Each year, creatives from around the world submit Feature, Short, TV Series and other projects for the chance to screen at the SXSW Film & TV Festival in front of press, industry, and enthusiastic audiences.
Submissions closed on October 3, 2023. While you await the announcement of the 2024 lineup, get to know the Screening Categories and Sections that makeup the SXSW Film & TV Festival's iconic program and will brighten screens from March 8-16 in Austin, TX.
Stay tuned for new and exciting SXSW Film & TV Festival announcements coming in early 2024.
Feature Competition (Narrative/Documentary)
World premieres with unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling and/or real world stories that demonstrate innovation, energy and bold voices.
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: These 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.
Shorts Competition (Narrative / Documentary / Animated)
A selection of original, well-crafted films that take advantage of the short form and exemplify distinctive and genuine storytelling. Featuring slices of life from across the documentary spectrum, fantastical fiction, traditional animation, stop-motion, and everything in-between.
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.
TV
Presenting world premieres of prestige serials slated for release and accompanied by show-runners, directors, and cast members introducing fresh work from bright new talent, many with an eye towards finding production, completion funds, or a release platform.
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.
XR Experience
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.
Screening Sections
- XR Experience Competition: World Premieres of exciting, immersive, reality-bending work.
- XR Experience Spotlight: Shining a spotlight on acclaimed immersive projects from around the world.
- XR Experience Special Event: One-of–a-kind events not to be missed!
Stay tuned for the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival lineup coming in early 2024. Explore the Film & TV Submissions FAQ to learn more about the submissions process, premiere status, eligibility, and more.
Take a look back at past SXSW Film & TV Festival moments below and explore our Festival Archive and Film & TV Awards recipients.
