Yee-haw! That’s a wrap on the 2023 SXSW Conference & Festivals!
We want to give a Texas-sized THANK YOU to all of the registrants, staff, crew, volunteers, artists, speakers, filmmakers, innovators, disrupters, dreamers, two Captain Kirks, one Baba Yaga, and our wonderful Austin community.
SXSW 2023 was one for the books! For 10 days in Austin, global creatives stepped into different worlds across tech, film, and music to discover new inspiration, create cross-industry connections, and imagine what could be for our shared future.
The Conference highlighted some of the most inspired thinkers and industry leaders across 25 tracks and SXSW community-curated sessions. At the crux of each day’s programming were powerful presentations by Keynotes including actor and best-selling author Priyanka Chopra Jonas; humanitarian, culinary innovator, and founder of World Central Kitchen José Andrés; Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert; Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton; pioneering Manchester band New Order; multi-hyphenate Hollywood icon and award-winning actor William Shatner; and Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Margo Price. Plus, a Keynote from NASA where they revealed a never-before-seen image from space via the James Webb Space Telescope.
Among the Featured Speakers were OpenAI Co-founder Greg Brockman; co-creators of Blindspotting Rafael Casal and Daveed Digg; the Second Gentleman of the United States Douglas Emhoff; comedian Chelsea Handler; Academy Award-nominated actor and producer Robert Downey Jr.; human rights activist Martin Luther King III; renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel; and many more.
The Film & TV Festival rolled out the red carpet with provocative dramas, documentaries, TV pilots, shorts, and genre standouts. World Premieres included Opening Night film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, directed and co-written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, as well as Janine Nabers and Donald Glover's Swarm as the Opening Night TV Premiere. Plus, Lee Cronin's Evil Dead Rise; Jake Johnson's Self Reliance; Adele Lim's Joy Ride; Eva Longoria's Flamin' Hot; Emma Seligman's Bottoms; David E. Kelley's Love & Death; Julio Torres' Problemista; and a special screening of John Wick: Chapter 4; to name only a smattering of the high-caliber films and television that hit the SX screens. After nine days, the grand finale featured Lee Sung Jin’s Beef as the Closing Night TV Premiere and the surprise debut of Ben Affleck's AIR as the Closing Night Film.
At the Film & TV Awards, we celebrated the collaboration between filmmakers and designers honoring the winners of the 2023 Jury and Special Awards including Narrative Feature Raging Grace directed by Paris Zarcilla; Documentary Feature Angel Applicant directed by Ken August Meyer; TV Pilot Grown directed by Jocko Sims; and more. Plus, audience votes were counted from screenings all week long to reveal the 2023 Audience Awards Winners.
Our hearts were extra full following the Academy Awards on Sunday where the 2022 SXSW Opening Night Film, Everything Everywhere All At Once won seven Oscar Awards, including Best Picture. (Cue a round of hotdog fingers applause.)
Taking the stage at the Music Festival, we turned up the sound with new, developing, and established Showcasing Artists across all genres from local to international acts. This year's audible feast included Manchester legends New Order; Japanese punks Otoboke Beaver; Swiss Latin instrumentalists Hermanos Gutiérrez; South Korean rapper Beenzino; Colombia’s Paraísos; singer-songwriter from Derry, Northern Ireland SOAK; French-Korean singer/songwriter spill tab; NYC rock trio Sunflower Bean; pop sibling duo The Lemon Twigs; and hundreds more. We rocked out to Presenter-curated showcases from Atomic Music Group, Billboard, British Music Embassy, Don Giovanni Records, Fire Records, FOCUS Wales, Gorilla vs Bear, Jazz re:freshed Outernational, Pop Montreal, M for Montreal, Music From Ireland, New West Records, Rolling Stone, and beyond.
The Music Festival wrapped up with the announcement of the 2023 Grulke Prize winners – Developing U.S. Act: Blondshell; Developing Non-U.S. Act: Balming Tiger; and Career Act: The Zombies.
The Comedy Festival brought us a week full of laughs as we celebrated the next wave of groundbreaking comedic talent and applauded established greats. From stand-up and sketch to improv and podcast recordings, participants included Eric André, Anthony Atamanuik, Todd Barry, Matt Besser, Katherine Blanford, Abbi Jacobson, Sam Jay, Bob Odenkirk, Patton Oswalt, Nick Thune, Reggie Watts, and (you guessed it) more.
Hundreds of exhibitors from around the world gave us a glimpse of the future with cutting-edge technology at the SXSW Creative Industries Exhibition as well as numerous other world-class Exhibitions. We also celebrated the winners of the many prestigious Awards categories including SXSW Pitch, Innovation Awards, and the Community Service Awards.
SXSW 2023 was filled with ample opportunity to explore, learn, discover, cut a rug, and leave inspired. We hope you enjoyed each exciting moment IRL, URL, and even in XR. Take a look back at 10 days of SXSW magic through our Photo Galleries.
Now begins the preparation for 2024 (after a marathon of sleep and some tacos to refuel). We look forward to seeing you again March 8-16, 2024 in Austin, TX for the 2024 SXSW Conference & Festivals.
Applications for SXSW 2024 participation opportunities open later this summer beginning with SXSW PanelPicker®. Stay tuned for more event updates and 2024 registration information throughout the year.
On behalf of all of us at SXSW, thanks for joining us for another groundbreaking event. We can't wait to see you next year!
SXSW On Demand
Rewind SXSW 2023 and relive exciting events over and over on our YouTube channel. Get cozy in your SXSW Merch and dive into Daily Highlights, exclusive interviews from the SXSW Studio, and more Conference clips from SXSW 2023. Plus, listen to audio recordings from Conference Sessions on the SXSW Schedule.
Stay tuned to SXSW News for more full-length videos and continued event recaps from speakers, red carpet premieres, and performances.
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Paramount Marquee for SXSW 2024 – Photo by Tico Mendoza
