The Sundance Film Festival starts Thursday, a few short weeks later it's the Berlin International Film Festival and just as the weather starts getting warmer, film fans will flock to Austin for the SXSW Film Conference And Festival. In fact, it's less than two months away and now the slate is beginning to be unveiled.
Organizers announced today that the Steve Carell and Jim Carrey-starring duelling magician comedy "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" will kick things off in Texas as the opening film, making its World Premiere. But even more, SXSW have revealed a initial batch of titles that should be cause for excitement for anyone attending. Appropriately, Harmony Korine's hotly buzzed "Spring Breakers" with James Franco, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Vanessa Hudgens and Rachel Korine will get everyone into the partying spirit.
Other films of note making their World Premiere: Joe Swanberg's surprisingly star-driven, alcohol-soaked "Drinking Buddies"; the much-talked-about "Evil Dead" remake that's boasting a pretty hard-R rating, the Napster documentary "Downloaded" from "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" star Alex Winters and much more. Not too shabby.
And when you're not seeing movies, it might be worth sitting in on the planned conversation with Matthew McConaughey, or an acting seminar/one man show with "Arrested Development" star Jeffrey Tambor, or a Carlton Cuse talk about "Bates Motel" among other options.
SXSW Film runs from March 8-16. Details on the first slate below.
The 2013 SXSW Film Festival will feature:
Downloaded (World Premiere) — Director: Alex Winter
Downloaded is a documentary that explores the rise and fall of Napster and the birth of the digital revolution. It's about the teens that helped start this revolution, and the artists and industries who continue to be impacted by it.
Drinking Buddies (World Premiere) — Director/Screenwriter: Joe Swanberg
Weekend trips, office parties, late night conversations, drinking on the job, marriage pressure, biological clocks, holding eye contact a second too long… you know what makes the line between "friends" and "more than friends" really blurry? Beer. Cast: Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Ron Livingston
Everyone's Going to Die (World Premiere) — Director/Screenwriter: Jones
A modern British story about coming home, getting by and the redemptive power of feeling you're not alone. A story where porn hotlines rub shoulders with sexy beavers on rollerskates; where the past is laid to rest, two lives are changed and nobody, finally, is going to die. Cast: Nora Tschirner, Rob Knighton, Kellie Shirley, Madeline Duggan (United Kingdom)
Evil Dead (World Premiere) — Director: Fede Alvarez, Screenwriter: Fede Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues
Five friends, holed up in a remote cabin, discover a Book of the Dead that unwittingly summons up dormant demons, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left to fight for survival. Cast: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore
Good Ol' Freda (World Premiere) — Director: Ryan White
Good Ol’ Freda tells the story of Freda Kelly, a shy Liverpudlian teenager asked to work for a young local band hoping to make it big: The Beatles. Their loyal secretary from beginning to end, Freda tells her tales for the first time in 50 years.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (World Premiere) — Director: Don Scardino, Story by Chad Kultgen & Tyler Mitchell and Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley. Screenplay by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley
When superstar Vegas magicians Burt and Anton let their act grow as stale as their friendship, an ambitious rival with a cutting-edge delivery swoops in for the kill. Cast: Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, with Alan Arkin, James Gandolfini and Jim Carrey
Spring Breakers (U.S. Premiere) — Director/Screenwriter: Harmony Korine
Four college girls who land in jail after robbing a restaurant in order to fund their spring break vacation find themselves bailed out by a drug and arms dealer who wants them to do some dirty work. Cast: James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine
In addition to nine full days of film screenings, SXSW Film will ultimately feature over 150 informative and entertaining featured Conversations, panels, workshops and mentor sessions. Major additions to the 2013 Conference include:
A Conversation with Matthew McConaughey – An in-depth discussion with the incredibly fascinating actor, whose career continues to evolve in exciting and unexpected ways, including his bold choices with recent projects like Magic Mike, Killer Joe, Bernie and Mud.
Humanizing Heroes: Storytelling Beyond Sports – The leading authorities behind some of today's most notable sports films, Connor Schell (ESPN Films), Ken Rodgers (NFL Films) and Ross Greenburg (Ross Greenburg Productions), discuss the evolution of storytelling in sports filmmaking, its influence on pop culture and its continued resonance across all cultures and backgrounds.
Bates Motel: Story to Screen with Carlton Cuse – In a Special Event combining the SXSW Film Festival and Conference in one, attendees will get an exclusive first look at the pilot of Bates Motel, the thrilling new series from A&E. Following the screening, Executive Producer Carlton Cuse (Lost) will sit down with A&E Marketing EVP Guy Slattery for an inside look and Q&A on the process for bringing this contemporary prequel to life.
Jeffrey Tambor’s Acting Workshop – Jeffrey Tambor continues the tradition of his much loved acting and life workshop by returning to SXSW Film 2013. Part one-man show, part seminar, part question and answer and endlessly entertaining, Jeffrey’s hilarious and empowering presentation inspires the viewer to discover the artist within.