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In little over a months the city will swell as takes over downtown Austin. And the over 200,000 expected festival attendees have no shortage of events to attend: Today, SXSW released its film lineup, totaling 109 features.  

Film Conference and Festival Producer Janet Pierson writes that this year’s lineup “embraces love and the need/search/desire for connection.�

As a sign of the festival’s ever-growing international popularity, the selection committee received a record 5,682 submissions; that figure is seven percent higher than in 2012.

The 20^th anniversary of the will feature 68 first-time filmmakers and 69 world premieres during the nine-day festival, beginning March 8.

Some of the headliners at this year’s event include: �,� a look at the life of Stephen Hawking; �,� a comedy starring Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde and Jim Carrey; and Texas-natives Lyle Lovett and Willie Nelson in �.�

Set in Austin, “� is one among the 18 selections in the Narrative Spotlight category; the world premiere is an “outrageous comedy about love and revenge in Texas.�

The festival received over 614 submissions from international filmmakers. Among the selected foreign films is the UK feature �,� in which “sexy beavers on roller-skates� play a role in the story about “coming home, getting by and the redemptive power of feeling you’re not alone.�

can be found on the SXSW website.