What star-studded movies, TV shows, documentaries to see at SXSW 2023 in Austin
Buzzy screen appearances from Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu. A surreal TV offering from Donald Glover. What is this, 2022?
We kid. South by Southwest Film & TV Festival returns for 2023 with one of the most exciting slates we can remember, and the familiar faces are more than welcome. The annual celebration of the latest and greatest in screen entertainment runs across Austin theaters from March 10-18.
Of course, picking your favorites from the schedule is like trying to find the shiniest coin in Scrooge McDuck's swimming pool. We swam through the lineup and rounded up our critics' picks. Not saying they'll all be winners, but they're the films that most piqued our interest. (We usually have pretty good noses for this stuff.)
Check the full SXSW Film & TV Festival lineup at sxsw.com; there are a lot more short films and XR experiences to see, too. Get full coverage of the festival at statesman.com.
If you’re looking for movies with lots of big stars
“Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”
Alright, nerds. The most infamous (and probably popular) tabletop role-playing game in history gets yet another roll of the dice at an onscreen adaptation. This time, Chris Pine plays a bard, Michelle Rodriguez a barbarian and Hugh Grant a rogue. Rising stars Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith and Sophia Lillis also star. The world premiere will be SXSW’s opening night film.
(6 p.m. March 10 at Paramount)
— E.W.
“Problemista”
Without a doubt the movie for which we here at Team 360 are most hyped. Mad comedy genius Julio Torres (“Los Espookys,” “My Favorite Shapes,” the funniest part of most movies) writes and directs and stars in the story of an immigrant from El Salvador who must hitch his wagon to an art world outcast, played by SXSW keynote speaker Tilda Swinton, to stay in the country. Emma Stone produces. We expect a touch of the surreal with a soupçon of scathing social commentary. World premiere.
(9:30 p.m. March 13 at Paramount)
— E.W.
“Tetris”
Taron Egerton (“Rocketman”) leads Apple Original Films’ origin story of everyone’s favorite slowly descending Soviet bricks. Apparently, it involves a “dangerous web of lies and corruption behind the Iron Curtain,” according to the description. World premiere.
(6 p.m. March 15 at Paramount; 5:15 p.m. March 16 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
More:Robert Rodriguez to screen early version of 'Hypnotic,' shot in Austin with Ben Affleck, at SXSW
“Parachute”
Actress Brittany Snow, who was just at SXSW last year for Ti West's “X,” makes her feature directorial debut with a romantic drama about a couple of effed-up people who latch onto each other after stints in jail and rehab. The cast is stacked with delights, including Courtney Eaton (“Yellowjackets”), Gina Rodriguez (“Jane the Virgin”), Joel McHale (“Community”), Dave Bautista (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), Jennifer Westfeldt (“Kissing Jessica Stein”) and Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, who starred with Snow in “X.” World premiere.
(7:15 p.m. March 11 at Alamo Lamar; 11:30 a.m. March 13 at Zach; 2:30 p.m. March 16 at Stateside)
— E.W.
“Late Bloomers”
Though most viewers know Karen Gillan as a fiery companion in “Doctor Who” or a socially awkward cyborg assassin in “The Guardians of the Galaxy,” she’s a daring performer capable of very complex, risky stuff — see 2018’s “The Party’s Just Beginning.” We’re hoping for a similar turn in this dramedy about an aimless young woman who ends up caring for a cranky old Polish lady. World premiere.
(6:45 p.m. March 10 and 2:45 p.m. March 13 at Alamo Lamar; 12:12 p.m. March 16 at Zach)
— E.W.
“Down Low”
The only SXSW title with the word “twink” in its official description (maybe the first?), director Rightor Doyle (“Bonding”) takes Zachary Quinto and Lukas Gage on a one-crazy-night comedy adventure. To make things even gayer, Simon Rex (“Red Rocket”) co-stars, as do icons Audra McDonald and Judith Light. World premiere.
(2:45 p.m. March 11 at Zach; 2:30 p.m. March 15 at Stateside; 10 p.m. March 17 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
“Self Reliance”
The Lonely Island boys executive produce “New Girl” star Jake Johnson’s feature directorial debut; the erstwhile Nick Miller also wrote the screenplay and stars. The comedy sounds like a cross between “Squid Game” and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and the cast is starry. Come for Johnson’s schlubby charm, stay for Anna Kendrick, Andy Samberg, Natalie Morales, Christopher Lloyd, Wayne Brady, Emily Hampshire and NBA player Boban Marjanović. World premiere.
(6:30 p.m. March 11 at Paramount; 2 p.m. March 13 at Alamo Lamar; 9:15 p.m. at Zach)
— E.W.
