We strive to make filmmakers feel at home here. Our audiences are passionate, unpretentious movie lovers who don’t hold back reactions during an amazing screening. Our packed theatres create energy you can’t replicate. Our lineup celebrates every kind of story—horror, documentary, midnight madness, experimental work, XR, music videos—because every form of storytelling belongs here. 

As part of the larger SXSW ecosystem, the film lovers and filmmakers share a space with tech innovators, entrepreneurs, musicians, and industry leaders, creating a level of cross-pollination you won’t find anywhere else. 

Discovery is our obsession. At SXSW Film & TV, we’ll program a debut director alongside an Oscar winner, taking chances on boundary-pushing work before the rest of the world catches on. We’ve championed filmmakers early on—like when we showcased the Daniels’ music videos in 2010 and gave Sean Baker his earliest breaks—and that legacy continues. 

The buzz from a SXSW premiere can change a film’s trajectory, drawing agents, distributors, and fellow filmmakers to scout talent and find their next project. This is the kind of festival that leaves you saying, "I saw that at SXSW first.”

The SXSW Film & TV Festival & Conference Clubhouse is the perfect spot to connect with other film lovers, filmmakers, and industry folks in a space designed for collaboration and conversation.

At the SXSW Film & TV Conference, sessions and panels in the Film & TV Track dive into the ideas shaping the future of the industry: new tech, evolving business models, and creative innovations. It’s where filmmakers, producers, and storytellers come together to turn inspiration into impact. 

Talent and filmmakers walk the red carpet and watch alongside you in Austin’s legendary theaters. Our audiences create an electric atmosphere, reacting together to every moment. No velvet ropes, no exclusivity. Just great films, real conversations, and can't-miss Q&As with the people who made them.

Your Film & TV Badge includes access to the SXSW Comedy Festival—four nights of stand-up, improv, podcasts, and more. It’s the perfect break between Film & TV Screenings and Sessions.