Quantcast

More SXSW Films, Panels Announced: Seth MacFarlane & Complete Conference Lineup

Safety_Not_Guaranteed.jpg
Still from Safety Not Guaranteed

After one last blast of pretty cool announcements today, we can officially start planning our screening, panel, and party schedule for this year's SXSW Film Festival (which begins in less than a month!).

Five more key panels were revealed today, including a discussion with Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, as well as 15 more feature films and four more shorts. Shut Up And Play The Hits, the LCD Soundsystem documentary, Safety Not Guaranteed, a time travel comedy starring Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass, and Chasing Ice, a documentary about climate change, are just a few of the tantalizing standouts.

Also, new to the agenda this year is the Digital Domain, a programming track that explores web-based approaches to storytelling.

Find out all you need to know on the SXSW website, scroll through some of the new lineup additions below, and take a look at our preview coverage thus far.

Key Panels added to the lineup (descriptions provided by SXSW):

A Conversation with Seth MacFarlane
As the creator of Family Guy and one of the co-creators of American Dad!, Seth MacFarlane has brought his boundary-pushing brand of humor to millions each week. Join Seth for a noholds-barred discussion about his groundbreaking work in TV, his recent foray into the music world with his debut album and his transition to Hollywood with his upcoming directorial debut Ted, a live-action/CG-animated comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis.
(Sunday, March 11, 11:00am, Vimeo Theater, Austin Convention Center)

Funny or Die: Future of Comedy & Everything Else
An intimate look into the corruption, lies and deceit that transformed a website into the most powerful media company in the world! How FOD transformed into a new model media company and how comedy pretty much rules the world…and everything else.
(Sunday, March 11, 3:30pm - Room 18ABCD, Austin Convention Center)

Meat is Might: Epic Meal Time Rules the Web
Join the Epic Meal Time team in a discussion of the key factors to their initial success and
continued expansion throughout the digital and entertainment sphere.
(Saturday, March 10, 3:30pm - Room 18ABCD, Austin Convention Center)

Restoring History: 100 Years of Universal Films
Experience the process of restoring, archiving and curating a centennial of movie magic with Universal's Centennial titles.
(Monday, March 12, 11:00am - Paramount Theatre)

We Are Legion: Digital (R)Evolution
Armed with colleagues from the filmmaking and digital communities, writer/director Brian
Knappenberger weighs in on the challenges of making the film WE ARE LEGION: The Story of the Hacktivists (official selection SXSW 2012), the roots of the "hactivist" collective Anonymous, and their current battles with Hollywood.
(Tuesday, March 13, 11:00am - Room 18ABCD, Austin Convention Center)


Features added to the lineup:

NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT

Blue Like Jazz
Director: Steve Taylor, Screenwriters: Donald Miller, Steve Taylor, Ben Pearson
A Texas college student flees the hypocrisy of his religious upbringing for life in the Pacific Northwest at ‘the most godless campus in America.’ Based on the New York Times bestseller by Donald Miller.
Cast: Marshall Allman, Claire Holt, Tania Raymonde, Justin Welborn, Eric Lange
(World Premiere)

Nature Calls
Director/Screenwriter: Todd Rohal
Polar-opposite brothers Randy (Oswalt) and Kirk (Knoxville) never saw eye-to-eye, but their rivalry is taken to a new level when Randy hijacks Kirk’s son’s sleepover, taking the boys on a Scout Trip to remember.
Cast: Patton Oswalt, Johnny Knoxville, Rob Riggle, Maura Tierney, Patrice O’Neal, Darrell
Hammond
(World Premiere)


EMERGING VISIONS

King Kelly
Director: Andrew Neel, Screenwriter: Mike Roberts
Made entirely from camera-phone footage, King Kelly is a sensational journey into hedonistic American youth culture and the YouTube generation.
Cast: Louisa Krause, Libby Woodbridge, Roderick Hill, Will Brill, Patrick Murney
(World Premiere)

LOW & CLEAR
Directors: Kahlil Hudson, Tyler Hughen
Two formerly close friends reunite for a fly-fishing trip and struggle to understand how much they’ve each changed - and how these changes now threaten the friendship.
(World Premiere)


24 BEATS PER SECOND

Lost and Sound (UK)
Director: Lindsey Dryden
Music may be an essential part of being human - but what if you lost the ability to hear it? A dancer, a pianist and a music critic attempt to re-discover music after deafness, with astonishing results.
(World Premiere)

Searching for Sugar Man (Sweden/UK)
Director: Malik Bendjelloul
The true story of the greatest ‘70s US rock icon who never was, how he was rediscovered and finally became the legend he deserved to be. A story of hope, inspiration and the power of music.


SX GLOBAL

GLOBAL HOME (Germany)
Director: Eva Stotz
Director Eva Stotz visited interesting people all over the world whom she found through online-hostnetworks and emerged for a limited time in their every-day-life.
(World Premiere)

The Will
Director: Christian Sønderby Jepsen (Denmark)
Henrik dreams of a new beginning. But when Henrik's grandfather dies, leaving behind a fortune of millions, old skeletons come to light.
(North American Premiere)


FESTIVAL FAVORITES

Chasing Ice
Director: Jeff Orlowski
Photographer James Balog was once a skeptic about climate change, but he discovers undeniable evidence. Balog reveals hauntingly beautiful, time-lapse videos of vanishing glaciers, while delivering hope to our carbon-powered planet.

Monsieur Lazhar
Director/Screenwriter: Philippe Falardeau, Based on the Stage Play by: Evelyne de la Chenelière
The story of an Algerian immigrant substitute teacher who brings emotional stability to a Montreal middle school class shaken by the tragic death of their well-liked teacher.
Cast: Mohamed Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Emilien Néron, Danielle Proulx, Brigitte Poupart

Safety Not Guaranteed
Director: Colin Trevorrow, Screenwriter: Derek Connolly
A trio of magazine employees investigate a classified ad seeking a partner for time travel.
Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni

Shut Up and Play the Hits (UK)
Directors: Will Lovelace, Dylan Southern
The final days of LCD Soundsystem.

Sleepwalk With Me
Director/Screenwriter: Mike Birbiglia, Screenwriter: Ira Glass, Joe Birbiglia, Seth Barrish
An aspiring comedian reluctant to confront his fears of love, honesty, and growing up; a budding standup comedian has both a hilarious and intense struggle with sleepwalking.
Cast: Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, James Rebhorn, Carol Kane, Cristin Milioti

SPECIAL EVENTS

Coffin Joe’s “This Night I Will Possess Your Corpse” with live score by Gary Lucas (Brazil)
Director/Screenwriter: Jose Mojica Marins, Screenwriter: Aldenora De Sa Porto
Gary Lucas’ live original solo guitar soundtrack accompanying the legendary 1967 Brazilian cult horror film classic directed by and starring Jose Mojica Marins a/k/a Coffin Joe.
Cast: Jose Mojica Marins a/k/a Coffin Joe, Tina Wohlers, Nadia Freitas, Antonio Fracari, Jose Lobo

Yellow Submarine (1968) Newly Restored (UK)
Director: George Dunning
Once upon a time in an unearthly paradise called Pepperland, the Blue Meanies threaten to destroy all that is good. Enter John, Paul, George and Ringo to save the day! Armed with their humour, songs, and yellow submarine, the Fab Four tackle the rough seas in an effort to bring down evil.
Cast: The Beatles, Paul Angelis, John Clive

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

Comments [rss]

blog comments powered by Disqus

send a tip

tips@austinist.com