Alternative Film Events: Site Specific and Beyond
A Film Panel at the SXSW Film Festival and Conference
Saturday, March 10, 12:30PM
Location: Austin Convention Center, Room 15
Film Conference Registration is Required for Admittance

On Saturday, March 10th in the Austin Convention Center, Aurora Picture Show will present a panel called "Alternative Film Events: Site Specific & Beyond" from 12:30PM - 1:30PM in Room 15 as part of the SXSW Film Conference.  Co-panelists include representatives from Rooftop Films in New York City, Sundance Film Festival in Utah and Alamo Drafthouse in Austin.  This panel will discuss how presenting film in new and alternative ways, such as site-specific presentations, installations and in tandem with live events can build audiences and create unmatched cinematic experiences for your community.

At the confluence of technology, film, art, architecture and public spectacle, these screenings represent the future of how film and public art interact. Presentations will include video documentation of the specific events, and address the way in which film programming of this type can positively affect audience attendance and create a more vibrant urban core in your communities. The diversity of programming represented by the panel will offer practical advice on programming site-specific film events and provide inspiration for innovative ways for engaging new audiences via live events.


Presenters include the following:

About Delicia Harvey, Executive Director Aurora Picture Show
Delicia Harvey is the Executive Director of Aurora Picture Show, Houston's non-profit microcinema that presents artist-made, non-commercial film and video.  She serves on the Board of the Houston Cinema Art Society and previously worked with the independent film theatre chain Landmark Theatre Corporation, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s film department. She has served on panels or juries for the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture, the South by Southwest Film Festival and the American Association of Museums Conference, among others.  Harvey also served as a producer on the documentary project Beyond Traditional Borders.

About Mary Magsamen, Curator Aurora Picture Show
Mary Magsamen is a curator, artist and educator. She is currently the Curator of the Aurora Picture Show, a recognized center for filmic art in Houston, Texas known internationally for expanding the cinematic experience and promoting the understanding and appreciation of moving image art.
Magsamen explores the points where art, film and community unite through collaboration and experimentation.  Prior to Aurora Picture Show, Magsamen curated independently, founded an artist run space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and taught in University programs such as New School University, University of Toledo and University of Houston. Magsamen currently collaborates on video and installation work with her husband as Hillerbrand+Magsamen, and exhibits internationally. She received her BFA from the University of Denver and MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art.

About Mark Elijah Rosenberg, Founder & Artistic Dir Rooftop Films
Mark is the Founder and Artistic Director of Rooftop Films, a New York based non-profit whose mission is to engage diverse communities by showing independent movies in outdoor locations, producing new films, coordinating youth media education, and renting equipment at low cost to artists. Mark has overseen the growth of Rooftop into one of the most innovative film companies in the country. Mark has published articles on filmmaking and programming, and been a guest lecturer at places such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Allied Media Conference and the University of Texas. Mark has served on grants panels for Cinereach, NYSCA, LMCC and Renew Media, and is on the Advisory Council for Fractured Atlas. Mark has programmed film screenings across the world, and was on the jury at numerous festivals including Sundance and SXSW.

About Mike Plante, Film Programmer/Distributor Sundance/Cinemad
Currently a Short Film Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival, Mike Plante has worked in programming for Sundance since 2002. He consults for Fantastic Arcade, The Loft Film Fest (Tucson), Los Angeles Film Festival, The Monterey Bay Film Society and Off+Camera Film Festival (Krakow). He started the film zine Cinemad in 1998, which has become a modest film distributor in 2011.

About Henri Mazza, CCO Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Henri Mazza has served as the head of the creative department for the Alamo Drafthouse since 2003, back when the now legendary theater chain was still a one screen cinema located in the warehouse district of downtown Austin. Working directly under founder Tim League, Henri oversaw the growth of the brand image as they opened 10 locations around Texas and grew the empire to include the Rolling Roadshow, Badass Digest, Mondo Tees, Fantastic Fest and Drafthouse Films. He created many of the signature events the theater has become known for, including the interactive Action Pack screenings of Sing-Alongs and Quote-Alongs, but his biggest claim to fame came in the summer of 2011 when the "Angry Texter Voicemail" PSA he put together quickly received nearly 5 million views online and was featured in major media outlets from The View to Anderson Cooper.

About SXSW Film Conference
The SXSW Film Conference and Festival is a uniquely creative environment featuring the dynamic convergence of talent, smart audiences and industry heavyweights. A hotbed of discovery and interactivity, the event offers invaluable networking opportunities and immersion into the art and business of the rapidly evolving world of independent film. SXSWeek 2012 is March 9-18. Film Festival is March 9-17 (Film Conference March 9-13), Interactive Festival & Conference is March 9-13 and the Music Festival & Conference is March 14-18. Registration is required to view panels and is when individuals in the film industry purchase a badge to attend and participate in SXSW Film conference panels, workshops, mentor sessions, the Trade Show, Film Festival, Awards Show, and other special events.