The 2026 edition of the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival is shaping up to be one of the most dynamic yet. Each year, SXSW delivers a mix of buzzy world premieres, breakthrough indie films, genre standouts, and awards contenders. For filmmakers, distributors, and film lovers alike, the SXSW Film Festival has become one of the most important launchpads in the industry.

Taking place in Austin from March 12–18, 2026, this year’s lineup blends action-comedy, sci-fi romance, psychological thrillers, and intimate character studies. If you’re planning your schedule or tracking early awards buzz, here are the SXSW 2026 films we’re most looking forward to.

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I Love Boosters

Director: Boots Riley
Cast: Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza González, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter, Don Cheadle, Demi Moore

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A crew of professional shoplifters known as the Velvet Gang stage an elaborate plan targeting a ruthless fashion mogul, drawing them into a series of escalating gambits that test their loyalty and cunning in a stylish crime comedy setup. This film serves as the festival’s Opening Night selection.

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Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice

Director/Writer: BenDavid Grabinski
Cast: Vince Vaughn, James Marsden, Eiza González, Keith David, Jimmy Tatro, Stephen Root, Lewis Tan, Ben Schwartz, Emily Hampshire, Arturo Castro

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Two mobsters, their complicated relationships, and a high-stakes night go off the rails when a time machine enters their world, blending period chaos with character-driven mayhem.

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Achiever

Director: Charlie Traisman
Cast: Katherine Romans, David Brown, Geoffrey James, Caleb Cruz, Christopher James Stevens

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When overachiever Alexa suddenly can’t reach orgasm after starting antidepressants, she refuses to accept defeat. With the same grit she’s applied to every challenge, she launches a spreadsheet-driven quest to “achieve,” experimenting with positions, partners, and kinks like they’re items on a to-do list. But when Alexa's plan fails and she meets self-proclaimed "watcher", Garth, she discovers that intimacy isn’t something you can hack or optimize—it’s something messier, stranger, and more human. "Achiever" is a sharp, heartfelt comedy about pleasure, perfectionism, and learning to let go in a world that demands constant achievement.

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Sender

Director/Writer: Russell Goldman
Cast: Britt Lower, Rhea Seehorn, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anna Baryshnikov, David Dastmalchian, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Mike Mitchell, Edward Torres, Alyssa Limperis

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After receiving a sequence of unnervingly precise packages, a woman descends into paranoia as she tries to uncover who is sending them and why, unraveling connections that lead to unsettling revelations about her own life.

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Pretty Lethal

Director: Vicky Jewson
Cast: Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Maddie Ziegler, Uma Thurman

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An action-packed thriller where five ballerinas, stranded in a remote forest, take shelter at an unsettling roadside inn. They must weaponize years of brutal training, turning grace, discipline, and even pointe shoes into tools for survival.

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Forbidden Fruits

Director: Meredith Alloway
Cast: Lili Reinhart, Lola Tung, Victoria Pedretti, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Chamberlain, Gabrielle Union
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Employees at Free Eden lead a secret witchcraft-based cult within their workplace. When a new hire begins to question the group’s dynamics and rituals, she forces the members to confront their loyalties and darkest impulses.

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Margo’s Got Money Troubles

Creator: David E. Kelley
Cast: Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, Greg Kinnear, Thaddea Graham, Nicole Kidman, Marcia Gay Harden, Michael Angarano, Rico Nasty, Lindsey Normington
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Adapted from Rufi Thorpe’s novel, this eight-episode comedy-drama series follows Margo Millet, a recent college dropout and new mother trying to balance bills and creative ambition. After reconnecting with her estranged father, she begins using OnlyFans to support herself and her child, leading to unexpected success and family reckonings.

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Wishful Thinking

Director/Writer: Graham Parkes
Cast: Maya Hawke, Lewis Pullman, Randall Park, Jake Shane, Amita Rao, Eric Rahill, Kate Berlant, Kerri Kenney-Silver

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A couple’s rocky relationship triggers surreal external consequences after they attend a couples-therapy seminar that activates a karmic system in which their emotional state begins to physically affect the world, causing seismic events and economic turmoil.

