Why Watch? An internet pioneer finally gets his due. Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO of Apple yesterday. Big deal. This short film from Joe Nicolosi (famous for his Star Wars: Retold and the wonderful short film bumpers of SXSW) gives shining credit to a man who changed the way we use our computers and the way that we watch cat videos online. Done in a simple mockumentary format with some impressively seamless digital effects work, it’s funny and reveals a few startling facts about Keyboard Cat. Plus, Austin fans will recognize more than a few famous faces. What does it cost? Just 5 minutes of your time. Check out Kittywood Studios: Cat Videos Incorporated for yourself:

This week, on a very special episode of Reject Radio, we talk SXSW with the Reject team and find out why Netflix is doing what they’re doing. Gigaom site editor Ryan Lawler joins us to help makes sense of why Netflix would get into the distribution game with House of Cards and what it might mean for the future. Joe Nicolosi (who made that video of the girl retelling Star Wars without seeing it and that Super Mario indie short film the kids are talking about), discusses the perils of the SXSW softball game, how he got the job making all the bumpers that play before the movies, his creative process, and the beauty of film festivals. Neil and Rob dust off the SXSW from their chaps to tell us about their favorite films and the movies that will coming to a theater near you. Plus, Kate Erbland from Gordon and The Whale and Scott Weinberg from Twitch Film go head-to-head in our movie news quiz, and we all end up talking about Cameron Crowe and the power of nostalgia. Loosen up your tie and stay a while.

If you’ve ever attended a film festival, you’ll be familiar with the concept of the film festival bumper. If you haven’t been witness to such occurrences, allow me to explain: when you sit down to watch a film at a film festival, more often than not there is a few minute long bumper that plays prior to the film. It usually serves as a bit of fun (in the case of SXSW or Fantastic Fest) or it indicates the fest’s theme (a la Sundance). Either way, it’s usually an enjoyable reminder of where you are. Last year at SXSW, one bumper stood alone. A 20-something girl takes a casual hike through the woods, only to encounter every movie monster you can imagine. This gem was directed by a talented Austinite named Joe Nicolosi, whose work you no doubt know from Star Wars: Retold. This year, the programming team at SXSW went back to Joe for not one, but five bumpers for the 2011 festival. And with that brought the street-level meme “did you hear about the Mario bumper?” to Austin’s big spring bash. All fan favorites, we are pleased to present to you the bumpers of SXSW 2011.

Earlier today I was directed to the Vimeo page of filmmaker Joe Nicolosi. You may have never heard of him, nor are you likely to have seen his work. However, I’ve seen his work. Over and over and over again. In the form of this excellent SXSW bumper video.