Austin, Texas, February 22, 2017 – South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals (March 10-19, 2017) announced the World Premiere of Life directed by Daniel Espinosa as its Closing Night Film on Saturday March 18, 2017 at the Zach Theatre. Columbia Pictures and Skydance’s Life is a terrifying sci-fi thriller about a team of scientists aboard the International Space Station whose mission of discovery turns to one of primal fear when they find a rapidly evolving life form that caused extinction on Mars, and now threatens the crew and all life on Earth.

“We are thrilled to close out the 2017 SXSW Film Festival with such a special film as Life,” said Janet Pierson, Director of Film. “Our audiences will love this taut space thriller’s twists and turns as well as its amazing cast.”

“I’m so honored that Life has been chosen as the closing film at South by Southwest,” added Daniel Espinosa. “The people that flock to Austin each year are some of the most engaged and passionate fans of film out there and are the perfect audience to introduce our visceral sci-fi thriller. I hope that, with Life, we find new ways to entertain them, terrify them, and thrill them.”

Life features an ensemble cast of Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare, Olga Dihovichnaya. The film is directed by Daniel Espinosa, written by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick and produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Bonnie Curtis, and Julie Lynn. Columbia Pictures and Skydance will release the film on March 24, 2017.

SXSW also announced several titles titles set to screen at the 2017 event, including world premieres Atomic Blonde directed by David Leitch and featuring an ensemble cast including Charlize Theron, James McAvoy and John Goodman, and Parker Smith’s Ramblin’ Freak. Another addition includes a celebratory 10th Anniversary screening of Gary Hustwit’s Helvetica, plus VR projects Miyubi and The People’s House by Félix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphaël.

Late titles added to the 2017 SXSW Film Festival:

HEADLINERS

Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film events with major and rising names in cinema.

Atomic Blonde

Director: David Leitch, Screenwriter: Kurt Johnstad, Based on the Oni Press graphic novel series by Antony Johnston

Oscar^® winner Charlize Theron explodes into summer in Atomic Blonde, a breakneck action-thriller that follows MI6’s most lethal assassin through a ticking time bomb of a city simmering with revolution and double-crossing hives of traitors. Cast List: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella and Toby Jones (World Premiere)

Life (UK)

Director: Daniel Espinosa, Screenwriters: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick

Life is a terrifying sci-fi thriller about a team of scientists aboard the International Space Station whose mission of discovery turns to one of primal fear when they find a rapidly evolving life form that caused extinction on Mars, and now threatens the crew and all life on Earth. Cast List: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare, Olga Dihovichnaya (World Premiere)

VISIONS

Visions filmmakers are audacious, risk-taking artists in the new cinema landscape who demonstrate raw innovation and creativity in documentary and narrative filmmaking.

Ramblin’ Freak

Director: Parker Smith

In the wake of a devastating personal tragedy, a struggling would-be filmmaker finds a revealing home video in an old camcorder purchased on eBay and takes off with his cat on a cross-country road trip to find its owner: “The Man Whose Arms Exploded” Cast: Parker Smith, Gregg Valentino (World Premiere)

VIRTUAL REALITY

Virtual reality and augmented reality technologies are finding new ways to enhance our ability to perceive the world that surrounds us, and in many instances they are redefining how we experience the world.  The 38 projects presented in our new Virtual Cinema emphasize storytelling, ingenuity and also showcase how other industries are embracing this new medium.

Miyubi

Directors: Félix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël

Love in the age of obsolescence.

The People’s House

Directors: Félix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël

An intimate tour of the White House that gives the viewer extraordinary access to explore the iconic institution’s profound history – from the past eight years of the Obama administration to defining events of the last two centuries.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Live soundtracks, cult re-issues and much more. Our Special Events section offers unusual, unexpected and unique one-off film events.

Helvetica: 10th Anniversary Screening

Director: Gary Hustwit

The pioneering design documentary Helvetica premiered at SXSW in 2007, and kickstarted a wave of dozens of design films that have been released since. Join director Gary Hustwit for this special 10th Anniversary screening of Helvetica.

Film Stills, Headshots can be found at: http://fif.sxsw.com/media

Now in its 24th year, SXSW Film brings together creatives of all stripes over nine days to experience a diverse lineup and access to thousands of Conference sessions with visionaries from all corners of the entertainment and media industries. This year’s speakers include Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Senator Cory Booker, actress Julia-Louis Dreyfus and the cast of Veep, GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis, Fleetwood Mac namesake Mick Fleetwood, pop singer and songwriter Kesha, actor Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad), WWE superstar John Cena, Nick Denton and Jeff Goodby, featured in Nobody Speak, the creative teams behind Animals and last year’s SXSW premiere of Preacher, Frank Oz (Muppet Guys Talking) and Leonard Maltin, and more. They join previously announced Keynotes Lee Daniels, Gareth Edwards, Jill Soloway, plus Featured Speakers Cheryl Boone Isaacs, President, AMPAS, and the Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss in conversation with GOT stars Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams.

New for 2017, the Interactive, Film, and Music badges will now include expanded access to more of the SXSW Conference and Festivals experience. Attendees will still receive primary entry to programming associated with their badge type, but can now enjoy secondary access to most other SXSW events.

SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film and music industries. The event, an essential destination for global professionals, features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2017 will take place March 10-19, 2017.

SXSW is proud to be an official qualifying festival for the Academy Awards® Short Film Competition. The Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short and Best Animated Short winners become eligible for the Academy Awards.

SXSW 2017 is sponsored by Esurance, Mazda, Monster Energy, Bud Light, Capital One, McDonald’s, and The Austin Chronicle.

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Press Contact: Jody Arlington, filmpress@sxsw.com, 512-467-7979

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SXSW Conference & Festivals | March 10-19, 2017 | sxsw.com