SXSW unveils film lineup

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star in Sony's '21 Jump Street,' which has been chosen as SXSW's Centerpiece pic.Sony's "21 Jump Street" and Emmett Malloy's documentary "Big Easy Express" are among titles set for the South by Southwest Film Conference, which has announced its feature lineup of 130 titles. "Jump Street" world preems March 12 as a centerpiece screening, while "Big Easy" is the closing night film. Fest runs March 9-17 in Austin, Texas. The narrative feature competition includes: "Booster," directed by Matt Ruskin; "Eden," directed by Megan Griffiths; "Gayby," directed by Jonathan Lisecki; "Gimme the Loot," directed by Adam Leon; "Los Chidos," directed by Omar Rodriguez Lopez'; "Pilgrim Song," directed by Martha Stephens, Starlet," directed by Sean Baker, and "The Taiwan Oyster," directed by Mark Jarrett. "21 Jump Street," starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, opens March 16. Other notable titles announced Wednesday include Wiliam Friedkin's "Killer Joe," Gotham Chopra's doc "Decoding Deepak," Jay & Mark Duplass' "Do-Deca-Pentathalon," Mark Ford's "Uprising: Hip Hop & The LA Riots," Matt Piedmont's "Casa de mi Padre," Patrick Forbes' "Wikileaks: Secrets & Lies," Nelson George's "The Announcement," Adam Sherman's "Crazy Eyes," Jacob Rosenberg's "Waiting for Lightning," Tom Kingsley & Will Sharpe's "Black Pond," Kristen Sheridan's "Dollhouse" and Gareth Huw Evans' "The Raid." Film Conference and Festival producer Janet Pierson said the lineup maintains the fest's tradition of cutting-edge titles. "SXSW has long been a haven for bold filmmaking and a launching pad for authentic voices," Pierson said. "Every year we start anew, trying hard not to rely on our own formulas or expectations. This year we're excited to present a fresh slate of breakout talent, but one that's still uniquely SXSW." The program includes 51 films from first-time filmmakers, 65 world premieres, 17 North American premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. The lineup was culled from a record 1,957 feature-length film submissions, composed of 1,387 from the U.S. and 570 from international filmmakers. Pierson noted that the submission deadline was moved up a month to Nov. 15 but still saw a 7% increase in overall submissions over 2011 with a record 5,243 total as costs of indie filmmaking continue to decline as cameras and editing equipment improve. She said that the fest, now in its 19th year, is committed to focusing on crowd-pleasing titles that have an edge and noted that registrations were up over last year at the same point. "We are turning down plenty of films that are commercial and interesting," she said. "We tell a lot of peope something like 'That's not for our audience' because people who come to SXSW expect a lot of genre films, a lot of comedy and some raunchiness. And because it's less expensive to make films now, a lot of filmmakers tell us that they'll be back next year. " Pierson told Variety that studios are growing increasingly interested in debuting their titles at the fest. Last year's centerpiece title was Summit's "Source Code" while the 2010 selection was Liosngate's "Kick-Ass." SXSW will also feature over 100 panels, workshops, mini-meetings and mentor sessions. The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced Feb. 8 and the final conference lineup will be revealed a week later. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com