March Madness

It seems like the past couple of months, all we've heard about is the awards. Who won, who lost, who was robbed. But now it's time to discover the movies that we'll be talking about all year long. Film festivals are perfect way to discover new films and March offers plenty of opportunity to do so. If you are in of these cities, or if you want to get away for the weekend, check out these great festivals.

South By Southwest - Austin
The 13th annualSouth By SouthwestFilm Festival held in conjunction with the music Festival. SXSW offers a ton of activities, including interactive panels, film conference, and a trade show and exhibition. Premieres at this year's fest includes A Prairie Home Companion, Autumn Eyes, The Last Western.

San Francisco Asian American Film Festival
The 24th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival is the largest showcase of Asian American and Asian cinema in North America. With over 120 films and videos over 11 days in three cities (San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose) there's something for everyone.

Cleveland International Film Festival
This Cleveland Festival opens on March 16th with Akeelah and the Bee, starring Angela Bassett. To get a preview of what else this festival has to offer, check out their podcast at www.cfspodcast.org.

River Run International Film Festival
The RiverRun International Film Festival is one of the premier film festivals in the Southeast, held annually at the North Carolina School of the Arts. The Fest was founded by Gennaro D'Onofrio, and his children Elizabeth and Vincent, a huge supporter of indie film. This year's fest presents an impressive selection including Take the Lead and The Legend of Lucy Keyes.

This is just a glimpse at what is going on at these festivals. For more information and for a complete list of Festivals, go to our INFestival section.

And filmmakers, don't forget. We offer free film listings, so sign up today!

Long live indie film,

Michelle