It's Texas (and California?) vs. the U.S. at SXSW with the world premiere of 'Civil War'

Alex Garland's "Civil War," a combat thriller starring Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Nick Offerman, will have its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival.

The film follows a team of journalists (led by Dunst's character) as they chronicle a second U.S. Civil War that finds Texas and (checks notes) California joining forces to secede from the nation.

This will be the second SXSW appearance for Garland, who premiered his directorial debut "Ex Machina" at the festival in 2015. Garland was nominated for an Academy Award for best writing and original screenplay for that film and it won an Academy Award for best achievement in visual effects.

In a news release, Claudette Godfrey, SXSW's VP Film & TV said "Civil War" is “a gorgeous, haunting, and powerful piece of cinema unlike anything else you’ll find in a movie theater this year."

"It’s a wholly immersive experience that expertly blends large-scale spectacle with an intimate understanding of character and personal stakes brought to beautiful life by a stellar ensemble cast," she said.

More: Sydney Sweeney as a nun and Jordan Peele-produced “Monkey Man” among SXSW additions

How to attend SXSW 2024

SXSW will be March 8-16. At press time, badge rates were $1,990 for a Platinum pass (which grants access to all festival and conference tracks); $1595 for an Interactive festival pass; $1,495 for a Film and Television festival pass and $945 for a music festival badge.

Film and TV fest wristbands, which grant access to most festival programming, are currently available to Austin-area residents for $120. More information at sxsw.com.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 'Civil War' with Kirsten Dunst, Nick Offerman to premiere at SXSW 2024