SXSW in Austin draws Foothills locals

The South By Southwest “geekfest” begins in Austin on Friday night, a gathering that is growing in importance.

The 17-year-old, two-week festival is booming despite the recession.

“Austin, Texas! We meet again,” Jesse Locks, business development director of the Nevada City Film Festival, wrote on her Facebook page.

The festival pumped about $99 million into the Austin economy last year — a reminder that film festivals are a boon to local economic development.

In our county, we benefit from the Wild & Scenic Film Festival and Nevada City Film Festival.

SXSW features films but also parties, “meetups” and cool technology.

“The Tweet House” is teaming up with the Hollywood Reporter for a big opening night bash.

Foursquare and Gowalla are squaring off for the title of top tagger at the festival, as Fortune magazine is reporting. The services help you locate where your contacts are at any given moment.

The films are getting bigger and better too.

Last March, The Hurt Locker made its Texas debut at SXSW. Last week it took home six Oscars, including best picture and best director (Kathryn Bigelow), as the Dallas Morning News noted.