SXSW announces panels with Tarantino, Gondry and more!

I’m sure you’ve already heard by now the lineup for this year’s SXSW festival. In addition to some pretty kick-ass movies like, well…, KICK-ASS, they’ve got some pretty bitchin’ panels they’ve just announced.

Quentin Tarantino, Michel Gondry, David Gordon Green, Danny McBride and Christopher Mintz-Plasse are just some of the names that will be on hand talking shop. Here are a few of the highlights I know I don’t want to miss:

A Conversation with Michel Gondry – The stratospheric rise of Academy Award-winning visionary Michel Gondry is one of the great success stories of modern film. Working with fellow travelers like Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman and Bjork, Gondry has made his mark on the film landscape with iconic work like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep. Come and enjoy what promises to be a fascinating discussion as Gondry discusses his latest, highly personal and emotionally raw documentary A Thorn in the Heart with TCM’s Elvis Mitchell.

Directing the Dead: Genre Directors Spill Their Guts – How does modern horror take gore beyond the purely grisly to the level of grand guignol art and imagination? How does bone-cracking violence and flesh-rending horror contribute to the hallowed pantheon of art and cinema? Join five of the most striking genre filmmakers in modern movies as they lock horns over the all-important issues of blood, guts and gratuitous gore. Featuring Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), Matt Reeves (Let Me In) Eli Roth (Hostel), Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds), Ti West (House of the Devil), moderated by Scott Weinberg

Filmmakers in TV: A Case Study – Carving a niche in the world of film is tough enough, and achieving the same feat on the small screen is no easier. Successfully mastering both is in yet another league, but somehow the creators of HBO’s Eastbound & Down are pulling it off with style. Find out how Danny McBride (Your Highness), and filmmakers David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) and Jody Hill (Observe and Report) made it look easy in this illuminating, entertaining glimpse at the art of combining technical skill, sharp comedy writing and moving from the packed auditorium to the living room couch.

These are in addition to the previously announced panels like “A KICK-ASS Conversation” and “A Conversation with MacGruber.” To find out more about all the panels, conversations and workshops at SXSW, head here to visit their official site!