HBO may have said adios to Los Espookys (one of the most befuddling of David Zazlav’s many recent cancellations), but its co-creator Julio Torres is still booked and busy. The South by Southwest film lineup is out, and Torres’s new film, Problemista — produced by Emma Stone and starring himself and Tilda Swinton — obviously made the cut. While Torres went from TV to movies, director Boots Riley went from movies to TV. The Sorry to Bother You director premieres his new series, I’m a Virgo, at the festival — a fantastical coming-of-age story about a Black man living in Oakland who’s 13 feet tall. Emmy winner Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us, Moonlight) stars. Paramount’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, a stand-alone entry to the Dungeons & Dragons IP universe (yes, I’m talking about the board game!), opens the festival. This year’s SXSW also has the newest film in the Evil Dead indie franchise and two directorial debuts from Eva Longoria and Brittany Snow. The festival runs from March 10 to 18 in Austin. Here’s the full lineup, below.
Headliners
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Dir. Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley)
A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Cast list: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Chloe Coleman, and Daisy Head (Opening Night World Premiere)
Evil Dead Rise (Dir. Lee Cronin)
Evil Dead Rise tells a twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Sutherland and Sullivan, whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable. Executive producers include Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Cast list: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, and Nell Fisher
Problemista (Dir. Julio Torres)
Alejandro (Torres) is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast (Swinton) becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream. From writer-director Julio Torres comes a surreal adventure through the equally treacherous worlds of New York City and the U.S. Immigration system. Cast list: Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton, and RZA (World Premiere)
Flamin’ Hot (Dir. Eva Longoria)
Flamin’ Hot is the story of Richard Montañez, the Frito Lay janitor who channeled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global phenomenon. Cast list: Jesse Garcia, Annie Gonzalez, Dennis Haysbert, Emilio Rivera, Tony Shalhoub, Matt Walsh, Pepe Serna, Bobby Soto, Jimmy Gonzales, and Brice Gonzalez (World Premiere)
Narrative Feature Competition
I Used to Be Funny (Dir. Ally Pankiw)
Sam, a stand-up comedian struggling with PTSD, weighs whether or not to join the search for Brooke, a missing teenage girl she used to nanny. Cast list: Rachel Sennott, Olga Petsa, Jason Jones, Sabrina Jalees, Caleb Hearon, Ennis Esmer, and Dani Kind (World Premiere)
Late Bloomers (Dir. Lisa Steen)
An aimless 28-year-old Brooklynite lands in the hospital after drunkenly breaking her hip being stupid. An encounter with a cranky elderly Polish woman who speaks no English leads to a job caring for her. Neither likes it, but it’s time to grow up. Cast list: Karen Gillan, Margaret Sophie Stein, Jermaine Fowler, Kevin Nealon, and Talia Balsam (World Premiere)
Mustache (Dir. Imran J. Khan)
It’s the mid-’90s, and 13-year-old Pakistani-American Ilyas is forced out of his cushy Islamic private school and thrown into public school with non-Muslim kids, all while suffering daily through life with his inescapable prepubescent Mustache. Cast list: Atharva Verma, Rizwan Manji, Alicia Silverstone, Hasan Minhaj, Meesha Shafi, and Ayana Manji (World Premiere)
Parachute (Dir. Brittany Snow)
Riley is determined to recover from her addictions to food and body image when she soon falls for another addiction, Ethan. Cast list: Courtney Eaton, Thomas Mann, Francesca Reale, Gina Rodriguez, Joel McHale, Scott Mescudi, Dave Bautista, Jennifer Westfeldt, Kathryn Gallagher, Chrissie Fit, and Kelley Jakle (World Premiere)
Pure O (Dir. Dillon Tucker)
A young screenwriter-musician grapples with Pure O, a lesser-known form of OCD, while juggling his recent engagement and his day job at a high end Malibu drug rehab. Inspired by the filmmaker’s personal true story. Cast list: Daniel Dorr, Hope Lauren, Landry Bender, Jeff Baker, Candice Renee, Breon Gorman, Tim Landfield, Isaac Nippert, Devon Martinez, and Clint James (World Premiere)
