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The 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival has announced its entire program which includes 32 World Premieres and 74 U.S. Premieres from 60 countries. The fest will open on February 4, 2025 with the US premiere of Jane Austin Wrecked My Life and will close on February 15 with the US premiere of A Missing Part. Considering the ongoing tragedy of the Los Angeles wildfires this year’s festival is dedicated to L.A. to raise funds in partnership with Direct Relief.

“As the tragic events in our sister city of Los Angeles were unfolding, we debated about moving forward with Sbiff,” said Roger Durling, Executive Director of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. “Film has always been a conduit for comfort and renewal, and film festivals play a vital role in fostering a sense of connection. Festivals build community, and create an outlet for the process of feelings. In light of this, it became...

“Manson Family Vacation” stars Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips recently reunited with director J. Davis and sat down with TheWrap to discuss the indie comedy, which debuted Friday on Netflix following its SXSW premiere earlier this year. Duplass plays a family man whose oddball brother (Phillips) comes to visit with the goal of visiting famous landmarks related to Charles Manson. Duplass said that the two sibling characters represented separate sides of Davis, who revealed that his childhood interest in “Helter Skelter” and the Manson family felt like forbidden fruit for him as a young man. Also Read: 'Manson Family Vacation' Stars Jay.

Hot on the heels of our interview with Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips in celebration of their upcoming film Manson Family Vacation (review), today we bring you our chat with director J. Davis and co-star Tobin Bell. Read on for… Continue Reading →

The post Exclusive Interviews with More Twisted Minds Behind Manson Family Vacation – J. Davis and Tobin Bell appeared first on Dread Central.

Join the Family! Fangoria will be hosting a free screening of the festival smash Manson Family Vacation, the twisted dark comedy (co-starring Saw’s Tobin Bell!), in New York City on Tuesday, October 20th at 7 p.m. Actors Jay Duplass (Baghead), Linas Phillips and writer/director J. Davis will be attending and participating in a Q&A. This special showing […]...

Jay Duplass doesn't just wear a bunch of hats; he went out and bought the haberdashery.  With his brother Mark, his production company creates TV shows ("Togetherness"), produces movies ("Tangerine, "The Overnight") and has deals with Netflix and The Orchard. He's also the star of Amazon Studios' critically acclaimed series "Transparent" and the lead in J. Davis' "Manson Family Vacation," now available on VOD and via Netflix on October 27th. On this week's episode of Indiewire Influencers, Jay talks about a couple of key directives: Never take a meeting, and, says Jay, "We have a direct, no-asshole policy."  Another guiding Duplass principle is to forego the development route and focus solely on producing new work. Although he still has strong ties to movies, TV has offered a safe creative haven. "I never dreamed I would have the support and the freedom that we have at HBO. It's weirdly what I thought.

Before Karina Longworth provided one of the most disturbing and thrilling accounts of the Manson family in her podcast You Must Remember This, South by Southwest Film Festival featured a premiere of a drama with a different spin on the account. Written and directed by J. Davis, Manson Family Vacation is a present-day story of two brothers who take a road trip to the infamous murder sites.

Produced by the Duplass brothers and starring Jay Duplass, Linas Phillips, Tobin Bell, Leonora Pitts and Davie-Blue, we’re pleased to premiere an exclusive clip from the film, which follows our leads (or at least one) tracking the path of Sharon Tate before her gruesome demise. Check out the clip below and see the trailer here if you missed it for the film now available on VOD (including iTunes and Amazon).

Nick Morgan (Jay Duplass) has it all: a loving family, a beautiful...

While "Manson Family Vacation" might sound like something harrowing, and slated to slide right into the season of Halloween scares, the indie picture offers up something much different and more original than you might expect. With the movie now available, we've got an exclusive clip today to let you know what you're getting into, should you decided to check out the movie. (Pro tip: you should). Read More: Watch Trailer For SXSW Winning 'Manson Family Vacation' Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips star in the movie, directed by J. Davis, that finds Conrad dropping in on his successful brother Nick, a lawyer living in Los Angeles. They haven't seen each other for a while, but Conrad has an idea of what they can do: check out the Manson Family murder sites. In the clip below you can see Conrad pitch the idea to his rather surprised sibling, and soon,...

