SXSW 2012 Preview: Competition & Spotlight Lineups

It's SXSW preview week at ScreenAnarchy with the big fest unspooling on Friday. We'll have our team beating the Austin streets to bring you news and reviews just as quick as our beer and BBQ fueled fingers can file them. We are kicking things off today with part one of our fest preview, taking a look at the big debut categories: Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, Narrative Spotlight, and Documentary Spotlight. Have a looksee and tell us what you are most excited to read about.

Narrative Competition


LOS CHIDOS
The Mars Volta founding member Omar Rodriguez Lopez's second film is the story of a junkyard dwelling Mexican family whose world is turned on its head when an American business man shows up with a flat tire. The film has been encouragingly subtitled "(A Satire)." Pun, perhaps, intended?


THE TAIWAN OYSTER
Director Mark Jarrett draws on his 3 years of teaching experience in Taiwan to tell this story of a pair of ex-pat English teachers on an odyssey along that country's coastline to bury a fallen comrade.


EDEN
Megan Griffiths's follow-up to 2011 Sundance Next-er The Off Hours is this Las Vegas sex slavery drama starring Jamie Chung, Matt O'Leary, and Beau Bridges.


GAYBY
Jonathan Liscki's adaptation of his award winning Wholpin short is the story of a gay comic book writer and his female yoga teacher best friend who decide to have a child together.

Documentary Competition


BEWARE OF MR. BAKER
This wild looking music doc by Jay Bulger tells the story of eccentric junkie drummer Ginger Baker who beat the skins for the likes of Cream and Blind Faith.


SEEKING ASIAN FEMALE
Debbie Lum explores American-Asian relationships and their global impact through one man's search to find a Chinese bride online.


THE SHEIK AND I
I Am a Sex Addict director Caveh Zahedi defies his benefactors who commissioned this work by making this film that does the one thing they forbid him to do: lambaste the Sheik.


BAY OF ALL SAINTS
Annie Eastman takes us to rural Brazil in her docu exploring a community of people living in stilted water slums whose way of life is threatened in the name of ecological restoration.

Narrative Spotlight


THE BABYMAKERS
The latest film from the Broken Lizard guys is this sperm bank robbery comedy starring Paul Schneider, Olivia Munn, Kevin Heffernan, Wood Harris, and Aisha Tyler.


NATURE CALLS
Todd Rohal's follow-up to Sundance 2011 midnighter The Catechism Cataclysm is another camping trip comedy, this one starring Patton Oswalt and Johnny Knoxville as feuding brothers. Rob Riggle, Maura Tierney, Patrice O'Neal, and Darrell Hammond co-star.


THE DO-DECA PENTATHALON
The latest film from the movie making machine that is the Duplass Brothers is this story of two brothers competing in their own 25-event private Olympics. Mark Kelly and Steve Zissis star.


FRANKIE GO BOOM
Lizzy Caplan, Ron Perlman, Charlie Hunnam, and Chris O'Dowd star in Jordan Roberts's man and his formerly-drug-addicted-asshole brother comedy.


SMALL APARTMENTS
Spun helmer Jonas Akerlund directs Matt Lucas, Billy Crystal, James Caan, Johnny Knoxville, Juno Temple, James Marsden, Dolph Lundgren, and more in his kooky comedy about a weirdo/killer.


HUNKY DORY
Minnie Driver stars in Marc Evan's 1970s Shakespearean teen musical drama. Call it a Brit-Hippy Glee.


KEYHOLE
Isabella Rossellini, Jason Patric, and Udo Kier star in Guy Maddin's arty black and white 1930s gangster adaptation of The Odyssey.

Documentary Spotlight


WAITING FOR LIGHTNING
Go deep into the broken bone-filled world of big air skateboarder Danny Way in Jacob Rosenberg's docu.


JUST LIKE BEING THERE
Scout Shannon explores the artistic phenomenon of gig posters and the rise of fan created film posters a la Mondo.


THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Nelson George's ESPN 30 for 30 doc examines the incredible cultural significance of Magic Johnson's HIV Positive revelation.


DEGENERATE ART: THE ART AND CULTURE OF GLASS PIPES
See title for explanation.

We'll be back tomorrow for a look at the Headliners, Fest Faves, and Special Events categories.