SXSW Film Festival to premiere Gibson's 'The Beaver'

(Summit Entertainment)

On January 13, the 25th annual South by Southwest Film Festival announced an initial line-up of screenings for its Film Festival, March 11-19, in Austin, Texas, including Jodie Foster's The Beaver, starring Mel Gibson.

Foster directs and co-stars in The Beaver, about a man using a hand-puppet to communicate, along with Anton Yelchin ( Star Trek) and Golden Globe nominee Jennifer Lawrence ( Winter's Bone). Featured in the Centerpiece slot at SXSW, the film opens March 23 and expands on April 8.

The festival's opening night film is Source Code, a sci-fi thriller directed by Duncan Jones ( Moon) and starring Jake Gyllenhaal ( Prince of Persia) and Vera Farmiga ( Up in the Air).

Other films revealed, among the program of 120 movies on the schedule, include Paul, a sci-fi comedy directed by Greg Mottola ( Adventureland, Superbad) about a lovable and funny alien, voiced by Seth Rogen ( The Green Hornet).

Paul stars Simon Pegg ( Star Trek's Scotty) and Nick Frost ( Pirate Radio) and also features Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Blythe Danner, and Sigourney Weaver.

The documentary Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, a behind-the-scenes look at the tour of the US late-night talk show host, will also premiere.

Occurring alongside two other SXSW conferences - Interactive from March 11-15, Music from March 16-20 - the nine-day film program includes a focus on music in film and emerging talents.

In addition to screenings and an exhibition floor is a program of 40 panels, including speakers from the Writers Guild, BitTorrent, London Film School, and blog Pajiba.com. Topics range from "Adapting Comics for a Broad Audience" to "Making a Great Trailer."

The complete festival lineup will be announced early in February.

http://www.sxsw.com/film

RC