There's going to be a decent helping (read: veritable boatload) of Mad Max and Transformers projects rolling out in the next ten years. If you like things that go boom, you're probably happy — elated, even. (Or maybe you're respectively half-happy, half-sad.) Regardless, stick with us just so you know exactly how much you have to endure, because whether you like it or not, these blockbuster bundles of adrenaline will be a part of your moviegoing life for awhile. You'll probably have the responsibility of introducing a child (either of yours or someone else's) to one of these forever franchises, so plan accordingly.We've previously written about Tran5former5 (styling our own) and Michael Bay's involvement, but we didn't know the extent of the saga's plans. At a recent Mipcom Q&A, however, Hasbro's head honcho Steven J. Davis officially confirmed that at least four sequels are in the works.

Good news for those of you - and you are many - still enjoying a semi-regular blast of Autobot V Decepticon mayhem. The billion-dollar box office performance of last year's Transformers: Age Of Extinction has seen studio Paramount map out the journey of the robots in disguise for the next decade. Transformers 5 was already in the works, but Transformers 6, 7 and 8 are also now plotted. And there will be spin-offs too.“We just finished an incredible experience,” says Steven J. Davis, the head of Transformers toy manufacturers Hasbro. “We decided that we wanted to plot out the next ten years of the Transformers franchise."A tribe of writers have spent three months thrashing out the on-screen future of the brand, shepherded by Akiva Goldsman, "who many of you may know won an Academy Award for A Beautiful Mind and written a bunch of great movies,” continues Davis, tactfully not mentioning Batman And Robin.

October is finally upon us which means horror and sci-fi fans have a lot to be looking forward to, especially when it comes to the films hitting VOD this month as there numerous highly anticipated choices arriving on various platforms throughout the month, including Tales of Halloween, Deathgasm, Gravy, Knock Knock, The Final Girls, A Christmas Horror Story, Bone Tomahawk, and one of my own most anticipated films of 2015, Tokyo Tribe from visionary filmmaker Shion Sono.

Here’s a look at all the genre titles arriving on VOD this October!

A Christmas Horror Story (Rlj Entertainment) - October 2nd

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, peace and goodwill. But for some folks in the small town of Bailey Downs, it turns into something much less festive. When Krampus - the anti-Santa who punishes the naughty children - is summoned by a young boy, everyone’s fight for survival begins.

I think Yellowstone Park or the Grand Canyon would’ve been a better decision.

The first trailer for the SXSW winner, Manson Family Vacation, was released on Tuesday and gives you an idea of something not to do with family. The film stars Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips with J. Davis directing.

The official synopsis is as follows:

Nick Morgan (Jay Duplass) has it all: a loving family, a beautiful home and a successful law practice in Los Angeles. His estranged brother Conrad (Linas Phillips) has nothing but a backpack. When Conrad shows up for a surprise visit, all he wants to do in town is go to the infamous Manson Family murder sites. Reluctantly, Nick joins him and ends up on a road trip that leads the brothers into the modern-day world of Charles Manson.

Duplass is known for his behind the camera work with his brother, Mark, as...

Before Karina Longworth provided one of the most disturbing and thrilling accounts of the Manson family in her podcast You Must Remember This, South by Southwest Film Festival featured a premiere of a drama with a different spin on the account. Written and directed by J. Davis, Manson Family Vacation is a present-day story of two brothers who take a road trip to the infamous murder sites.

Produced by the Duplass brothers and starring Jay Duplass, Linas Phillips, Tobin Bell, Leonora Pitts and Davie-Blue, the first trailer has now landed ahead of a release next month. With the Duplass brothers on a fairly strong roll, hopefully this is another strong dramedy. Check out the trailer and poster below.

