Hold my calls, I’ll be in Austin. Yes, tomorrow marks the start of the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, one of the most purely enjoyable weeks of the movie year (and, no small side plus, a welcome blast of sunshine after a particularly miserable winter). With a remarkable 145 features in this year’s fest — from a record 2,385 submissions — there’s no way to even come close to seeing everything that looks interesting, or striking, or fun. But here are a few of the movies we’re looking forward to seeing, either in Austin or soon thereafter.
Fresno
Jamie Babbit is one of those filmmakers who, by all rights, should be a household name by now; though she directed the terrific 1999 “gay cure” comedy But I’m a Cheerleader, she’s spent most of her subsequent career directing for television (and she’s no slouch there — her credits include Girls, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bunheads, and 18 episodes of Gilmore Girls). Her latest concerns codependent sisters who work as hotel maids, with said sisters played by Judy Greer and Natasha Lyonne. And if that’s not enough to get you worked up, check out this supporting cast: Fred Armisen, Molly Shannon, Michael Hitchcock, Ron Livingston, Allison Tolman, and Aubrey Plaza.
