With the 18^th annual Austin Film Festival only two weeks away, we thought we couldn’t be any more excited about the upcoming barrage of screenings and panels—until this morning, when the fest announced the addition of Butter and Union Square, respectively theopening and closing night films, adding to their already impressive roster of regional and US premieres.

They also confirmed that comedy Jeff Who Lives at Home, the latest joint effort from the Duplass brothers starring Jason Segal, is the festival’s Centerpiece film, with co-writer and director Jay Duplass in attendance at the screening.

Butter (USA, 90 min.; directed by Jim Field Smith; written by Jason Micallef) will be kicking off the festival at The Paramount Theater on Thursday, October 20. A brilliant comedy set in rural Iowa, Butter follows aspiring professional butter carver Laura Pickler (Jennifer Garner), who finds herself entering the spotlight when her husband, reigning butter-carving champion Bob (Ty Burrell), is forced into retirement. Hilarity ensures as former supportive housewife Laura takes a chance on a fine art, navigating a surprisingly vicious underbelly of butter carvers.

Why we’re excited: We’re looking forward to seeing Modern Family dad Ty Burrell in another quirky, competitive paternal role, and what better context that the hidden world of competitive butter carving? This also raises lots of important questions, like “how do they keep the butter from melting,” that we hope will be answered in this (surely scientifically-grounded) film.

Anchoring the festival is the Centerpiece selection, Jeff Who Lives At Home(USA, 83 min.; written and directed by Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass), screening Saturday, October 22 at the Paramount. One half of the team behind the film (Jay) will be on hand to introduce the premiere of the film and do a Q+A.

The film follows the titular Jeff (Jason Segal), an unemployed man with issues so severe he rarely leaves his mother’s basement. Preferring to patiently wait for something to happen, rather than pursue his own success, Jeff’s idle life is derailed when he thinks a strange coincidence is, in fact, A Sign From Fate. He begin to rethink his motivation with the help of a supporting cast that includes Judy Greer, Susan Sarandon and Ed Helms.

Why we’re excited: The brothers Duplass have shown us that they’ve got a flair for spinning unexpectedly comic threads into otherwise dark narratives; from 2010’s family drama Cyrus (a breakout role for Jonah Hill, and one of John C. Reilly’s most affecting performances) to their first joint feature, The Puffy Chair (which also marked the on-screen collaboration between brother Mark and actress Kate Aselton; both now star on series The League). We’ve also been longing for a less upbeat role for Segal (a la Freaks and Geeks’ Nick Andopolis).

Rounding things out, in a closing night celebration sponsored by Wells Fargo, Union Square (USA, 80 min.; written by Nancy Savoca and Mary Tobler; directed by Nancy Savoca) premieres at The Paramount on October 27. Actress Mira Sorvino will be in attendance to present the film, which is the latest from writer/director Nancy Savoca. [Fun fact about the author of this post: my big screen debut came in 1993, as an extra in Savoca’s Household Saints.] In Union Square, sisters Jenny (Tammy Blanchard) and Lucy (Sorvino) reconnect after years of estrangement and must reconcile their past differences and present transformations. Lucy, rapidly approaching emotional breakdown, brings memories of a drama-filled past when she barges in on Jenny’s perfect new life right before her approaching wedding.

Why we’re excited: What promises to be another stellar character performance from Mira Sorvino, from the brash Bronx accent to the neon accessories, in tandem with a deeply emotional story, Union Square also features the beautiful and talented Patti Lupone.

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Badges are still available for the Austin Film Festival, offering access to hundreds of screenings, panels, parties and events from October 20 – 27.