Raging Grace (Dir. Paris Zarcilla)
A bold coming-of-rage story where Joy, a Filipino immigrant, and her daughter Grace encounter a darkness that threatens all they have worked for. Cast list: Maxine Eigenman, Leanne Best, and David Hayman (World Premiere)
Scrambled (Dir. Leah McKendrick)
A broke, single millennial unleashes an existential shitstorm when she freezes her eggs. Cast list: Leah McKendrick, Ego Nwodim, Andrew Santino, Clancy Brown, Laura Ceron, Yvonne Strahovski, June Diane Raphael, Adam Rodriguez, Brett Dier, and Sterling Sulieman (World Premiere)
Story Ave (Dir. Aristotle Torres)
After running away from home, a teenage graffiti artist holds up an unsuspecting MTA worker in a robbery gone right that changes their lives forever. Cast list: Asante Blackk, Luis Guzmán, Alex Hibbert, Melvin Gregg, Coral Peña, Cassandra Freeman, and Hassan Johnson (World Premiere)
Documentary Feature Competition
Angel Applicant (Dir. Ken August Meyer)
A sick man discovers empathetic wisdom on how to cope with his deadly autoimmune disease within the colorful expressive works of the late Swiss-German modern artist, Paul Klee. (World Premiere)
Another Body (Dir. Sophie Compton, Reuben Hamlyn)
Another Body follows a college student after she discovers deepfakes of herself circulating online. (World Premiere)
Geoff McFetridge: Drawing a Life (Dir. Dan Covert)
What defines a life? The iconic work of artist Geoff McFetridge is everywhere. But this film is more than a primer on his career—it’s about the choices we confront in trying to lead meaningful lives, and how we use our most precious resource: time. (World Premiere)
Join or Die (Dir. Rebecca Davis, Pete Davis)
A film about why you should join a club—and why the fate of America may depend on it. Follow the story of America’s civic unraveling through the work of Robert Putnam, whose legendary Bowling Alone findings light a path out of our democracy’s crisis. (World Premiere)
Pay or Die (Dir. Rachael Dyer, Scott Ruderman)
3 American families are on the receiving end of a ransom note. Their journeys reflect how lives are being threatened and taken by the soaring price of insulin, and reveal the harrowing reality of life with illness in the richest country in the world. (World Premiere)
Queendom (Dir. Agniia Galdanova)
Gena, a queer artist from a small town in Russia, dresses in otherworldly costumes and protests the government on the streets of Moscow. She stages radical performances in public, which becomes a new form of art and activism – and puts her life in danger. (World Premiere)
Riders on the Storm (Dir. Jason Motlagh, Mark Oltmanns)
A young horseman battling to make his name and keep a family tradition alive in the ancient sport of buzkashi learns that fame is a gift and a curse as the Taliban take control of Afghanistan and threaten his life. (World Premiere)
You Were My First Boyfriend (Dir. Cecilia Aldarondo, Sarah Enid Hagey)
In this high school reunion movie turned inside out, filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo relives her tortured adolescence, wondering if she remembered it all wrong. (World Premiere)
Narrative Spotlight
Bloody Hell (Dir. Molly McGlynn)
A teenage girl gets diagnosed with a reproductive condition that upends her plans to have sex and propels her into exploring unusual methods to have a sex life, challenging her relationships with everyone in her life, but most importantly, herself. Cast list: Maddie Ziegler, Emily Hampshire, Djouliet Amara, Ki Griffin, and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (World Premiere)
Deadland (Dir. Lance Larson)
A U.S. Border Patrol Agent tries to apprehend the ghost of his father, a grave decision that will haunt him forever. Cast list: Roberto Urbina, McCaul Lombardi, Julieth Restrepo, Kendall Rae, Luis Chavez, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Manuel Uriza, and Chris Mulkey (World Premiere)
Down Low (Dir. Rightor Doyle)
Down Low is an outrageous comedy about one wild night, a deeply repressed man, the twink who gives him a happy ending, and all the lives they ruin along the way. Cast list: Zachary Quinto, Lukas Gage, Simon Rex, Sebastian Arroyo, Christopher Reed Brown, Audra McDonald, and Judith Light (World Premiere)
