SXSW Announces Premieres for 'REC 3,' 'Iron Sky,' 'The Tall Man,' and More in the Midnighters Block

We're sure all those other movies the South by Southwest Film Festival has already announced are great films, but the truth is, no matter what festival it is, there's one programming block we always get the most excited for. We're junkies for the types of movies that play best when all the normal movies have gone to bed, which is why we're thrilled to no end about the lineup for this year's SXSW Midnighters.

It's a helluva strong roster featuring six world premieres and one movie so radical Midnighters programmer Jarod Neece can't even tell us the name of it ahead of time. As for the titles we are allowed to know of, we're talking about a genre bench that includes several new voices, as well as new movies from the directors behind Martyrs, [REC], Bubba Ho-Tep, 28 Weeks Later, You're Next, and Automaton Transfusion. If you're a genre fan, there's simply no better place to be than Austin, Texas between March 9th and 17th.

Check out the full line-up below.

MIDNIGHTERS

Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious.

The Aggression Scale

Director: Steven C. Miller, Screenwriter: Ben Powell

4 hitmen + $500,000 of stolen cash + 1 family = WAR

Cast: Fabianne Therese, Ryan Hartwig, Dana Ashbrook, Derek Mears, Jacob Reynolds, Joseph McKelheer, Boyd Kestner, Lisa Rotondi, Ray Wise (World Premiere)

CITADEL (Ireland, Scotland)

Director/Screenwriter: Ciarán Foy

An agoraphobic father teams up with a renegade priest to save his daughter from the clutches of a gang of twisted feral children.

Cast: Anuerin Barnard, James Cosmo, Wumni Mosaku, Jake Wilson, Amy Shiels (World Premiere)

Girls Against Boys

Director/Screenwriter: Austin Chick

A psychological thriller about two girls on a killing spree. With edgy and ironic humor and a darkly meditative tone, it is also a coming-of-age story about a girl learning how the world really works.

Cast: Danielle Panabaker, Nicole LaLiberte, Liam Aiken, Michael Stahl-David, Andrew Howard (World Premiere)

Intruders (Spain, UK)

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Screenwriters: Nicolás Casariego, Jaime Marques

The haunting story of two children living in different countries, each visited nightly by a faceless being who wants to take possession of them.

Cast: Clive Owen, Carice Van Houten, Daniel Brühl, Pilar López de Ayala (U.S. Premiere)

Iron Sky (Finland, Germany, Australia)

Director: Timo Vuorensola, Screenwriters: Michael Kalesniko, Timo Vuorensola

In 1945 the Nazis went to the moon; in 2018 they are coming back.

Cast: Julia Dietze, Götz Otto, Christopher Kirby, Peta Sergeant, Stephanie Paul, Tilo Prückner, Michael Cullen, Udo Kier (North American Premiere)

John Dies At The End

Director & Screenwriter: Don Coscarelli

On the street it’s called “soy sauce,” a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit. Suddenly, a silent otherworldly invasion is underway. Can college dropouts John and Dave save humanity? No, they can’t.

Cast: Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman

Modus Anomali (Indonesia)

Director/Screenwriter: Joko Anwar

A man tries to save his family who go missing during a vacation in the forest.

Cast: Rio Dewanto, Hannah Al Rashid, Izziati Amara Isman, Aridh Tritama, Surya Saputra, Marsha Timothy, Sadha Triyudha, Jose Gamo (World Premiere)

[REC] ³ GENESIS (Spain)

Director: Paco Plaza

Screenwriters: Luiso Berdejo, Paco Plaza

Koldo and Clara’s wedding is horrifically interrupted when some of the guests start showing signs of a strange illness. Before they know what’s happening, the bride and groom find themselves in the middle of a hellish ordeal, as an uncontrollable torrent of violence is unleashed on the wedding.

Cast: Leticia Dolera, Diego Martin (World Premiere)

Super Secret Screening

Be the first to see this feature film coming to theaters near you.