Nick Morgan (Jay Duplass) has it all: a loving family, a beautiful home and a successful law practice in Los Angeles. His estranged brother Conrad (Linas Phillips) has nothing but a backpack.

"There's some really cool pictures of dead people!" The Orchard has debuted a trailer for the offbeat indie comedy Manson Family Vacation, about two estranged brothers who go on a weird trip together to visit the infamous Manson Family murder sites. Jay Duplass stars as one of the brothers, with Linas Phillips (Bass Ackwards) as the other. The synopsis describes it as a story about two brothers: "one who's devoted to his family; the other who's obsessed with The Manson Family." The film's cast also features Tobin Bell, Leonora Pitts and Davie-Blue. This is such an awkward comedy, I can see why they're sending it straight to VOD, definitely not for everyone. Not sure who it's for, but some may find some fun in this. Have at it. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for J. Davis' Manson Family Vacation, on YouTube (via SlashFilm): Nick Morgan (Jay Duplass) has it all: a loving family,...

Read More: Duplass Brothers Ink Seven-Film Distribution Deal with The Orchard Earlier this year, Mark and Jay Duplass inked a multi-picture production deal with independent distributor The Orchard under the brothers' exclusive Svod Netflix pact. Cut to several months later, and audiences now have the first trailer for "Manson Family Vacation," the first movie to be released under the ambitious deal. The film is written directed by J. Davis and stars Jay Duplass and Linus Phillips. The official synopsis reads: "Nick Morgan (Duplass) has it all: a loving family, a beautiful home and a successful law practice in Los Angeles. His estranged brother Conrad (Phillips) has nothing but a backpack. When Conrad shows up for a surprise visit, all he wants to do in town is go to the infamous Manson Family murder sites. Reluctantly, Nick joins him and ends up on a road trip that leads the brothers into...

Given the title, you might think "Manson Family Vacation" is a twisted horror movie, with roots going back to the '60s madman that scarred a generation. Instead, the film is a twisted comedy that ties into the cult leader, and after premiering earlier this year at the SXSW Film Festival (where it won for Excellence In Poster Design), the picture is now headed to cinemas, promising something a little more offbeat than your usual fare. Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips star in the movie, directed by J. Davis. Nick, a successful L.A. lawyer, is visited by his down-on-his-luck, estranged, Manson-obsessed brother Conrad, and the pair are soon taking a tour of the psychopath's California landmarks. Here's the official synopsis: Nick Morgan (Jay Duplass) has it all: a loving family, a beautiful home and a successful law practice in Los Angeles. His estranged brother Conrad (Linas Phillips) has nothing but a backpack.

In our last article, we went over the history and exciting things the Brooklyn Film Festival offers its contestants. And now it’s time to meet the films and the winners.

16Mmonster: directed by Jacob Kindlon; a 12 minute short from the Us.

20 Years Of Madness: directed by Jeremy Royce; a 90 minute documentary from the Us.

Abby Singer/Songwriter: Directed by Onur Tukel , a 75 minute film from the Us.

Abigail Deville’S Harlem Stories: Directed by Nick Ravich, a 7 minute American documentary.

After A Dream: Directed by Tobias Schmuecking, a 17 minute short from Germany.

And It Was Good: Directed by Graham Waterston, a 19 minute short from the Us.

Winner of the Short Narrative Spirit Award

Big Bag: Directed by Ricardo Martin Coloma, a 13 minute animation from Spain.

Block And Piled: Directed by Marc Riba & Anna Solanas, a 5 minute animation from Spain.

Blue-eyed Me: Directed by Alexey Marfin, a 7 minute short from England.

Opening on August 28th is director Craig Zobel’s Z For Zachariah. In the wake of a nuclear war, a young woman survives on her own, fearing she may actually be the proverbial last woman on earth, until she discovers the most astonishing sight of her life: another human being. A distraught scientist, he’s nearly been driven mad by radiation exposure and his desperate search for others. A fragile, imperative strand of trust connects them. But when a stranger enters the valley, their precarious bond begins to unravel. The film stars Margot Robbie, Chris Pine, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Having its initial screening at the Sundance Film Festival in January, Sasha Bronner of the Huffington Post wrote, “Zobel balances danger, suspense and the more delicate nuances of love expertly, leaving us unsure of both the threats outside the house as well as the danger within.”