Frybread Face and Me (Dir. Billy Luther)
An 11-year-old city boy is sent to his grandmother’s ranch on the Navajo reservation against his will. He is introduced to a new way of life, and an unexpected guest teaches him the importance of family, tradition, and what it means to be a man. Cast list: Kier Tallman, Charly Hogan, Martin Seinsmeir, Kahara Hodges, Ryan Begay, and Sarah Natani (World Premiere)
If You Were the Last (Dir. Kristian Mercado)
Adrift in their broken-down space shuttle with little hope of rescue, a male and female astronaut argue over whether they’re better off spending their remaining days as friends or something more. Cast list: Anthony Mackie, Zoë Chao, Natalie Morales, and Geoff Stults (World Premiere)
Self Reliance (Dir. Jake Johnson)
Given the opportunity to participate in a life or death reality game show, one man discovers there’s a lot to live for. Cast list: Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Andy Samberg, Natalie Morales, Christopher Lloyd, Wayne Brady, GaTa, Emily Hampshire, Mary Holland, and Boban Marjanović (World Premiere)
Upon Entry (Dir. Alejandro Rojas, Juan Sebastián Vásquez)
Upon their arrival at Newark’s airport with their approved residence visas, Diego and Elena are unexpectedly held and subjected to an interrogation by border agents who attempt to discover whether the couple may have something to hide. Cast list: Alberto Ammann, Bruna Cusí, Ben Temple, and Laura Gómez (North American Premiere)
Documentary Spotlight
A Disturbance in the Force (Dir. Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak)
Travel back to a galaxy far, far away—the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special. Dive into the mystery of how it happened and why 45 years later it has become, much to the chagrin of George Lucas, the ultimate cult classic among Star Wars fans. (World Premiere)
The Arc of Oblivion (Dir. Ian Cheney)
The Arc of Oblivion illuminates the strange world of archives, record-keeping, and memory through a filmmaker’s quixotic quest to build an ark in Maine. (World Premiere)
Being Mary Tyler Moore (Dir. James Adolphus)
Being Mary Tyler Moore explores Mary’s vanguard career, who, as an actor, performer, and advocate, revolutionized the portrayal of women in media, redefined their roles in show business, and inspired generations to dream big and make it on their own. (World Premiere)
Confessions of a Good Samaritan (Dir. Penny Lane)
Director Penny Lane’s decision to become a “Good Samaritan” by giving one of her kidneys to a stranger turns into a funny and moving personal quest to understand the nature of altruism. (World Premiere)
Great Photo, Lovely Life (Dir. Amanda Mustard, Rachel Beth Anderson)
A photojournalist turns her lens on the decades of sexual abuse her family and community experienced at the hands of her grandfather in this unflinching portrait of intergenerational trauma, family secrets, and redemption. (World Premiere)
The Herricanes (Dir. Olivia Kuan)
The Houston Herricanes were a women’s full-tackle football team from the 1970’s whose fight to play the game continues to resonate with female athletes today. (World Premiere)
The Lady Bird Diaries (Dir. Dawn Porter)
From award-winning filmmaker Dawn Porter comes The Lady Bird Diaries, a groundbreaking documentary film that uses Lady Bird’s audio diaries to tell the story of one of the most influential and least understood First Ladies in history. (World Premiere)
Last Stop Larrimah (Dir. Thomas Tancred)
Nestled deep in the Australian Outback is the town of Larrimah and its 11 eccentric residents. When one of them mysteriously disappears into thin air, the remaining residents become suspects and a long history of infighting is unveiled. (World Premiere)
The New Americans: Gaming a Revolution (Dir. Ondi Timoner)
The New Americans is a visceral, meme-driven journey at the intersection of finance, media, and extremism, which uncovers the connection between the Gamestop squeeze and the Jan 6th Insurrection and reveals explosive possibilities of our digital future. (World Premiere)
Periodical (Dir. Lina Lyte Plioplyte)
Periodical is an eye-opening documentary that examines science, politics, and mystery of the menstrual cycle, through the experiences of doctors, athletes, movie stars, journalists, activists, and everyday people. (World Premiere)
