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Festival coverage

South by Southwest

11 March – 20 March 2022

The go to festival for new and original works coming to screens around the world in 2022 and beyond.

This year's SXSW runs from 11 to 20 March.

Other years (7)

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • The Thief Collector
    Review preview for The Thief Collector

    What begins as a spirited romp goes to dark places before it’s done

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    A documentary exploring the mystery behind the infamous 1985 heist of Willem de Kooning’s seminal painting, Woman-Ochre.
  • 32 Sounds
    Review preview for 32 Sounds

    If you listen closely to what this film has to say, you won’t listen to the world the same way afterwards.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A meditation on the power of sound to bend time, cross borders, and profoundly shape our perception of the world around us.
  • Linoleum
    Review preview for Linoleum

    By the time that West is ready to show his hand directly, most viewers will be so wrapped up in Linoleum that that details will scarcely matter.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    When a satellite falls from orbit and crashes into the suburban home of a dysfunctional family in Ohio, the father seizes the opportunity to fulfil his dream of becoming an astronaut by re-building it into his own rocket ship. While his wife and daughter believe he's experiencing a midlife crisis, surreal events begin to unfold around him.
  • Marcel The Shell With Shoes On
    Review preview for Marcel The Shell With Shoes On

    The puppetry here is brilliantly done.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Marcel, a one-inch-tall shell, lives a miniature life with his grandma Connie and their pet lint, Alan. When the trio goes viral, they get millions of fans and new hope for finding their long-lost family.
  • I Love My Dad
    Review preview for I Love My Dad

    One of the best things about cinema is that it encourages us to feel empathy for others, but in a case like this, one hopes that it will not contribute to gaslighting for people currently in vulnerable situations.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    Blocked on social media and concerned for his son’s life, a father impersonates a waitress online and starts checking in with the boy. But things begin to spiral when his son falls for this imaginary girl.
  • Slash/Back
    Review preview for Slash/Back

    If you only see two films about young indigenous women fighting aliens this year, make sure that this is one of them.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A group of teenage girls living in the sleepy hamlet of Pangnirtung, Nunavut, discover an impending alien invasion and set out to defend their homeland.
  • Soft & Quiet
    Review preview for Soft & Quiet

    The easy flow of de Araújo’s film and the intensity of its characters makes it easy to miss just what an impressive achievement it is at a technical level.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    An afternoon in the life of Emily, a female white supremacist and elementary school teacher.
  • The Pez Outlaw
    Review preview for The Pez Outlaw

    It’s small, sweet and not exactly filling, but it will definitely leave you with a craving for more.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Steve Glew spent the 1990s smuggling rare pez dispensers into the USA from Eastern Europe, making millions of dollars. It was all magical until his arch-nemesis, The Pezident decided to destroy him.
  • Mama Bears
    Review preview for Mama Bears

    Kyi has a sharp eye for the little details of people’s homes and unconscious behaviours which enrich our understanding of who they are.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    A documentary about two conservative, Christian mothers who have become fierce advocates for LGBTQ+ people—and a young lesbian whose struggle for self-acceptance exemplifies why the mama bears are so important.
  • What We Leave Behind
    Review preview for What We Leave Behind

    The pace is slow, in keeping with the rhythms of Julián’s life. Often the camera simply waits, taking in the changing light or the animals going to and fro.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    After a lifetime of bus rides to the US to visit his children, Julián quietly starts building a house in rural Mexico. In filming his work, his granddaughter crafts a personal and poetic love letter to him and his homeland.

A–Z of South by Southwest 2022 reviews

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