SXSW 2026 gave us some incredible moments. From March 12–18, the city of Austin came alive, showcasing this year’s most anticipated films and TV shows, exciting musical artists, comedy shows, and more.
While there was plenty to experience, we spent most of our time with the filmmakers and cinephiles who gathered to celebrate the most buzz-worthy premieres of the season. Here are our top SXSW films ranked.
13. Chasing Summer
This Sweet Home Alabama-style romcom from Iliza Shlesinger is about a woman who returns home to Texas after being away for 20 years. The comedian is from Texas, so bringing the film to SXSW was a fitting salute to what she created.
Shlesinger plays Jamie, who, after losing her job and her boyfriend, moves back in with her parents, Megan Mullally (Layanne) and Jeff Perry (Randall), and must face the harsh reality that she’s actually just been running from her past this whole time.
Garrett Wareing (stars as Colby, her new love interest), Lola Tung (as Harper, her new friend), Tom Welling (Chase, her former love interest), Aimee Garcia (Amanda, her former friend), and Cassidy Freeman (Marissa, her sister).
As it does, the past eventually catches up with you, and so it goes for Shlesinger’s character. The film has some steamy love scenes, moments that will make every woman ponder the choices they made in high school, and a ton of nostalgia from two decades ago. Shlesinger told Awards Buzz on the red carpet that she actually penned the movie with a nostalgic soundtrack in mind.
12. Pretty Lethal
Directed by Vicky Jewson and written by Kate Freund, everything about this movie screams girl power. Five ballerinas stranded in a remote town in a foreign country, and they have to use their intense training as ballerinas to fight their way out — written and directed by women — okay, I’m in.
Bones (Maddie Ziegler), Princess (Lana Condor), Zoe (Iris Apatow), Chloe (Millicent Simmonds), and Grace (Avantika) take the lead here, and while the relationship dynamics are charming, the whole movie falls flat.
The film is supposed to imply that ballet training is tough. It’s hard on the body and the spirit, so it will make you prepared for anything in life. However, this “anything” involves an army of murderous gangsters who are out for blood. While not a believable scenario, the film could’ve made up for it if it had a little more fun and didn’t take itself too seriously. Uma Thurman as Devora Kasimer is a highlight of the film. However, making her a former ballet prodigy who happens to be the inn owner with questionable scruples seemed a bit of a stretch — even for this.
Pretty Lethal was not completely on pointe, but if you’ve ever taken a ballet class, it’s worth a watch. It’s out now on Prime Video.
11. Pizza Movie
Move over Cheech & Chong, or Harold & Kumar for that matter, a new stoner friendship comedy has arrived, and it has been packaged in the form of Pizza Movie.
From the brilliant comedic minds of directors/screenwriters Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher (who also penned this year’s SXSW hit Over Your Dead Body), Pizza Movie is as silly as it sounds — but in all the best ways.
Helmed onscreen by Gaten Matarazzo (Jack), Sean Giambrone (Mongomery), and Lulu Wilson (Lizzy), the trio of mismatched college friends embark on an inadvertent trip after ingesting “M.I.N.T.S.” and finding out the only way to stop their terrifying hallucinations is by eating pizza.
What I love about this movie is that it doesn’t make itself out to be anything it’s not. It’s ridiculous, fun, and wildly absurd. It’s everything a good stoner comedy should be.
10. Forbidden Fruits
From director Meredith Alloway, this is a comedy horror that lands somewhere between Heathers, The Craft, and Clueless, but for today’s generation. It’s co-written by Lily Houghton and is based on Houghton’s stage play Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die.
Set in a trendy upscale clothing store called Free Eden, Apple (Lili Reinhart), Cherry (Victoria Pedretti), and Fig (Alexandra Shipp) welcome new girl Pumpkin (Lola Tung), forming the perfect Wiccan sisterhood.
As cults go, things aren’t always what they seem. Secrets are learned, spells are cast, and blood is spilled. It’s something Pickle (Emma Chamberlain), the former fourth, was all too familiar with.
There is some fun to be had here — quirky characters named after fruit, campy gore, and a storyline that has potential for more. However, I think it leaned more into the possibility for what’s next rather than satisfying character development. It felt sort of anticlimactic and sadly underused Gabrielle Union — at least in this one.
On the other hand, if Forbidden Fruits was playing a midnight showing at a theater where audiences could watch together, dressed up as their favorite fruity character, 10/10 would recommend. I expect this one to have its own cult following.
Forbidden Fruits is in theaters and available on Shudder.
9. Wishful Thinking
Wishful Thinking, starring Lewis Pullman and Maya Hawke, took the Narrative Feature prize, earning it attention as a festival favorite this year. It was director/screenwriter Graham Parkes’s nod to The Secret.
The idea left me hopeful. A couple has the power to manifest everything from daily occurrences to world events based on the love (or anger) they feel for each other. It’s a supernatural love story, if you will. There is a ton of potential there.
