SXSW 2026: 15 Films and TV Premieres We’re Excited About
SXSW is officially underway, and Austin once again welcomes filmmakers, television creators, and audiences eager to unveil the stories that will soon shape the cultural conversation. Over the years, the festival has earned a reputation as a launchpad for breakout films, buzzy series, and unforgettable performances, with projects like Everything Everywhere All at Once and A Quiet Place offering an early glimpse at the kinds of titles audiences will be talking about in the months ahead.
Part of what makes SXSW so special is its sense of discovery. The next breakout voice, scene-stealing performance, or conversation-sparking story could be waiting in any theater across the city. With so much happening across the festival grounds, here are 15 films and television premieres we’re especially excited about at SXSW 2026.
Kill Me
Director/Screenwriter: Peter Warren
Jimmy wakes up in a bathtub filled with his own blood, his wrists slit and his life hanging in the balance. While it appears to be a failed suicide attempt, Jimmy is convinced someone else is responsible. With the help of the 911 operator who took his call, he begins investigating a mystery where the prime suspect might be himself.
Cast: Charlie Day, Allison Williams, Giancarlo Esposito, Aya Cash, Jessica Harper, David Krumholtz, Tony Cavalero
Screenings:
- State Theatre – Mar 12, 2026 (10:00pm — 11:44pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 9 – Mar 14, 2026 (9:45pm — 11:29pm)
- State Theatre – Mar 17, 2026 (6:30pm — 8:14pm)
Power Ballad
Director: John Carney
Screenwriters: John Carney, Peter McDonald
When Rick (Paul Rudd), a past-his-prime wedding singer, meets fading boy-band star Danny (Nick Jonas), the two bond over music during a late-night jam session. But when Danny turns one of Rick’s songs into the hit that reignites his career, Rick sets out to reclaim the recognition he believes he deserves—no matter the cost.
Cast: Paul Rudd, Nick Jonas, Peter McDonald, Marcella Plunkett, Havana Rose Liu, Jack Reynor
Screenings:
- Paramount Theatre – Mar 14, 2026 (2:00pm — 3:38pm)
- Zach Theater – Mar 18, 2026 (11:30am — 1:09pm)
Photo Credit: Independent Film Company and ShudderForbidden Fruits
Director: Meredith Alloway
Screenwriters: Meredith Alloway, Lily Houghton
At Free Eden, employee Apple secretly leads a witch cult alongside coworkers Cherry and Fig. When new hire Pumpkin begins questioning their sisterhood, the group is forced to confront the darkness within—or face violent consequences.
Cast: Lili Reinhart, Lola Tung, Victoria Pedretti, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Chamberlain, Gabrielle Union
Screenings:
- Paramount Theatre – Mar 16, 2026 (5:30pm — 7:13pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 5 – Mar 17, 2026 (10:15pm — 11:58pm)
Photo Credit: Prime VideoPretty Lethal
Director: Vicky Jewson
Screenwriter: Kate Freund
Five ballerinas stranded in a remote forest take shelter at a roadside inn that quickly proves far more dangerous than it appears. Forced to rely on years of brutal training, they weaponize their grace, discipline, and even their pointe shoes to survive.
Cast: Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Maddie Ziegler, Uma Thurman
Screenings:
- Paramount Theatre – Mar 13, 2026 (9:00pm — 10:28pm)
- Paramount Theatre – Mar 16, 2026 (11:00am — 12:28pm)
Photo Credit: Sela ShiloniAre We Still Married?
Director/Screenwriter: Kit Steinkellner
After a bat bite turns Jack into a vampire, he returns home and asks his wife Laura to invite him inside. Bound by vampire rules, he can’t cross the threshold without her permission—but Laura isn’t sure she can trust the man standing at her door. As the two reconnect through the night—Jack outside, Laura inside—the clock ticks toward daybreak and an impossible decision.
Cast: Taylor Misiak, Dustin Milligan
Screenings:
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 4 – Mar 14, 2026 (3:00pm — 4:42pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 5 – Mar 17, 2026 (6:45pm — 8:27pm)
Photo Credit: Veronica BouzaBasic
Director/Screenwriter: Chelsea Devantez
After Gloria and Nick break up, Gloria begins retracing Nick’s dating history online, piecing together a web of ex-girlfriends. But when she discovers Kaylinn—the hottest, most basic ex to ever exist—Gloria begins to lose control of both herself and the story she’s been telling.
Cast: Ashley Park, Leighton Meester, Taylor John Smith, Nelson Franklin, Kandy Muse, Ashley Nicole Black, Kenzie Elizabeth, Amber Ruffin, Jon Gabrus, Georgia Mishak
Screenings:
- Paramount Theatre – Mar 16, 2026 (9:00pm — 10:36pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 5 – Mar 17, 2026 (12:00pm — 1:36pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 5 – Mar 18, 2026 (9:15pm — 10:51pm)
Grind
Directors: Brea Grant, Ed Dougherty, Chelsea Stardust
Screenwriters: Brea Grant, Ed Dougherty
This horror anthology explores the modern workplace through four chilling perspectives: the hustle culture of an MLM, the repetitive grind of a food delivery driver, the disturbing reality faced by a content moderator, and the unionization battle at a familiar-feeling coffee shop.
Cast: Rob Huebel, Barbara Crampton, Vinny Thomas, Jessika Van, Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette, James Urbaniak, Courtney Pauroso, James Paxton, Ify Nwadiwe, Aubrey Shea
Screenings:
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 4 – Mar 12, 2026 (10:30pm — 12:14am)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 6 – Mar 15, 2026 (5:45pm — 7:29pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 4 – Mar 18, 2026 (10:15pm — 11:59pm)
In My Blood
Director/Screenwriter: Alex Bendo
Desperate to live up to his father’s expectations, a talented but inconsistent minor league baseball player turns to steroids—sparking a dangerous transformation of both body and mind.