“The Young Wife”
The official description for this drama programmed in the fest’s Visions track calls the film a “sunny day panic attack.” Filmmaker Tayarisha Poe assembled a stacked, eclectic cast, including Kiersey Clemons (“Somebody I Used to Know”), Kelly Marie Tran (“The Last Jedi”), Michaela Watkins (“Saturday Night Live”), Aya Cash (“You’re the Worst”), Sandy Honig (“Three Busy Debras”) and Lovie Simone (“Selah and the Spades”). Oh, and Sheryl Lee Ralph and Judith Light (famous for being themselves) and Fort Worth soul star Leon Bridges. World premiere.
(11:30 a.m. March 12 at Alamo Lamar; 3 p.m. March 14 at Rollins; 9 p.m. March 16 at AFS Cinema)
— E.W.
More:Statesman's Deborah Sengupta Stith, Eric Webb will be part of SXSW 2023
If you’re looking for something scary or weird to watch
“Evil Dead Rise”
OK, banning books is bad, but if there’s one book that needs a trip to the furnace, it’s the demon-beckoning volume at the center of Sam Raimi’s cult classic horror franchise. Raimi and original “The Evil Dead” star Bruce Campbell executive produce Lee Cronin’s fifth installment.
(9:30 p.m. March 15 at Paramount)
— E.W.
“Hail Mary”
The story of Mary and Joseph gets swirled into a border tale, which finds a mysteriously pregnant migrant woman and her carpenter companion fleeing from a deadly virus, border patrol and an evil man named Baal. We love a high concept. World premiere.
(9 p.m. March 13 and 8:30 p.m. March 14 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
“Only The Good Survive”
Texas-raised filmmaker Dutch Southern directed this twisty-sounding thriller where a young woman (Sidney Flanigan of “Sometimes Always Never”) makes a chilling discovery in the rural parts of the Lone Star State and is sucked into a QAnon-style cult’s sticky web.
(6 and 6:30 p.m. March 10 at Violet Crown; 9:15 p.m. March 12 and 12:30 p.m. March 14 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
“Brooklyn 45”
World War II — with its occult-obsessed demagogues and arrival at a time when fantastical imaginations boomed through comic books, radio shows and film serials — has always been ripe for genre exploitation. Writer-director Ted Geoghegan intrigues with this midnighter about a 1945 séance in a Brooklyn brownstone gone horribly wrong.
(10 p.m. March 12, noon March 14 and noon March 17 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
“Furies”
Writer-director Veronica Ngo’s action-drama follows three Vietnamese girls trained by a mysterious mentor to take down a crime syndicate abusing women. Sounds like something Quentin Tarantino would film using tracing paper. (A compliment.)
(10:30 p.m. March 12 and 10 p.m. March 16 at Alamo Lamar; 2:45 p.m. March 15 at Zach)
— E.W.
“Late Night With the Devil”
We’re a sucker for the niche genre of “unsettling surrealism that looks like a vintage-style TV broadcast.” (See “Give Me Pity!” at last year’s Fantastic Fest.) Filmmakers Colin and Cameron Cairnes unleash famous unsettling guy David Dastmalchian (“The Suicide Squad”) in this horror about a desperate 1970s talk show host who accidentally unleashes evil through the airwaves on Halloween. World premiere.
(10:30 p.m. March 10 and 6:15 p.m. March 15 at Alamo Lamar; 11:30 a.m. March 13 at Stateside)
— E.W.
“Talk To Me”
A24 has already picked up this monkey’s paw-esque scary story about a group of friends who tamper where they shouldn’t; namely, in the domain of an embalmed hand that conjures spirits. Coulda told ’em that was a no-go. Texas premiere.
(10 p.m. March 10, 6:45 p.m. March 12 and 4 p.m. March 15 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
“Molli And Max In The Future”
Billed as a cross between “When Harry Met Sally” and “Futurama,” Michael Lukk Litwak’s sci-fi rom-com is led by Zosia Mamet (“Girls”) and Aristotle Athari (gone too soon from “Saturday Night Live”), with familiar funny folks like Arturo Castro, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, Aparna Nancherla and Matteo Lane along for the space ride. World premiere.
(11:30 a.m. March 11 at Stateside; 5:30 and 6 p.m. March 14 at Violet Crown; 11:15 a.m. March 18. at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
More:A 'Yellowjackets' activation is coming to SXSW, and we're freaking out
If you’re looking for a movie with laughs
“Bottoms”
Director Emma Seligman reunites with her “Shiva Baby” accomplice Rachel Sennott for a high school comedy about two girls (Sennott and Ayo Edebiri) who start a fight club in hopes of hooking up with cheerleaders. Sennott also co-wrote the script with Seligman, and they are both funnier than most people you know. World premiere.
