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Austin Film Festival has unveiled the first batch of films that will screen at its 25th-anniversary program taking place October 25 to November 1. Among the lineup is Boy Erased, the Joel Edgerton-helmed coming-of-age Lgbtq drama that stars Lucas Hedges, Russell Crowe, and Nicole Kidman.

In addition, Melissa McCarthy-starring biopic Can You Ever Forgive Me?, directed by Marielle Heller, will get a regional premiere at the fest, while Nia DaCosta’s directorial debut Little Woods, starring Tessa Thompson and Lily James, and Hannah Fidell’s comedy, The Long Dumb Road, with Tony Revolori and Jason Mantzoukas are also set.

World premiere films include The Black String, which stars Malcolm In The Middle alum Frankie Muniz as well as family cult drama Fishbowl, faith-based flick Speaking in Tongues, and high school football documentary Fathers of Football.

Furthermore, Aff will host a screening of Roger Corman’s 1957 film Rock All Night, as part of its retrospective series,...

The Austin Film Festival has unveiled “Boy Erased,” “Little Woods” and “Shoplifters” as part of its first wave of titles for its 25th anniversary program taking place Oct. 25 to Nov. 1, Variety has learned exclusively.

Other films revealed Tuesday include the regional premiere of “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” starring Melissa McCarthy as controversial celebrity biographer Lee Israel; horror/thriller “The Black String,” which stars Frankie Muniz as a lonely store clerk who believes he is the target of a sinister occult plot; cult drama “Fishbowl”; faith-grappling drama “Speaking in Tongues”; and “The Long Dumb Road,” starring Tony Revolori, Jason Mantzoukas, Taissa Farmiga and Ron Livingston.

High school football documentary “Fathers of Football,” directed by Austin local Bradley Beesley, has also been scheduled. As part of its continuing retrospective series, Aff will host a screening of Roger Corman’s 1957 cult classic “Rock All Night,” presented by Robert Rodriguez and Corman himself,...

Following the recent announcement of their full film lineup that includes Trainwreck, Get Hard, and Spy, South by Southwest has revealed their lineup of Midnight movies and short films to screen during the festival. Chief among them is the Sundance 2015 hit Turbo Kid (read our review here) and the Sundance ’15 winner of the Short Film Prize World of Tomorrow. SXSW runs from March 13-21. View the full Midnighters and Shorts lineup below via the SXSW website.

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Midnighters

The Corpse of Anna Fritz (Spain)

Director: Hèctor Hernández Vicens, Screenwriters: Hèctor Hernándes Vicens, Isaac P. Creus

Anna Fritz, a famous and beautiful actress, has died recently. Three young men sneak into the morgue to see her naked. Fascinated by her beauty, they decide to become the last people to have sex with her. Cast: Alba Ribas, Cristian Valencia, Bernat Saumell, Albert Carbó. (World Premiere)

Deathgasm (New Zealand)

Director/Screenwriter: Jason Lei Howden...

Amid all the shorts I enjoyed at Hill Country Film Festival, I also saw some longer movies. One documentary is technically a short but may be longer at some point, and one feature-length doc will likely be somewhat shorter by the time you see it. Both Bluefin on the Line (pictured at top) and Lord Montagu are set in very different environments but ultimately, are about families working hard to preserve their legacies.

Bluefin on the Line is the latest documentary from sometimes-Austin* filmmaker Bradley Beesley, whose previous films include The Fearless Freaks, Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo and most appropriately for this subject, Okie Noodling. Elizabeth interviewed the Oklahoma native a couple of years ago for his segment in Slacker 2011. This 37-minute film takes a look at the history and culture of the Bimini Islands over the past century, particularly big-game fishing and how it has affected the people who live there.

Is your Christmas feeling a little bit safe, ordinary and routine? Are you looking for something decidedly different, or maybe a little freaky? Leave it to The Flaming Lips to spike your eggnog. Way back in 2008, the tripped out Oklahoma City band dropped their long-in-the-works feature film, "Christmas On Mars." Though the production values on the 16mm, black-and-white movie weren't high, it was just as odd as you might expect, with the movie telling the story of an astronaut colony hallucinating inside a dying space outpost on Mars. The result? As our review from way back when basically sums up, it's an interesting experiment rather than a completely satisfying or fully realized project (which is sorta the case for many things from The Flaming Lips camp). Still, the Wayne Coyne and Brad Beesley co-directed movie boasts cameos by Fred Armisen and Adam Goldberg (though scenes shot by Elijah Wood and...