The film features a score composed by Heather McIntosh (Compliance,...

The Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film goes to Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years.

The Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film at the 69th Edinburgh International Film Festival has gone to Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years, which received its UK premiere at the festival.

The film follows an eldery married couple (Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay) in the five days leading up to their forty-fifth wedding anniversary. After the body of the husband’s first love is discovered, frozen and preserved in the icy glaciers of the Swiss Alps, their relationship becomes strained.

The award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film was shared between James Cosmo for his performance in The Pyramid Texts and Charlotte Rampling for her performance in 45 Years.

The Michael Powell Jury, which also awarded the main acting prize, was chaired by La Times film critic Kenneth Turan.

The award for Best International Feature Film went to Marielle Heller’s [link...

The 19th Fantasia International Film Festival is right around the corner. Though the full lineup for the festival won't be unveiled until early next month, the second wave of Fantasia titles have been revealed and horror fans have a lot to look forward to.

Press Release: "Montreal, June 11, 2015 – The 19th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival, presented by Ubisoft and Anchor Bay, will soon be stunning Montreal with three weeks of cinematic ingenuity from July 14 until August 4, 2015.

Fantasia's complete lineup of programming and special events will be revealed on July 7th. To tide you over until then, we're thrilled to announce an incredible Second Wave of titles!

The International Premiere Of Takeshi Kitano’S Ryuzo And The Seven Henchmen

Coming immediately after his Outrage saga, Takeshi Kitano’s hilarious crime story stars screen legend Tatsuya Fuji (In The Realm Of The Senses) as a retired yakuza who realizes...

A little over one month away, the Fantasia Film Festival announced it’s second wave of titles this morning. Fantasia Film Festival holds a special place in the hearts of Sound on Sight and we could not be more excited for their upcoming edition which promises to be bigger and better than ever. Arguably the largest genre film festival in the world, Fantasia will run from July 14th to August 4th this year and feature a large number of world and international premieres. The full-lineup, including special events, will be announced on July 7th.

From the official press release, here are some titles we can now look forward to:

The International Premiere Of Takeshi Kitano’S Ryuzo And The Seven Henchmen

Coming immediately after his Outrage saga, Takeshi Kitano’s hilarious crime story stars screen legend Tatsuya Fuji (In The Realm Of The Senses) as a retired yakuza who realizes...

Takeshi Kitano’s Ryuzo and the Seven Henchmen, Sonny Mallhi’s Anguish, Ringo Lam’s Wild City and Miguel Angel Vivas’ Extinction among titles playing at Montreal’s genre film festival.

Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled the second wave of titles for its upcoming 19th edition, taking place in Montreal from July 14-Aug 4.

Takeshi Kitano’s Ryuzo and the Seven Henchmen will receive its international premiere at this year’s event, while the festival will also host the world premieres of Sonny Mallhi’s Anguish, David Keating’s Cherry Tree, Jacob Gentry’s Synchronicity, Victor Zarcoff’s Slumlord and Bite from Chad Archibald and the team behind Anti-Social.

The world premiere of Miguel Angel Vivas’ English language debut Extinction headlines a heightened focus on Spanish cinema at this year’s Fantasia, with other titles including Marshland and Shrew’s Nest.

Other notable titles in the second wave include Gilles Paquet-Brenner’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s [link...

The Brooklyn Film Festival, now in its 18th year, has announced their lineup of narrative and documentary films. 108 features and shorts were selected, from 26 countries and five continents. The festival will open with the East Coast premiere of J. Davis' "Manson Family Vacation," starring Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips.  Read More: Duplass Brothers' 'Manson Family Vacation' To Open 18th Annual Brooklyn Film Fest The theme of this year's festival, "Illuminate," was described by Bff executive director Marco Ursino as an attempt to "spotlight storytelling without boundaries and welcome multi-layered stories, including the abstract and the inspirational, the intriguing and the ironic. The festival is simply looking for projects that reflect a creative, furious, explosive, and uncontainable intelligence." Many of the films screening at Bff also have a New York connection, including Ryan Carmicheal's "But Not For Me," the only...

