AUSTIN, TX – If the first rounds of festival screenings are any indication, 2013 may be one of the biggest years ever for Austin independent films and Austin filmmakers. Locally made films and films written, directed and/or produced by Austinites numbered in the double digits at the Sundance Festival in Park City, UT.  Those films, along with more than a dozen other Austin projects, will be featured at SXSW® Film Conference and Festival this March. Austin was also singled out for filmmaker recognition by MovieMaker Magazine, which named Austin the number one city in the US “to live and make movies” in their premier issue of 2013.

To start things off, Austin transplant David Gordan Green, locally shot two films back-to-back— the SXSW selection Prince Avalanche with Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch, and the recently wrapped Joe with Nicolas Cage. Independent Spirit Award nominee and ex-Austin Film Society guru Bryan Poyser's newest opus, The Bounceback, will be featured as the centerpiece film of SXSW along with festival veteran and Andrew Bujalski's Computer Chess. SXSW will also showcase Sundance favorites Black Metal by Kat Chandler and Yen Tan's Pit Stop.

“For me, Austin is a great place to make movies for so many reasons,” says Poyser. “It's an incredibly tight knit community of unique filmmakers that all collaborate and work together to create success. What's good for one Austin filmmaker is good for all of us. We're in it for the creativity, for the glory, and we really support each other to achieve that.” Additionally, Sundance veterans Rick Linklater and Robert Rodriguez, contributed to the Austin this year. Linklater's Before Midnight, the third in his continuing series featuring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy premiered to rave reviews and Rodriguez was recognized for the 20th anniversary of his breakout indie project El Mariachi.
            “Austin is home to crew members with the talent and technical skills to make good movies, and remains small enough that people help out on each other's projects when needed, instead of viewing  other projects as threats,” says Sushi director Mark Hall. “Also, the amazing folks at Austin Film Society have helped many filmmakers, not only with the facilities to shoot or test what we're working on, but also with funding through the Texas Film Production Fund.”

For more information about the Austin Film Commission, please visit http://www.austintexas.org/film-commission/.