SXSW

Brian emerges as one of SXSW 2026’s most relatable films, blending comedy, anxiety, and real-life experiences into a story that resonates with everyone.

Kickin’ It With Tyree recaps SXSW 2026 with interviews, red carpets, and standout films shaping the future of film, music, and culture.

Zimbabwean-born, London-based musician Zola Marchelle discusses ancestry, jazz improvisation, and representing “the soil and the bloodline” through music in this SXSW conversation.

Filmmakers Hannah Shealy and Celine Sutter discuss their SXSW pilot Birth Is for Pussies, a comedy inspired by real-life doula experiences and the unpredictable world of childbirth.

Director Mekhai Lee discusses his SXSW short film Them That’s Not, a powerful story about deaf identity, family reconciliation, and grief inspired by Billie Holiday’s God Bless the Child.

XR creator Amit Palgi discusses Cycle, an immersive VR experience premiering at SXSW that uses dance and motion capture to explore the repeating patterns of life.

Deepa Mann-Kler discusses her SXSW XR experience The Baby Factory Is Closed, an immersive virtual reality project exploring menopause, embodiment, and women’s power through innovative storytelling.

Director James McCall discusses creating Doechii’s ambitious “Anxiety” music video, featured in the SXSW Music Video Competition. The cinematic project visualizes the looping experience of anxiety through choreography, set design, and precise camera movement.

Kiana Naghshineh discusses her SXSW animated short IM AUTO TAPES UND BUTTERBROT, a personal film about grief, memory, and confronting mortality through animation.

Co-director Sidney Fussell discusses #WHILEBLACK at SXSW, a documentary examining how viral videos of police brutality impact witnesses, communities, and the social media platforms that circulate them.

Houston artist SunnithaRapper talks about her journey from group performer to solo rapper and the lessons she learned navigating the music industry at South by Southwest.

At SXSW 2026, Australian writer and director Renee Marie Petropolis joins actor Emily Grant to discuss Souvenir, a nostalgic yet unsettling short set during the summer of 2008. Shot at a resort frozen in time, the film explores queer identity, blurred consent, and the power dynamics behind image control in the early days of digital cameras and social media. Together, they unpack how teenage memory, vulnerability, and control collide in a story about recognizing and reclaiming

Director Chloé Rochereuil discusses Crafting Crimes: The Mona Lisa Heist at SXSW, an immersive mixed reality experience that lets audiences reconstruct one of history’s most famous art thefts through miniature crime scenes and interactive storytelling.

Director Ryan Darbonne discusses Shut the F**k Up! When We Speak, his SXSW documentary exploring Black punk musicians reclaiming space in a genre rooted in rebellion.

At SXSW 2026, Dutch documentary filmmaker Kiriko Mechanicus premieres How to Catch a Butterfly, a deeply personal exploration of yellow fever, racialized desire, and the performance of identity. Sparked by the Atlanta spa shooting, the film moves beyond headlines to examine how fetishization operates as a mirror, inviting audiences to reflect on their own roles within systems of attraction, shame, and power.

Niki Harman discusses Love Lost Hotel at SXSW, an immersive XR installation where participants record anonymous messages about lost love, heartbreak, and memory through cinematic storytelling.

At SXSW 2026, writer and director Kit Steinkellner premieres Are We Still Married?, a sharp genre bending independent pilot that uses a vampire premise to explore trust, reinvention, and the emotional negotiations of marriage. Inspired by a real life bat bite and years spent in development, Steinkellner steps behind the camera to create a contained, cinematic story about what happens when love reaches an impasse.

Jennifer Holness discusses #WHILEBLACK at SXSW, a documentary exploring citizen journalism, viral Black trauma, and the emotional impact of witnessing racial violence in the digital age.

At SXSW, animation director Anna Ginsburg premieres HAG, a bold hand drawn short about feminine rage, fertility pressure, and reclaiming the word monster. Inspired by Medusa and modern dating culture, the film explores what happens when a woman refuses to shrink herself to fit society’s expectations. In this conversation, Ginsburg breaks down the personal breakdown that sparked the story and how transformation becomes liberation.