The upcoming SXSW Conference and Festival, running from March 8-16, is stacked with premieres for some of the most highly anticipated films and television programming releasing this year. Austin, TX, the home to this world-famous festival, could not be a more perfect backdrop, as the atmosphere, music, and food are all some of the best in the country.
This year’s film festival portion of the week offers too much to take in. Feature films, short films, documentaries, television shows, music videos, and immersive virtual and augmented reality are all available for viewing when you aren’t attending a conference, one of the dozens of live musical performances, eating amazing BBQ, or sleeping. In fact, with all the events taking place, sleeping might not make the To-Do list when the time comes.
The most anticipated of the feature films to release this year will likely be The Fall Guy, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, Babes, written by Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz, and the remake of Roadhouse, staring Jake Gyllenhaal. But the American market is far from the only representative at the festival. Bionico’s Bachata from the Dominican Republic, The Black Sea from Bulgaria, and Cuckoo from Germany are just a few of the many foreign feature film screenings to catch during the week.
SXSW will also be hosting the premieres of several new and recurring television shows. Star Trek: Discovery will have its final season premiere, along with new shows like Ren Faire and Black Twitter. However, the most anticipated new TV is likely to be 3 Body Problem from the Game of Thrones showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The series is based on the best-selling novel of the same name and looks to be an interesting foray into a brand-new sci-fi realm.
Even if time is limited and you cannot make a theatrical or television screening, there should still be plenty of opportunities to catch a viewing of a music video, short film, or extended reality (XR) experience. After all, when the award ceremony comes around at the end of the week, it would be nice to have seen some of the winning entries.
The entirety of SXSW is produced in such a way that you are never too far away from a venue, and transportation between them is readily accessible if you need to get somewhere. Getting into as many screenings as possible will be the top priority, but there is a very high likelihood that distractions by way of live musical performances and in-depth conferences will need to be explored. No matter what, the 2024 SXSW looks to be quite the engagement.
