The folks at Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival have unveiled their 2012 film lineup, and the slate is looking diverse and amazing as usual. Movies.com reminds us that we’re still waiting on names for the Midnighters and Short Film programs, but with nearly 130 films already announced, there’s still plenty to get excited about.
Two of the biggest must-sees that pop out immediately are Jonah Hill and Michael Bacall-written 21 Jump Street adaptation (we chatted about it here) and the Joss Whedon written and produced The Cabin in the Woods . Both got excellent early reviews at press screenings, which is why the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator’s genre feature will be opening the fest on March 9. The Hill, Channing Tatum and Nick Offerman-starring remake of the Johnny Depp high school cop TV series will follow on March 12. Find out what else we’re digging, and check out a few trailers past the break.
Other movies of note are French Connection director William Friedkin’s violent crime comedy Killer Joe , starring Texas native Matthew McConaughey, Juno Temple, and Emile Hirsch. Austin favorite Richard Linklater will screen his dark comedy Bernie , featuring Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine. We’re excited to see Guy Maddin’s surreal, gangster odyssey Keyhole make its U.S. premiere, along with Bobcat Goldthwait’s scathing, dark satire of American pop culture, God Bless America . Tiny Furniture fans will be happy to know that Lena Dunham’s highly anticipated HBO series Girls — produced by Judd Apatow — will screen three episodes at SXSW. Indonesian action epic The Raid also finds a home in Austin.
There’s a ton of documentaries, indies, and other great stuff to sort through. Head on over to Movies.com, check out the full list, and start planning your March 9-17 viewing selection.