I found this piece about the increasingly important film component at Austin's SXSW festival interesting and informative.

The final portion is rather specific to Austin residents, but the rest of the Q and A session would be of interest to broader audiences -- especially film enthusiasts. Matt Dentler addresses the surge in the popularity of documentaries -- and the rise in the number of festivals themselves. Several important new documentaries are described, as is the growing importance to indie producers of securing a slot -- and the resulting publicity -- at film fests.