Check out a clip from an indie thriller titled “Small Town Crime” – featuring Anthony Anderson and Octavia Spencer – which is making its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival (March 10-19) in Austin, TX.

Written and directed by Ian Nelms and Eshom Nelms, the film follows ex-cop, Mike Kendall, who finds the dead body of a young woman and, in an act of self-redemption, becomes hellbent on finding the killer. While his uncouth, quirky detective style helps break the case, his dogged determination puts his family in danger.

John Hawkes stars in the film which also counts Robert Forster, Clifton Collins, Jr., Michael Vartan, James Lafferty, Daniel Sunjata, Caity Lotz, and Jeremy Ratchford as cast members (in addition to Anderson and Spencer).

By the way, Ms. Spencer is also an executive producer of “Small Town Crime” – something that she has said she plans to do more of (in short, behind-the-camera involvement, creating and producing projects for herself and others).

Mehrdad Elie is also an executive producer, and John J. Kelly, Brad Johnson and Parisa Caviani are producers.

In the clip below, released ahead of the film’s SXSW premiere, Mike (the ex-cop, played by Hawkes) has found the dead girl’s phone, and visits his sister (Spencer) late at night in her home, to impress her with his investigative skills.