On Feb. 10, South By Southwest announced the key panelists for this year’s film festival. Among them were directors Quentin Tarantino, Michel Gondry and actor Danny McBride.

The 2010 SXSW Film Conference features over 80 panels and 130 short films from many up-and-coming film stars. The film conference helped introduce the world to the films of Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater and many other recent Texas film luminaries. Some of 2009’s most highly acclaimed and popular films debuted at last year’s SXSW, including “The Hurt Locker,” “I Love You, Man” and “Adventureland.”

Gondry, a French music video director known for his stylish modern fantasies “The Science of Sleep” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” will discuss his new documentary “A Thorn in the Heart” on March 14.

Tarantino will join other cult film directors Eli Roth (“Hostel,” “Cabin Fever”) and Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland”) to discuss imagination, art and violence in modern horror films.

HBO’s acclaimed series “Eastbound & Down” will be well-represented, with star McBride, director David Gordon Green and writer Jody Hill hosting a panel on filmmaking for television.

With an average of 20 panels per day, the film festival will have no shortage of events. Other panels include “How to Create a Viral Video,” “Sustainable Filmmaking Workshop” and the highly promising “Jeffrey Tambor’s Acting Workshop.”

The SXSW festival began in 1987 and showcases film, music and technology. The festival has steadily grown in reputation and attendance since its inception and is seen as a make-or-break venue for new media.

The SXSW Film Conference runs March 12 – 16.