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With festivals becoming bigger and “badder” each year, the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference is a household name that has earned “must attend” status in the yearly circuit, today encompassing music, film and interactive tracks. From its inauguration as a music festival in 1987, SXSW has hosted 29 conferences and will hold its 30th annual event in Austin, Texas from March 10-19, 2017. A wide swath of creative and tech executives will mix, mingle, eat world famous barbecue while they catch up on the latest futuristic advancements this year.
SXSW Interactive, launched in 1994, showcases up-and-coming technology and has always delivered on promises of drawing tech luminaries to Austin. Highlights this year include keynotes from New York Times writer Adam Grant, National Geographic Fellow Cory Richards and University of California Berkeley professor Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D. Famous as a hotspot for sharing new ideas and startling advancements, it’s easy to see how SXSW Interactive has grown to be the largest of the three festivals, with 37,660 festival attendees in 2016.
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
This year, the interactive festival will expand its virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) programs, as new technology continuously influences how we experience our world. SXSW has showcased VR projects in previous years, but this year they will accept outside VR and mixed reality (MR) submissions for the first time. Additionally, SXSW Virtual Cinema continues for its second year and will allow attendees to have a hands-on experience and see a selection of the best in VR/AR. Industry-renowned VR creators such as Crossover Labs, Dpt, Google, Oculus Story Studio, Reel FX, VR Playhouse and Zoic Studios will be in attendance to speak on panels about the applications and future of VR.
Some panels to keep on your radar include:
- DoD, Silicon Valley, Hollywood: Hacking for Defense, Can a Film Made by a Machine Move You?
- Virtual Psychedelics: How VR Affects Your Brain
- Wrapped Up in the Big Screen: Amplifying Cinematic Film and TV with VR
Another industry making a splash at the conference is gaming. The SXSW Gaming Conference & Festival will be held from March 16-18. The segment, having boomed over the years from part of the annual trade show to its own multi-day event, will feature an awards show, evening highlights and industry programming. Gaming superstars Jade Raymond, Phil Spencer, Warren Specto, Jacksepticeye, Starbomb, and HungryBox will all be in attendance, making the event one not to miss.
SXSW rises to the top of conference mainstays annually, but the 2017 exhibition promises to be the most innovative and diverse gathering of filmmakers, tech disruptors and musical acts yet. That is, for those who make it through the lines and can actually see them.