(9:30 p.m. March 11 at Paramount; 9:15 p.m. March 15 at Zach)
— E.W.
“I Used to Be Funny”
More Rachel Sennott! A dark comedy-drama, “I Used to Be Funny” casts her as a stand-up comedian grappling with PTSD and the disappearance of a girl she used to nanny. Writer-director Ally Pankiw has a great resume, with work on “Shrill,” “The Great” and “Schitt’s Creek,” and comedians Sabrina Jalees and Caleb Hearon bring their talents to the supporting cast. World premiere.
(2:30 p.m. March 13 at Alamo Lamar; 11 a.m. March 15 at Rollins; 3:30 p.m. March 17 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
“BlackBerry”
Yes, that BlackBerry. It’s about Barack Obama’s favorite phone, not the fruit. Glenn Howerton, Jay Baruchel and Cary Elwes star in Matt Johnson’s comedy from IFC Films. North American premiere.
(2:30 p.m. March 13 at Zach; 12:30 p.m. March 15 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
“Cora Bora”
We see the name Megan Stalter, we take up arms and march for our alt-comedy queen. The internet’s voice of pandemic-era id stars as a woman who goes back home to win her girlfriend back and, we assume, break many social norms. Manny Jacinto, Margaret Cho and Chelsea Peretti also star. World premiere.
(8:30 p.m. March 12 at Stateside; 8:45 p.m. March 14 at Zach)
— E.W.
“Joy Ride”
Since the brilliant Stephanie Hsu was here for SXSW last year, she became an Oscar nominee. We’re hopeful the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star’s friends-on-a-trip comedy “Joyride,” directed by Adele Lim, strikes gold, too.
(9 p.m. March 17 at Paramount)
— E.W.
More:Tilda Swinton, Robert Downey Jr., Kristen Bell added to star-studded SXSW lineup
If you’re looking for your new favorite documentary
“Queendom”
SXSW is a launchpad for some of the most vital documentaries every year, films that speak to the urgent stories of the given moment. Agniia Galdanova’s “Queendom,” about a queer performance artist who grew up in the shadow of a Soviet gulag and now protests the Russian government on the streets of Moscow, fits that bill. World premiere.
(6:30 p.m. March 11, 2 p.m. March 12 and 3 p.m. March 17 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
“The Herricanes”
Director Olivia Kuan unearths the little-told story of Houston’s all-women tackle football team of the 1970s. World premiere.
(11:45 a.m. March 11 at Zach; 11:45 a.m. at Alamo Lamar; 3:45 and 4:15 p.m. March 16 at Violet Crown)
— E.W.
“The Lady Bird Diaries”
Documentarian Dawn Porter has previously turned her lens upon civil rights heroes John Lewis and Robert Kennedy and tackled issues like the Tulsa race massacre and restrictive abortion laws. Now, she unpacks the legacy of a first lady near and dear to Austin’s heart: Lady Bird Johnson. The doc delves into Johnson’s audio diaries and promises to recast the role she played in a transformative American era. World premiere.
(5 p.m. March 10 at Zach; 6:15 p.m. March 14 at Rollins)
— E.W.
“Last Stop Larrimah”
A tiny town in Australia is home to 11 people, so when one of them vanishes, it’s pretty conspicuous. "Last Stop Larrimah” investigates the case and the town itself. World premiere.
(2:15 p.m. March 11 at Alamo Lamar; 8:15 p.m. March 13 at AFS Cinema; 5:45 p.m. March 15 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
“Satan Wants You”
Since a broad swath of Americans seem hell-bent on re-enacting the worst persecutions of the 1980s and ’90s, we might as well unpack how the Satanic Panic happened and how it’s still smearing its noxious slime on our current moment. World premiere.
(9 p.m. March 11 at Alamo Lamar; 12:30 and 1 p.m. March 13 at Violet Crown; 9 p.m. March 15 at AFS Cinema)
— E.W.
“Love To Love You, Donna Summer”
Since Beyonce sampled the queen of disco on the last track of her album “Renaissance,” now is a great time for HBO to give Donna Summer the bio-doc treatment. U.S. premiere.
(5:45 p.m. March 11 and 9 p.m. March 15 at Alamo Lamar; 8:30 p.m. March 12 at AFS Cinema)
— E.W.
