SXSW 2026 Movie Preview & Hot List

Similar to last year, the 40th edition of SXSW won’t be short on talent, with everyone from Steven Spielberg (his second time at the fest after 2018’s Ready Player One) and Jane Fonda to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Demi Moore, Michelle Pfeiffer and Andy Cohen walking the BBQ-filled, line-dancing streets of hipsterville Austin.

And that’s with the Oscars in the way Sunday, and the festival’s main haunt, the Austin Convention Center, in the midst of a three-year, $1.6 billion renovation.

That Oscars conflict, it’s a biggie; we understand that SXSW first called dibs on this weekend before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences scheduled its 98th Academy Awards. Oy, what does that mean? It means a break-up of the event cinema programming, tricky travel schedules for stars and filmmakers (Spielberg, a Best Picture nominee for Hamnet, is on a panel Friday), as well as feature distribution buyers opting to screen movies back in L.A. and New York City as they monitor the noise from afar. Well, that’s their bad: There is plenty of star power to choose from this year in Austin with pics starring Charlie Day, Adam Scott, Kevin Bacon, Chloë Grace Moretz, Anthony Ramos, Lizzy Caplan and more.

So how does SXSW deal with this (because clearly, the SXSW faithful aren’t at home watching the Dolby Theatre’s dog-and-pony show)? The fest books a high-octane title that electrifies the 18-34 core. On Oscar night 2023, Austin’s own Robert Rodriguez’s $65 million Ben Affleck noir Hypnotic had lines around the block with turnaways. This year, Magnolia is looking to make waves with Ben Wheatley’s Bob Odenkirk shoot ’em up Normal (on 35MM) following its world premiere at TIFF.

In another side of the Oscar coin, SXSW made its mark as a potential awards springboard with its post–Covid return to an in-person edition in 2022 with opening-night pic Everything Everywhere All at Once. By SXSW 2023, the Daniels-directed family-martial arts fantasia had gone on to win seven Oscars including Best Picture.

Can SXSX emulate that again this year? Quite possibly, with the timely Campeón Gabacho from BAFTA-winning filmmaker Jonás Cuarón. The WME Independent sales title centers on a young Mexican migrant who boxes his way through challenges and discrimination in New York City. Early word is that the movie rivals Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. Last year, the hot title that scored a rare SXSW standing ovation and distrib bids was the Andrew Patterson-directed bluegrass crime thriller The Rivals of Amziah King, starring Matthew McConaughey. Financier Black Bear opted to hold on to the film for its own slate and will give the pic an early awards-season theatrical release August 14 (similar to where another SXSW title, 2019’s The Peanut Butter Falcon, opened).

Amazon Prime, IFC, Hulu/20th Century Studios, Focus Features, Neon, Lionsgate, Searchlight and New Line all have premieres (some destined for streaming, some theatrical) in the mix at this year’s SXSW. The plan remains capitalizing upon the festival as a launchpad for stickiness, and catapulting movies from cult to mainstream status. Read, SXSW is the place where such movies as Ready or Not: Here I Come (release date: March 20), They Will Kill You (March 27), genre YouTuber Curry Barker’s Obsession (May 15), opening-night title I Love Boosters (May 22) and the Nick Jonas-Paul Rudd musical movie Power Ballad (June 5) are literally blasting off their marketing campaigns.

Heading into SXSW in previous years, it was always apparent what was positioned as a spring tentpole, e.g., Paramount’s A Quiet Place and Lost City, Universal’s Us, and Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 4. The evening lineup in the festival’s main hub, the Paramount Theatre on Congress Ave, leans more indie this year. Even if you’re a streaming movie, SXSW is beneficial for making your film a must-watch on the service (case in point: Prime Video’s SXSW 2024 opening-night movie Roadhouse scored 50 million global viewers in its first two weekends). Among streaming titles getting a giddy-up in the Texas capital this year are Prime’s Pretty Lethal starring Uma Thurman and Iris Apatow; Hulu’s Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice; and the new David E. Kelley Apple series Margo’s Got Money Troubles starring Pfeiffer, Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning and Nick Offerman.

