Y’ALL!! We are officially 18 days away from SXSW 2020!
This year, for most of my SXSW coverage I will be focusing on Latinx artists, films, sessions, and more.
Today, I will be covering my top list of Latinx centered Sessions and Meetups. This is just for the official SXSW program and I will cover unofficial events in a separate post. =)
I remember a few year ago there was almost Z E R O Latinx sessions or meetups at SXSW and now there seem to be way more. THIS IS EXCITING Y’ALL!
Keep reading for my top Latinx Centered Sessions and Meetups at SXSW 2020!
MAR 13, 2020 | 2:00PM – 3:00PM
Featured Session: 2020 Hollywood Diversity Report + Latino Film Institute
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2020/events/PP97947
SPEAKERS: RAFAEL AGUSTÍN (Latino Film Institute), MAGDIELA HERMIDA DUHAMEL (Latino Film Institute), EDWARD JAMES OLMOS (Latino Film Institute & Youth Cinema Project), and DR. ANA-CHRISTINA RAMÓN (University of California, Los Angeles)
How do you close the achievement and opportunity gap for minorities in the entertainment industry?
Please join Academy Award Nominee Edward James Olmos and the team behind the Latino Film Institute for a presentation on the groundbreaking programs advancing marginalized communities in Hollywood. The panel will include a special presentation by Dr. Ana-Christina Ramon, co-author of the 2020 Hollywood Diversity Report. This panel will discuss the ideas and programs that LFI has placed into action to address the lack of representation in Hollywood and focus on the next generation of content creators.
Through its Signature Programs that include the LA Latino International Film Festival, Youth Cinema Project, and LatinX in Animation, LFI is increasing the number of artists from emerging communities and shaping the entertainment industry’s multicultural future. LFI’s Signature Programs develop, empower, and support students, artists, creators, and executives through pathways and platforms for the expression and appreciation of their work.
MAR 13, 2020 | 5:30PM – 5:45PM
From the Home to the Helm: Unquieting the Latina Voice
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2020/events/PP1137635
SPEAKERS: SYLVIA BUTANDA (Latinitas Magazine)
One of Austin’s youngest non-profit leaders, Sylvia Butanda will share strategies to unleash Latina voices in media, tech and economic leadership, referencing her role as the Deputy Executive Director of Latinitas, Austin’s longest running bilingual and bicultural STEAM education agency serving 33,000 girls and teens since its origin and her own experience as an engaged LatinX.
MAR 13, 2020 | 5:45PM – 6:00PM
Tech Is a Brown Girls Thing
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2020/events/PP1137637
SPEAKERS: GABRYELLA DESPORTE (Latinitas Magazine)
When we think of tech in the U.S. – faces of Jobs, Gates and Zuckerberg materialize, but STEM learning is not just a white boys club. Native-born and raised Austinite, youth educator, technophile and drag enthusiast Gabryella Desporte talks about how Latina and other girls and teens are reclaiming technology for their own with a project that uses place, tech and storytelling to unearth community stories and the damage of gentrification.
MAR 13, 2020 | 6:30PM – 10:30PM
SXSW Community Conversations Opening Reception
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2020/events/OE40266
SPEAKERS: KENNETTA PIPER (The Birthing Point)
This official SXSW meetup is an annual gathering of Black and Brown attendees of the festival and the ATX community. Whether you have just landed in the ATX or just getting off work, spend the evening with The Birthing Point team, networking, and learning of the SXSW Community Conversations programming taking place over the opening weekend of SXSW.
MAR 13, 2020 | 7:00PM – 8:00PM
The Organizer in All of Us
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2020/events/OE40010
SPEAKERS: GLYNDA C CARR (Higher Heights For America)
Representation matters. And as more women of color have a seat at the table, through their power and influence they have been able to spotlight and address the many issues that often have left women of color behind, ignored, and unprotected. But they cannot do it alone and there is still a long way to go.
The Organizer In All of Us will feature women of color representatives, organizers and industry leaders who are taking the country by storm. Our conversation and talk-back will provide insight into the cultural and political initiatives that are driving real impact, the work they see that still needs to be done and, most importantly, how women of color can stand in their own power and win—for the people—in 2020.
