News 8 Austin | 24 Hour Local News | LOCAL NEWS | SXSW not like other film fests

News 8 Austin | 24 Hour Local News | LOCAL NEWS | SXSW not like other film fests

Updated: 3/14/2005 6:23 PM
By: News 8 Austin Staff
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Elijah Wood
There's plenty of stargazing going on as major actors pass through Austin for the South by Southwest Film Festival.

Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood is here to promote his newest movie. Hooligans is a British import about a gang of brawling soccer fans.

The film's premiere received a standing ovation and cast members say Austin’s movie audiences make South by Southwest one of the top film festivals in the country.

"I don't think you always get that at film festivals. Film festivals, especially established ones that have been around for a long time, can get a bit jaded. The audiences can be a little cynical whereas this is - everyone's so friendly and relaxed. There's no pretense, there's no real sense of Hollywood, its filmmakers,” Wood said.

Fellow actor Charlie Hunnam agrees, that SXSW is “what it should be - a celebration of film - without any of the aspects that would make one feel jaded."

Film producer Jeff Dowd has been a part of the Sundance Film Festival since its inception 20 years ago. He agrees that SXSW is for the people, not the industry types, and that’s what makes it special.

“Unlike Sundance where they’re all pros – you’re lucky if a skier drifts into a movie – here it’s the real folks, which gives you a kind of feeling that you can really see how a movie is going to do later. Because it’s a real audience,” Dowd said.

Hooligans is scheduled to be released in the UK later this year, but right now Austin is the only place in the world to see it.

The movie screens again Monday at 3 p.m. at the Alamo Downtown and Friday at 10 p.m. at the Alamo South.

Dowd’s other film, The Thing About My Folks, is a father-son dramedy written by and stars Paul Reiser. Peter Falk plays Reiser’s father.

It plays at 7:15 p.m. Monday and at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Alamo South.