Arguably more than any other festival, SXSW has a keen sensibility when it comes to booking newsworthy conversations. If there was a wink last year as to who Bob Iger’s successor might be, it was in Josh D’Amaro taking the stage in his SXSW debut alongside Disney Entertainment co-Chairman Alan Bergman to talk about world-building. In 2017, the festival booked Austin-local and 3x Oscar nominee Terrence Malick in what was a rare public appearance for the press-shy director. Nothing beats 2018 when Westworld co-creator and Fallout EP/director Jonathan Nolan led a conversation with Elon Musk who laid out SpaceX’s mission to Mars; the CEO finishing his time on stage with a rendition of “My Little Buttercup” from the Three Amigos with his brother Kimbal Musk. Among this year’s panelists, Spielberg will chat about his canon and his next alien movie, Disclosure Day, Andy Cohen and NBCUniversal Media Group Chairman Matt Strauss will talk about how entertainment is evolving beyond platforms, while Democratic Presidential hopeful, Newsom, will chat about how politics impacts our pocketbooks. Meanwhile, Keke Palmer and the cast of I Love Boosters, Naomi Ackie,Taylour Paige, Eiza González, Poppy Liu and Moore will sit down for Palmer’s podcast, Baby.

Meanwhile, sellers wish buyers would take SXSW and its talent-driven, edgy fare more seriously; distribs like moths are more attracted to the light of Cannes, Toronto and Sundance. Still, SXSW remains a discovery festival, electrified by cinephiles, and it might only take one or two notable seven-figure sales to make sellers finally see the light. Among last year’s SXSW sales were the Kate Mara and Laurence Fishburne movie The Astronaut to Vertical; The Dutchman (also a Mara movie) to Rogue Pictures and Inaugural Entertainment; the Daisy Ridley horror pic We Bury the Dead to Vertical; and Matt Johnson’s Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie to Neon.

With that, here are the buzzy films on offer this year.

SXSW 2026 Hot List

Basic

Director-writer: Chelsea Devantez. Producer: Mark Platt Productions. Cast: Leighton Meester, Ashley Park, Taylor John Smith. Sales: UTA Independent Film Group. Logline: After Gloria and Nick’s painful breakup, Gloria spirals through his dating history and discovers Kaylinn, his hottest and most basic ex-girlfriend, who has stolen both her boyfriend and threatens to take her entire story. Narrative Spotlight. Monday, March 16, 9 p.m., Paramount Theatre

Brian

Director: Will Ropp. Producers: Thomas Mahoney, Casey Hanley, Ropp. Cast: Ben Wang, William H. Macy, Edi Patterson, Randall Park, Natalie Morales, Joshua Colley, Sophia Macy, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Thomas Barbusca, Jacob Moskovitz. Sales: Gersh and CAA Media Finance. Logline: An acerbic high school student prone to panic attacks runs for class president to get closer to the teacher he’s hopelessly in love with. Narrative Feature Competition. Saturday, March 14, 3:30 p.m., State Theatre

Director: Jonás Cuarón​. Producers: Gabriela Rodríguez, Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón, Nicolás Celis. Cast:​ Juan Daniel García Treviño, Leslie Grace, Rubén Blades, Eddie Marsan, Rosario Dawson, Cheech Marin, Marvin Jones III, Carlos Carrasco, Dolores Heredia​. Sales: WME Film Independent. Logline: Campeón Gabacho tells the story of Liborio, an endearing and mischievous young migrant whose only talent is taking punches. He crosses the Rio Grande to escape a harsh reality in Mexico, looking for a better life in the United States, and settles in a Latino barrio in New York City. Through his fists, his love and his words, he faces cultural walls and prejudices that threaten his hopes, and becomes a hero in an unknown land. Narrative Spotlight. Tuesday, March 17, 5:15 p.m., Zach Theatre

Crash Land

Director: Dempsey Bryk. Producers: Billy Bryk, Finn Wolfhard, Julian Geneen, Dempsey Bryk. Cast: Gabriel LaBelle, Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk, Noah Parker, Abby Quinn. Sales: CAA Media Finance. Logline: From the filmmaking team behind 2023’s Hell of a Summer. Lance, Clay, and Darby have spent their childhoods drinking, wreaking havoc, and filming crude stunts in their small town. Everyone hates them. Wanting to finally prove their lives have meaning, the boys set out to make a “real movie” and in the process are forced to confront emotions and experiences they’ve never considered: love, loss, and ultimately, what it means to grow up. Narrative Spotlight. Friday, March 13, 10 p.m., Alamo Lamar

Drag

Directors-screenwriters: Raviv Ullman, Greg Yagolnitzer. Producers: Jake DeVito, Lucy DeVito, Danny DeVito. Cast: Lizzy Caplan, Lucy DeVito, John Stamos, Christine Ko. Sales: CAA Media Finance. Logline: A routine robbery at a rural house turns into a nightmare for two amateur burglars when one of them throws out her back. Things spiral out of control as they try to escape before the homeowner returns. Midnighter. Friday, March 13, 10:15 p.m., State Theatre

