SXSW adds James Franco's Disaster Artist, announces Midnighters lineup

The South by Southwest film festival is making room for James Franco.

Organizers announced Tuesday that the Austin, Texas, gathering will feature a work-in-progress screening of The Disaster Artist, Franco’s movie about the making of the famously bad but much-beloved indie film The Room.

Franco directed The Disaster Artist and also stars as Tommy Wiseau, the enigmatic auteur who created what is often described as “the Citizen Kane of bad movies.” Franco’s cast also includes brother Dave Franco as well as Seth Rogen, Josh Hutcherson, Ari Graynor, Jacki Weaver, and Alison Brie. The film will screen as part of the Headliners program.

SXSW also unveiled the 10 genre films comprising the Midnighters lineup. Eight are world premieres: Trent Haaga’s 68 Kill, Laurence “Baz” Morais and Sebastien Landry’s Game of Death, Karen Skloss’ The Honor Farm, Joe Lynch’s Mayhem, Yoshihiro Nishimura’s Meatball Machine Kodoku, Adam Mason’s PIG: The Final Screenings, Tyler MacIntyre’s Tragedy Girls, and Dominic Bridges’ Two Pigeons.

Rounding out the Midnighters are Taneli Mustonen’s Lake Bodom and a 10th-anniversary screening of Scott Glosserman’s Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.

SXSW will showcase a total of 128 features this year, plus a short-film program and a new section of virtual-reality projects.

As previously announced, the festival will open with Terrence Malick’s rock ‘n’ roll drama Song to Song and also include titles such as Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, the Brie Larson-starring action-comedy Free Fire, and the recent Sundance breakout The Big Sick.

Check out the festival website for complete details. The SXSW film festival runs March 10-19.