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Festival coverage

South by Southwest

12 March – 18 March 2026

This year's edition of the South by Southwest film festival is marked by a mixture of big name movies and intriguing indies. There's a sizeable dose of genre and a small but powerful line-up of documentaries.

The festival runs from 12 to 18 March.

Other years (7)

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • I Love Boosters
    Review preview for I Love Boosters

    I suspected there'd be ideas introduced that lesser films would attempt to spin out while this grabbed another and another and another, and so it came to pass.

    Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
    A crew of professional shoplifters takes aim at a cutthroat fashion maven.
  • Grind
    Review preview for Grind

    We move from one subject and set of characters to another, but the pacing, energy, horror and humour are perfectly in key, and the whole is a perfect delight.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    A horror anthology tackling the modern work landscape through four timely perspectives – the hustle culture of an MLM, the endless repetitiveness of a food delivery driver, the online horrors of a content moderator, and the unionisation of a coffee shop.
  • The Peril At Pincer Point
    Review preview for The Peril At Pincer Point

    Joseph Field Eccles and Nick Smyth’s sound design...is magnificent from start to finish, and full of playful touches.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A lazy sound designer is sent to the remote island where a film was shot to capture a sound powerful enough to elevate its finale. Once there, eerie local fables surface: for years, ambitious and headstrong youth have lost their souls to a ghostly sea captain for his spectral crew.
  • A Safe Distance
    Review preview for A Safe Distance

    An accomplished first feature for director Gloria Mercer.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A woman abandoned in the woods by her boyfriend after she turns down his marriage proposal is taken in by a mysterious couple.
  • Power Ballad
    Review preview for Power Ballad

    Taking care of business is rarely as emotional, but it's part of Power Ballad's exploration of authenticity.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    When a past-his-prime wedding singer meets a fading boy-band star during a gig, the two bond over music and a late-night jam session, but then the former star turns one of the wedding singer’s songs into the hit that reignites his career.
  • Obsession
    Review preview for Obsession

    Obsession is not just a real indicator of talent but an absolute treat.

    Andrew Robertson · 4.5 out of 5
    A desperate wish for love goes terribly wrong.
  • The Snake
    Review preview for The Snake

    Although it’s dealing with potentially grim situations – homelessness, codependency, petty crime – the film is consistently entertaining.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    When an ungovernable fortysomething wild child collides with her venomous mother, her life blows up spectacularly, leaving her evicted and single.
  • Crash Land
    Review preview for Crash Land

    There’s a considerable sensitivity and intelligence to this film, underlying its glorious stupidity.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Three friends have spent their childhoods drinking, wreaking havoc, and filming crude stunts in their small town. Everyone hates them. Wanting to finally prove their lives have meaning, they decide to make a 'real movie'.
  • Fifteen
    Review preview for Fifteen

    Ricardo Álvarez Canales and Andrzej Rattinger’s dialogue is wonderfully observed and the two leads give lively, fresh performances which make them feel like real 14-year-old girls, looking at the world in a way most adults forget.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A reimagining of the quinceañera as a chaotic mix of comedy and creature horror.
  • Pizza Movie
    Review preview for Pizza Movie

    It’s an uneven film, emerging as a series of comedy skits before gradually melding them into a coherent story.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    It’s a Friday night and two college students plan to do drugs and order pizza. But when the home-made drug they ingest turns out to be wilder than expected, the simple journey down two flights of stairs becomes a mind-bogglingly transformative quest.

A–Z of South by Southwest 2026 reviews

Features

  • Deep water
    Millicent Hailes and Ksusha Genenfeld on intimacy, immersion and Perfect
  • Trying on masks
    Paloma Schneideman on antipodean summers and Big Girls Don't Cry
  • Spirit of the age
    Arabella Oz on jealousy, therapy and Mallory's Ghost
  • Power and desire
    Gloria Mercer, Bethany Brown and Tandia Mercedes on A Safe Distance
  • Sugaring the pill
    Brea Grant, Ed Dougherty and Chelsea Stardust on Grind
  • Hustle horror
    Barbara Crampton on comedy, horror, corporate culture and Grind
  • In ascension
    Isaac 'Drift' Wright and Deon Taylor on climbing, spiritual development and Drift
  • Number one suspect
    Peter Warren on mental illness, living with uncertainty, and Kill Me
  • Reaching new heights
    Mandy Horvath, Edward Drake and Scott Veltri on a mystery, a mountain and The Ascent