Cast: Daniel Diemer, Will Chase, Ian Blackman, William Hill
Screenings:
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 4 – Mar 14, 2026 (3:00pm — 4:42pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 5 – Mar 17, 2026 (6:45pm — 8:27pm)
Dua Ji
Director/Screenwriter: YuHan Tsai
In rural Taiwan, during her mother’s funeral, A-Hsien, the eldest daughter, wrestles with grief, resentment, and the quiet weight of tradition. As patriarchal rituals unfold, a silent resistance begins to surface, challenging the roles she has long been expected to fulfill.
Cast: KueiMei Yang, ChiaKuei Chen, YuPing Wang, JieFei Huang, YuLan Shao, HsuehMei Huang
Screenings:
- Rollins Theatre at the Long Center – Mar 13, 2026 (9:30pm — 11:09pm)
- Rollins Theatre at the Long Center – Mar 16, 2026 (6:15pm — 7:54pm)
Brian
Director: Will Ropp
Screenwriter: Mike Scollins
Brian is smart, funny, and capable—but his mental health struggles make it hard for anyone else to see it, especially next to his effortlessly cool older brother. After a disastrous drama club audition leads to another public meltdown, Brian decides to reinvent himself by running for class president. With help from his therapist and the new kid, Justin, his unlikely campaign becomes a messy, awkward journey toward self-acceptance.
Cast: Ben Wang, William H. Macy, Edi Patterson, Randall Park, Natalie Morales, Joshua Colley, Sophia Macy, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Thomas Barbusca, Jacob Moskovitz
Screenings:
- State Theatre – Mar 14, 2026 (3:30pm — 5:04pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 4 – Mar 15, 2026 (3:00pm — 4:34pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 9 – Mar 17, 2026 (3:00pm — 4:34pm)
Photo Credit: Justin RixThe Snake
Director: Jenna MacMillan
Screenwriter: Susan Kent
When Jamie, an ungovernable forty-something wild child, collides with her venomous mother Anne, her life implodes—leaving her single, evicted, and searching for a place to call home. Her chaotic quest leads from breaking into her Nana’s house to crashing with her van-dwelling punk ex and briefly staying with her best friend—an arrangement that ends in spectacularly messy fashion.
Cast: Susan Kent, Robin Duke, Jonathan Torrens, Emma Hunter, Daniel Petronijevic, Jimbo, Kim Roberts, Kenny Robinson, Jacqueline Robbins, Joyce Robbins
Screenings:
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 5 – Mar 13, 2026 (10:45am — 12:14pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 3 – Mar 16, 2026 (3:15pm — 4:44pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 7 – Mar 18, 2026 (3:15pm — 4:44pm)
Photo Credit: Andrew WehdeLove Language
Director/Screenwriter: Joey Power
After a failed engagement, aspiring author Louisa “Lou” Klaussner makes ends meet writing social media copy for a tortilla chip company—and secretly ghostwriting wedding vows on the side. But when she reconnects with her college best friend and longtime crush Warren, she discovers he’s engaged to one of her vow-writing clients, pulling Lou into a complicated love rectangle.
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
Screenings:
- Zach Theater – Mar 16, 2026 (6:30pm — 8:14pm)
- Zach Theater – Mar 17, 2026 (11:30am — 1:14pm)
Photo Credit: Anup KulkarniDead Deer High
Director: Jo Rochelle
Screenwriter: Joshua Roark
Dead Deer High follows a team of high school slam poets and their English teacher as they prepare for a national poetry competition one year after a tragedy changed their lives forever.
Cast: Zack Kozlow, Holden Goyette, Kyla Brown, Christian Cruz, Ayanna Berkshire, Joseph Bertót, Madelyn Grace, Aaron Cammack, Julia Prud’homme, Audrey Kennedy Kozlow
Screenings:
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 8 – Mar 12, 2026 (3:45pm — 5:26pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 9 – Mar 13, 2026 (9:30pm — 11:11pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 3 – Mar 13, 2026 (11:30am — 1:11pm)
Photo Credit: Focus FeaturesObsession
Director/Screenwriter: Curry Barker
After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic gets exactly what he asked for—only to discover that some wishes come with a dark and sinister price.
Cast: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter
Screenings:
- State Theatre – Mar 14, 2026 (7:00pm — 8:48pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 4 – Mar 17, 2026 (6:30pm — 8:18pm)
Edie Arnold is a Loser
Directors: Megan Rico, Kade Atwood
Screenwriter: Megan Rico
Timid dork Edie accidentally finds herself in the spotlight after starting a punk band with her fellow “turds.” Soon she becomes an icon to the outcasts at her all-girls Catholic school—while managing to anger the hot girls, the nuns, and the horniest altar boy imaginable.
Cast: Adi Madden Cabrera, McKenna Tuckett, Cherish Rodriguez, Niki Rahimi, Alexa Paige, Luseane Pasa, Star Herrmann, Alana Mei Kern, Gabe Root, Lucas Van Orden
Screenings:
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 5 – Mar 13, 2026 (6:00pm — 7:13pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 7 – Mar 15, 2026 (3:15pm — 4:28pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 2 – Mar 15, 2026 (3:15pm — 4:28pm)
- Alamo Lamar / Alamo Lamar 1 – Mar 17, 2026 (11:30am — 12:43pm)
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