SXSW 2011: Japan Relief Efforts

On opening night of the SXSW Film Festival, Japan was hit hard by a Tsunami following an earthquake. SXSW can feel like a summer camp where you just watch movies, meet new people and stay up late. It’s easy to walk around with blinders on and avoid watching the news (except if you happen to walk but the temporary CNN venue). But the truth is, parts of Japan are under water, and fortunately, some people have had the foresight to realize the muscle behind such a massive gathering of tech-savvy, highly-motivated, documentary-making, emotional, artsy people.
href=”www.facebook.com/helpsavejapanatsxsw”>Facebook group was created by a group of Japanese exhibitors, and of course you can follow the efforts on twitter, #sxsw4japan or #sxswcares. In person, participants can visit the Help Save Japan table set up near the Ballroom D on the 4th floor of the Austin Convention Center. Organizations from SXSW’s Interactive Festival like CauseVoz and FirstGiving.com have taken off time from the festival to get a fundraising network in place, and I’m sure we’ll see a similar outpouring from the musicians when the SXSW Music Festival gets underway tomorrow.