Who I Am Not (Dir. Tünde Skovrán)
There is male, there is female, and then there is I. Born male and female within one single body, a beauty queen and a male-presenting activist break the intersex taboo through a personal and intimate exploration of truth, faith, and belonging. (North American Premiere)
Midnighters
Aberrance (Dir. Baatar Batsukh)
An estranged couple takes a retreat in the woods. Foreboding neighbors, frivolous friends, and dark unseen forces lead to a shocking conclusion. Cast list: Erkhembayar Ganbat, Selenge Chadraabal, Yalalt Namsrai, Oyundary Jamsranjav, Sukhee Ariunbyamba, Bayarsanaa Batchuluun, and Badamtsetseg Batmunkh (North American Premiere)
Brooklyn 45 (Dir. Ted Geoghegan)
In the months following World War II, five old military friends are talked into an impromptu séance, which brings to troubling light each of their haunted pasts. Cast list: Anne Ramsay, Ron E. Rains, Jeremy Holm, Larry Fessenden, Ezra Buzzington, and Kristina Klebe (World Premiere)
It Lives Inside (Dir. Bishal Dutta)
An Indian-American teenager struggling with her cultural identity has a falling out with her former best friend and, in the process, unwittingly releases a demonic entity that grows stronger by feeding on her loneliness. Cast list: Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa, Mohana Krishnan, Betty Gabriel, and Vik Sahay (World Premiere)
Late Night With the Devil (Dir. Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes)
A live television broadcast of a popular late night talk show in 1977 goes horribly wrong during a demonstration of demonic possession, unleashing evil into the nation’s living rooms. Cast list: David Dastmalchian (World Premiere)
Monolith (Dir. Matt Vesely)
All you have to do is listen. A disgraced journalist turns to podcasting to try and rebuild her career — but her rush to generate headlines soon uncovers a strange artifact, an alien conspiracy, and the lies at the heart of her own story. Cast list: Lily Sullivan (International Premiere)
Talk to Me (Dir. Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou)
Lonely teenager Mia gets hooked on the thrills of conjuring spirits through a ceramic hand, but when she is confronted by a soul claiming to be her dead mother, she unleashes a plague of supernatural forces. Cast list: Sophie Wilde, Miranda Otto, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji, Zoe Terakes, and Chris Alosio (Texas Premiere)
The Wrath of Becky (Dir. Matthew Angel, Suzanne Coote)
After living off the grid for two years, Becky finds herself going toe to toe against Darryl, the leader of a fascist organization, on the eve of an organized attack. Cast list: Lulu Wilson, Seann William Scott, Matt Angel, Courtney Gains, Aaron Della Villa, Michael Sirow, Denise Burse-Fernandez, Jill Larson, and Kate Siegel (World Premiere)
TV Premieres
I’m a Virgo (Showrunner: Boots Riley)
This is a fantastical coming-of-age joyride about a 13ft-tall young Black man who lives in Oakland, CA. It’s called I’m A Virgo. Cast list: Jharrel Jerome, Brett Gray, Kara Young, Allius Barnes, Olivia Washington, Walton Goggins, Mike Epps, and Carmen Ejogo (World Premiere)
Mrs. Davis (Showrunner: Tara Hernandez)
Mrs. Davis is the world’s most powerful Artificial Intelligence. Simone is the nun devoted to destroying Her. Who ya got? Cast list: Betty Gilpin, Jake McDorman, and Andy McQueen (World Premiere)
Slip (Showrunner: Zoe Lister-Jones)
Restless inside a marriage that totally works, Slip follows Mae through a fantastical journey of parallel universes as she enters new relationships, trying to find her way back to her partner, and ultimately, herself. Cast list: Zoe Lister-Jones, Tymika Tafari, Whitmer Thomas, Amar Chadha-Patel, and Emily Hampshire (World Premiere)
TV Spotlight
Blindspotting season-two premiere (Showrunner: Rafael Casal)
Ashley was nipping at the heels of a middle-class life in Oakland until Miles, her partner and father of their son, was suddenly incarcerated, forcing her to move in with his mother and sister as she attempts to navigate the chaos of her life while trying to be a fun mom for her son…with mixed results. Cast list: Jasmine Cephas Jones, Helen Hunt, Benjamin Earl Turner, Atticus Woodward, Jaylen Barron, Candace Nicholas-Lippman, Rafael Casal, Margo Hall, April Absynth, and Lance Holloway (World Premiere)