“Going Varsity in Mariachi”
I was fortunate to see Alejandra Vasquez and Sam Osborn’s beautiful short “Folk Frontera” last year as a judge in the Texas shorts contest (it won the category). The filmmakers now give us an underdog story about a South Texas high school’s mariachi team. Texas premiere.
(3:15 p.m. March 12 at Paramount; 5:30 p.m. March 15 at Stateside; 2:30 p.m. March 18 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
“Kokomo City”
Trans trailblazer D. Smith directs her debut feature, presenting the stories of four Black, trans sex workers. Lena Waithe serves as an executive producer. Texas premiere.
(6:30 p.m. March 13 and 9:15 p.m. March 15 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
“Little Richard: I Am Everything”
When rock & roll icon Little Richard died in 2020, it was an opportunity to assess the brilliant, complicated legacy of a gender-bending musical genius who was decades ahead of his time. Director Lisa Cortes takes on “Good Golly Miss Molly” singer as a way to dismantle the white monolith of rock history and place its creation back in the hands of Black and queer people. The description says it best: “Throughout his life, Richard careened like a shiny cracked pinball between God, sex, and rock n' roll — he was unabashedly everything.” Texas premiere.
(2:45 p.m. March 13 at Stateside; 6:15 p.m. March 16 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
“STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie”
He broke out on the small screen ("Family Ties") and quickly became a teen idol and huge movie star, too (the "Back to the Future" series, "The American President," to name just a few). He's worked steadily, including great turns as a repeat guest on "The Good Wife," but Fox might be just as well known now for his work as an advocate for Parkinson's disease. He revealed his diagnosis publicly in 1991. "Still" uses a combination of "documentary, archival and scripted elements" to let Fox and his family tell their story, both the public and private sides. Texas premiere.
(3 p.m. March 14 at the Paramount Theatre)
— S.C.
“A Disturbance in the Force”
We were on a "Star Wars" high, but damn if my brothers and I didn't love the "Star Wars Holiday Special" when we watched its one and only airing in 1978. We thought it would be a yearly classic on TV, like "The Grinch" and those Rankin/Bass specials. I don't remember it being any more trippy than when Miss Jessica sings in "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" or the whole Cain and Abel of Heat Miser and Snow Miser. Maybe kids aren't the most discerning critics when it comes to Wookiees; the "Special" was panned by adults and never officially screened again. "A Disturbance in the Force" promises to answer how and why this underground classic ever got past George Lucas and made. World premiere.
(8:45 p.m. March 11 at Alamo Lamar; 11 a.m. March 14 at Zach; 6 p.m. March 15 at AFS Cinema)
— S.C.
“Being Mary Tyler Moore”
Mary Tyler Moore means so much to so many people, especially women. That includes me, someone who watched reruns of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and thought, “Oh, OK, that’s what life as a career gal will be like. Seems great!” She was a trailblazer on and off the screen, a feminist who didn’t like the word but could quote Betty Friedan and who helped to reveal different paths for generations after her. Through extensive archival footage and interviews with friends, family, colleagues and Moore herself, filmmakers create what feels like a solid profile of a person who often kept parts of herself private, even from herself. World premiere.
(6 p.m. March 13 at Zach; 7 p.m. March 15 at Alamo Lamar; note: SXSW changed the time of this screening from 6:45 p.m.)
— S.C.
“You Can Call Me Bill”
Captain Kirk! T.J. Hooker! Young Sharon Chapman's first celebrity crush!
William Shatner is famous for two of those roles, and many more, and the now-91-year-old participated in the making of "You Can Call Me Bill," a documentary that "strips away all the masks he has worn to embody countless characters, revealing the man behind it all." It's also likely to touch on when Shatner became the oldest person to travel into space, after he took a ride with Jeff Bezos at age 90. In his memoir, "Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder," he talked about how the experience let him grieve the state of the planet instead of celebrating an experience few have. World premiere.
(7:30 p.m. March 16 at Paramount)
— S.C.
If you’re looking for TV shows
“American Born Chinese”
If every year brings something new to watch featuring Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, perhaps the 2020s can be saved. Disney+ brings its adaptation of the hit Gene Luen Yang graphic novel to Austin. World premiere.
(3 p.m. March 15 at Paramount)
— E.W.
“Beef”
Steven Yeun and Ali Wong go head to head in this Netflix/A24 team-up about a road rage feud that careens out of control. The world premiere will close out SXSW’s TV lineup.
(4 p.m. March 18 at Paramount)
— E.W.
“I’m a Virgo”
Rapper/surrealist filmmaker Boots Riley (“Sorry To Bother You”) presents this series coming soon to Amazon, starring Emmy winner Jharrel Jerome (“When They See Us”) as a 13-foot-tall young Black man living in Oakland. World premiere.