The Tall Man

Director/Screenwriter: Pascal Laugier

When her child goes missing, a mother looks to unravel the legend of the Tall Man, an entity who allegedly abducts children.

Cast: Jessica Biel, Jodelle Ferland, Stephen McHattie, William B.Davis (World Premiere)

V/H/S

Directors: Ti West, Adam Wingard, Joe Swanberg, David Bruckner, Glenn Mcquaid, Radio Silence, Screenwriter: Ti West, Simon Barrett, David Bruckner, Radio Silence, Glenn Mcquaid

A group of misfits are hired to burglarize a house in the countryside and acquire a rare tape. The guys are confronted with a dead body and an endless supply of cryptic footage, each video stranger than the last... Cast: Joe Swanberg, Calvin Reeder, Kate Lynn Shiel, Sophia Takal, Lane Hughes, Helen Rogers, Adam Wingard

And while we have you, SXSW has also unveiled its full Short Film lineup.

NARRATIVE SHORTS

A selection of original, well-crafted films that take advantage of the short form and exemplify distinctive and genuine storytelling. The winner of our Grand Jury Award in this category is eligible for a 2013 Academy Award nomination for Best Narrative Short.

Aaron Burr, Part 2

Director: Dana O'Keefe

History is a contest.

Another Bullet Dodged

Director: Landon Zakheim

In the fading echoes of a relationship, character is revealed.

Bear

Director: Nash Edgerton

Jack means well, but sometimes good intentions have horrible consequences.

The Black Balloon

Director: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

In New York City, a lone black balloon, once part of a huge 100-balloon bouquet, learns that humans are complicated creatures with extreme highs and lows. Part Sci-Fi, part children's film.

The Chair

Director: Grainger David

The story of one boy's reaction to a mysterious outbreak of poisonous mold in his small town.

A Chjána (The Plain)

Director: Jonas Carpignano

Inspired by real events, A Chjàna (The Plain) follows Ayiva, an African migrant worker who seeks to reunite with his best friend in the wake of the most significant race riot in Italian history.

A Fábrica

Director: Aly Muritiba

An inmate convinces his mother to take a risk smuggling a cell phone for him into the penitentiary.

FOXES

Director: Lorcan Finnegan

A young couple trapped in a remote estate of empty houses and shrieking foxes are beckoned from their isolation into a twilight world. A world of the paranormal or perhaps insanity.

Heimkommen (Coming Home)

Director: Micah Magee

When Robert's girlfriend dies, he turns his grief against his younger sister Jo. Jo plays ice hockey with the boys, hoping to gather strength to bring her brother back to the land of the living.

In The Pines

Directors: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell

Simultaneously an exploration of nature and psyche, the film documents a young woman's hunt for extraterrestrial meaning. Part science fiction, part psycho-thriller, part poetry - this film crafts a memorable scene rooted in the Pacific Northwest.

Joy

Director: Colm Quinn

Nicola reluctantly introduces her newborn daughter to her best friend Tess.

Liar

Director: Adam Garnet Jones

When a brutal teenage revenge plot gets pushed too far, 14 year-old Tara is forced to choose between standing helplessly on the sidelines or stepping in to defend the boyfriend that hurt her.

Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke

Directors: Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva

A modern Miami adaptation of the 1962 French short film La Jetee, starring Uncle Luke of the 2 Live Crew.

Little Dad

Director: Noah Pritzker

An insecure father prepares for a party at his in-laws.

Mouthful

Director: Robert G. Putka

Bobby and Bliss are a happy couple, that is, until they begin to tell each other things probably better left unsaid. A single question leads them down a highway to relationship hell.

My Friend Kills Time

Director: Jakob Rørvik

Thomas moves to a remote cabin in an attempt to disappear completely... even from himself. My Friend Kills Time mixes visual textures and haunting soundscapes to create a cinematic diary of a young man's isolation.

Not Far From The Abattoir

Director: Kyle Thomas

A story of a man controlling his demons and trying to imagine a better life outside of the only town he has ever called home.

