SXSW (South by Southwest) selected four Borscht Corp. short films for its 2012 Film Festival March 9th – 17th in Austin, Texas. The Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke and Reinaldo Arenas were selected as part of the Narrative Shorts competition. I Am Your Grandma and Jacuzzi Boys: Glazin were selected as part of the Midnight Shorts competition. All four were written and directed by Jillian Mayer and Lucas Leyva, known collectively as Mayer/Leyva.
SXSW selected 135 short films from over 3,300 worldwide submissions that will screen as part of twelve overall shorts programs. The Midnighters section has hosted the premieres and fostered the careers of such filmmakers as Joe Cornish, Ti West, and Eli Roth. The Midnighters section “highlights those films that go a bit crazier, gorier, and all-around balls out-ier,” said SXSW Senior Programmer & Operations Manager Jarod Neece.
SXSW’s “Narrative Short” selections are “original, well-crafted films that take advantage of the short form and exemplify distinctive and genuine storytelling.” The winner of the Grand Jury Award in this category is eligible for a 2013 Academy Award nomination for Best Narrative Short. SXSW shorts programmer Claudette Godfrey says she was “instantly obsessed” with Grandma. “In 60 seconds, Jillian told a visually, aurally and conceptually compelling, unique story.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored over 90, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity. She is also the founder of the Magdalene Collection, a jewelry line dedicated to women’s unsung voices and stories, and the award-winning author of the bestselling book Magdalene’s Journey
She is founder of Blue Soul Media and co-founder of Blue Soul Earth as well as the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS podcast, that bridges science, technology and spirituality. Renee also founded Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