(5:45 p.m. March 11 at Zach)
— E.W.
“Love & Death”
Austin, we know you’ve been waiting. The HBO Max series from David E. Kelley about the infamous Candy Montgomery murder case was filmed in Georgetown and Hutto. Elizabeth "Wanda Maximoff" Olsen and Austin’s Jesse Plemons star. World premiere.
(Noon March 11 at Paramount)
— E.W.
“Mrs. Davis”
Betty Gilpin (“G.L.O.W.”) plays a nun trying to destroy an advanced artificial intelligence. Pretty much sells it, no? Texas Film Awards honoree Margo Martindale plays her mother superior in the Peacock series. World premiere.
(5 p.m. March 14 at Stateside)
— E.W.
“Swarm”
Tantalizing. The Amazon series boasts creators Janine Nabors and Donald Glover (“Atlanta”); stars Dominique Fishback (the best part of “Judas and the Black Messiah”) and Chloe Bailey (“Black-ish”); and a stylish, creepy-as-hell trailer teasing a story about obsession with a Beyonce-like celebrity. And Malia Obama was in the writer’s room? Much to consider. The world premiere will open up SXSW’s TV program.
(9:45 p.m. March 10 at Paramount)
— E.W.
More SXSW movies we wanna check out
“Flamin’ Hot”
Texan Eva Longoria produced this origin story of one of America’s favorite snacks: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. World premiere.
(3:15 p.m. March 11 at Paramount)
— E.W.
“National Anthem”
Queer rodeo performers and breathtaking scenery of the Southwest collide in the feature debut from Luke Gilford, who’s directed music videos for artists like Blood Orange and Troye Sivan. World premiere.
(8:45 p.m. March 10 at Stateside; 2:15 p.m. March 13 at Rollins; 7:15 and 7:45 p.m. March 15 at Violet Crown)
— E.W.
“Upon Entry”
In this film from Spain, two immigrants are detained at the Newark airport and undergo a hellish-sounding encounter with border officers. U.S. premiere.
(8:30 p.m. March 10 and 11:30 a.m. March 16 at Alamo Lamar; 5:45 p.m. March 12 at AFS Cinema)
— E.W.
“War Pony”
Riley Keough, a stellar performer in films like “American Honey” and “Zola” (and, incidentally, the granddaughter of Elvis Presley), teams with Gina Gammell to direct the coming-of-story of two young Oglala Lakota men. North American premiere.
(3:15 p.m. March 16 at Paramount)
— E.W.
“Ek Jagah Apni”
Two transgender women search for a home, both in the housing and existential senses, in this drama from India. North American premiere.
(3:45 and 4:15 p.m. March 11, 5:15 and 5:30 p.m. March 14 at Violet Crown; 9 p.m. March 17 at Alamo Lamar)
— E.W.
How to go to SXSW Film & TV Festival
Here's what you need to know about seeing all the films and TV shows SXSW 2023 has to offer.
Venues screening films this year: Paramount Theatre, Stateside Theatre, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, Rollins Theatre at the Long Center, Zach Theatre, AFS Cinema and Violet Crown Cinema. The Fairmont Hotel will host XR events for the fest.
SXSW badges are the top of the line for admission to films. SXSW Platinum and Film & TV badges receive primary access. Music and Interactive badges receive secondary access to films. Primary access badges cost more than a grand: $1,895 for Platinum and $1,495 for Film & TV. Those prices go up $100 after March 4.
So. What's a more affordable option? Film wristbands are now on sale for Austin-area locals for $120 (later, a $150 walk-up price). If you've scored one, it offers secondary access to film screenings. Due to crowd capacity, the festival recommends the Paramount Theatre, AFS Cinema, Zach Theatre and Rollins Theatre venues as your best bets for actually getting in the door. Find all the information and purchase wristbands at sxsw.com/wristbands/film-and-tv.
Finally: There are the single-ticket sales. For $25 a pop, you can purchase those in advance for screenings at Paramount, Stateside, AFS Cinema and Zach. Check those venues' websites for more info.
Usually, the SXSW Go mobile app contains event status meters for each event, letting you know how full a screening, showcase or session is.
SXXpress passes allow registrants with badges to request priority access to individual film festival screenings and other programming. Each SXSW event is allocated a limited number of SXXpress passes, usually requested by fest-goers starting at 9 a.m. the day before the event. The passes are digital and requested through the app or the online schedule.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that "Evil Dead Rise" will make its world premiere at SXSW. It will be a special screening.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Best SXSW movies and TV shows to catch in 2023
