U.S.A. (Director: Zal Batmanglij, Screenwriters: Zal Batmanglij, Brit Marling)
An operative for an elite private intelligence firm goes into deep cover to infiltrate a mysterious anarchist collective attacking major corporations. Bent on apprehending these fugitives, she finds her loyalty tested as her feelings grow for the group's charismatic leader. Cast: Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen Page, Toby Kebbell, Shiloh Fernandez, Patricia Clarkson.
The East, directed by Zal Batmanglij and written by Batmangli and Brit Marling, has been selected to screen as the closing night film at the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival, which runs from March 8-16 in Austin, Texas.
The film, which stars Marling, Alexander Skarsgard and Ellen Page, centers around an operative for a private intelligence firm who goes undercover to infiltrate an anarchist collective that has been attacking corporations.
The festival on Wednesday also announced several filmmakers who are joining its featured sessions line-up: They include Danny Boyle, who will take part in a conversation and present footage from his upcoming release Trance; Rob Zombie; Harmony Korine, along with the cast of his Spring Breakers; Joss Whedon and castmembers from his Much Ado About Nothing; Sarah Silverman, Tim & Eric, Michael Cera and Reggie Watts, discussing working on YouTube; Kickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler; and Don Hertzfeld, presenting an expanded version of his It’s Such a Beautiful Day.
The festival also announced additional programming. Its Festival Favorites section will include Ramin Bahrani‘s father-son drama At Any Price, starring Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron; Lucy Walker‘s The Crash Reel, a documentary about snowboarders Kevin Pearce and Shaun White; Jackson Leong‘s portrait of Jeremy Lin, Linsanity; Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin‘s doc Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer; and James Ponsoldt‘shigh school drama, The Spectacular Now.
The Documentary Spotlight will include Matt Anderson‘s Fall and Winter and Alicia Dwyer‘s Xmas Without China.
The music-oriented 24 Beats Per Second sidebar will include Lily Keber‘s Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker; Olallo Rubio‘s Gimme the Power; Jeanie Finlay‘s The Great Hip Hop Hoax; Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart‘s In Your Dreams – Stevie Nicks; Greg ‘Freddy’ Camalier‘s Muscle Shoals; and William Eigen‘s Peter and Toshi Got a Camera.
