SXSW 2012!

Photo courtesy of Austist

The annual buzz has been in the air this past week with the kick-off of the SXSW (South By SouthWest) Music, Film & Interactive Conference down there in Austin, TX. Playing host to tens of thousands of participants and attendees from across the globe, this yearly happening draws the hippest, most influential, innovative and geekiest crowds imaginable for 10 days straight.


So far, we've watched a live stream of one of the trendiest techie competitions for Startups, the Start-up Bus competition, where teams from across the U.S. rode busses down to Austin while planning their pitches for their apps and their luck at a big break! We're also checking in with the daily 3-Minute video updates, salivating over all of the eats at those cool parties and wishing we were sitting in one of the groovy lounges quarreling over power sources for our technology. Sounds fun right?!


But for now, we've settled for living vicariously and virtually through friends (Woot-Woot Happstr!) and colleagues that are down yonder and of course, through Twitter, which is on fire with updates! And, we're swearing off staying back in California next year and are already making plans and strategizing about 2013. So, count.us.in SXSW! We're a comin' next year. That, you can bet on. 

Documentary Review #1: FINDING KIND

MDF has certainly seen their fair share of documentaries these past few months and apparently, we still can't seem to get enough of them which is why we are now dedicating the next few Tuesdays  to the documentary genre. And while they often portray sensitive and realistic subject matter, we at MDF are particularly fond of the 'movement documentary' which, is why we are today, focusing onFinding Kind. A definite good-deed-campaign which, exemplifies the passion of the two filmmakers Lauren Parsekian and Molly Stroud. Their movement started with promoting the simplistic act of being kind by ending the way-too-often viscious cycle of girl-bullying and the mean-girl-syndrome from friendships and in schools. We first met this BFF pair of inspirational gals during their film festival circuit at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February, as they spoke with great passion about their cross-country journey to schools and sororities where they met with thousands of girls to help mend friendships. Even more exciting, is that these recent Pepperdine film grads got picked up for a theatre showing which will premiere next month! But before then, you can also catch them this Sunday at the Newport Beach Film Festival if you're in the area. So, we encourage all you gals to gather 'round, step into the 'Truth Booth' and go see this very poignant movie that will surely change the way females interact and connect with each other. Be sure to watch the trailer and to also follow their campaign on Facebook and see if they might be coming to a school near you. More importantly, remember that a little kindness goes a long way.

Lake Arrowhead Film Festival - Take 2

Because we just can't say enough of the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival, we decided it warranted a second post. First of all, the location of this film fest was quite gorgeous and the perfect place for some much needed fun for this crew. What we never envisioned was that such a great event would have us Lakeside and in the middle of the alpines. Water to the left, trees to the right and movies galore directly in the middle of this wonderful dog-friendly lodge (Romeo made us say that!). With a great line-up of films and documentaries and trips to the deer-antler-clad-chandelier-bar for some tasty eats in between showings, a great time was had by all. And for the record, we didn't dare go near the Sammy Hagar after-party, but from the looks of things, that crowd had a rockin' night. Guess we were a little off-kilter after unexpectedly seeing a thriller short that had us on the edge of our seats and the boss gasping so loud that the entire theatre heard her (hence, another trip to the antler-lounge for a martini break!).

Behind-the-Scenes Saturdays: Lake Arrowhead Film Festival!

The MDF crew has just arrived at the 12th Annual Lake Arrowhead Film Festival for Film, Television and Beyond. And let us tell you that it has been a beautiful day up here in the mountains and a great weekend for a film festival. So far, our little MDF sidekick, Romeo has enjoyed a nice walk along the Lake's edge and has endlessly tried to locate the tweeting birds up in the trees. Peaceful but fun, tonight's gala and tomorrow's line-up of films is looking great making it really difficult to choose which films to attend. Even Sammy Hagar, who is a local resident, is making his West Coast premiere of his film, 'Go There Once, Be There Twice' about a Mexican village, a cantina and a birthday bash. Of course he's hosting an 'After Hours Party' which sounds a little on the wild side , but we'll keep you posted.

2011 SBIFF International Film Festival

What a great film festival this year in Santa Barbara! With hit movies like The King's Speech and a night with the entire cast, it made this year's SBIFF a blast! We tried to attend as many functions and movies as possible during the two week festival and ended up seeing some amazing documentaries and meeting some inspiring filmmakers. Our favorites and must-see recommendations are The Boy Mir - Ten Years in Afghanistan (Best Documentary Film Award), Finding Kind (Theatre Release May 2011) and Someplace with a Mountain(a definite must-see!).