'Cabin in the Woods' to open SXSW

South by Southwest has selected Lionsgate's "The Cabin in the Woods" as its opening night film on March 9, marking the world premiere for Joss Whedon's horror vehicle.In addition to premiering the film, Whedon will participate in a panel at the SXSW Conference on March 10."Cabin the Woods," due to be released on Friday the 13th of April, is produced and co-written by Whedon and marks the feature directing debut of "Cloverfield" and "Lost" scribe Drew Goddard in a tale of five young adults embarking on a weekend of debauchery at an abandoned cabin in the woods. The film stars Kristen Connolly, Fran Kranz, Anna Hutchison, Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford.SXSW, which runs in March 9-17 in Austin, also announced Lena Dunham's return to the fest with her HBO series "Girls," which will premiere the initial three episodes publicly for the first time. Dunham, exec producer Judd Apatow and other members of the production team will also appear March 13 at the SXSW Film Conference to discuss "Girls."Additional screenings announced Thursday include Kevin Macdonald's Bob Marley documentary "Marley"; "Small Apartments," a black comedy from music video director Jonas Akerlund; the wrold premiere of Neil Berkeley's doc "Beauty is Embarrassing" about artist Wayne White; 1919 silent film "The Oyster Princess" with original live score by Bee vs. Moth; and "Citadel," the psychological horror debut from writer/director Ciaran Foy.The complete festival lineup, now in its 19th year, will be announced in early February. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com