Pitch Black Heist

Director: John Maclean

Two men, professional safe crackers, meet on a simple job to relieve an office safe of its contents. The catch; a light activated alarm system impelling them to embark on a pitch black heist.

Playtime (Spielzeit)

Director: Lucas Mireles

A seamless journey through the lives of German youth on a Sunday afternoon.

Random Strangers

Director: Alexis Dos Santos

Lulu and Rocky meet, fall in love, spend the night together, and fall asleep looking at each other…except for the fact that he is in Berlin and she is in Buenos Aires.

Reinaldo Arenas

Director: Lucas Leyva

Told from the point of view of a dying shark, Reinaldo Arenas is the story of an unintentional immigrant in Miami.

REMAINS

Directors: Jeremiah Zagar, Nathan Caswell

A blend of documentary and fiction, Remains is about recollection and fading memories. Combining three years of recorded voice messages with stunning macro photography, the film documents a relationship from its inception to its end.

Sea Meadow

Director: Lily Baldwin

A disoriented young woman stumbles upon an empty estate. There are signs of a lush life, but the inhabitants have disappeared. Or have they? Sea Meadow revamps the thriller with pop mashups and stylized dance tableaux.

Shoot the Freak

Director: Bradford Willingham

Through the freak’s musings, this film chronicles the last days of the iconic, abrasive Coney Island attraction Shoot the Freak. In masked anonymity, the nihilistic teen indulges in drug-induced daydreams of violence and oceanic abandon.

A Short Film About Ice Fishing

Director: Jason Shahinfar

In rural South Dakota two friends go out for the most explosive day of ice fishing either will ever experience.

Syndromes

Directors: The Golden Filter, Kristoffer Borgli

A young girl's bizarre and unexplained ability to help others leads to her involvement in a sinister underworld.

Would You

Directors: Brian McGinn, Rod Blackhurst

Two friends play 'Would You Rather.' When their choices magically start to come true, they find themselves in a variety of awkward and funny situations.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

Unfiltered slices of life, from across the documentary spectrum.

Aisha's Song

Director: Orlando von Einsiedel

Musically lush and stunningly shot, Aisha's Song is a touching and uplifting story of female empowerment from a part of the world where women are all too often overlooked.

A Brief History of John Baldessari

Directors: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman

No more boring films! Everything you need to know about the godfather of Conceptual Art... narrated by Tom Waits.

BRUTE FORCE

Director: Ben Steinbauer

The story of Apple Records notoriously irreverent recording artist, Brute Force.

CatCam

Director: Seth Keal

When a German engineer creates a tiny camera for his newly adopted stray cat to wear, the photographs reveal more than ever expected.

Cutting Loose

Directors: Finlay Pretsell, Adrian McDowall

“I’m trusted with a pair of scissors and I’m in here for murder.” A snapshot of prison life in the build up to the annual hairdressing competition.

Family Nightmare

Director: Dustin Guy Defa

Unearthed home movies and haunting dubbed voices collide to create a personal portrait of family dysfunction.

The Fuse: or How I Burned Simon Bolivar

Director: Igor Drljaca

A nine-year-old boy thinks he is responsible for the civil war in Bosnia.

Kudzu Vine

Director: Josh Gibson

This ode to the climbing, trailing, and coiling species Pueraria lobata evokes the agricultural history and mythic textures of the American South.

The Love Competition

Director: Brent Hoff

The World's First Love Competition.

The Man That Got Away

Director: Trevor Anderson

A musical documentary that tells the true life story of Trevor's great-uncle Jimmy in six original songs.

Meaning of Robots

Director: Matt Lenski

Mike Sullivan's world is overrun by an army of miniature sex robots with no end in sight.

Minor/Major: The TV on the Radio Tour Documentary

Director: Chioke Nassor

An intense documentary portrait on the band TV on the Radio as they transition from minor label darlings to major label success.

New York Accent

Director: Caleb Slain

Once a man with all the answers, Dr. Ed Dobson is struggling to resolve his own questions before succumbing to the unusual disease eating away his body.