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Perfect

Director: Millicent Hailes
Cast: Julia Fox, Ashley Moore, Lío Mehiel, Micaela Wittman, Ryder McLaughlin, Kate Moennig, Creed Bratton

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In a world devastated by a contaminated water supply, Kai, a lost soul, finds herself living out of her car after a bad breakup. Each day is a struggle until fate intervenes and leads her to a hidden utopian lake, where the water is pure and life flourishes. At this secret haven, Kai encounters a band of eccentric misfits each with their own stories of loss and hope. Among them is Mallory, an enigmatic and wealthy pregnant woman living out an escapist fantasy. Despite their vastly different backgrounds, Kai and Mallory are drawn to each other, and a sudden, passionate romance ignites. As their bond deepens, Kai begins to uncover the layers of Mallory’s life and the secrets she harbors.

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Dreamquil

Director/Writer: Alex Prager
Cast: Elizabeth Banks, John C. Reilly, Juliette Lewis, Kathryn Newton, Sofia Boutella, Lamorne Morris, Toby Larsen, Anna Marie Dobbins

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In the near future, a woman returns home from a virtual wellness retreat hoping for clarity and rejuvenation, only to have the helper robot assigned to assist her family begin to infringe on her life and identity, blurring the line between aid and threat.

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Basic

Director/Writer: Chelsea Devantez
Cast: Ashley Park, Leighton Meester, Taylor John Smith, Nelson Franklin, Kandy Muse, Ashley Nicole Black, Kenzie Elizabeth, Amber Ruffin, Jon Gabrus, Georgia Mischak

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After Gloria and Nick break up, Gloria takes us through Nick's dating history, untangling his web of ex-girlfriends through details she can find online. But when she discovers Kaylinn, the hottest most basic ex-girlfriend to ever exist, Gloria not only loses herself, she loses control of the story she's been telling. Basic is a comedy that blends the magical-realism of jealous paranoia with the magic of falling in love.

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Power Ballad

Director/Writer: John Carney
Cast: Paul Rudd, Nick Jonas, Jack Reynor, Havana Rose Liu, Marcella Plunkett

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A past-his-prime wedding singer forms an unlikely creative partnership with a rising rock star. Together they navigate the divide between craft and fame, discovering renewed purpose through songwriting and performance.

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Seekers of Infinite Love

Director/Writer: Victoria Strouse
Cast: Hannah Einbinder, Justin Theroux, John Paul Reynolds, Griffin Gluck, Justine Lupe, Greg Kinnear

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Three estranged siblings reunite after learning their youngest sister has joined a traveling cult. Their search pushes them to reconcile old wounds and face the complexities of family bonds as they race to bring her home.

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The Sun Never Sets

Director/Writer: Joe Swanberg
Cast: Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson, Cory Michael Smith, Debby Ryan, Anna Konkle, Lamorne Morris, Karley Sciortino

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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. The film was shot on 35mm on location in Alaska.

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Their Town

Director: Katie Aselton
Writer: Mark Duplass
Cast: Ora Duplass, Chosen Jacobs, Will Parker, Kim Shaw, Jeffery Self, Daveed Diggs, Leonardo Nam, Annie Henk, Brad LaBree

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A young woman stepping into a lead role in her high school play spends a pivotal night roaming her hometown, encountering friends, memories, and crossroads that redefine her sense of self and future direction.

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Cold Call

Showrunner: Elise Kibler, Emma Lenderman
Director: Elise Kibler
Cast:Emma Lenderman, Gabriel Ebert, Daniel Pearce, Amelia Workman
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Premiering in the Independent TV Pilot Competition, this thriller-leaning project begins with an unexpected phone call that sets off a chain of tense events involving mystery, surveillance, and personal stakes for its central characters.

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Find your ticket so the festival here.