SXSW Film Festival Lineup Includes Ryan Gosling’s ‘Lost River,’ Melissa McCarthy’s ‘Spy’

145 movies will be screened at the March event in Austin, Texas

Ryan Gosling (Getty Images)
SXSW/Getty Images

South by Southwest (SXSW) unveiled its 22nd annual Film Conference and Festival lineup on Tuesday, which runs March 13 to March 21 in Austin, Texas.

Over 140 films we be shown at the nine day long event, which showcases both veteran filmmakers and emerging directors.

Highlights includes a work in progress of Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck,” Alex Gibney’s “Steve Jobs: Man in the Machine,” Jamie Babbit’s “Fresno” Paul Feig’s “Spy” and Ryan Gosling’s “Lost River.”

New for 2015, the festival’s juried competition categories, comprised of Narrative Feature world premieres and Documentary Feature world premieres, have increased to include ten films per category, up from eight films in each.

The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced on February 10, with the complete Conference lineup and schedule to be released on February 17.

“SXSW is always fascinated by films that take a familiar trope and somehow, against all odds, make it fresh and exhilarating – works that spin tantalizing webs out of what seems like thin air,” said Head of SXSW Film Janet Pierson. “When faced with a record 2,400 feature submissions, we had every intention to cut back on the total number in our lineup. But as we discovered the fantastic array of talent and fell in love with these 145 features, we had no choice but to program as many that resonated as possible.”

Here’s the full lineup for the 2015 SXSW Film Festival:

 

6 Years
Director/Screenwriter: Hannah Fidell
A young couple bound by a seemingly ideal love begins to unravel as unexpected opportunities spin them down a volatile and violent path and threaten the future they had always imagined.
Cast: Taissa Farmiga, Ben Rosenfield, Lindsay Burdge, Joshua Leonard, Jennifer Lafleur, Peter Vack, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Molly McMichael, Jason Newman (World Premiere)

The Boy
Director: Craig Macneill, Screenwriters: Craig Macneill, Clay McLeod Chapman
THE BOY is an intimate portrait of a 9-year-old sociopath’s growing fascination with death.
Cast: David Morse, Rainn Wilson, Jared Breeze, Bill Sage, Mike Vogel, Zuleikha Robinson, Aiden Lovekamp (World Premiere)

Creative Control
Director: Benjamin Dickinson, Screenwriters: Benjamin Dickinson, Micah Bloomberg
In near future Brooklyn, an ad executive uses a new Augmented Reality technology to conduct an affair with his best friend’s girlfriend…sort of. Cast: Benjamin Dickinson, Nora Zehetner, Dan Gill, Alexia Rasmussen, Reggie Watts, Gavin McInnes, Paul Manza, Himanshu Suri (World Premiere)

Funny Bunny
Director/Screenwriter: Alison Bagnall
Funny Bunny is a serious comedy about a friendless anti-obesity crusader and a trust fund manchild who vie for the heart of a reclusive animal activist and incest survivor, releasing her demons and forming an unlikely ‘family’ in the process. Cast: Kentucker Audley, Joslyn Jensen, Olly Alexander, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Josephine Decker, Louis Cancelmi, Grace Gonglewski, Nicholas Webber, Caridad de la Luz (World Premiere)

The Grief of Others
Director/Screenwriter: Patrick Wang
Based on Leah Hager Cohen’s critically-acclaimed novel, a family struggles with a tragic loss when an unexpected visitor arrives. She stirs the pain of past betrayals but might also offer an unforeseen gift: a way out of their isolating grief. Cast: Wendy Moniz, Trevor St. John, Oona Laurence, Jeremy Shinder, Sonya Harum, Mike Faist, Rachel Dratch, Chris Conroy (World Premiere)

KRISHA
Director/Screenwriter: Trey Edward Shults
When Krisha returns for a holiday gathering, the only things standing in her way are family, dogs, and turkey. Cast: Krisha Fairchild, Robyn Fairchild, Bill Wise, Chris Doubek, Olivia Grace Applegate, Chase Joliet, Alex Dobrenko, Bryan Casserly, Augustine Frizzell, Trey Edward Shults (World Premiere)

Manson Family Vacation
Director/Screenwriter: J. Davis
The story of two brothers: one who’s devoted to his family, the other who’s obsessed with the Manson Family. Cast: Jay Duplass, Linas Phillips, Leonora Pitts, Tobin Bell, Adam Chernick, Davie-Blue (World Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

Quitters

Director: Noah Pritzker, Screenwriters: Noah Pritzker, Ben Tarnoff

A teenager’s family falls apart, so he goes in search of a better one.

Cast: Benjamin Konigsberg, Mira Sorivno, Greg Germann, Kara Hayward, Kieran Culkin,

Morgan Turner, Saffron Burrows, Scott Lawrence (World Premiere)

Sweaty Betty

Directors/Screenwriters: Joseph Frank, Zachary Reed

On the border of Washington DC, two stories of big dreams take place – a family is determined

to turn their 1000 pound pig into the Redskins’ football team mascot, and two teenage fathers

scheme a better life for themselves and their children. Cast: Rico Mitchell, Seth Dubose, Floyd

Rich III, Chris Rich, Tarich Rich, Floyd Rich V, Chrissy Rich, Charlotte the Pig, Cassy the Dog

(World Premiere)

Uncle John

Director: Steven Piet, Screenwriters: Erik Crary, Steven Piet

Uncle John is an intimately told story that revolves around the struggle to keep a mysterious

disappearance unsolved. Cast: John Ashton, Alex Moffat, Jenna Lyng, Ronnie Gene Blevins

(World Premiere)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION

Selected from 1,018 submissions, ten world premieres, ten real world stories that demonstrate

innovation, energy and bold voices.