Lewis Pullman (Charlie) and Maya Hawke (Julia) have palpable chemistry, where Randall Park (Bobby) adds a strong comedy relief. But that’s about where it ends for me. There are plenty of things cinephiles and Gen Z will love about this movie — from the way it’s shot to relationship metaphors — it just didn’t do everything it could have. I wanted to love this so much more than I did. While I enjoyed it, and it caused a lot of buzz among my colleagues who didn’t share the same takeaway, I was hoping to walk away with a smile. Not feeling so sad. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part.
8. They Will Kill You
The horror/comedy genre absolutely dominated this year’s SXSW festival, and They Will Kill You slayed. Director Kirill Sokolov was clear that he did not intend for this movie to be “campy,” but horror fans, as Patricia Arquette (who plays Lilith) noted on stage, love a little camp.
Along with Arquette, the cast includes Zazie Beetz, Myha’La, Paterson Joseph, Tom Felton, and Heather Graham. Beetz shines, giving Uma Thurman in Kill Bill vibes, as Asia Reaves. She enters a creepy upscale establishment in the hopes of finding her sister (Myha’La), but first must face off with Felton and Graham in an attempt to survive the night, fighting off a supernatural demonic cult.
It’s high-octane, will make you jump, laugh, scream, and “ooooh” out loud at all the gore. The horror-action-comedy is in theaters now. It’s a devilishly good time.
7. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have given us the second installment in the Ready or Not Universe, and the SXSW audience loved every second of its world premiere.
Grace MacCaullay (Samara Weaving) is back and immediately finds herself facing the next level of the deadly supernatural game that nearly ended her life the first time around. Now, with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) by her side, the pair is forced to play against four rival families who are hunting them.
Sarah Michelle Gellar (Ursula Danforth), Shawn Hatosy (Titus Danforth), Néstor Carbonell (Ignacio El Caido), David Cronenberg (Chester Danforth), and Elijah Wood (The Lawyer) round out an all-star team of devious villains, all vying for the power that comes with ending Grace.
This movie is made for the fans, and they’ll enjoy every second of the same bloody chaos they got in the first one. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is in theaters now. Go see a late show with your friends and get ready to laugh and scream your head off.
6. Over Your Dead Body
Making its world premiere at SXSW, this year’s Headliner Audience Award winnerwent to Jorma Taccone’s Over Your Dead Body. Written by Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney, the film is a remake of 2021’s The Trip, about a couple on the brink of divorce who decide murder is a better option than staying married.
Over Your Dead Body pits Jason Segel (Dan) against Samara Weaving (Lisa) in a comedic, knock-down, drag-out battle of brains and braun — until a trio of escaped cons throws a wrench in their plans.
Timothy Olyphant (Pete), Juliette Lewis (Allegra), and Keith Jardine (Todd) add a sharply funny layer to the comedy, making the entire ensemble a hilarious watch, no matter what insanity unfolds. Paul Guilfoyle as Segel’s dad Michael, is an extra special treat. It’s scheduled for release on April 24.
5. Mile End Kicks
You couldn’t have picked a more SXSW film to kick things off than this one. Mile End Kicks made its premiere at TIFF, and will be released in Canada and the U.S. on April 17, bringing things full circle for writer/director Chandler Levack, on whom the film is based.
As a former music journalist, Mile End struck a special chord with me. Usually, when someone asks me about the time I spent in that world, I often compare my experience to the movie Almost Famous. Not unlike Cameron Crowe’s 2000 semi-autobiographical film, this film gives audiences a peek behind the stage — so to speak.
Our lead in Mile End Kicks is Grace Pine (Barbie Ferriera), a music critic in her early 20s who gets swept up in Montreal’s music scene circa 2011, while attempting to write a book about the influence of Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill. I was beyond pleased to FINALLY see a film from a female music critic’s perspective.
In a world where lines are blurred, and the love of music can often intersect with the love of the musicians, the film fascinatingly captures what happens when searching for the right story becomes a discovery of oneself.
Ferriera blew audiences away during 2024’s SXSW with Bob Trevino Likes It, winning both the Narrative Feature Grand Jury and Audience Awards. She delivers another outstanding performance here.
4. Family Movie
It’s quite clear that the Bacon family is all extremely talented, so putting them together in a movie seems like a no-brainer. The beauty of Family Movie, which stars Kyra Sedgwick, Sosie Bacon, and Travis Bacon, is that everything about it makes it feel like a real family affair.
Written by Dan Beers, Kevin Bacon directs (both onscreen and in real life) while he and his family make a low-budget horror movie (both onscreen and in real life). Bacon and Sedgwick play actors (Jack and Ellen, respectively) who onboard their children, Ula (Sosie Bacon), an actress trying to make her own mark, and their musician son, Trent (Travis Bacon), in an effort to make one last slasher film in a race to catch the perfect “Blood Moon” shot.