Written in Ink

Director: Martin Rath

Can one change what has already been written in ink?

SX GLOBAL SHORTS

A showcase for cutting-edge documentary shorts from around the world.

Abuelas

Director: Afarin Eghbal

In Buenos Aires, an old woman looks forward to all the joys of becoming a grandmother. However, unfolding historic events mean she is forced to wait over 30 years.

The Contest

Director: Jakub Cuman

Observational documentary made during the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition Preliminaries in 2010.

Chronicle of Oldrich S.

Director: Rudolf Smid

Mr Sedlacek wrote one-sentence entries in his chronicle from 1981 to 2005, everyday stories of his life, his village, and of international events. This animated documentary is based on 80 of those entries.

The Contract

Director: Lina Mannheimer

On the 5th of May 2005, Beverly Charpentier declares an oath of allegiance to Catherine Robbe-Grillet. Hereby she gives up her freedom, for the rest of her life.

Doctor Rao

Directors: Alexej Tchernyi, Wu Zhi

Doctor Rao passed away. Family and friends are celebrating his last journey.

Walt Disney Square

Directors: Renata Pinheiro, Sergio Oliveira

A “quasi-musical” approach to contemporary urban life that reflects Brazilian society and many others throughout the world, this documentary describes at the same time a place, a city and a country.

ANIMATED SHORTS

An assortment of stories told using a mix of traditional animation, computer-generated effects, stop-motion, and everything in-between. The winner of our Grand Jury Award in this category is eligible for a 2013 Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short.

663114

I am a 66-year cicada. There was a big earthquake. There was a big tsunami. There also was a big accident.

Belly

Director: Julia Pott

I can feel you in my belly.

Caldera

Director: Evan Viera

A young girl goes off her medication to leave a bleak metropolis and immerse herself in a vibrant oceanic cove.

Chocolate Milk

Director: Eliza Kinkz

Growing up in a Texas drug rehab, a teenage girl learns the rules of life and dairy products.

Combustion

Director: Renaud Hallée

Fire used as a visual and musical tool.

Giraffe Danger

Director: Randall Hopkins

A giraffe with personal space anxiety has a bad day.

The Hunter

Director: Marieka Walsh

A hunter searches for a missing boy deep in the snow covered mountains. He must make decisions that will forever change his relationship with the wilderness he fears. The Hunter is a stop-motion sand animation.

"it's such a beautiful day"

Director: Don Hertzfeldt

Bill finds himself in a hospital struggling with memory problems, in this third and final chapter to Don Hertzfeldt's "Everything will be OK" trilogy.

Little Boat

Director: Nelson Boles

One little boat, one big journey.

The Maker

Director: Christopher Kezelos

Life is what you make it.

(notes on) biology

Director: Danny Madden

An animated account of an organism adapting to its environment.

Once It Started It Could Not End Otherwise

Director: Kelly Sears

A terrifying look back at high school.

Paint Showers

Director: Miguel Jiron

Swirling cosmos of paint give way to a storm of color and drips.

Photographs

Directors: Christina Manrique, Robert Clogher

An elderly woman living in an abandoned town finds a camera, which becomes a means for her to recreate her past life and remember a lost love.

Reddish Brown and Blueish Green

Director: Samantha Gurry

Child services, schwag, and the American dream.

The Shrine / An Argument

Director: Sean Pecknold

An elk wanders through a world of madness.

Summer Bummer

Director: Bill Plympton

A man daydreams about what terror could be lurking in his backyard pool.

MIDNIGHT SHORTS

Bite-sized bits for all of your sex, genre, and hilarity needs.

Cheap Extermination

Director: Minka Farthing-Kohl

For Ernst, the perfect disguise was to play himself.

Cherry On Top

Director: Mike Damanskis

A prostitute finds new ways to attract business.

Don't Hug Me I'm Scared

Directors: Rebecca Sloan, Joseph Pelling

A short film about teaching creativity—by This Is It Collective.

