SouthSlam Film Festival
Encyclopedia
The SouthSlam Film Festival takes place each year in Austin, Texas at the same time as the SXSW Film Festival, competing to provide what its supporters consider a truer representation of independent filmmaking.
SouthSlam proudly supports self-governance amongst independents, and exists to deliver what filmmakers go to festivals for a chance to show their work and a launching point for their careers. SouthSlam has earned a solid reputation for premiering films by first-time writers and directors working within the creative confines of limited budgets by supporting these artists by giving them a constructive and supportive environment to screen their work to a larger audience and by presenting each submission with a unique award for its own creativity. Past award winners include works by Ryan Wickerham
and Alana Cash
. This year's Festival event takes place in Austin Texas March 14, 2010
which started as an alternative festival to the Sundance Film Festival
nine years prior but has grown into a well regarded festival in its own right. SouthSlam is unique in that it accepts a larger percentage of its entries than most festivals as well as music videos
History
The festival was founded in 2004 by Kris Cantu and has since become a year-round organization championing emerging filmmaking talent and their new work.SouthSlam proudly supports self-governance amongst independents, and exists to deliver what filmmakers go to festivals for a chance to show their work and a launching point for their careers. SouthSlam has earned a solid reputation for premiering films by first-time writers and directors working within the creative confines of limited budgets by supporting these artists by giving them a constructive and supportive environment to screen their work to a larger audience and by presenting each submission with a unique award for its own creativity. Past award winners include works by Ryan Wickerham
Ryan Wickerham
Ryan Wickerham is an American award-winning film and television actor/writer/producer.Wickerham was born in Pittsburgh, PA and is a direct decedent of the Wickerham family that composed the original old Ringgold Cavalry that consolidated into the 22nd Pennsylvania Cavalry.Ryan Wickerham is an...
and Alana Cash
Alana Cash
-Films:Cash's documentary films address the lives of women in science and have been distributed to schools and libraries worldwide:* Mileva Maric, the Other Einstein * Marie Curie, the Woman Behind the Mind...
. This year's Festival event takes place in Austin Texas March 14, 2010
Origins of the Festival
The SouthSlam Film Festival was created as an alternative festival to the SXSW Film Festival. The name was a play on the Slamdance Film FestivalSlamdance Film Festival
As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...
which started as an alternative festival to the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
nine years prior but has grown into a well regarded festival in its own right. SouthSlam is unique in that it accepts a larger percentage of its entries than most festivals as well as music videos