Breaking a Monster

Director: Luke Meyer

Breaking a Monster chronicles the break-out year of the band Unlocking The Truth, as the 12

and 13-year-old members first encounter stardom and the music industry, transcending

childhood to become the rock stars they always dreamed of being. (World Premiere)

Deep Time

Director: Noah Hutton

Ancient oceans teeming with life, Norwegian settlers, Native Americans and multinational oil

corporations find intimacy in deep time. (World Premiere)

FRAME BY FRAME

Directors: Alexandria Bombach, Mo Scarpelli

After decades of war and an oppressive Taliban regime, four Afghan photojournalists face the

realities of building a free press in a country left to stand on its own – reframing Afghanistan for

the world and for themselves. (World Premiere)

Madina’s Dream

Director: Andrew Berends

An unflinching and poetic glimpse into a forgotten war, Madina’s Dream tells the story of rebels

and refugees fighting to survive in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains. (World Premiere)

Peace Officer

Directors: Scott Christopherson, Brad Barber

A former sheriff will stop at nothing to confront the SWAT team he founded. (World Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

Poached

Director: Timothy Wheeler

Obsessive egg thieves rob the nests of rare birds while a UK national police force tries to stop

them. Poached delves into the psychology of these criminals, showing that when passion turns

it can destroy the very object of one’s desire. (World Premiere)

The Sandwich Nazi (Canada)

Director: Lewis Bennett

Deli owner Salam Kahil is an art collector, a former male escort, an amateur musician, and a

sandwich maker to the homeless in Vancouver’s poorest neighbourhood but his true passion is

talking about blowjobs. (World Premiere)

She’s The Best Thing In It

Director: Ron Nyswaner

Broadway legend Mary Louise Wilson teaches her first acting class, smashing her students’ red

carpet illusions. An examination of acting and the sacrifices required, featuring Frances

McDormand, Melissa Leo, Tyne Daly, Valerie Harper and others. (World Premiere)

Twinsters

Directors: Samantha Futerman, Ryan Miyamoto

Imagine there was someone out there who you’d never met, looked exactly like you and was

born on your birthday. Twinsters is the story of two strangers who discovered they were

potentially twin sisters separated at birth. (World Premiere)

A Woman Like Me

Directors: Alex Sichel, Elizabeth Giamatti

By creating a fictional character based on herself, filmmaker Alex Sichel learns how to navigate

a terminal disease with grace and humor. (World Premiere)

HEADLINERS

Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and

gala film events with major & rising names in cinema.

BRAND: A Second Coming (UK)

Director: Ondi Timoner

BRAND: A Second Coming follows comedian/author Russell Brand’s evolution from addict &

Hollywood star to unexpected political disruptor & newfound hero to the underserved. Brand is

criticized for egomaniacal self-interest as he calls for revolution. (World Premiere)

Ex Machina

Director/Screenwriter: Alex Garland

Alex Garland, writer of 28 Days Later and Sunshine, makes his directorial debut with the stylish

and cerebral thriller Ex Machina, starring Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, and Alicia Vikander.

Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander (North American Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

Get Hard

Director: Etan Cohen, Screenwriters: Story By Adam McKay And Jay Martel & Ian Roberts,

Screenplay By Jay Martel & Ian Roberts And Etan Cohen

With a ten-year stint in San Quentin hanging over his head, yuppie Brad hires city Darnell to

toughen him up for prison life. Cast: Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Alison Brie,

Craig T. Nelson. (World Premiere)

Hello, My Name is Doris

Director: Michael Showalter, Screenwriters: Laura Terruso, Michael Showalter

An isolated 60-year-old woman is motivated by a self-help seminar to romantically pursue a

younger coworker, causing her to stumble into the spotlight of the local hipster social scene.

Cast: Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Wendi Mclendon-Covey, Stephen Root,

Elizabeth Reaser, Jack Antonoff, Natasha Lyonne, Tyne Daly. (World Premiere)

Love & Mercy

Director: Bill Pohlad, Screenwriters: Oren Moverman, Michael Alan Lerner

Love & Mercy presents an unconventional portrait of Brian Wilson, iconic leader of the Beach

Boys. Cast: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti (U.S. Premiere)

Manglehorn

Director: David Gordon Green, Screenwriter: Paul Logan

Reclusive small town locksmith, A.J. Manglehorn, who has never recovered from his losing his

true love embarks on a new tenuous relationship with a local woman he meets at the bank.

Cast: Al Pacino, Holly Hunter, Harmony Korine, Chris Messina (U.S. Premiere)

Spy

Director/Screenwriter: Paul Feig

Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is an unassuming, deskbound CIA analyst, and the unsung

hero behind the Agency’s most dangerous missions. But when her partner (Jude Law) falls off

the grid and another top agent (Jason Statham) is compromised, she volunteers to go deep

undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent a global disaster.

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Allison

Janney, Peter Serafinowicz, Morena Baccarin and Jude Law (Premiere)

Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine

Director: Alex Gibney

An evocative portrait of the life and work of Steve Jobs that re-examines his legacy and our

relationship with the computer. (World Premiere)

NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT

High profile narrative features receiving their World, North American or U.S. premieres at

SXSW.

7 Chinese Brothers

Director/Screenwriter: Bob Byington

A man unaccustomed to telling the truth learns to at least describe it. Cast: Jason Schwartzman,

Tunde Adebimpe, Eleanore Pienta, Olympia Dukakis, Stephen Root (World Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

The Automatic Hate

Director: Justin Lerner, Screenwriters: Justin Lerner, Katharine O’Brien

When Davis Green’s alluring young cousin Alexis shows up on his doorstep, he discovers a side

of his family that had been kept secret his entire life. As the two get closer, they set out to

uncover the shocking secret that tore their families apart. Cast: Joseph Cross, Adelaide

Clemens, Richard Schiff, Yvonne Zima, Vanessa Zima, Catherine Carlen, Caitlin O’Connell,

Ricky Jay, Deborah Ann Woll (World Premiere)

Bone in the Throat (UK)

Director: Graham Henman, Screenwriters: Graham Henman, Mark Townend

Bone in the Throat based on celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain’s novel of the same, is a gritty fast

paced story about a young ambitious chef who is mixed up with the East End London mob.

