10 Hotly Anticipated SXSW Movies You Need To See In 2014

The biggest and best films from the Texas festival that drips cool.

By G.Y. Haney /

For over two decades, fans of film, music, technology and gaming have flocked en mass to Austin, Texas for the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival. Hailed by many as one of the best launching places around for indie film, SXSW has cultivated a reputation for giving emerging filmmakers a much-needed boost in the industry. Last year's festival saw the critically-acclaimed drama Short Term 12 win both the Grand Jury Narrative Feature Award and the Narrative Audience Award, and three notable films - Vincenzo Natali's Haunter, E.L. Katz's Cheap Thrills, and Joe Swanberg's Drinking Buddies - received distribution deals. This year again promises some more excellent finds, as well as the US premiers of some highly anticipated films in a variety of genres. From pet projects by big-name directors to crowd-funded fan-darling revivals, here's a look at 10 films making a splash at this year's festival.