The spirit of indie film will come alive in Brooklyn later this month. Since 1998, the Brooklyn Film Festival (Bff) has given the borough’s moviemakers and cinephiles access to some of the most dynamic, thought-provoking, and promising independent films out there. The not-for-profit’s mission, according to a statement, is “to draw worldwide attention to Brooklyn as a center for cinema, to encourage the rights of all Brooklyn residents to access and experience the power of independent filmmaking, and to promote artistic excellence and the creative freedom of artists without censure.” Bff will be screening 108 films from 26 countries May 29–June 7 in four different venues: the Wythe Hotel, Windmill Studios NYC, Nitehawk Cinema, and the Made in NY Media Center by Ifp. The opening night movie kicking off the festival May 29 will be “Manson Family Vacation” (pictured), which centers on two brothers (Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips) reuniting to tour the...

During the 2015 SXSW Film Festival last week, writer/director J. Davis celebrated the premiere of his debut directorial effort, Manson Family Vacation, and to mark the occasion, Daily Dead had the chance to chat briefly with the up-and-coming filmmaker about the inspiration behind the story, collaborating with co-stars Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips as well as working with Saw alum (and proverbial genre favorite) Tobin Bell.

Fantastic job on the film, J; it was really enjoyable and I thought the ending was perfect. This was such an unusual approach to one of the most infamous people ever- had Charles Manson been someone you had been interested in for a while then?

J. Davis: Oh, yeah. I first got interested in true crimes back when I was a little kid. You know the scene where the kid discovers Conrad’s book and he then tries to explain Charles Manson to him?...

While not a horror movie by any means, Manson Family Vacation piqued my interests during the 2015 SXSW Film Festival due to its subject matter (the notorious Charles Manson) and the fact that it co-starred Saw alum Tobin Bell. And while I had no real expectations going into the film, what I came away with was one of the more surprisingly ingenious and heartfelt examinations of Manson and his continuing influence I’ve ever seen as well as a story that does an incredible job of intelligently deconstructing the idea of what family really means.

For his directorial debut, writer/director J. Davis introduces us to a hapless loner by the name of Conrad (Linas Phillips) who travels to Los Angeles to visit his little brother, Nick (Jay Duplass), the sensible one of the pair. Adopted when he was just an infant, Conrad has always been a bit of a family outcast,...

When the Manson story broke, the hardest question on the minds of parents everywhere was 'how is it possible that seemingly good kids could be taken under such a nefarious wing and convinced to commit two of the century's most heinous crimes'. What could possibly have been missing in their suburban family lives to account for swapping them for a far darker sense of family?The word family is an integral point of discussion in J. Davis' film, Manson Family Vacation. Like so many others captivated by the horrific events as spelled out in prosecuting attorney, Vincent Bugliosi's, true crime tell-all, Helter Skelter, Davis has clearly spent a substantial amount of his life attempting to wrap his head around the motivation of late-60s runaways giving up...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

The Duplass brothers break the mold as far as family filmmaker teams go. They seem to have a knack for stories that are zany, yet peppered with flecks of true humanity. Even as producers, no two of their projects seem to be like one another. It therefore was no surprise (to me, at least) that they were part of the team behind writer/director J. Davis's premiere narrative feature film, Manson Family Vacation.

Jay Duplass takes the acting lead in this film as Nick, an anally neurotic lawyer who lives a structured life with his wife and son. When his off-the-wall adopted brother Conrad (Linas Phillips) passes through town on his way to a mysterious new job, Nick gives in to Conrad's plea of spending some quality time together. But Conrad's idea of brotherly bonding isn't quite normal: he wants to visit all of the landmarks and sites of the Charles Manson murders.

