Austin’s South By Southwest (SXSW) is – next to the event in Sundance – one of the most important independent cinema events on the US market. Intermedia activities and the festival’s music stage are just as important as cinema screenings. There are also numerous meetings and discussion panels for cinema fans.
Only 14 productions have been invited to the international competition for the best short documentary, including a premiere title from Poland. Backstage by Ada Syk is about the titular backstage at Teatr Wielki – Opera Narodowa [Grand Theatre – National Opera] in Warsaw. The craftsmen and craftswomen of its art studios are preparing costumes and sets for the upcoming premiere of one of the most important performances of the season. The film shows the invisible work of dozens of people who usually remain in the shadows of male and female artists performing on stage.
A list of all qualified films can be found here.