SXSW 2015 Adds Melissa McCarthy’s Spy, Will Ferrell’s Get Hard, Ryan Gosling’s Lost River And Many More

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)

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)

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)