They first made a huge splash with the 12 million dollar deal, and with their four-film pact with the Duplass Bros., they’re essentially dipping their toes into the micro indie sphere. Hours after landing Hannah Fidell’s 6 Years, Variety reports that J. Davis’ Manson Family Vacation is the second in line for VOD, now theatrical player Netflix.

Gist: Nick Morgan (Jay Duplass) is a successful lawyer who’s devoted to his wife and young son. His adopted brother Conrad (Linas Phillips) is a wayward soul who shows up in Los Angeles unannounced. Together they embark on embark on a road trip to the site of the Manson Family murders.

Worth Noting: J. Davis and Jay Duplass previously worked on Kevin – 36 minute docu film.

Do We Care?: Among the many Sundance predictions that I got wrong, but would end up premiering at the just completed SXSW film fest, the Playlist...

SXSW 2015 Film Review

complete coverage of the SXSW Film Festival 2015

The Overnight

Director/Screenwriter: Patrick Brice

Two families meet at the park and set up a playdate that has unexpected outcomes for all. Cast: Adam Scott, Jason Schwartzman, Taylor Schilling, Judith Godrèche. (film synopsis from sxsw.com)

Overall

It’s hilarious. The boundaries of bromance, marriage, friendship and even penis comedy are pushed to a very funny limit with this film. It’s great to see Schilling doing great work outside of “Orange is the New Black.”

Final Score: 8/10

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)

(film synopsis from sxsw.com)

Overall

You probably...

Netflix will soon have a brand new title to add to its streaming library. At the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, the streaming video platform purchased the comedy film Manson Family Vacation from Mark and Jay Duplass.

Directed and written by J. Davis, Manson Family Vacation stars Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips as two brothers on a road trip to see the house where the Manson Family murders occurred. The Duplass brothers produced the film, which premiered at SXSW the evening of March 16, 2015. Variety, who originally reported on the news, notes Manson Family Vacation was well-received by audiences.

Netflix’s acquisition of the Duplass’ film isn’t a huge surprise considering the streaming service already plans to be working with the duo quite often in the coming years. In January 2015, Netflix struck an four-film deal with Mark and Jay Duplass at the Sundance Film Festival. The pact means the streaming...

Netflix has made a strong push into the narrative feature realm at this year's South by Southwest Film Festival. Variety first reported that the company just acquired SXSW 2015 entry "Manson Family Vacation" from writer/director J. Davis and producers the Duplass Brothers. The comedy, for which word around Austin has not been high, follows two brothers (played by Jay Duplass and Linas Phillips) on a road trip to see the site of the Manson Family murders. This marks Netflix's second buy of the fest after picking up Hannah Fidell's buzzy young romance "6 Years," falling in line with the streaming service's four-picture pact with Mark and Jay Duplass—two of the heaviest hitters at SXSW this year. Read More: SXSW News: Netflix's Deal with Duplass Brothers Pays Off on Hannah Fidell Drama "6 Years" Recently, Netflix took Cary Fukunaga's feature "Beasts of No Nation," which would ordinarily be a high profile theater-bound project.

South by Southwest starts tomorrow, Friday, March 13, and my pores are beaming with excitement, though that could just be a medical condition. I am looking at a very packed schedule of films over the nine day festival, with a total of 38 in all (36 reviews to write). So, I basically will be drowning in movies. But, then again, I can't complain too much, as I wouldn't have it any other way. You can take a look at what I hope my schedule ends up being below. Obviously, things could change as the festival progresses, with some titles getting more buzz than others and overtaking current films and so forth. But, I think, this is how I will be spending my SXSW. I will be updating this post throughout the festival with schedule changes and links to my reviews, so maybe bookmark this page if you're interested. I hope you enjoy my coverage,...

The 2015 SXSW Film Festival will be running from March 13th through March 21st in Austin, Texas and the first wave of selections were announced today to get attendees excited for all the amazing films coming our way next month. And while horror fans have to wait until next week for the announcement of the Midnighters slate, here’s a look at some of the genre-related titles already revealed amidst SXSW’s other film categories for this year.

