Coronavirus Concerns Affect Local & National Events
Austin, Texas. Source: Pixabay
As anxieties over the ongoing coronavirus outbreak grip the country and the world, many large scale events are forced to cancel or postpone. These tough and often heartbreaking decisions are made either by the organizers themselves or by the municipalities in which they operate. Such events include our locally based and beloved Woodstock Bookfest which was to run March 26-29, as well as SXSW, the annual festival and entertainment industry staple held in Austin, Texas that draws thousands of participants and visitors from all over the world for ten days of concerts, film premieres, and conferences.
This year’s SXSW was projected to inject an estimated 350 million dollars into Austin's economy, a figure that now hangs in the air as the city braces for the potential windfall. In an interview with CityLab’s Kriston Capps, Mayor of Austin Steve Adler explained the difficult decision to call off the event, stating: “It is a shock. It’s horrible. (…) The city looking to see what we can do, as are philanthropists and social service organizations and others in the city.”
In a letter to the participating filmmakers, Janet Pierson, director of the film festival at SXSW, said: "We’re devastated about what this means for you as we were beyond privileged to include your projects in our Festival. Your trust in us to launch your work is precious to us, and we understand how devastating this is for all of you - it’s a moment many of you have worked towards and looked forward to for years, with so much at stake. You are the reason we do what we do and this unprecedented situation is heartbreaking."
“Our hearts go out to all the filmmakers whose films and careers were about to launch at SXSW, and to the organizers who worked all year long to put together a one-of-a-kind, amazing event," said Woodstock Film Festival Co-Founder and Executive Director Meira Blaustein. “Addressing public health concerns should always be paramount, but I understand how this was a heart wrenching decision for the organizers to make given the scale of the event and the promise of discovery of so many projects and talented filmmakers from all over the world.”
Please look out for and support all the films that were slated to premiere at SXSW this month, including those that are associated with Woodstock friends and alumni, listed below. One of the upcoming ways to help is by visiting Stage 32, an online community for entertainment creatives that is offering filmmakers affected by the cancellation of SXSW a chance to give their movies some exposure, free of charge.
LAPSIS – Directed by Woodstock alum Noah Hutton and shot in the Hudson Valley.
AND WE GO GREEN – Directed by Woodstock Film Festival Advisory Board member and alum Fisher Stevens and Malcolm Venville.
CRAZY, NOT INSANE – Directed by Woodstock alum Alex Gibney.
LIGHTS CAMERA UGANDA – Co-directed by Woodstock Film Festival Hugo Perez, and featuring festival’s former star volunteer, Alan Hofmanis.
SHIVA BABY – Directed by Woodstock alum Emma Seligman. The film screened in the shorts program at the 2018 Woodstock Film Festival.
THE DILEMMA OF DESIRE – Produced by Woodstock Film Festival alum Cynthia Kane.
CODED BIAS – Co-produced by Woodstock Film Festival Advisory Board member Sabine Hoffman.
FREELAND – Produced by Woodstock Film Festival Advisory Board member Gill Holland.