South by Southwest, aka SXSW, announced its complete slate of films – including The Accountant 2 and Death of a Unicorn.
Since its start in 1987, South by Southwest (SXSW, or “South by” to locals) has grown along with the then-small town of Austin into an international festival showcase of film, TV, music, and technology. The film festival features both world premieres of the next big movies along with indie film debuts of the next generation of filmmakers. The festival is Academy Award qualifying, meaning the winners of the Narrative, Animated, and Documentary Short Competitions can go on to be nominated for Oscars. There is a lot to choose from with 96 Features and 57 Short Films screening across the week-long festival.
SXSW 2025 Headliners
This star-studded category screens at The Paramount Theatre on Congress Avenue. The celebrities greet waiting fans before walking the red carpet and talking to the press. This year’s selection includes:
Features
There are even more features to watch across different categories: the Narrative Feature Competition, Narrative Spotlight, Midnighter (late-night genre movies), Visions (auteur, experimental movies), 24 Beats Per Second (music and culture-focused works), Global, and Festival Favorite sections provide something for everyone to enjoy. Since SXSW is the world premiere for many of these movies, there is not much public information about each film. However, that’s part of the fun. Discovering your new favorite movie, then seeing the filmmakers and stars walk out afterward to talk about it is an incredible experience.
Shorts
Screenings are broken down into the Narrative Short Competition, Animated Short Competition, Midnight Short Competition, and Texas Short Competition categories. Each screening block features a selection of shorts, so you’ll be able to watch many of the films at once. The Texas Shorts Competition features films made in, about, or connected to Texas, and is a great way to promote Texan filmmakers. As with the features section, there is not much promotional material for these shorts, so you get to discover new films with a blank slate. Films are chosen from a huge submission pool, so the SXSW team curates and shows you only the best.
SXSW 2025 will be taking place from March 7th through March 15th. View SXSW Badge levels + prices + more information here.
CHECK OUT OFF RECORD MEDIA’S 2024 COVERAGE 🙂
I am an Austin, TX-based photographer and filmmaker. I moved from Houston to attend the University of Texas at Austin, where I graduated in 2022. I'm a lifelong music lover and spend tons of time attending shows and making music. Some current favorites are Sophie May, Farmer’s Wife, and K. Flay.