on Spout.com. I'm really happy and proud of that, because I think they're making great art from their collaboration.

The small theatre at the new Alamo Ritz is, well, pretty small. How hard it is to decide which films wil play at which theatres?

It may seem small, but people should remember that we also have 7 screens this year versus the 6 we had last year. So, hopefully, it helps stretch the audience out a little more and enables screenings to be full but not overflowing. Plus, we try to program films in that smaller room that can benefit from a very intimate setting. Besides, it's really not that small, especially once you see it and feel it.

Is a film pass worth the money? What should pass holders expect in terms of access to the festival?

I think the pass is a crazy good deal. For $70, you can get great access to see - on average - five movies a day for all nine days. Plus, these are screenings where you can meet the filmmakers and actors, which is obviously a rare thing in Austin. And, honestly, for the films at the Paramount, Austin Convention Center, and the Alamo South Lamar, it's pretty easy to get into most of the screenings you want to attend. It might be more of a challenge at the Alamo Ritz, but that's why we program mostly industry-related screenings there so the public and the film fans can see a bunch of the other movies at the other theaters.

How did the new "Global Doc Days" series come about? And why keep these screenings off the regular schedule?

For the last three years, we've made a really conscious effort to enhance the international documentary presence at SXSW. A lot of Americans don't realize that the idea of a "documentary" is very different overseas than it is here. There isn't a Michael Moore or Morgan Spurlock of England, for example. So, we're trying to bridge those gaps and increase visibility to both international industry and American viewers. This year, we decided to take a leap of faith and launch "Global Doc Days" as a way for countries around the world to host some of their programs. We're really excited about the films and nations scheduled, and I think it's gonna be an invaluable experience for attendees. That said, it's not part of the festival per se. It's part of the SXSW Film Conference, like our panels and mentor sessions and the trade show. So, essentially, it's aimed at the filmmakers, film professionals, and die-hard film fans who have a SXSW badge.

As anyone who reads your blog knows, you're a pretty major music nerd. Isn't it kind of a bummer that you have to work while there are so many great bands in town?

Every year, it's a struggle and every year, I miss so much music that I would love. But, I wouldn't switch places. I like being on this side of the production, because 9 out of 10 times, I get to witness so much more from this perspective. Plus, I get a thrill out of being part of this really amazing event. Does that mean I miss a few bands that I'd love to see? Yeah, of course. But, any great festival experience won't suffer just because you miss out on a few aspects. If it's a truly great festival, like SXSW is, you're always gonna stumble onto something unexpected that trumps whatever you think you should be doing.

Aside from official SXSW events, what Austin activities do you most recommend to out-of-towners?

The basics: Barton Springs, Salt Lick, Waterloo Records.