While showing off his culinary skills, he finds himself trapped. Cast: Ed Westwick, Tom

Wilkinson, Rupert Graves, Vanessa Kirby, John Hannah, Steve Mackintosh, Andy Nyman

(World Premiere)

The Final Girls

Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson, Screenwriters: M. A. Fortin, Joshua John Miller

Max and her friends are mysteriously transported into a famous 1980s horror movie that starred

Max’s mother, a celebrated scream queen. Reunited, they team up to fight the film’s maniacal

killer and find their way back home. Cast: Taissa Farmiga, Malin Akerman, Adam DeVine,

Thomas Middleditch, Alia Shawkat, Alexander Ludwig, Nina Dobrev (World Premiere)

Fresno

Director: Jamie Babbit, Screenwriter: Karey Dornetto

Fresno is a comedy that follows lonely but stoic lesbian Martha (Natasha Lyonne), whose sister

Shannon (Judy Greer), a sex addict with no impulse control and a long history of poor decisions,

winds up back in Fresno cleaning hotel rooms with her. Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Judy Greer,

Aubrey Plaza, Fred Armisen, Jessica St. Clair, Molly Shannon, Michael Hitchcock, Ron

Livingston (World Premiere)

The Frontier

Director: Oren Shai, Screenwriters: Webb Wilcoxen, Oren Shai

A desperate young woman, on the run from the law, discovers a violent gang of thieves at a

desert motel and hatches a plan to steal their loot. Cast: Jocelin Donahue, Kelly Lynch, Jim

Beaver, Izabella Miko, Jamie Harris, AJ Bowen, Liam Aiken (World Premiere)

The Goob (UK)

Director/Screenwriter: Guy Myhill

The Goob combines the dirty roar of stock car thunder with the visceral vision of a teenage

boy’s first love. Cast: Liam Walpole, Sean Harris, Sienna Guillory (North American Premiere)

I Dream Too Much

Director/Screenwriter: Katie Cokinos

Dora Welles is an imaginative college grad ready to experience all the excitement of life. Instead

she finds herself in snowy upstate New York caring for her reclusive great aunt (who has lived a

much more exciting life than anyone realizes). Cast: Eden Brolin, Diane Ladd, Danielle Brooks,

James McCaffrey, Christina Rouner (World Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

Ktown Cowboys

Director: Daniel (DPD) Park, Screenwriters: Danny Cho, Brian Chung

Against the alluring backdrop of LA’s Koreatown, 5 legendary partiers go out for one more night

of “Ktown” debauchery, eventually growing up by throwing down like they did in their glory days.

Cast: Danny Cho, Bobby Choy, Peter Jae, Sunn Wee, Shane Yoon, Eric Roberts, Steve Byrne,

Kim Young Chul, Simon Rhee, Daniel Dae Kim (World Premiere)

Lamb

Director/Screenwriter: Ross Partridge

When a man meets a young girl in a parking lot he attempts to help her avoid a bleak destiny by

initiating her into the beauty of the outside world. The journey shakes them in ways neither

expects. Cast: Oona Laurence, Ross Partridge, Scoot McNairy, Jess Weixler, Lindsay

Pulsipher, Joel Murray, Tom Bower, Jennifer Lafleur (World Premiere)

Life in Color

Director/Screenwriter: Katharine Emmer

With no place to live, two strangers are stuck house sitting together. To get back on their feet,

this odd couple reluctantly help each other overcome the very personal obstacles that are

holding them back in life and from each other. Cast: Josh McDermitt, Katharine Emmer, Adam

Lustick, Fortune Feimster, Jim O’Heir (World Premiere)

The Little Death (Australia)

Director/Screenwriter: Josh Lawson

An outrageous romantic comedy about sex; secrets; fate; fetish; told through the lives and

desires of five ordinary couples. Cast: Bojana Novakovic, Josh Lawson, Damon Herriman, Kate

Mulvany, Patrick Brammall, Kate Box, Alan Dukes, Lisa McCune, Erin James, TJ Power

(U.S. Premiere)

Mania Days

Director/Screenwriter: Paul Dalio

Two manic-depressive poets meet in a psychiatric hospital and begin a romance which brings

out all the beauty and horror of their condition until they have to choose between sanity and

love. Cast: Katie Holmes, Luke Kirby, Christine Lahti, Griffin Dunne, Bruce Altman

(World Premiere)

Night Owls

Director: Charles Hood, Screenwriters: Seth Goldsmith, Charles Hood

After Kevin has a one night stand with Madeline, he discovers she’s actually his boss’ jilted

mistress. When she takes a bottle of sleeping pills, Kevin has to keep her awake… and over the

course of the night they begin to fall for each other. Cast: Adam Pally, Rosa Salazar, Rob

Huebel, Peter Krause, Tony Hale (World Premiere)

Wild Horses

Director/Screenwriter: Robert Duvall

A Texas ranch family’s idyllic life unravels as the Texas Rangers reopen and investigate a 15

year-old missing person case. Cast: Robert Duvall, James Franco, Josh Hartnett, Luciana

Duvall, Adriana Barraza, Jim Parrack, Angie Cepeda, Devon Abner (World Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT

Shining a light on new documentary features receiving their World, North American or U.S.

premieres at SXSW.

