The South by Southwest Film Festival launched this Friday in Austin, Texas. What originally began as an alt-rock music event has been screening independent films since 1994 and gaining more attention with every passing year. While not known for the multi-million-dollar deals of Sundance lore, SXSW continues to grow, already causing speculation that the festival's very success has become the harbinger of its demise.

More than 100 films are screening at the fest this year, including such high profile pics as the stoner comedy Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantánamo Bay, Robert Luketic's Vegas caper 21 with Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne, and Stop-Loss, directed by Kimberly Peirce (Boy's Don't Cry) and starring Ryan Philippe and Abbie Cornish. 

More noteworthy than the big premieres, SXSW has played midwife to mumblecore, a movement of low-budget films that feature disaffected, well-educated twenty-somethings who frequently sit for long spells of time, talking about work and relationships and sometimes, nothing at all. The fest is responsible for launching the careers of Andrew Bujalski (Mutual Appreciation), Aaron Katz (Quiet City), Jay and Mark Duplass (The Puffy Chair), and Joe Swanberg (LOL).

This year, the immensely appealing Greta Gerwig (Hannah Takes the Stairs) stars in three SXSW films: Mary Bronstein's Yeast, the Duplasses' Baghead, and Nights and Weekends, which she co-directed with Swanberg.

Mad blogging coverage is already underway at GreenCine Daily, Spoutblog, and IFC's Indie Eye. SXSW runs until March 15.