Duck Sauce, “Big Bad Wolf”

Director: Keith Schofield

Keith Schofield’s original, outrageous and very, very funny promo for Duck Sauce’s single Big Bad Wolf has been burning up the internet, causing millions of pelvises to be thrust worldwide. An instant classic.

I Am Your Grandma

Director: Jillian Mayer

An autobiographical video diary log (vlog) that Jillian Mayer records for her unborn grandchildren.

J.P.B.F.

Director: Steve Collins

A woman interviews for a job at a nefarious company that may or may not f**k b**ts.

Jacuzzi Boys, “Glazin''

Directors: Lucas Leyva, Jillian Mayer

Glazin' is part of a larger narrative where a group of 6 anonymous girls innocently paint their privates and rig them to lip-synch their favorite song as a gift to the band.

Machines of the Working Class

Directors: James Dastoli, Robert Dastoli

Two robotic blue-collar workers take a brief hiatus to discuss delusions of grandeur.

Man & Gun

Director: Brian McOmber

A post 9/11 fairy tale about a man’s love affair with guns.

Merman

Director: Jono Foley

Harrison swims through the darkest recesses of his mind.

Other

Director: Daniel DelPurgatorio

Patrick is a brilliant doctor in an obsessive race to alter his own grim prognosis. During a series of unconventional experiments, he discovers a scientific loophole unlike anything he had ever imagined.

Perished

Directors: Aaron McCann, Stefan Androv Radanovich

Sometimes survival is worse than death.

Zombie Chic

Director: Todd Cobery

A stuffy dinner party is interrupted by the zombie apocalypse.

MUSIC VIDEOS

A range of classic, innovative, and stylish work showcasing the scope of music video culture.

Alexander, ''A Million Years''

Director: Benjamin Kutsko

Baskerville, ''Reloaded''

Director: Marieke Verbiesen

Battles, ''My Machines''

Director: DANIELS

Casey Veggies, ''Euphoria II''

Director: John Bollozos

Céline Desrumaux, ''Countdown''

Director: Céline Desrumaux

CHRISTEENE, "African Mayonnaise"

Director: PJ Raval

Cults, ''You Know What I Mean''

Director: Kevin Lin

Ganesh Rao, ''Empyrean''

Director: Ganesh Rao

The Good The Bad, “030”

Jeppe Kolstrup

Gotye (Feat. Kimbra), ''Somebody That I Used To Know''

Director: Natasha Pincus

Hawaaii, ''Welcome''

Director: Churl Gwon

Herman Dune, ''Tell Me Something I Don't Know''

Director: Toben Seymour

Hooray For Earth, ''True Loves''

Director: Young Replicant

Hyperpotamus, ''De Camino''

Director: Lucas Borras

Kina Grannis,''In Your Arms''

Director: Greg Jardin

Little Tybee, ''Boxcar Fair''

Directors: Brock Scott, Tom Haney

Ok Go, ''All Is Not Lost''

Director: Ok Go, Pilobolus, & Trish Sie

Porter Robinson, ''Spitfire''

Director: Saman Keshavarz

Son of Kick,“Playing the Villain”

Director: Matt Devine (Glues Society)

When Saints Go Machine, ''Parix''

Director: Daniel Kragh-Jacobsen

Whomadewho, ''Every Minute Alone''

Director: William Stahl

Yip Deceiver, “Get Strict”

Directors: Brandon LaGanke, John Carlucci

Yuksek, ''ALWAYS ON THE RUN''

Directors: David Hache, Marc-Edouard Leon

TEXAS SHORTS

An offshoot of our regular narrative shorts program, composed of work shot in, about, or somehow relating to the Lone Star state.

foolproof

Directors: Zach Anner, Marshall Rimmer

Zach Anner, the freeloading roommate, and Marshall Rimmer, the responsible businessman, eat their morning cereal together.

The Gathering Squall

Director: Hannah Fidell

A teenage girl is forced into adulthood after she is assaulted by a classmate.

The Guessing Game

Director: Angela Cheng

A very short comedy set in a retirement home with senior citizens. On the morning of his birthday, Emmett asks his fellow residents to guess his age and is surprised by their answers.