As the Smith family films, chaos ensues, murders happen, and the truth about their family is revealed. Along with Liza Koshy, John Carroll Lynch, Jackie Earle Haley, Andrea Savage, Austin Amelio, and Scoot McNairy, this ensemble proves that comedy and gore go together like peanut butter and jelly. With hints of 1994’s Serial Mom, Family Movie is fun, outrageous, and charming. It’s a bloody good time!
3. Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice
What’s better than Vince Vaughn and James Marsden in a sci-fi/action/comedy? Two Vince Vaughns, James Marsden, and Eiza González in a hilariously exciting onscreen adventure that will have you howling as you go along for the ride.
From director/screenwriter BenDavid Grabinski and producer Andrew Lazar, this R-rated romp plays with time travel, friendship, love, and gangsters in a way that doesn’t take itself too seriously, all while making you feel like the impossible is actually possible.
This movie easily made it to the top of my SXSW list. In true escapism fashion, this ensemble, including Keith David, Jimmy Tatro, Stephen Root, Lewis Tan, Ben Schwartz, Emily Hampshire, and Arturo Castro plays into the story in a way that will leave you delightfully entertained. Can we get a sequel already?!
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice made its world premiere in Austin, but you can watch it now on Hulu.
2. Power Ballad
Cue the applause for director John Carney. The love for the Once director is real and was in the air in the Paramount Theatre when his latest film made its SXSW premiere. Power Ballad hits theaters on May 29, making it one of the most anticipated films of the summer. Rightfully, so. It hits all the right notes as audiences left singing its praises.
Who knew Paul Rudd would be so lovable as a middle-aged wedding singer named Rick, living life overseas with his wife and daughter, still pondering his past and what his future could have been, as his one-hit wonder days are long behind him? Well, most of us can already tell from that description that this was a role Rudd was born to play. When Rick meets Danny (Nick Jonas), whose boy band days are quickly moving behind him as he desperately tries not to fade into obscurity, the situation seems to be fated for both.
The meet-cute between the two holds potential for a sweet onscreen bromance, but things take a sharp turn when Danny “borrows a few bars” from his so-called new friend. With Peter McDonald, Marcella Plunkett, Havana Rose Liu, and Jack Reynor, Power Ballad has all the right ingredients. Not only do we get to hear Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas duet, but we also get a feel-good story that is entertaining, fun, and sweetly satisfying.
- Seekers of Infinite Love
Director/writer Victoria Strouse delivers a heartwarming comedy that set the tone early on in the festival. Seekers had its world premiere at the Zach Theater with an enthusiastic cast appearing on stage.
This film had been in the works for over a decade, with other contenders such as Jennifer Aniston set to star. Instead, Emmy-winner Hannah Einbinder (Hacks), came into the picture and knocked it out of the park. Einbinder plays Kayla Bachman, an anxiety-ridden writer who joins forces with her estranged siblings Zach (John Paul Reynolds), and Wes (Griffin Gluck), to rescue their sister Scarlett (Justine Lupe) who joined a doomsday cult in Kentucky, helmed by an enigmatic leader, played by Greg Kinnear.
The dysfunctional family dynamics are enough to laugh at, but you add in Justin Theroux as cult deprogrammer Rick Delacroix, who has been hired by the family to save Scarlett, and you hit pure comedy gold. This film will make you laugh out loud, and you will walk away smiling. It’s an absolute delight and did everything a good movie should do. Strong cast, solid story, a fulfilling arc — Seekers wins the top prize for me.
In the documentary department, Awards Buzz nods went to:
Jack Johnson: SURFILMUSIC for giving audiences a beautiful and inspirational look into how the artist’s lived experience and relationships took him from surfer to filmmaker to musician.
The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, which is an eye-opening look at AI and its impact on us. This is brought to us by Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell, Academy Award–winning teams from Everything Everywhere All at Once (Daniel Kwan and Jonathan Wang) and Navalny (Shane Boris and Diane Becker). It’s a must-see. It gives audiences a much-needed understanding of how the world as we know it is changing.
The Ascent, which won the Audience Award at SXSW for best documentary feature, is also at the top of the list. Mandy Horvath’s story is one that needed to be told. The film examines the mysterious circumstances around how she lost her legs at age 21 and her incredible attempt to crawl to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The Ascent will leave you in awe.
There was so much to try to take in at SXSW, it’s impossible to do it all. Other films on my wish list, such as Brian, I did not get to see, nor did I see TV shows such as The Audacity and The Comeback, which I fully intend to stream. And while I had high hopes of watching a few comedy shows, I couldn’t figure out how to fit even one in. I did, however, get to eat some pretty incredible barbecue and take in a cool, acoustic set from Passion Pit. All in all, I rate this whole SXSW experience as one of the best.
Thanks, Austin. See you next year!
