People walk to attend featured speaker sessions at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, the United States, on March 11, 2022. South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)
AUSTIN, the United States, March 11 (Xinhua) -- South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations.
The sprawling in-person feast of creative industries seems just like a colorful kaleidoscope with patterns changing at every twist, or numerous boxes of chocolates which you never know the flavors until you open and try.
"It's been three years since we've held an in-person SXSW, and we couldn't be more excited and honored to bring together a lineup that spans the depth, breadth, and quality of creativity and leadership that makes SXSW the global destination for creative professionals," said Hugh Forrest, SXSW Chief Programming Officer.
The whole city of Austin is bracing for the ten-day event.
This year, visitors might encounter a glass flex space set up in four to six hours by an Austin company as a housing solution to allow people to experience homelessness across the United States.
There is the world's first 3D printing material made from trash and developed by an Israeli firm. The innovation converts 100 percent of unsorted household waste into climate positive thermoplastic that provides an eco-friendly alternative for 3D printing filaments.
During the SXSW, 18 mayors from across the United States will join a summit and vote for the Mayor's Matchup Civic Tech Pitch Competition, in which entrepreneurs will present their products, companies and programs and what they can do to improve American cities. The winner will receive 10,000 U.S. dollars.
Diving into the 2022 Film Festival program alone, SXSW audiences will be able to explore 99 features including 76 world premieres, as well as 111 short films, 24 music videos, 11 episodic premieres, 6 episodic pilots, 29 Extended Reality experience projects and 19 title design entries.
The opening night film will be the world premiere of Everything Everywhere All At Once, a sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted Chinese American woman (Michelle Yeoh, known internationally for her roles in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Shang-Chi) who can't seem to finish her taxes.
"The last two years have been complicated, and full of uncharted new waters for all of us," said Janet Pierson, VP and Director of Film of the SXSW session this year. "There are fantastic new projects to enjoy from a variety of voices, with, as always, surprising new discoveries."
Believing that the most unexpected discoveries will happen when diverse topics and people come together, the SXSW conference session this year again features a variety of tracks focused on important breakthroughs in technology, film, culture, and music.
Among the session's nine summits, the one titled Space Rush is expected to provide a peek into the next-generation space exploration with emphasis on the new businesses and organizations at the heart of it all.
Analysts predict that the space economy will more than triple in the decade ahead as more startups enter into a field traditionally dominated by governmental organizations and contractors, according to the SXSW website.
Electric vehicle sales are rapidly increasing in the United States. However, this market is expanding at an even faster pace in China. Electric cars made up 14.8 percent of Chinese car sales in 2021, compared with 4.1 percent in the United States. One of the SXSW sessions will explore some of the most important factors behind this booming Chinese market, as well as the different approaches that have helped to propel this growth.
SXSW was canceled in 2020 and went virtually last year due to concerns over COVID-19. From 2017 to 2019, dozens of Chinese companies took part in "China Gathering," attracting great attention during the festival.
The annual festival can be traced back to 1987. Around 2000, SXSW started to focus more on emerging technologies and has earned the reputation as a breeding ground for new ideas and creative technologies.
In 2019, SXSW reportedly drew 73,000 attendees alone to the film portion of the annual multimedia event. ■
People sit and enjoy drinks at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, the United States, on March 11, 2022. South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)
A man shoots basketball at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, the United States, on March 11, 2022. South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)
A woman attends a session at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, the United States, on March 11, 2022. South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)
People view film posters at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, the United States, on March 11, 2022. South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)
A man rides on a merry-go-round at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, the United States, on March 11, 2022. South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)
People pose for a photo at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, the United States, on March 11, 2022. South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)
Promoters for a new movie are seen at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, the United States, on March 11, 2022. South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)
People perform at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, the United States, on March 11, 2022. South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)
A woman is seen at the Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase, during the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, the United States on March 12, 2022. South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)
People experience VR devices at the Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase, during the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, the United States on March 12, 2022. South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)
People ride an escalator at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, the United States on March 12, 2022. South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)
Visitors use their mobile phones to capture a Spot robot as it walks around at the Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase, during the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals in Austin, Texas, the United States on March 12, 2022. South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, a conglomerate of film screenings, interactive media, music festivals and conferences, opened Friday in Austin, making the capital city of U.S. state of Texas an ocean of cross-industry discoveries and innovations. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)
