SXSW FILM 2013 OPENS FOR BUSINESS
Now Accepting Submissions & Registrations

July 31, 2012 ? Austin, TX ? The SXSW Film Conference & Festival opens for business today, as we begin accepting submissions and registrations for the 2013 event. Filmmakers are invited to submit their new features, short films, music videos and title sequences to the annual event, a renowned destination for discovery. Last year the Festival featured 132 features and 12 shorts programs, with 74 world premiere features, including The Cabin in the Woods, 21 Jump Street, HBO?s Girls, Gimme the Loot, Beware of Mr. Baker, Fat Kid Rules the World, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Citadel, Waiting for Lightning, and Sun Don?t Shine among others. The 2013 SXSW Film Conference and Festival will take place March 8 ? 16, 2013 in Austin, Texas.

?We approach each programming season with tremendous excitement and anticipation for what new great work and discoveries lie ahead. It?s not something we can plan in advance or map out on paper, but an intricate puzzle to be carefully constructed over the coming months,? said Janet Pierson, SXSW Film Conference & Festival Producer. ?What will jump off the screen and move us this year? What untried filmmaker or work will emerge to make our hearts race? Here we go, ready to fall in love as we wade through the possibilities.?

Submissions may only be entered via the official SXSW website, at Film News | SXSW 2013. Complete rules and regulations, as well as additional information on the submission process can be found in the Submission FAQ, at Submission FAQ | SXSW 2013.

The Last Minute (and final) submission deadline to submit a film is Thursday, November 15, 2012, though filmmakers can submit their films earlier and save! Submission fees are at their lowest if you get your film in by the Early deadline of Thursday, October 4, and are still discounted if you submit by the next deadline of Thursday, November 1, 2012.

Please keep in mind; these deadlines are on a RECEIVED BY basis, (NOT based on a postmark date). In other words, all 2013 film submissions must arrive at the SXSW offices in Austin no later than November 15, 2012.

SXSW Film accepts submissions in the following categories: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Animated Short, Texas High School Short, Music Video, and Opening Title Sequence.

SXSW is proud to be an official qualifying festival for the Academy Awards? Short Film competition. The Best Narrative Short and Best Animated Short winners become eligible for the Academy Awards. SXSW is also a BAFTA-recognized festival for 2012/2013 for the purposes of eligibility for the Short Film category at the Orange British Academy Film Awards.

Submission deadlines and fees are as follows:
Early Submission Period: Wednesday, August 1 ? Thursday, October 4, 2012
Features - $40
Shorts - $25
Music Videos - $25
Title Sequence Design - $10
Texas High School - $10

Late Submission Period: Friday, October 5 ? Thursday, November 1, 2012
Features - $60
Shorts - $40
Music Videos - $40
Title Sequence Design - $10
Texas High School - $10

Last Minute Deadline Period: Friday, November 2 ? Thursday, November 15, 2012
Features - $100
Shorts - $50
Music Videos - $50
Title Sequence Design - $15
Texas High School - $10

Please note: ALL Music Video and Texas High School submissions MUST be submitted to SXSW via URL link to an online version of your film on an external site (i.e. your own website, YouTube HD, Vimeo, etc.) and you will be asked to provide that URL as part of your application. If this URL requires the use of login information to access the film, you will be asked to provide that as well.

Alongside our Film Festival, the SXSW Film Conference features over 150 informative and entertaining featured Conversations, panels, workshops and mentor sessions. The program presents topics that cover the film spectrum, with an emphasis on the intersection of the Film and Interactive worlds. 2012 participants included creative leaders and industry experts, as well as talent like Joss Whedon, Seth MacFarlane, Mark Wahlberg, Lena Dunham, Judd Apatow, Willem Dafoe, Kevin Smith, Sarah Green and Jeffrey Tambor. Additionally, the Digital Domain addresses new directions in storytelling in a constantly mutating web environment, featuring web series', interactive documentaries, apps, rich media projects, data visualization and more.

Once again, the community can help shape the conference programming, by voting and commenting on panels they'd like to see via the PanelPickerTM interface. Voting begins Monday, August 13, and will run through Friday, August 31. To find out more about the SXSW PanelPickerTM, visit SXSW PanelPicker.

Register for a Film, Gold or Platinum Badge by September 23 at Attend | SXSW 2013, and save up to 35%. Join us March 8-16, 2013 for exceptional films, energetic panels, exciting parties, the SXSW Trade Show and, of course, the inspirational experience that only SXSW can deliver. Be sure to register early for access to the most conveniently located hotels, which sell out quickly.

SXSW Film Conference and Festival is sponsored by Miller Lite, Monster Energy and The Austin Chronicle.

About SXSW Film
Every March, creatives of all stripes gather in Austin to witness, share and inspire the visions that will galvanize the filmmakers and ideas of tomorrow. SXSW Film Conference & Festival champions the vitality, innovation and opportunity that drives the entertainment and media landscape, and boldly tackles the evolution of all aspects of ?film? today, down to its very definition.

A nexus of discovery and collaborative energy, SXSW Film celebrates the art and business of the possible.