Internationals Feed Growth at SXSW Week

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Jan 20, 2010, 01:55 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- This year's South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive, Film and Music Festivals and Conferences offer unparalleled opportunities for personal and professional growth for global participants at the 24th edition of the event to be held in Austin, Texas from March 12 through March 21, 2010.

SXSW 2010 sees a significant increase in new exhibitors resulting in the SXSW Trade Shows' relocation from the upper level of the Austin Convention Center to Exhibit Hall 4 on the ground floor. This move immediately grants an additional 25% of exhibit space and provides easier Trade Show access for both registrants and exhibitors. In conjunction with these positives, the move downstairs also allows SXSW to effectively respond to the logical possibility of maintained growth in the coming years. 2010 will mark the first year that SXSW is using all of the exhibit hall space in the Austin Convention Center since it opened in 1993.

There are nine new international companies exhibiting at the SXSW Interactive/Film Trade Show in 2010 and many first-time and returning international registrants. "SXSWi is a critical event on our calendar," says Richard Butler, Head of Inward Investment for returning Advantage West Midlands. "It provides a place for British companies to connect to American ones and for us to showcase the booming digital media industry which the West Midlands region is home to. We will once again be taking a stand at SXSWi as part of the British Digital Mission and are looking forward to meeting American companies who may be interested in expanding their business to Europe, so that we can talk to them about how we can help them through free support services and access to a $15 million development fund."

Although the complete official SXSW Film Festival line-up won't be divulged until February 4, films from Eastern Europe, United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Canada, Mexico, The Netherlands, South Korea, Australia and South Africa are already on board. The opening night film Kick-Ass was produced in the UK and Canada, stars a British actor (Aaron Johnson), and was directed by a UK filmmaker, Matthew Vaughn. Building on the success of the past two years, the SX Global section will consolidate its position as a dedicated international showcase for innovative documentary filmmaking from around the world. There will be a strong international presence across Film panels programming as well.

The international musical presence is also on the rise. Six hundred and forty two acts from 59 countries have been invited to perform. SXSW 2010 will present multiple Latin branded showcases including Sounds From Spain, Billboard en Espanol, and Live Nation Latino along with Colombian, Brazilian and Chilean line-ups. Simon Mejia from the Colombian band Bomba Estereo talks about the benefits of SXSW: "SXSW was one of the most enriching experience for Bomba Estereo in 2009. We saw a number of incredible independent bands and made touring contacts for Europe. More than anything, we learned about the risks that artists must take today to do something important. SXSW takes myspace off the internet into the physical realm. It's unbeatable."

British Underground, a publicly funded music development agency, is working with ACE, Sound and Music, fRoots, Mojo Magazine and Ballad of Britain to develop and produce a showcasing and promotional campaign to take a new generation of English folk musicians to an international audience at SXSW. The project will also support and promote the wider English folk music community engaging for the first time with SXSW and the American scene. Broadcaster and journalist Will Hodgkinson will host the panel "Where Goes English Folk" with UK and US folk artists who will discuss the influence and context of the current scene. "As a veteran producer of showcases from the UK at SXSW I have seen the incredible impact that they have had on acts as diverse as Amy Winehouse and Gallows to young classical composer Gabriel Prokofiev," comments British Underground CEO/Creative Director Crispin Parry. "So in 2010 when we were considering platforms to introduce our new wave of English folk artists to an international audience, SXSW was top of the list."

International growth at SXSW is also evident in the numbers from Australia and New Zealand. In the past eight years the number of showcasing artists has grown from 5 to 50 and 20 music delegates have mushroomed into 240 Australian and New Zealand registrants for 2010.

Clearly at SXSW 2010 global trends in music, film, new media and emerging technologies will be on display as never before. For the international creative community the unique convergence of SXSW fulfills the promise of "tomorrow happens here." In a rapidly evolving business environment, it's an opportunity that no one can afford to miss.

For more information, please visit the SXSW website http://sxsw.com

The SXSW Film Festival runs from March 12 - 20, 2010; the Film Conference runs from March 12 - 16, 2010; the SXSW Interactive Festival runs from March 12 - 16, 2010; the SXSW Music Conference and Festival runs from March 17 - 21, 2010.

SXSW is sponsored by Miller Lite, Independent Film Channel, Chevrolet, Zone Perfect Nutrition Bars, AOL, Microsoft Silverlight, Sonicbids, Monster Energy Drink, Pepsi, Mountain Dew and the Austin Chronicle.

For more information about SXSW International, please contact Tracy Mann at [email protected] or 212-532-3184. For more information about SXSW, please contact Elizabeth Derczo at [email protected] or 512-467-7979.

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