Lissa Gruman, Amy Lillard, Greg Campbell, Steven Ariel and Nick Pagel

South by Southwest, the massive annual music, film and interactive festival in Austin, Texas, wrapped on March 17. A delegation from Washington was in attendance to network and talk to filmmakers about what Washington State has to offer production. Washington Filmworks, Warren Etheredge, and KCTS joined forces with the Washington Wine Commission and Trace of the W Seattle, to host several filmmaker dinners and cocktail receptions during the fest. The dinners, prepared by Trace Chef de Cuisine, Steven Ariel, and his team, showcased the best of Washington wines and food.

Filmmaker Dinner at SXSW

Washington Filmworks Executive Director, Amy Lillard, continued to explore the intersection of technology and storytelling by attending panels and events at the festival. Lillard took several meetings with creative entrepreneurs about evolving business models in the industry. The crowd from Washington also made time to celebrate the success of Seattle filmmaker, Dayna Hanson, and her collaborators. Hanson’s feature film, Improvement Club, was in the narrative feature competition at the festival this year.