MAR 14, 2020 | 11:00AM – 12:00PM
Waking Up Latinx in America
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2020/events/PP1132318
SPEAKERS: JUAN CARLOS PEREZ (Art+Logic)
What does it mean to be a Latinx immigrant? It means waking up to news about children separated from their families, ICE raids, the deportation of immigrant soldiers, threats to DACA recipients, proposals to deport naturalized citizens, the president calling immigrants animals, the list goes on. These constant threats are used to define us and force us to justify ourselves as American. As these assertions about Latinx immigrants morph into assumptions and accusations, they leave us feeling voiceless, silent, and defined not by who we are or what we do, but by the categories placed upon us. So, how do we regain our voice? Do we turn to Frederick Douglass? Do we align ourselves with AOC, Pelosi, or Schumer? Do we start something new? I think it’s time for a radical new take on self-reliance.
MAR 15, 2020 | 2:00PM – 3:00PM
The Lone Female Latinx Showrunner in Comedy
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2020/events/PP101416
SPEAKERS: GLORIA CALDERÓN KELLETT (One Day at a Time) and HEIDI NEL (The Raben Group)
Showrunner Gloria Calderon Kellett knows what it takes to get sh*t done, and isn’t one to back down when it’s time to fight for something she believes in and knows is important. Best known as the showrunner behind the critically acclaimed series, One Day at a Time, Calderon Kellett will speak to the transformative power of inclusive storytelling, her own experience as one of the few Latinx showrunners in Hollywood, and how she defied the odds and found a new home on Pop TV for the beloved series. Calderon Kellett will be interviewed by Heidi Nel, Principal and Head of Impact Entertainment at The Raben Group.
MAR 16, 2020 | 3:30PM – 4:30PM
Latino Meet Up at SXSW
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2020/events/PP104338
SPEAKERS: JUAN ALANIS (Big Oak Tree Media) and ANJELICA CAZARES (Big Oak Tree Media)
Calling all Latinos at SXSW! This is the official #LatinoSXSW networking experience. If you’re a badge holder, join us for a face-to-face get-together where you will meet other creatives, leaders, change-makers, and practitioners in the digital space. This is the place to build and spark collaborations that will impact Latinos in 2020 and beyond.
MAR 17, 2020 | 11:00AM – 12:00PM
LATINX Revolution or Renaissance?
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2020/events/PP101078
SPEAKERS: AMARA LA NEGRA, PAOLA RAMOS (VICE), and THERESA WYATT (La Reyna)
The combination of youth and their demand for cultural connectivity through content has placed the Latinx community at the center of influence. LA REYNA, the new US Hispanic creative agency and joint venture by Robert Rodriguez and VICE Media’s Virtue, brings together leading voices in the community for an intimate conversation on Latinidad, identity, representation, and Latinx contributions to creativity and culture. Advocate, actor and singer Amara la Negra sits down with legacy journalist Paola Ramos for a candid conversation around the complexities of being Latinx, diving into identity, colorism and representation.
MAR 18, 2020 | 11:15AM – 11:30AM
Digital Apartheid, Digital Literacy, and Democracy
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2020/events/PP1137985
SPEAKERS LUIZA FUTURO (Chazz Design)
Social media has transformed Brazil into one of the top users of social media, yet large masses remain digitally excluded. Social media has become synonymous with the internet, and the country has become one of the biggest markets for persuasive technologies. While internet access grows exponentially, digital literacy does not follow. We need to improve emerging “netizens”’ capacity to integrate or we risk digital apartheid. Using Brazilian research projects as a starting point, we’ll reflect on alternatives that improve the quality of digital interaction and positive social outcomes. And finally, we’ll address how we creators of the web can evolve in creating alternative measurements to assess interaction in our digital world.
MAR 19, 2020 | 12:30PM – 1:30PM
Latin Explosion: Effective Release Strategies
https://schedule.sxsw.com/2020/events/PP95018
SPEAKERS: A.J. ALVAREZ (Symphonic Distribution), TOMAS COOKMAN (Nacional Records), MARCOS JUÁREZ (Pandora), and JESUS TRIVINO ALARCON (Tidal – NY)
In recent years, there has been an explosion of Latin American growth across streaming platforms. Records are being made and broken at a faster pace than ever before and artists with a Latin American audience should take notice and execute accordingly. This session will explore release strategies to take into consideration if you have a Latin American audience.
I am super excited to meet and connect with some of you this year at SXSW!
Stay in love and just listen,
