SXSWORLD

SXSW GAMING STUDENT SHOWCASE Students and game development programs from hundreds of uni- versities across the world take the gaming industry by storm each year displaying excellence and design in the games they create. Featuring the best student works across a variety of gaming fields, we're proud to bring back the SXSW Gaming Student Showcase for its second year with some of the greatest programs and groups of students around. Click here for entry information. FORTUITOUS SXSW ENCOUNTERS HELP LAUNCH MINDCOTINE Out of a discussion at a wedding last fall, three Argentinian friends: Cristian Waitman, Emilio Goldenhersch and Nicolas Rosencovich, decided to combine their respective backgrounds in VR, psychology and biomedical engineering to develop a tool that combines mind- fulness and biofeedback with VR technology to help people break tobacco addiction. In February, Waitman welcomed Goldenhersch and Rosencovich to his adopted home base in Mexico City, where the three developed MindCotine. Deciding to attend SXSW, they drove from Mexico City to Austin with 500 VR cardboards in tow. Upon arrival, the first event they attended was an International Accelerator Pitch event at Casa Mexico. Their last minute appearance resulted in some Spanish-language coverage from Forbes, CNN and other Argentinean mainstream media out- lets. Fatefully, also in the audience was Angel Bañuelo from Balero, a Mexican accelerator program, who offered to invest in MindCotine and invited them to take part in GSVlabs' Pioneer Accelerator Program in Redwood City, California. Since the offer came only four days before the program started, the MindCotine team drove straight back to Mexico City to pack up and head for Silicon Valley, barely a week after they had first left for SXSW. Next, MindCotine is launching its Kickstarter campaign on World No Tobacco Day (May 31) in hopes of generating its first 10,000 users. Says Waitman: "None of this would be possible without SXSW, and we feel this story must be shared to encourage other entrepreneurs from Latin America to come." Photo by Randy & Jackie Smith SXSW FILM 2018 CALL FOR ENTRIES It's already time! The Film Call For Entries will open on June 26. Submission fees are at their lowest when the call opens and increase incrementally throughout the season. The earlier you submit, the more you save. Read more and sign up for notifications. For even more detail, browse our Submission FAQ. SXSW ART PROGRAM The SXSW Art Program show- cases experiential and visual artworks that apply emerging technologies and immersive envi- ronments to spark discovery, inspiration and connection. Incorporated into our broader ecosystem of creativity and inno- vation, the art program serves as a launching point for collabo- rations and discussions around the role of visual and digital media arts in culture, technology and the public realm. Open call for entries begins Monday, June 26th. Click here for more information. Photo by Carol Watson

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