Family Movie

Directors: Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Bacon. Producers: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Sosie Bacon, Travis Bacon, Vince Jolivette, Casey Durant, Greg Lauritano, Russell Wayne Groves. Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Sosie Bacon, Travis Bacon, Liza Koshy, John Carroll Lynch, Jackie Earle Haley, Andrea Savage, Austin Amelio, Scoot McNairy. Sales: Gersh, CAA Media Finance and Range. Logline: A filmmaking family’s low-budget horror movie turns into a real-life slasher when a dead body shows up on set. Chaos ensues as the Smiths fight to keep the production on track. After all – the show must go on! Narrative Spotlight. Friday, March 13, 6:15 p.m., Zach Theater

Kill Me

Director-screenwriter: Peter Warren. Producers: Nate Bolotin, Keith Goldberg, Natalie Metzger, Maxime Cottray, Mike Richardson, Charlie Day, Peter Warren. Cast: Charlie Day, Allison Williams, Giancarlo Esposito, Aya Cash, Jessica Harper, David Krumholtz, Tony Cavalero. Sales: CAA Media Finance. Logline: Jimmy didn’t try to kill himself. Or at least, he’s pretty sure he didn’t … With the help of a reluctant 911 operator, he sets out on a darkly comedic amateur investigation to solve whether he is being stalked by a killer or chasing himself. Narrative Spotlight. Thursday, March 12, 10 p.m., State Theatre

Love Language

Director: Joey Power. Producers: Bert Hamelinck, Allison Hironaka, Ari Lubet, Colin Jost, Jeff Grosvenor. Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Anthony Ramos, Manny Jacinto, Isabel May, Lukas Gage, Billie Lourd, Chloe Fineman, Zach Zucker, Morgan Jay, Bobbi Althoff, Marchánt Davis, Dan Perrault. Sales: CAA Media Finance. Logline: Following a failed engagement, Louisa “Lou” Klaussner, an aspiring author who pays the bills by writing social media copy for a tortilla chip company, falls into a side hustle writing wedding vows for other people. When Lou reconnects with her college best friend and longtime crush Warren, she is shocked to find he is the fiancé of one of Lou’s wedding vow clients … putting Lou in the middle of a complicated love-rectangle. Narrative Spotlight. Monday, March 16, 6:30 p.m., Zach Theater

Manhood

Director: Daniel Lombroso. Producers: Kerry Mack, Rebecca Shaid​. Featuring: William Moore, David Smith, Ruben Ramirez​. Sales: WME Independent Film Group. Logline: A documentary certain to make headlines, Manhood follows Dallas entrepreneur Bill Moore as he attempts to make penis enlargement as commonplace as Botox.​ Documentary Spotlight. Saturday, March 14, 2:45 p.m., Alamo Lamar

Monitor

Directors: Matt Black, Ryan Polly. Producers: Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner, John Fischer, Adrian Guerra. Cast: Brittany O’Grady, Taz Skylar, Viveik Karla, Ines Høysæter Asserson, Gunner Willis, Sara Alexander, Camila Wahlgren. Sales: UTA Independent Film Group. Logline: Maggie works as a content moderator for VueQ Moderation Services, spending her days filtering the internet’s darkest content, driven by guilt over her sister’s suicide. When she blocks a cryptic video uploaded by an anonymous user, she and her team begin to be hunted by an insidious entity that haunts them through every screen in their lives. (Word is this has commercial potential.) Midnighter. Thursday, March 12, 10:15 p.m., Alamo Lamar 5.

The Saviors

Writer-director: Kevin Hamedani. Producers: Adam Scott, Naomi Scott, Nicky Weinstock, Michael Helfant, Bradley Gallo, Matt Smith and Dan Gedman. Cast: Adam Scott, Kate Berlant, Nazanin Boniadi, Theo Rossi, Danielle Deadwyler. Sales: UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance. Logline: Tells the story of a couple in Seattle who Airbnb their garage to a Muslim brother and sister, only to witness some suspicious behavior by their tenants and begin to suspect them of terrorism. What begins as a Rear Window-style tale of mystery and likely Islamophobia becomes something quite different when it swerves into a sci-fi plot. Narrative Spotlight. Friday, March 13, 3 p.m., Zach Theater

The Sun Never Sets

Writer-director: Joe Swanberg. Producers: Joe Swanberg, Ashleigh Snead, Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson, Cory Michael Smith. Cast: Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson, Cory Michael Smith. Sales: UTA Independent Film Group. Logline: Wendy’s life is thrown into chaos when her boyfriend, Jack, who is older and divorced with children, insists they take space to evaluate the relationship. During their break, Wendy unexpectedly runs into her ex, Chuck, forcing the three of them into a confusing and volatile triangle. Narrative Spotlight. Friday, March 13, 9:30 p.m., Zach Theater