Bikes vs Cars (Sweden)

Director/Screenwriter: Fredrik Gertten

The bicycle, an amazing tool for change. Activists and cities all over the world are moving

towards a new system. But will the economic powers allow it? (World Premiere)

Bounce: How the Ball Taught the World to Play

Director: Jerome Thélia, Screenwriters: John Fox, Jerome Thélia

Bounce: How the Ball Taught the World to Play takes us to the far reaches of the globe and the

deep recesses of our ancient past to answer the question: Why do we play ball?

(World Premiere)

* SXsports screening

A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story

Director: Sara Hirsh Bordo

From the producers of the most viewed TEDWomen event of 2013 comes A Brave Heart: The

Lizzie Velasquez Story, a documentary following the inspiring journey of 25-year-old, 58-pound

Lizzie from cyber-bullying victim to anti-bullying activist. (World Premiere)

Deep Web

Director/Screenwriter: Alex Winter

Deep Web gives the inside story of one of the the most important and riveting digital crime

sagas of the century — the arrest of Ross William Ulbricht, the entrepreneur alleged to be

“Dread Pirate Roberts,” leader of online black market Silk Road. (World Premiere)

For Grace

Directors: Kevin Pang, Mark Helenowski

A documentary about food, family and sacrifice: The kitchen became Curtis Duffy’s refuge after

an unimaginable tragedy. Now as one of the country’s most renowned chefs, he’s building his

dream restaurant – but at another point of personal crisis. (World Premiere)

For the Record

Director: Marc Greenberg

For the Record explores the “steno culture,” tracking several court reporters and captioners as

they strive to attain the Guinness title of World’s Fastest Court Reporter. (World Premiere)

* SXsports screening

GTFO: Get The F% Out

Director: Shannon Sun-Higginson

Almost half of all gamers are women; yet, female gamers are disproportionately subject to

harassment and abuse. GTFO seeks to investigate misogyny in video game culture and

questions the future of this 20 billion dollar industry. (World Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

Kingdom of Shadows

Director: Bernardo Ruiz

The drug war casts a dark shadow on the lives of a Mexican nun, a U.S. Federal agent and a

former drug smuggler who wrestle with the far-reaching repercussions on both sides of the

border. (World Premiere)

Knock Knock, It’s Tig Notaro

Directors: Michael LaHaie, Christopher Wilcha

In Knock Knock, It’s Tig Notaro, comedian Tig Notaro travels across the country in order to put

on a series of performances in the homes, back yards, barns, and basements of her most loyal

fans. (World Premiere)

Out To Win (USA/Canada)

Director: Malcolm Ingram

Out to Win is a documentary film that serves as an overview and examination of lives and

careers of aspiring and professional gay and lesbian athletes who have fought and struggled to

represent the LGBT community and their true selves. (World Premiere)

* SXsports screening

Raiders!

Directors: Jeremy Coon, Tim Skousen

In 1982, two 11 year-olds in Mississippi set out to remake Raiders of the Lost Ark. After seven

turbulent years, they finished every scene except one. 30 years later, they attempt to finally

finish their fan film and realize their childhood dream. (World Premiere)

Rolling Papers

Director: Mitch Dickman

In 2014, recreational marijuana sales began in Colorado. With all eyes on ground zero of the

green rush, The Denver Post appointed the world’s first marijuana editor. Pot is legal, journalism

is ignited and The Cannabist is covering it as it unfolds. (World Premiere)

Sneakerheadz

Directors: David T. Friendly, Mick Partridge, Screenwriter: David T. Friendly

An in-depth look into the exploding subculture of sneaker collecting and the widespread

influence it has had on popular culture around the world. (World Premiere)

* SXsports screening

Son of the Congo

Director/Screenwriter: Adam Hootnick

Serge Ibaka’s improbable journey has taken him from the violence of Congo to the top of the

NBA. In Son of the Congo, Ibaka returns home, hoping his basketball success can help rebuild

a country and inspire a new generation to dream of a better life. (World Premiere)

* SXsports screening

Stone Barn Castle

Director: Kevin Ford, Adrien Brody

A documentary portrayal of the pursuit of dreams and the distance one must travel to achieve them. (World Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

Tab Hunter Confidential

Director: Jeffrey Schwarz

In the 1950s, Tab Hunter was number one at the box office and on the music charts. Nothing, it

seems, can damage his skyrocketing career. Nothing, that is, except for the fact that Tab Hunter

is secretly gay. (World Premiere)

T-Rex

Directors: Drea Cooper, Zackary Canepari

17-year-old Claressa ‘T-Rex’ Shields from Flint, Mich. dreams of being the first woman in history

to win the gold medal in Olympic boxing. But in order for her to succeed, she’ll need to stand her

ground both inside and outside the ring. (World Premiere)

* SXsports screening

VISIONS

Visions filmmakers are audacious, risk-taking artists in the new cinema landscape who

demonstrate raw innovation and creativity in documentary and narrative filmmaking.

Ava’s Possessions

Director/Screenwriter: Jordan Galland

Ava is recovering from demonic possession. With no memory of the past month, she must

attend a Spirit Possessions Anonymous support group to figure out what happened. Ava’s life

was hijacked by a demon, now it’s time to get it back. Cast: Louisa Krause, Whitney Able,

Deborah Rush, William Sadler, Zachary Booth, Wass Stevens, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, John

Ventimiglia, Jemima Kirke, Stella Schnabel (World Premiere)

Babysitter

Director/Screenwriter: Morgan Krantz

A dysfunctional L.A. family hires a mysterious babysitter who changes their lives in this modern

twist on the Mary Poppins narrative. Cast: Max Burkholder, Daniele Watts, Valerie Azlynn,

Lesley Ann Warren, Amy Landecker, Kitty Patterson (World Premiere)

Barge (USA/New Zealand)

Director: Ben Powell

Dry land’s misfits find purpose and direction twenty-eight days at a time as the steady hands of

a towboat due for the port of New Orleans. (World Premiere)

