Hello Film Community, 

Are y'all revved up yet?! We just dropped 50 more projects for the Film & TV Festival, which opens in just 28 days. Hoping everyone can join our renowned audiences in exploring this wide range of work including explosive studio films, surprising indie dramas and comedies, riveting TV, powerful documentaries, gripping gems from around the world, and groundbreaking XR. 

There’s nothing like the joy of the shared cinema experience as our community unites in Austin to be inspired and celebrate the talent on display. You're coming, right? 

We know deciding what to see at SXSW can be daunting. The program consists of over 120 feature films and TV shows, not to mention our short film and XR sections that are packed with hundreds of projects. Here are some trends and common themes to help you make sense of the cinematic feast that is the SXSW Film & TV Festival!

Time Travel and Time Loops

• Time is a flat circle fascinating playground for filmmakers and these stories include time travel, time loops, lost time, and they are all excellent: Omni Loop, Desert Road, Things Will Be Different, Kryptic, Sew Torn, The Greatest Hits, Timestalker 

Retro Aesthetics and Nostalgia

• We're loving the resurgence of retro aesthetics and nostalgic work delivering fresh narratives: Dead Mail, Smugglers, The Fall Guy, I Saw The TV Glow, Resynator, We Were Dangerous, Y2K, Make Me a Pizza, Tossers

When Doomsday Knocks

• In an era fraught with uncertainty, films grappling with existential threats and societal upheaval resonate deeply, and a couple of them even include romance in the rubble: Arcadian, Azrael, We’re All Gonna Die, Y2K

Ethereal Encounters

• Delve into the supernatural where ghostly guides, demons, and other spectral beings roam: My Dead Friend Zoe, Ghostlight, The Moogai, Family, Adrianne & The Castle, Oddity, Desert Road, Kryptic, Inner Demons, Transylvanie, Meat Puppet

Unforgettable Couples

• Love is in the air, and on the silver screen, as we celebrate unforgettable couples: The Idea of You, Timestalker, Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story, Adrianne & The Castle,Turtles, A Nice Indian Boy, The Fall Guy, We’re All Gonna Die, Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts, I Don’t Understand You, Mamifera, Cheech & Chong's Last Movie, The Black Sea

The Power of the Theater

• The magic and transformative power of theater and performance come alive: Sing Sing, Grand Theft Hamlet, Ghostlight, Roleplay

Meditations on Motherhood

• Motherhood takes center stage in films that delve into the joys, complexities and horrors of motherhood, real, imagined or forced. Lookout for demons, robots, the antichrist, terrible teens: Immaculate, Azrael, Cuckoo, The Broadcast, Audrey, The Moogai, Mamifera, Family, Babes, Krzyk - Losing Control, Preconceived, Lullaby

Technological Frontiers

• Delve into the uncharted territories of tomorrow and the ever-evolving implications of our relentless pursuit of innovation: Love Machina, The Antisocial Network, How to Build a Truth Engine, How Music Got Free, Whatever It Takes, My Sextortion Diary, Y2K

Sports & Shenanigans

• Whether on the field, the dance floor, a bowling alley, or in the mind, these films celebrate competitors of all kinds: 7 Beats Per Minute, Fly, Lions of Mesopotamia, The Gutter, She Looks Like Me, The Hobby, The Puzzle Palace, We Can Be Heroes 

Coming of Age

• Explore the trials and triumphs of youth and growing up in a rapidly changing world: Girls Will Be Girls, Yasmeen’s Element, We Were Dangerous, Doin’ It, We Can Be Heroes, Y2K, I Wish You All the Best, I Saw The TV Glow, The In Between, Songs From the Hole, DÌDI (弟弟), Gasoline Rainbow

Underdogs, Including Some Rumble Kings 

• Root for the underdogs, the scrappy kickass heroes who defy the odds and inspire us with their resilience and immensely satisfying beat down of their opponents: Road House, The Fall Guy, Monkey Man, Y2K, Smugglers, Hood Witch, Secret Mall Apartment

Ripped from the Headlines

• Odds are you’ve read an article or two about any of the below films, so you may think you know the story behind any of these topics, but think again: The Truth vs. Alex Jones, How to Build a Truth Engine, Preconceived, Moviepass, MovieCrash, Whatever It Takes, Plastic People, An Army of Women, Black Box Diaries, Dickweed, My Sextortion Diary, We Ride for Her, She Looks Like Me

Icons and Influencers

• The lives of extraordinary individuals and performers take the spotlight in captivating biographical film & TV projects: 

Biographical Deep Dives

• Stormy, Black Twitter: A People's History, Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion, Never Look Away, Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter, The Trouble With Mr Doodle, Clemente, Faders Up: The John Aielli Experience, Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show, A King Like Me, Photographer: Dan Winters, Diane Warren: Relentless, The World According to Allee Willis, Dory Previn: On My Way To Where, Ren Faire 

Music

• Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, This is a Film About The Black Keys, Música, Billy Preston: That's The Way God Planned It, Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story , Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told, Mogwai: If The Stars Had A Sound, Omar and Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird, Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted, STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A., How Music Got Free, Resynator, Magic City: An American Fantasy

Enjoy exploring the program and see ya soon!

Claudette + the Film & TV team

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