“TED is a finely curated meal. SXSW is a 24-hour all-you-can-eat buffet.” – Hugh Forest, Director of the SXSW International Festival.
SXSW is indeed unique in its fervour. For those who don’t know, the annual South by Southwest in Austin unites tech, business, music, and film into a three-part, 10-day super festival.
It’s home to a range of quirky, alternative ideas, from Hootsuite’s bar on wheels to Mophie’s ‘Rescue Dogs’, who brought portable phone chargers to those in need.
But beyond all of that, SXSW is a launching pad for the future. We’ve taken a look at the festival’s entire lineup, and decided to highlight 8 of the events that excite us the most.
March 11th
President Barrack Obama’s Keynote Conversation
President Obama will launch SXSW on Friday when he joins The Texas Tribune CEO/Editor in Chief Evan Smith to talk about civic engagement. Obama is expected to call on the audience of entrepreneurs and early adopters to create and innovate with technology in order to unite communities for the sake of social advancement.
The keynote will be streamed live on the SXSW website.
(On an another note, First Lady Michelle Obama will launch SXSW Music on the 16th with her Let Girls Learn initiative. We can’t wait.)
Everybody Wants Some
SXSW Film will open with the new movie from Academy Award-nominated director Richard Linklater.
A spiritual sequel to his breakout film, Dazed and Confused, Everybody Wants Some follows a group of college graduates in the 80s as they navigate their way into adulthood. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
March 13th
Kerry Washington and the New Rules of Social Stardom
Ariel Foxman, Editorial Director of InStyle Magazine, will sit down with Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actress/philanthropist Kerry Washington (Scandal) to discuss how social media has impacted the way celebrities interact with their audience, and the cultural changes the medium has influenced.
We’re big fans of Washington, (and Shonda Rhimes, who created Scandal back in 2012). If anyone is in a position to talk about this topic, it’s her.
Crowdsourcing the Hyperloop
Another presentation focused on the evolution of an industry in the digital era, Crowdsourcing the Hyperloop will see Hyperloop Transportation Technologies CEO Dirk Ahlborn will discuss the revolutionary transport system, and how the company’s 500 team members came together through online channels.
The Hyperloop was conceptualised by the brilliant Elon Musk, meaning it’s not the first time these innovators have pursued a whole new mode of transport.
Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America
Running in competition, this documentary features Daryl Davis, an accomplished black musician who has played with the likes of Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, and likes to make friends with Ku Klux Klan members in his spare time.
Davis travels the US in a search for a question he’s been asking his entire life: “how can you hate me when you don’t even know me?”
14th March
Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru
We’re big fans of Tony Robbins here at The 8 Percent, so we can’t wait to take a peek behind-the-scenes of his legendary, once a year Date With Destiny seminar.
Directed by Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost, Under African Skies), I Am Not Your Guru is sure to provide a fascinating insight into Robbins, and his legion of adoring followers.
15th March
It’s Not About an iPhone: Fixing the Encryption Mess
The FBI’s request for Apple to provide them a way to hack the encryption on iPhones has brought the issue of digital security to the forefront of the public mind, but it’s hardly new.
Obama’s former Chief Integration and Innovation Officer, Michael Slaby, may provide the closest thing we’ll get to a public discussion about the topic between the business and government sectors when he talks to IBM’s global threat head, Charles Henderson, and corporate security expert Misha Govshteyn.
Throughout the Festival
Virtual Reality
Not a specific event, but we’re keen to see what the VR industry has on show at this year’s SXSW. Will we get our hands on the Oculus Rift, which is set to release later this month? And where are Facebook’s major competition in the industry positioned to take up the fight?
We look forward to what’s in store.