Disaster Playground (UK)

Director: Nelly Ben Hayoun

Hollywood relies on Bruce Willis to save the world in Armageddon, but who are the real-life

heroes seeking to save our civilization from the next major asteroid impact? (World Premiere)

God Bless the Child

Directors: Robert Machoian, Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck, Screenwriter: Robert Machoian

After their mother leaves at dawn, Harper, 13, spends the day looking after her four younger

brothers, uncertain whether or not her mother will return. Cast: Harper Graham, Elias Graham,

Arri Graham, Ezra Graham, Jonah Graham (World Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

Honeytrap (UK)

Director/Screenwriter: Rebecca Johnson

Honeytrap is a tragic teen romance, set in London and inspired by true events. It tells the story

of 15 year old Layla, who sets up the boy in love with her to be killed. Cast: Jessica Sula, Lucien

Laviscount, Ntonga Mwanza, Naomi Ryan, Danielle Vitalis, Lauren Johns, Savannah Gordon-
Liburd, Tosin Cole (North American Premiere)

Just Jim (UK)

Director/Screenwriter: Craig Roberts

In a small town where people talk to themselves we meet Jim. Sixteen,mediocre looking and

frankly quite boring. Things change dramatically when Dean moves in next door. They quickly

become friends and set on a journey together to help Jim come of age. Cast: Emile Hirsch,

Craig Roberts (World Premiere)

Naz & Maalik

Director/Screenwriter: Jay Dockendorf

Two closeted Muslim teens have their Friday afternoon ruined by FBI surveillance when their

secretive behavior and small-time scheming start to look like fledgling steps toward violent

radicalism. Cast: Curtiss Cook Jr., Kerwin Johnson Jr., Annie Grier, Anderson Footman, Bradley

Custer, Ashleigh Awusie (World Premiere)

Nina Forever (UK)

Directors/Screenwriters: Chris Blaine, Ben Blaine

A fucked up fairy tale. Holly loves Rob and tries to help him through his grief – even if it means

contending with his dead girlfriend Nina, who comes back, bloody and broken, every time they

make love. Cast: Abigail Hardingham, Cian Barry, Fiona O’Shaughnessy, Elizabeth Elvin, David

Troughton (World Premiere)

The Nymphets

Director/Screenwriter: Gary Gardner

A well-to-do 30-something man invites two rowdy young girls to party in his loft, leading to a

night of provocation and cruelty, all in the name of getting laid. Cast: Kip Pardue, Annabelle

Dexter-Jones, Jordan Lane Price, Paulina Singer (World Premiere)

One & Two

Director: Andrew Droz Palermo, Screenwriters: Andrew Droz Palermo, Neima Shahdadi

Two siblings discover a supernatural escape from a troubled home, but find their bond tested

when reality threatens to tear their family apart. Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Timothee Chalamet,

Elizabeth Reaser, Grant Bowler (World Premiere)

Petting Zoo (Germany/USA/Greece)

Director/Screenwriter: Micah Magee

A story of love, sex and teen pregnancy in San Antonio, Texas. Petting Zoo is the portrait of a

young woman coming into her own, in an environment that does not always present ideal

circumstances. Cast: Devon Keller, Austin Reed, Deztiny Gonzales, Kiowa Tucker

(North American Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

Planetary (UK/USA)

Director: Guy Reid, Screenwriter: Steve Watts Kennedy

A contemplative exploration into what it means to live on Earth, the roots of our current crises,

and the change in perspective that could transform our shared future. (World Premiere)

Sailing A Sinking Sea

Director: Olivia Wyatt

Sailing a Sinking Sea is a feature-length experimental documentary exploring the culture of one

of the smallest ethnic minority groups in Asia, the Moken of Thailand and Burma.

(World Premiere)

Uncle Kent 2

Director: Todd Rohal, Screenwriter: Kent Osborne

In a desperate search to create a follow-up to Joe Swanberg’s 2011 film Uncle Kent, Kent

Osborne travels to a comic convention where he confronts the end of the world. Cast: Kent

Osborne, Kate Herman, Lyndsay Hailey, Jennifer Prediger, Steve Little, Joe Swanberg

(World Premiere)

Unfriended

Director: Leo Gabriadze, Screenwriter: Nelson Greaves

Ushering in a new era of horror, Universal Pictures’ Unfriended unfolds over a teenager’s

computer screen as she and her friends are stalked by an unseen figure who seeks vengeance.

Cast: Shelley Hennig, Moses Jacob Storm, Renee Olstead, Will Peltz, Jacob Wysocki, Courtney

Halverson, Heather Sossaman (U.S. Premiere)

A Wonderful Cloud

Director/Screenwriter: Eugene Kotlyarenko

When Eugene’s ex-GF Katelyn lands in LA to disband their business, the two of them must

negotiate between past tensions and future possibilities, in this raw bittersweet rom-com that

walks the line between fiction and reality. Cast: Kate Lyn Sheil, Eugene Kotlyarenko, John

Ennis, Vishwam Velandy, Rachel Lord, Lauren Avery, Elisha Drons, Niko Karamyan, Tierney

Finster, Mikki Olson (World Premiere)

EPISODICS

Featuring innovative new work aimed squarely at the small screen, Episodic tunes in to the

explosion of exciting material on non-theatrical platforms, including serialized TV, webisodes

and beyond.

