Some Upcoming Film Coolness at SXSW

In trying to get ready for South by Southwest, I spend a lot of time looking at the listings, watching trailers, and trying to figure out where I want to be when.

Out of the many films and film events at the festival this year, these are the ones that have caught my eye so far:

Three documentaries showing at the festival look super interesting. One is on a drum machine, one is on France’s most famous dominatrix and one on two girls who may turn out to be identical twins separated at birth.

The documentary 808, tells the story of the impact of the TR808 drum machine on the music industry.

In contract, the much racier looking documentary
The Ceremony tells the story of France’s most famous dominatrix. It looks to be much more, er, authentic than Fifty Shades of Gray. In French.

The movie Twinsters–about two women who might be sisters separated at birth– also looks pretty interesting.

Then, of course, there is the Secret Screening, the concept of which seems to come straight from Fantastic Fest.

I also might be tempted to see Sweaty Betty. “A school maintenance man and his family want to turn their 1000 pound pet pig into the Washington Redskins’ mascot,” is the plot synopsis in the SXSW schedule. I’m a sucker for films about animals.

Since I saw The Breakfast Club in the theater when it first came out, I don’t know if I’ll choose to see the remastered version in the theater again at SXSW this year for the film’s 30th anniversary. I almost never watch a film more than once for any reason, but I might make an exception in this case! Especially since Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy will also be in attendance for a special Q&A beginning at 12:15 p.m. on Monday, March 16 (girl power. y’all!)

Then there’s the opening party for SXSW Film, with soothsayers, levitating enchantresses, apothecaries, and “Salem” stars.

I’m all about a party with a levitating enchantress!