SXSW 2011 Reveals Midnight/Fantastic Features Filled With Aliens, Ghosts, Hedgehogs, & the…

By  · Published on February 10th, 2011

SXSW 2011 Reveals Midnight/Fantastic Features Filled With Aliens, Ghosts, Hedgehogs, & the Apocalypse

This year’s SXSW film festival is already guaranteed to be a can’t-miss event thanks to the like of Duncan Jones’ Source Code, Denis Villenueve’s Incendies, Jodie Foster’s The Beaver, Ti West’s The Innkeepers, and many, many more. But genre fans know that sometimes the most anticipated screenings are the ones the fall under the Midnighters and SXFantastic banners. The announcement has arrived with this year’s titles, and as expected… it’s chock full of some wonderful surprises.

The joy of film fests is found just as much in the movies you’ve never heard of before as it is in the ones you’re anticipating. We expect plenty of brilliantly entertaining films to surprise us, but some of the movies we’re already excited for include… Ben Wheatley follows up his blackly comic film Down Terrace with Kill List, which per Twitch features a story that “starts as a two man buddy-action comedy before twisting itself into a riff on Race With the Devil.” Joe Cornish’s British teens versus alien invaders flick Attack the Block promises some fun action. James Wan returns to the world of horror with his latest film Insidious. There are also two intriguing looking Argentinian thrillers, Phase 7 and Cold Sweat, that both show promise as well. This is going to another full and extremely satisfying year… check out the list of new additions below and head over to sxsw.com for the latest news and complete list of every feature and short playing this year.

MIDNIGHTERS

Attack the Block (UK) – Director & Writer: Joe Cornish

A funny, frightening action adventure movie that pits a teen gang against an invasion of alien monsters. It turns a tower block into a sci-fi playground. It’s inner city versus outer space. Cast: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard, Luke Treadaway, Jumayn Hunter and Nick Frost (World Premiere)

The Divide (Canada) – Director: Xavier Gens, Writers: Karl Mueller & Eron Sheean

To survive the end of the world…you must first survive each other. Cast: Michael Biehn, Milo Ventimiglia, Lauren German, Rosanna Arquette, Courtney B. Vance (World Premiere)

Hobo With a Shotgun – Director: Jason Eisner, Writer: John Davies

A Hobo finds himself in an urban hell. When he witnesses a brutal robbery, he realizes the only way to deliver justice is with a shotgun. Cast: Rutger Hauer, Gregory Smith, Molly Dunsworth, Brian Downey, Nick Bateman

Insidious – Director: James Wan, Writer: Leigh Whannell

Dark spirits have possessed the home of a family whose son has fallen into a coma. Trying to save him, the family moves only to realize that it was not their house that was haunted. Cast: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey (U.S. Premiere)

Phase 7 (Argentina) – Director & Writer: Nicolas Goldbart

Coco just moved to his new apartment with 7-month pregnant wife. When the building is in quarantined for a deadly flue. The neighbors became unexpected enemies. Cast: Daniel Hendler, Federico Luppi, Jazmin Stuart, Jose “Yayo” Guridi (North American Premiere)

SXFANTASTIC

Cold Sweat (Argentina) – Director: Adrián Garcia Bogliano, Writers: Adrián Garcia Bogliano, Ramiro García Bogliano, Hernán Moyano

What do you do if you are a right-wing Argentinean terrorist and your state-sanctioned organization is disbanded? We can’t say, but it involves chat rooms, bare breasts and a generous slathering of nitro-glycerine. Cast: Facundo Espinosa, Marina Glezer, Camila Velasco, Omar Musa, Noelia Vergini (International Premiere)

George the Hedgehog (Poland) – Director: Wojciech Wawszczyk, Writer: Rafa? Skar?ycki

Jez Jerzy is a skateboarding hedgehog who likes to drink beer and fondle breasts. He finds it hard to pursue his passions, however, while being tormented by neo-nazi skinheads, mad scientists and a drooling, flatulent clone of himself. Cast: Borys Szyc, Maria Peszek, Maciej Male?czuk, Sokó?, Micha? Koterski (International Premiere)

Kill List (UK) – Director: Ben Wheatley, Writers: Ben Wheatley & Amy Jump

A dark and twisted horror from the mind of director Ben Wheatley. Cast: Neil Maskell, Michael Smiley, MyAnna Buring (World Premiere)

Little Deaths (UK) – Directors & Writers: Sean Hogan, Andrew Parkinson & Simon Rumley

A psychosexual horror anthology comprised of three separate stories dealing with the twin themes of sex and death. Cast: Kate Braithewaite, Daniel Brocklebank, Brendan Gregory, Siubhan Harrison, Jodie Jameson (North American Premiere)

The FP – Directors & Writers: Jason Trost & Brandon Trost

For years an underground war has raged for dominance over the town of Frazier Park between two clans. Dominance isn’t determined through fistfights or petty brawls, but the dancing video game Beat-Beat Revelation. Cast: Jason Trost, Lee Valamassy, Caitlyn Folley, Art Hsu, Nick Principe (World Premiere)

The SXSW Film Festival runs March 11th-19th in Austin, Texas.

Rob Hunter has been writing for Film School Rejects since before you were born, which is weird seeing as he's so damn young. He's our Chief Film Critic and Associate Editor and lists 'Broadcast News' as his favorite film of all time. Feel free to say hi if you see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.