Sundance Favorites, Red Riding Hood and Mel Gibson Highlight Full SXSW Slate

If the promise of seeing Jodie Foster's Beaver, Duncan Jones' Source Code, or Ti West's Innkeepers didn't already have you planning a trip to Austin for SXSW, get a load of the 130-film full slate unveiled on Wednesday, featuring Sundance favorites, global narratives, rock docs, spotlights on emerging talent, new efforts from the post-mumblecore gang, Romain Gavras's angry redhead flick, Catherine Hardwicke's Red Riding Hood, Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams, and -- deep breath! -- much, much more.

Among the highlights to look for as you sift through the hundred-plus films playing SXSW (held March 11-19 in Austin, TX):

Sundance Redux: Park City Indie Queen Brit Marling's Sound of My Voice; Azazel Jacobs' Terri; Sundance docs like The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Page One, How to Die in Oregon, and Being Elmo; Thomas McCarthy's Win Win; foreign Oscar nominees Incendies and In a Better World; the apocalypse pic Bellflower, and midnight movies Septien and Catechism Cateclysm.

Special Screenings: World premieres of Duncan Jones' Source Code; Ti West's The Innkeepers; the documentary Conan O'Brien Can't Stop; Greg Mottola's nerd adventure Paul; James Gunn's Super; Carla Gugino and Sebastien Gutierrez's star-studded Elektra Luxx follow-up, Girl Walks Into a Bar; and Jodie Foster's The Beaver, worth tracking just to see if Mel Gibson shows to start his much-needed career reparations. Also: a sneak preview of Catherine Hardwicke's Red Riding Hood; Buster Keaton's The Cameraman with live accompaniment; and Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams.

Ones to Watch: Emerging indie performers Amy Seimetz and Robert Longstreet, who have multiple films in the fest; Teen filmmaker Emily Hagins (Zombie Girl: The Movie), who brings her new horror pic My Sucky Teen Romance; Gabourey Sidibe, who follows up her Oscar-nominated turn in Precious by co-starring in Yelling to the Sky; Romain Gavras -- a.k.a. the guy who made M.I.A.'s controversial "Born Free" music video -- presents his angry redhead feature Our Day Will Come.

Peruse the full SXSW 2011 lineup below.

HEADLINERS

13 Assassins

Director: Takashi Miike, Writers: Shoichirou Ikemiya & Daisuke Tengan

Distressed by the Lord's murderous rampage, top Shogun official Sir Doi secretly calls on esteemed samurai Shinzaemon Shimada to assassinate the evil Naritsugu. Outraged by Lord Naritsugu's vile acts, Shinzaemon willingly accepts the dangerous mission.

Cast: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya, Goro Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura

Ain't It Cool News 15th Anniversary Screening

Harry Knowles will curate a surprise screening in honor of the 15th Anniversary of his popular cultwebsite Ain't it Cool News.

The Beaver

Director: Jodie Foster, Writer: Kyle Killen

Two-time Academy Award® winner Jodie Foster directs and co-stars with two-time Academy Award® winner Mel Gibson in an emotional story about a man on a journey to re-discover his family and re-start his life. Plagued by his own demons, Walter Black was once a successful toy executive and family man who now suffers from depression. No matter what he tries, Walter can't seem to get himself back on track...until a beaver hand puppet enters his life.

Cast: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence, Cherry Jones (World Premiere)

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop

Director: Rodman Flender

Did Conan O'Brien go on tour to connect with his fans or fill a void within himself? Rodman Flender's documentary captures an artist trained in improvisation at the most improvisational time of his career. (World Premiere)

Paul

Director: Greg Mottola, Writers: Simon Pegg & Nick Frost

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost reunite as two geeks who meet an alien named Paul (Seth Rogen) on a pilgrimage to America's UFO heartland. Their road trip will alter our universe forever.

Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Blythe Danner, John Carroll Lynch, with Sigourney Weaver, and Seth Rogen as Paul (North American Premiere)

Source Code

Director: Duncan Jones, Writer: Ben Ripley

When soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. In an assignment unlike any he's ever known, he learns he's part of a government experiment called the "Source Code," a computer program that enables him to cross over into another man's identity in the last 8 minutes of his life.

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright (World Premiere)

SUPER

Director & Writer: James Gunn

In this outlandish dark comedy, James Gunn has created what is perhaps the definitive take on self-reflexive superheroes.

Cast: Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Michael Rooker (U.S. Premiere)

WIN WIN

Director: Tom McCarthy, Writers: Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni

Tom McCarthy, acclaimed writer/director of The Visitor and The Station Agent, once again explores the depths and nuances of human relationships in his new film about the allegiances and bonds between unlikely characters.

Cast: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor, Burt Young, Melanie Lynskey, Alex Schaffer, Margo Martindale, David Thompson

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SPOTLIGHT PREMIERES: Shining a light on new documentary and narrative features receiving their World, North American or U.S. premieres.

A Bag of Hammers

Director: Brian Crano, Writers: Brian Crano & Jake Sandvig

An offbeat comedy about two misfit best friends incapable of growing up, whose direction is tested by an abandoned child, worn beyond his years; together they invent the family they've always needed.