Narrative Feature Competition

Manson Family Vacation

Director/Screenwriter: J. Davis

The story of two brothers: one who’s devoted to his family, the other who’s obsessed with the Manson Family. Cast: Jay Duplass, Linas Phillips, Leonora Pitts, Tobin Bell, Adam Chernick, Davie-Blue. (World Premiere)

Headliners

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,...

Amy Schumer and Bill Hader in TrainwreckPhoto: Universal Pictures With Sundance just wrapping up and Berlin starting up in a few days, we are now immersed in the year-long barrage of film festivals. One such festival in South By Southwest. A few weeks back they announced the first seven films of their program, including the opening night film Brand: A Second Coming. Today, they have revealed the rest of the features to be shown in March (except for the midnight program), and some of it has me very excited. The bigger titles announced do not do much for me. Paul Feig's Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, and the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart starrer Get Hard leave a lot to be desired in terms of anticipation, as does a work in progress cut of Judd Apatow's latest film Trainwreck. I'm guessing an Apatow work in progress is probably around three and a half hours.

With Sundance in the rear view mirror and Berlin just around the corner, another huge festival that’s now very much in mind is the 2015 South By Southwest Film Festival (SXSW 2015), to be held in Austin, Texas, this March. And this year, the lineup looks no less eclectic than in any previous year for the festival.

SXSW 2015 will see the debut of two big-studio comedies (Paul Feig’s Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy; and Etan Cohen’s Get Hard, starring Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart), some red-hot documentaries (none more so than Alex Gibney’s Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine) and a vast array of smaller indie titles. Intriguingly, Judd Apatow’s Amy Schumer vehicle Trainwreck will be screened as a work-in-progress.

Elsewhere, Alex Garland’s well-received Ex Machina will be making an appearance, as will Ryan Gosling’s much-maligned Lost River. And curiously, there will be a...

South by Southwest, the multi-faceted film, music and technology festival held annually in Austin, TX will feature such upcoming films as Paul Feig’s Spy, David Gordon Green’s Manglehorn, Alex Gibney’s documentary Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine, and Ondi Timoner’s Russell Brand profile Brand: A Second Coming as headliners in this year’s film festival lineup.

SXSW runs from March 13 to 21 in Austin and is now in its 22nd year. Variety has details of the 145 films and 100 world premieres bowing at this year’s festival. Brand, as previously reported, will be the festival’s opening night film.

Other notable titles on the list are the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart comedy Get Hard, a rough cut of Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck, the directorial debut of 28 Days Later screenwriter Alex Garland, Ex Machina, and a new comedy by Michael Showalter, Hello, My Name is Doris.

On the small screen,...

With only hope, a dream and one writing credit to his name (SXSW short film Kevin), J. Davis lassoed fellow low-budget filmmakers Linas Phillips (Bass Ackwards) and Jay Duplass (Baghead) and placed them in brotherly love roles. A family reunion type pic with a set of backdrops like no other, having raised a successful round of startup funds in late 2013 via Kickstarter, Manson Family Vacation didn’t drop in ’14, so we’re expecting this low-budget laugher to easily squeeze into the early ’15 fest circuit . It’ll need major funny bone to go with the freaky title to convince Sundance programmers.

Gist: Nick Morgan is a successful lawyer who’s devoted to his wife and young son. His adopted brother Conrad is a wayward soul who shows up in Los Angeles unannounced. Although the brothers have never gotten along too well, Nick decides to show his brother around town. But as it turns out,...

Ryan Gosling moved into the director’s chair in 2013. Though it was cheered at its reception, Lost River (formerly titled “How to Catch a Monster”) it was jeered by a good majority critics after its premiere screening in the Un Certain Regard section at that Cannes Film Festival this past May. Since then, not a word. Not a sound. No North American premiere, just a release date planned for next February in France. If Warner Bros. still had an indie label, the distinctly art-house film wouldn’t be shrouded in release date mystery. My thinking is: the studio simply don’t know what to do with it. In comes Sundance. A second home to the actor for two segments in his career: the formative years (The United States of Leland, The Believer, The Slaughter Rule) and the break out years (Half Nelson and Blue Valentine). Could Sundance programmers reel in this distinctive,...

