Columbia Pictures thriller 21 directed by Robert Luketic and starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey will open the 15th South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference & Festival on March 7 in Austin, Texas.

The film, based on Ben Mezrich's book Bringing Down The House: The Inside Story Of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas For Millions, opens in North America on March 28.

The festival, an increasingly popular stop on the North American circuit, has also announced five other titles to screen in Austin at the event which runs from March 7 to 15.

The films are:

- At The Death House Door, a documentary about the wrongful execution of Carlos DeLuna, directed by Steve James (Stevie, Hoop Dreams) and Peter Gilbert.

- Dreams With Sharp Teeth, Erik Nelson's documentary portrait of Harlan Ellison, one of the world's top science fiction writers.

- Flawless, Michael Radford's 1960s London-set heist thriller starring Demi Moore and Michael Caine, which had its world premiere at San Sebastian last year.

- Run, Fatboy, Run, the UK box office hit starring Simon Pegg and Thandie Newton which was directed by US actor David Schwimmer.

- Wild Blue Yonder, Celia Maysles' personal quest to rediscover her late father David Maysles who, together with her uncle Albert, was a pioneer of verite documentary film-making.