Feature Film Screening Sections
Narrative Feature Competition: World premieres with unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling.
Documentary Feature Competition: World premieres with real world stories that demonstrate innovation, energy and bold voices.
Headliner:
Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film events with major and rising names in cinema.
Narrative Spotlight:
High profile narrative features receiving their World, North American, or U.S. premieres at SXSW.
Documentary Spotlight:
Shining a light on new documentary features receiving their World, North American, or U.S. premieres at SXSW.
Visions:
Visions filmmakers are audacious, risk-taking artists in the new cinema landscape who demonstrate raw innovation and creativity in documentary and narrative filmmaking.
Midnighter:
Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark features for night-owls and the terminally curious.
24 Beats Per Second:
Showcasing the sounds, culture and influence of music and musicians, with an emphasis on documentary.
Global:
A diverse selection of International filmmaking talent, featuring innovative narratives, artful documentaries, premieres, festival favorites, and more.
Festival Favorite:
Acclaimed standouts and selected previous premieres from festivals around the world.
Special Event:
Live soundtracks, cult re-issues, and much more. Our Special Events section offers unusual, unexpected, and unique one-off film events.
TV Screening Sections
TV Premiere:
Presenting world premieres of prestige serials slated for release and accompanied by show-runners, directors, and cast members.
Independent TV Pilot Competition:
A pilot showcase introducing fresh work from bright new talent, many with an eye towards finding production, completion funds, or a release platform.
TV Spotlight:
Presenting world premieres of new seasons of prestige series or studio backed projects seeking distribution.
Short Film Screening Sections
Narrative Short Competition:
A selection of original, well-crafted films that take advantage of the short form and exemplify distinctive and genuine storytelling.
Documentary Short Competition:
Slices of life from across the documentary spectrum.
Animated Short Competition:
An assortment of stories told using traditional animation, computer-generated effects, stop-motion, and everything in-between.
Midnight Short Competition:
Bite-sized bits for all of your sex, gore, and hilarity cravings.
Music Video Competition:
A range of classic, innovative, and stylish work showcasing the scope of music video culture.
Texas Short Competition:
An offshoot of our regular narrative shorts program, composed of work shot in, about, or somehow relating to the Lone Star state.
XR Experience Screening Sections
XR Experience Competition, XR Experience Spotlight, and XR Experience Special Event:
The immersive arts are finding new ways to enhance our ability to perceive the world that surrounds us, and in many instances they are redefining how we experience the world. The projects presented in our XR Experience emphasize ingenuity, storytelling, and also showcase how other industries are embracing this new medium.