Cast: Jason Ritter, Jake Sandvig, Chandler Canterbury, Rebecca Hall, Carrie Preston (World Premiere)

Becoming Santa

Director: Jeff Myers

In an effort to rekindle his Christmas spirit, Jack decides to spend this season as Santa Claus, but the role of Kris Kringle is more complex than he thinks. (World Premiere)

Beginners

Writer & Director: Mike Mills

A young man is rocked by two announcements from his elderly father: that he has terminal cancer, and that he has a young male lover.

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox (U.S. Premiere)

Bob and The Monster

Director: Keirda Bahruth

A highly compelling portrait of outspoken indie-rock hero Bob Forrest, through his life-threatening struggle with addiction, to his transformation into one of the most influential and controversial drug counselors in the US today. (World Premiere)

Detention

Director: Joseph Kahn, Writers: Joseph Kahn & Mark Palermo

A downtrodden 17-year-old girl is sent to detention where she must survive a slasher film killer and save the world in time for prom.

Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Dane Cook, Shanley Caswell, Spencer Locke, Aaron David Johnson (World Premiere)

Elevate

Director: Anne Buford

From a basketball academy in Senegal, to the high-pressure world of American prep schools, the film documents the extraordinary personal journeys of four particularly tall West African Muslim teenage boys with NBA dreams. (World Premiere)

Fambul Tok

Director: Sara Terry

Victims and perpetrators of Sierra Leone's brutal war come together for the first time in an unprecedented reconciliation program of grassroots truth-telling and forgiveness ceremonies. (World Premiere)

Fubar: Balls to the Wall (Canada)

Director: Michael Dowse, Writers: David Lawrence, Paul J. Spence

Documentarian Farrel Mitchner explores the lives of headbangers Dean Murdoch and Terry Cahill.

Cast: Paul J. Spence, David Lawrence (U.S. Premiere)

Girl Walks Into a Bar

Director & Writer: Sebastian Gutierrez

A sharp-witted comedy that follows a group of apparent strangers in interlocking stories taking place in ten different bars during the course of one evening in Los Angeles.

Cast: Carla Gugino, Zachary Quinto, Danny DeVito, Josh Hartnett, Rosario Dawson (World Premiere)

The Innkeepers

Director & Writer: Ti West

Hotel clerks by day, amateur ghost hunters by night, the last two employees of the historic Yankee Pedlar Inn set out to prove that their place of business is as haunted as its reputation.

Cast: Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis (World Premiere)

It's About You

Director: Kurt Markus

First-time filmmakers, photographer Kurt Markus and son, Ian, document John Mellencamp's 2009 summer tour and recording of his latest album. This film celebrates the visual beauty and power of Super8 film and the human voice. (World Premiere)

LBF (Australia)

Director & Writer: Alex Munt

A pop-art film based on the novel "Living Between Fucks" by Cry Bloxsome. It follows Goodchild, a young writer back home for his ex-girlfriend's funeral, The Dead Girl. Love, Loss & Desperation.

Cast: Toby Schmitz, Bianca Chiminello, Gracie Otto, Septimus Caton, April Rose Pengilly (World Premiere)

The Other F Word

Director: Andrea Blaugrund Nevins

When the most anti-authoritarian among us become the ultimate authorities... we might just have to use The Other F Word. (World Premiere)

PRESSPAUSEPLAY (Sweden)

Directors: Victor Köhler & David Dworsky

The first real testimony of the digi-creative revolution. It's an 80 minute global journey capturing how digital technology and mindset has transformed the concept of art and culture. (North American Premiere)

Something Ventured

Directors: Dan Geller & Dayna Goldfine

Apple. Intel. Genentech. Cisco. Atari. This film tells the story of a handful of risk-takers who alongside visionary entrepreneurs created these revolutionary companies, and in the process ignited the industry known as venture capital. (World Premiere)

Square Grouper

Director: Billy Corben

A colorful portrait of Miami's pot smugglin' scene of the 1970s, populated with redneck pirates, a ganja-smoking church, and the longest serving marijuana prisoner in American history. (World Premiere)

UNDEFEATED

Directors: Dan Lindsay & T.J. Martin

A volunteer coach helps a neglected inner-city football team in their quest to win the first playoff game in the high school's history. (World Premiere)

Yelling to the Sky

Director & Writer: Victoria Mahoney

As her family falls apart, seventeen year old Sweetness O'Hara is left to fend for herself in a neighborhood where her survival is uncertain.

Cast: Zoe Kravitz, Jason Clarke, Antonique Smith, Gabourey Sidibe, Tim Blake Nelson (U.S. Premiere)

YOU INSTEAD (Scotland)

Director: David Mackenzie, Writer: Thomas Leveritt

Two rival musicians find themselves handcuffed together at the world renowned music festival, T in the Park, where they are both scheduled to perform.

Cast: Luke Treadaway, Natalia Tena, Sophie Wu, Ruta Gedmintas, Kari Corbett (North American Premiere)

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Comments

  • Brian says:

    So, Red Riding Hood is being given a sneak preview at a festival that begins on March 11, when the movie's national release is on March 11? Hats off to the crack marketing team at WB!

  • hot beauty says:

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