The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference & Festival is happy to announce a preliminary list of premieres in the 2006 edition, scheduled for March 10-18 in Austin, Texas. This includes the North American Premiere of 'A Prairie Home Companion,' directed by Robert Altman from a screenplay by Garrison Keillor, as the festival's Opening Night Film.

"I can't think of a more perfect Opening Night Film than 'A Prairie Home Companion,'" says SXSW Film Festival Producer Matt Dentler.
"Not only do you have great masters like Robert Altman and Garrison Keillor involved, but it's also a celebration of entertainment and the creative spirit."

'A Prairie Home Companion' is Altman's screen adaptation of the popular radio program by Garrison Keillor. The cast includes Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Garrison Keillor, Kevin Kline, Lindsay Lohan, Virginia Madsen, John C. Reilly, Maya Rudolph, Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin. Picturehouse will release the film in June. It will debut at the Paramount Theater on March 10.

Other SXSW 2006 premieres announced today include:

- 'The King,' directed by James Marsh (North American Premiere). Gael Garcia Bernal and William Hurt co-star in this tale of family turmoil in small town Texas.

- 'loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies,' directed by Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin (World Premiere). An engrossing, uncompromising document of the difficult - yet successful - Pixies reunion tour.

- 'The Notorious Bettie Page,' directed by Mary Harron (U.S. Premiere). Gretchen Mol leads a talented cast, including David Strathairn and Lili Taylor, as legendary pin-up girl Bettie Page in this acclaimed biopic.

- 'Tales of the Rat Fink,' directed by Ron Mann (World Premiere). In this fun and comprehensive documentary, John Goodman narrates a journey through the cult status and international influence of hot-rod designer Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, creator of the popular "Rat Fink" character.

The complete film festival lineup, including competition films, will be unveiled in early February. The SXSW Film Panels take place March 11-14, and will include discussions, workshops, and one-on-one interviews with industry figures such as Variety editor Peter Bart and author/actor Henry Rollins.