SXSW was over a week ago, and I’ve spent the week since ruminating on what the event meant to me this year. It’s kind of weird how it has become a milestone in my life with which I measure where I am, how far I’ve come and what I am doing next. My experience this year was my first with Austin as my home. Last year, I had only been here about 6 months or so and it was a welcome relief to have my festival friends from all around the country come in for the fest. I guess I was lonely and welcomed the chance to see familiar faces.

This year, most of the events I went to were local in nature–the secret screening of Linklater’s fabulous Me and Orson Welles, the fun yet important Along Came Kinky screening and downright hometown party at Rabbit’s afterward, Winnebago Man. I was very much in touch with the work that is being made locally and it was important to be present for those moments. I didn’t get to everything I wanted to, but I made a respectable showing and more importantly, I wasn’t regretting hanging out with the “local crowd,” I was reveling in it. I moved to Austin because I liked the vibe and indeed, if a major international festival can happen in your own backyard and you are happy to hang out with people you see all year long, well, I’m counting that as a true blessing and confirmation that I made a good choice in moving to Austin.

I didn’t have an enlightening experience regarding the industry. I didn’t make it to panels, largely because I wasn’t feeling like hanging out at the Convention Center this year. We had our big fundraising event on Thursday evening, and it is so much planning, preparation and stress, that once the weather turned sunny, I just wanted to be outside on decks and patios to enjoy. I’m happy that I saw so many films that I really liked. Each SXSW experience is unique and each have been meaningful to me, so I’m glad that held true this year albeit different than I expected.

I know this wrap isn’t particularly revelatory, but there was an interesting subtheme this year beyond my experience about how people come to town for SXSW, decide they love it and move to Austin. That’s my story, and I’m reporting a year and a half later, that it was a good choice. I love Austin and the people who make up the community here. My sense of other reactions during and after SXSW was that folks were having good experiences, so big congrats to Janet Pierson in her first year at the helm. Continuing to create a program that others want to be a part of is all SXSW has to do; Austin itself and the people who attend bring the rest. It’s still a highlight in my year.