SXSW Lineup 2013: 10 Movies You Have to See (+Video)

Culture

As a movie fanatic, it's hard not to lose my mind every time the annual SXSW film lineup is announced. That I won't be there to check these flicks out is a travesty of the highest order.

But for those who'll be there, here's a list of the films I'd see if I had the chance. It's far from exhaustive, but I've narrowed it down to a Sports Center-style top 10.

Here they go:

1. The Network:

Documentary about a TV station in occupied Afghanistan, and the family who runs it. Should give an interesting perspective on Afghan life during the "Global War on Terror."

2. Getting Back to Abnormal:

Doc about a white councilmember who regularly offends her black constituents in post-Katrina New Orleans. An interesting look at contemporary American race and politics.

3. William and the Windmill:

A Malawian man changes his fortune and that of his family by building a windmill out of scrap to power their home. But there are unforeseen consequences.

4. And Who Taught You to Drive?:

Comedic documentary about learning to drive and taking driving tests in foreign countries.

5. The Act of Killing:

Likely one of the more disturbing films on this list, a documentary in which unpunished genocide perpetrators are asked to re-enact their crimes. The psychological affects should be fascinating.

6. The Short Game:

No trailer for this one, but it's a doc about one of the world's top golf tournaments for 7-year-olds. Hard to think of anything more adorable.

7. Reincarnated:

Follows Snoop Dogg's physical and spiritual journey toward becoming Snoop Lion. Need I say more?

8. Fuck for Forest:

Probably one of the stranger entries at the festival, a narrative film about an NGO that believes it can save the world by having lots of sex. Yes, you read that correctly. 

9. Spring Breakers:

Harmony Korine directs Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, and James Franco in this thriller about spring break-gone-wrong. The subversion of the female stars' "Disney kid" image is one of the draws here. Also, James Franco's teeth. 

10. 12 O’Clock Boys:

The film that I'm by far the most excited about (I'm even a donor on its Kickstarter page!). Doc about a young boy in Baltimore who gets involved with a local biker gang. I'm convinced some films were made specifically with me in mind, and this is one of them.

If you see any of these 10 films, be sure to let me know what you thought of them.

SXSW takes place in Austin, TX (March 8-17, 2013).