Hellion

Director: Kat Candler

All hell breaks loose when seven-year-old Petey is left with his hell-raising brothers. But things go from bad to really, really bad when Dad gets home.

Knife

Director: James M. Johnston

From the rugged cross-timbers of Texas comes a portrait of greed and vengeance.

Magpie

Director: Russell O. Buh

On a trip to reconnect with his estranged and recently engaged daughter, Phillip finds a sex tape of the little girl he used to know. Dinner is going to be awkward.

Spark

Director: Annie Silverstein

While a boy waits out his father's tryst he is unexpectedly forced to deal with the lady-friend's daughter. Set on a ranch in Bastrop, Texas, Spark uses the environment to explore the internal space of children.

Tumbleweed!

Director: Jared Varava

The true and historically accurate tale of one tumbleweed that did not tumble.

What It's Like

Director: Matt Naylor

A magazine writer goes to an old folks home to buy mushrooms from one of the elderly residents. What starts as a bizarre transaction becomes a moment of connection across generations.

TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS

Texas High School students offer a glimpse of a bright future for Texas filmmaking.

The Apparition

Director: Jonathan Munoz

Paranormal Elimination 101.

The Bench

Directors: Kalen Doyle, Hirsh Elhence

There's a note for that.

The Bench

Director: Christian Benavides

One son's letter to his father.

Boom

Directors: Daniel Matyas, Brian Broder

All around the mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel. The monkey thought 'twas all in fun, then Pop! goes the weasel.

Burn Spark

Directors: Maqui Gaona, J.J. Rubin

In the future, one man fights the system to choose his own love.

Chance

Director: Jasmine DePucci

A young girl experiences a transformation by an evil spirit contained within the fluffy seams of a teddy bear.

Code Red

Director: Zach Prengler

Four nerdy guys buy the hottest video game of the year, but what they bought was not what they expected.

Drawings

Directors: Christian Larrave, Alex McKenna

The story of two doodles in love.

Drones

Director: Micah Autry

A social issue film that projects the life of the protagonist and how he overcomes constraints of a normal life.

Drum Roll Please

Director: Alexander Villanueva

Opposable thumbs have allowed humans to become the dominant species. How dominant, you say?

Janitor's Laundry

Director: Brian Broder

A dark thriller exploring the actions of a murderous janitor, who attacks lonely victims at the local laundrymat.

Josh Lumsden, “Guilty”

Director: Josh Lumsden

Josh Lumsden sings and dances while trapped in a mental asylum.

Julian Edmonson: Who I Am

Director: Jake Wangner

Julian Edmonson is a point guard who graduated from Fossil Ridge High School. This is a video putting a spotlight on this student before he went off to college.

Knit-Picky

Director: Bobby Jorgenson

Life socks.

Language

Director: Leah Schell

Jason and his Korean foreign exchange student struggle to overcome a language barrier.

Masterpiece

Director: Anele Page

An artist struggles to create a masterpiece for a special cause.

McChange: a Manifesto

Directors: Jonathan Griffin, Josiah Sandhu

Mark McNeil is the president that Pasadena Memorial High deserves, but doesn't need right now.

Plasticine Dream

Directors: Samantha Fine, Andrew Fields

Romance molded into the shape of a dream.

The Process

Director: Ty Whittington

Ty Whittington, a young artist, takes us through the process of creating an artistic illustration in his own way.

The Proposal

Directors: Marcella Jimenez, Susannah Rodrigue

The story of a young boys hope for childhood love.

SAFE

Director: Pierce Harvell

When a tornado threatens the lives of two brothers, one decides to take the initiative towards survival despite the reservations of his twin.

Silent Night

Director: James Bradford

Run fat boy, run!

Zwichensug

Directors: Cole Martin, Josh Willis

An anonymous man with skills of inexplicable origin infiltrates the corporate hideout of a shady, but high-ranking businessman. Using fast and fluid tactics, our protagonist is determined to complete his task.