Angie Tribeca

Director: Steve Carell, Screenwriters: Steve Carell, Nancy Carell

From the minds of Steve & Nancy Carell comes the new TBS comedy Angie Tribeca, a wildly

satirical take on police procedurals starring Rashida Jones, Hayes MacArthur, Jere Burns, Deon

Cole and Andree Vermeulen. Cast: Rashida Jones, Hayes MacArthur, Deon Cole, Andree

Vermeulen, Jere Burns (World Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

The Comedians

Director: Larry Charles

Pilot Written by Ben Wexler, Matt Nix, Larry Charles, Billy Crystal

Episode Two Written By: Ben Wexler

In FX’s The Comedians, Billy Crystal plays a comedy legend who is reluctantly paired with Josh

Gad, an edgier up-and-coming star, in an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at a fictional late

night sketch comedy show where egos and generations collide. Cast: Billy Crystal, Josh Gad

(World Premiere)

iZOMBIE

Director: Rob Thomas, Screenwriters: Rob Thomas, Diane Ruggiero-Wright

From Rob Thomas and based on the comic book, the CW Network’s iZOMBIE centers on Olivia

“Liv” Moore, a bright young woman who’s also a newly turned zombie. She clings to her

humanity by working in the city morgue and helping the police investigate unsolved murders.

Cast: Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli, Robert Buckley, David Anders

(World Premiere)

Mr. Robot

Director: Sam Esmail

Mr. Robot is a psychological thriller about a young programmer who works as a cyber-security

engineer by day and a vigilante hacker by night. The USA Network series stars Rami Malek

(24) and Christian Slater (Adderall Diaries). Cast: Rami Malek, Christian Slater, Portia

Doubleday, Carly Chaikin (World Premiere)

UnREAL

Director: Peter O’Fallon, Screenwriters: Marti Noxon, Sarah Gertrude Shapiro

From Co-Creators Marti Noxon (Mad Men) and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro (Sequin Raze),

Lifetime’s highly-anticipated scripted series UnREAL is a provocative drama that gives a

fictitious behind-the-scenes glimpse into the chaos surrounding the production of a dating

competition program. Cast: Shiri Appleby, Constance Zimmer, Craig Bierko, Freddie Stroma

(World Premiere)

24 BEATS PER SECOND

Showcasing the sounds, culture & influence of music & musicians, with an emphasis on

documentary. New for 2015: Open to Music badgeholders

808 (UK)

Director: Alexander Dunn, Screenwriters: Alexander Dunn, Luke Bainbridge

The heart of the beat that changed music. (World Premiere)

All Things Must Pass

Director: Colin Hanks, Screenwriter: Steven Leckart

All Things Must Pass is a feature documentary that explores the rise and fall of Tower Records,

and the legacy forged by its rebellious founder, Russ Solomon. (World Premiere)

THE DAMNED: Don’t You Wish That We Were Dead

Director: Wes Orshoski

From Lemmy filmmaker Wes Orshoski comes the story of the long-ignored pioneers of punk,

The Damned. (World Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

Danny Says

Director: Brendan Toller

Danny Says is a documentary unveiling the amazing journey of Danny Fields. Fields has played

a pivotal role in music and culture with seminal acts including: the Doors, the Velvet

Underground, the Stooges, MC5, Nico, the Ramones and beyond. (World Premiere)

Dominguinhos (Brazil)

Directors: Joaquim Castro, Eduardo Nazarian, Screenwriter: Di Moretti

Dominguinhos reveals this genius of Brazilian music, creator of a deeply authentic, universal

and contemporary work. The film values the sensory cinematic experience, a journey driven by

Dominguinhos himself. (U.S. Premiere)

The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson (UK)

Director/Screenwriter: Julien Temple

The most extraordinary rock ‘n’ roll story of recent times. A legendary musician diagnosed with

incurable cancer who managed to defy his death sentence. (World Premiere)

Gloria (Mexico)

Director: Christian Keller, Screenwriter: Sabina Berman

A bold and compelling tale of ambition, betrayal and redemption, Gloria, based on a true story,

chronicles the life of international pop star Gloria Trevi, the “Mexican Madonna.” Cast: Sofía

Espinosa, Marco Pérez, Tatiana Del Real, Ximena Romo (U.S. Premiere)

Hot Sugar’s Cold World

Director: Adam Bhala Lough

After a very public break-up with his internet-famous girlfriend, Nick Koenig (aka Hot Sugar) – a

brilliant young musician – takes a magical journey around the world to find new sounds for his

album, and find himself. (World Premiere)

JACO

Directors: Paul Marchand, Stephen Kijak, Screenwriters: Paul Marchand, Robert Trujillo

JACO tells the story of Jaco Pastorius, a self-taught, larger-than-life musician who changed the

course of modern music. Never-before-seen archive unveils the story of Jaco’s life, his music,

his demise, and the lasting victory of artistic genius. (World Premiere)

The Jones Family Will Make a Way

Director/Screenwriter: Alan Berg

A rural, Pentecostal preacher and a jaded rock critic form an unlikely alliance that pushes them

both in unexpected ways. (World Premiere)

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck

Director/Screenwriter: Brett Morgen

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck is a raw and visceral journey through Kurt Cobain’s life and his

career with Nirvana through the lens of his home movies, recordings, artwork, photography, and

journals.

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

Landfill Harmonic

Directors: Brad Allgood, Graham Townsley

Landfill Harmonic follows the Recycled Orchestra, a youth group that plays instruments made

entirely from trash. When their story goes viral, they are catapulted into the world spotlight.

However, a recent event could present their biggest challenge. (World Premiere)

Made in Japan (USA/Japan)

Director/Screenwriter: Josh Bishop

Made in Japan is the remarkable story of Tomi Fujiyama, the world’s first Japanese country

music superstar. It is a funny yet poignant multi-cultural journey through music, marriage, and

the impact of the corporate world on the dreams of one woman. (World Premiere)

Mavis!