Last month, we unveiled our all-encompassing, most anticipated films for the current year in film. Now we peer into a future that is a little past the limits of 2014 thus we find ourselves with a quickie overview of the Top 100 Most Anticipated Films for 2015. Curated by our Nicholas Bell, with a little luck, we might see less than a finger count on one hand sum of films break this year, but for the most part, a good deal of these projects have planned 2014/15 production start dates. Here are 100 projects/filmmakers worth keeping tabs on (picks 100 to 11)

100. The Double Hour – Dir. Joshua Marston

99. Lila & Eve – Dir. Charles Stone III

98. Legacy of Secrecy – Dir. David O. Russell

97. The Theory of Everything – James Marsh

96. Elvis and Nixon – Dir. Liza Johnson

95. Hier – Dir. Balint Kenyeres

94. Timeless – Dir. Vadim Perelman

93. Wonderful Tonight – Dir. Christine Jeffs

92. Rocketman – Dir. Dagur Kari

91. Passengers – Dir. Brian Kirk

90. Sweet Cheeks – Dir.

Manson Family Vacation

Director: J. Davis

Writer(s): J. Davis

Producer(s): Steve Bannatyne, Eric Blyler, J. Davis, J.M. Logan, Josh Polon, Alexandra Sandler

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Cast: Jay Duplass, Linas Phillips, Leonora Pitts

Among the newbie additions to the extended family of collaborators and conspirators related to the Duplass Bros., J. Davis’ previous cred was as the Kevin – the Jay Duplass directed short docu project. Davis and Duplass re-team on a funny bone project that could easily target next year’s Sundance-sxsw festivals as it has the girth of a film that was helped out with kickstarter coin and without much else (see co-star Bass Ackwards‘ creator Linas Phillips speak from the heart). on paper, the sharply titled Manson Family Vacation is the sort of perfect trifecta indie comedy as it includes: a. modes of transportation, b. confused souls in unique backdrops and c. family bonding.

North of Hell

Director: Anthony Burns

Writer(s): Carlo Allen, Ted Elrick, Tom Lavagnino

Producer(s): Burns, A.J. Buckley, Jeff Culotta and Darko Ent.’s Sean McKittrick

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Cast: Katherine Heigl, Jordana Brewster, Patrick Wilson

2010′s Skateland, a Sundance Dramatic Comp entry played well in Park City and it found tlc support but the coming-of-ager didn’t find it’s audience when released theatrically so we’re hoping that Anthony Burns’ North of Hell (a dramedy with a little more acting clout) retains some of the filmmaker’s atmospheric prowess.

Gist: Based on a story by Carlo Allen, Ted Elrick and Tom Lavagnino, and scripted by Anthony Burns, this is about a seductive and scheming new hire causes dangerous problems for a businessman who is married to a bi-polar, obsessive-compulsive woman.

Release Date: With Sundance out of the equation, we now think this could land at Tribeca or Tiff.

Here's your daily dose of an indie film in progress; at the end of the week, you'll have the chance to vote for your favorite. In the meantime: Is this a movie you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments. "Manson Family Vacation" Tweetable Logline: Jay Duplass & Linas Phillips in a film about two brothers: one who's devoted to his family, the other who's obsessed with The Manson Family. Elevator Pitch: We invite you to help us make Manson Family Vacation, a story about two brothers who embark on a strange sightseeing tour of crime scenes, hideouts & jailhouses -- all related to the notorious Manson Family. The film will explore the hero worship of Charles Manson, the roots of fanatacism, and the importance of family. The project is a collaboration between Jay Duplass (Cyrus; Jeff, Who Lives At Home), Linas Phillips (Bass Ackwards) & J. Davis (Kevin; Soundtracker):...