Director: Jessica Edwards

Her family group, the Staple Singers, inspired millions and helped propel the civil rights

movement with their music. After 60 years of performing, legendary singer Mavis Staples’

message of love and equality is needed now more than ever. (World Premiere)

A Poem Is A Naked Person

Director: Les Blank

A time capsule of Les Blank’s take on Oklahoma in 1974 about Leon Russell and his band, with

Willie Nelson, George Jones, and some amazing eccentric characters. At least two major critics

have declared it the best film ever made on Rock and Roll. (World Premiere)

Sir Doug and the Honkey Texas Cosmic Groove

Director: Joe Nick Patoski, Screenwriters: Joe Nick Patoski, Jason Wehling

Wild hippie cowboy musician with too much music inside, takes his talent from San Antonio to

San Francisco to Austin and the world. (World Premiere)

Theory of Obscurity: a film about The Residents

Director/Screenwriter: Don Hardy

Theory of Obscurity tells the story of the renegade sound and video collective The Residents. A

story that spans over 40 years and is clouded in mystery. Many details surrounding the group

are secret, including the identities of its members. (World Premiere)

They Will Have To Kill Us First (UK)

Director: Johanna Schwartz, Screenwriters: Johanna Schwartz, Andy Morgan

Islamic extremists have banned music in Mali, but its world-class musicians won’t give up

without a fight. From conflict, to exile, to homecoming, this film follows the story of Mali’s

musicians as they fight for their right to sing. (World Premiere)

We Like It Like That

Director: Mathew Ramirez Warren

We Like It Like That tells the story of Latin boogaloo, a colorful expression of 1960s New York

City Latino soul. From its origins to its recent resurgence, it’s the story of a sound that redefined

a generation and was too funky to keep down. (World Premiere)

Y/OUR MUSIC (Thailand/UK)

Directors: David Reeve, Waraluck Hiransrettawat Every

The sounds of Thailand from ricefield to leftfield. (North American Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

SXGLOBAL

A diverse selection of International filmmaking talent, featuring innovative narratives, artful

documentaries, premieres, festival favorites and more.

15 Corners of the World (Poland)

Director/Screenwriter: Zuzanna Solakiewicz

Imagine the sound that can be touched and seen by each of us. You can see unknown corners

of the world. Just let your eyes follow your ears. (U.S. Premiere)

The Avian Kind (South Korea)

Director/Screenwriter: Shin Yeon-Shick

A novelist’s search for his wife, who disappeared from view 15 years ago. Cast: KIM Jeong-Suk,

Soy KIM, JUNG Han-Bi (North American Premiere)

The Ceremony (Sweden)

Director/Screenwriter: Lina Mannheimer

France’s most famous dominatrix, two close friends and two lovers share their innermost

thoughts about love, friendship, dominance and submission – as we meet the unusual and

fascinating author Catherine Robbe-Grillet and her inner circle. (North American Premiere)

Free Entry (Hungary)

Director/Screenwriter: Yvonne Kerékgyártó

Free Entry is an adventurous journey to adulthood as two 16-year-old girls risk their first steps

towards independence, in different ways at the biggest international summer festival of

Hungary. Cast: Luca Pusztai, Ágnes Barta, Péter Sándor, Róbert Kardos, Ádám Kovács,

Barnabás Janka, Tibor Szolár, Anna Nemes, Katica Nagy (North American Premiere)

Good Things Await (Denmark)

Director: Phie Ambo, Screenwriters: Phie Ambo, Maggie Olkuska

Niels is one of the last idealistic farmers in the agricultural country of Denmark. But Niels’ ways

of farming in accordance with the planets and the primal instincts of the animals are not too

popular with the authorities. (U.S. Premiere)

Invasion

Director: Abner Benaim

Invasion documents the US military siege of Panama that ousted dictator Noriega 25 years ago

while wreaking untold collateral damage. It sets out to shatter the willful amnesia of a country all

too eager to bury its troubled past.

Limbo (Germany)

Director/Screenwriter: Anna Sofie Hartmann

A small town on the outskirts of Denmark. Two women – a teenage girl and her schoolteacher –

build a strange connection that transforms both of them. A subtle, beautiful, personal film on the

state of youth and the uncertainty of being. Cast: Annika Nuka Mathiassen, Sofía Nolsøe

(North American Premiere)

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

Monte Adentro (Colombia/Argentina)

Director/Screenwriter: Nicolás Macario Alonso

Monte Adentro explores the universe of one of the last muleteer families in Colombia and

follows the lives and mule train of two brothers as they get together for an epic mule driving

journey to the highest peaks of the Andes. (North American Premiere)

FESTIVAL FAVORITES

Acclaimed standouts & selected previous premieres from festivals around the world.

Adult Beginners

Director: Ross Katz, Screenplay: Jeff Cox, Elizabeth Flahive

Out of a job after a disastrous product launch, a big-city yuppie retreats to his suburban

childhood home, in this heart-warming and hilarious film about crashing hard, coming home and

waking up. Cast: Nick Kroll, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Joel McHale (U.S. Premiere)

Being Evel

Director: Daniel Junge, Screenwriters: Daniel Junge, Davis Coombe

Millions know the man; few know his story. Academy Award-winning director Daniel Junge and

producer Johnny Knoxville take a candid look at American daredevil Evel Knievel, while

reflecting on our voracious public appetite for heroes and spectacle.

* SXsports screening

Best of Enemies

Directors: Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon

Best of Enemies is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive 1968 televised debates

between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and their rancorous

disagreements about politics, God, and sex.

City of Gold

Director: Laura Gabbert

City of Gold is a documentary portrait that takes us into Jonathan Gold’s universe to tell the

improbable story of a revolution inspired by the pen, but driven by the palate.

Entertainment

Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington

En route to meet his estranged daughter and attempt to revive his dwindling career, a broken,

aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the Mojave desert. Cast: Gregg Turkington,

John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan

Finders Keepers

Directors: Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel

Finders Keepers follows recovering addict and amputee John Wood in his stranger-than-fiction

battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found

it in a grill he bought at an auction.

Heaven Knows What

Directors: Joshua Safdie, Benny Safdie, Screenwriters: Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie

The latest from acclaimed sibling directors Josh and Benny Safdie (Daddy Longlegs) blends

fiction, formalism and raw documentary as it follows a young heroin addict who finds mad love

in the streets of New York.

Cast: Arielle Holmes, Caleb Landry Jones, Buddy Duress, Necro

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

The Last Man on the Moon (UK)

Director: Mark Craig

One man’s part in mankind’s greatest adventure… (North American Premiere)

The Look of Silence (Denmark/Indonesia/Norway/Finland/UK)

Director: Joshua Oppenheimer

Director Joshua Oppenheimer’s follow-up to the earth-shattering, Academy Award® nominated

The Act of Killing.

Lost River

Director/Screenwriter: Ryan Gosling

A family tries to hold on to their home in the ruins of a disappearing city. Cast: Christina

Hendricks, Iain De Caestecker, Saoirse Ronan, Matt Smith, Reda Kateb, Barbara Stele, Eva

Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn (US Premiere)

Ned Rifle

Director/Screenwriter: Hal Hartley

Ned Rifle is the third and final chapter of Hal Hartley’s tragicomic epic begun with Henry Fool

(1998) and continued with Fay Grim (2007). In this swiftly paced and expansive conclusion,

Henry and Fay’s son, Ned, sets out to find and kill his father. Cast: Liam Aiken, Martin Donovan,

Aubrey Plaza, Parker Posey, Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, Robert John Burke, Bill

Sage, Karen Sillas (US Premiere)

The Overnight

Director/Screenwriter: Patrick Brice

Two families meet at the park and set up a playdate that has unexpected outcomes for all. Cast:

Adam Scott, Jason Schwartzman, Taylor Schilling, Judith Godrèche

Results

Director/Screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski

A take on self improvement culture in America – with all it’s promise and absurdity – stuffed into a

peculiar romantic comedy. Cast: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi,

Anthony Michael Hall, Brooklyn Decker, Constance Zimmer

* SXsports screening

Salt of the Earth (France)

Director: Wim Wenders, Juliano Riberio Salgado, Screenwriters: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim

Wenders

For the last 40 years, photographer Sebastião Salgado has been travelling through the

continents, in the footsteps of an ever-changing humanity. He is now embarking on the

discovery of pristine territories, which is a tribute to the planet’s beauty.

Unexpected

Director: Kris Swanberg, Screenwriters: Kris Swanberg, Megan Mercier

An inner-city high school teacher discovers she is pregnant at the same time as one of her most

promising students and the two develop an unlikely friendship while struggling to navigate their

unexpected pregnancies. Cast: Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, Elizabeth McGovern

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

The Visit (Denmark/Austria/Ireland/Finland/Norway)

Director/Screenwriter: Michael Madsen

This film documents an event that has never taken place – man’s first encounter with intelligent

life from space.

Welcome to Leith

Directors: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker

A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in North Dakota.

Western

Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross

For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was

the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy

and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Experiential cinema, cult re-issues & much more. Our Special Events section offers unusual,

unexpected & unique one-off film events.

7 Days In Hell

Director: Jake Szymanski, Screenwriter: Murray Miller

A fictional documentary-style expose on the rivalry between two tennis stars who battled it out in

a 1999 match that lasted seven days. Cast: Andy Samberg, Kit Harrington, Michael Sheen, Will

Forte, Lena Dunham, Fred Armisen, Mary Steenburgen, Karen Gillan, John McEnroe, Serena

Williams (World Premiere)

* SXsports screening

Doug Benson & Master Pancake interrupt Leprechaun 3 (1995)

Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith

“The directness with which this movie went to video is apparent in nearly every single element.”

Tim Brayton, Antagony and Ecstasy. Cast: Warwick Davis, John Gatins, Lee Armstrong

Jonathan Demme Presents Made In Texas

Directors: Louis Black, Mark Rance

The restoration of six films made in Austin in the early 1980s including David Boone’s Invasion

of the Aluminum People. The program was originally curated by Jonathan Demme and

presented at the Collective for Living Cinema in NYC. (World Premiere)

The Road Warrior (Australia)

Director: George Miller, Screenwriters: Terry Hayes, George Miller

In the post-apocalypse future, where humans fight over the few remaining stores of gasoline,

Mad Max offers to drive a tanker through a gauntlet of psychos to safety on the coast. Special

Q&A to follow with George Miller. Cast: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Virginia Hey, Emil Minty,

Kjell Nilsson, Max Phipps, Vernon Wells, David Slingsby, Steve J. Spears

SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2015 FEATURES LINEUP

A Space Program

Director: Van Neistat, Screenwriters: Van Neistat, Tom Sachs

The artist Tom Sachs and his team of bricoleurs build a handmade space program and send

two female astronauts to Mars. Cast: Sam Ratanarat, Mary Eannarino, Tom Sachs, Evan

Murphy, Chris Beeston, Pat McCarthy, Nick Doyle, Kevin Hand, Jeff Lurie, Jared Vandeusen

(World Premiere)

Trainwreck

Director: Judd Apatow, Screenwriter: Amy Schumer

Blockbuster filmmaker Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, This Is 40) directs

Universal Pictures’ Trainwreck, starring breakout comedic actress Amy Schumer (Inside Amy

Schumer). Cast: Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, Vanessa Bayer, Tilda

Swinton, Lebron James, John Cena (Debut of a Work in Progress)

Vertical Cinema

Director: Sonic Acts

Vertical Cinema is a series of ten newly commissioned large-scale works by experimental filmmakers and audiovisual artists, which are presented on 35mm celluloid and projected vertically with a custom-built projector. (North American Premiere)

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