Summer 2024 is going to be sizzling with some of the hottest SXSW Film & TV Festival Official Selection releases in theaters and on streaming services. Build your must-watch queue with the films and television series that had festival goers lined up around the block. Literally.
If big laughs are what you're after, catch The Fall Guy, a David Leitch film starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt; Babes featuring the hilarious Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau; and Hacks: Season Three Premiere, where Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder join forces in the name of comedy. Or cuddle up to heartwarming Official Selections like Michael Showalter's whirlwind romance starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine in The Idea of You and National Geographic's outrageously adorable Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story, and more.
The Idea of You
World Premiere Narrative Feature 2024
The Idea of You centers on Solène, a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet. When Solène must step in to chaperone her teenage daughter’s trip to the Coachella Music Festival after her ex bails at the last minute, she has a chance encounter with Hayes and there is an instant, undeniable spark. As they begin a whirlwind romance, it isn’t long before Hayes’ superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship, and Solène soon discovers that life in the glare of his spotlight might be more than she bargained for.
Available on Prime Video May 2.
Hacks: Season Three Premiere
World Premiere TV Premiere 2024
Hacks explores the dark mentorship between comedy legend Deborah Vance and an outcast young writer Ava Daniels. Deborah and Ava learn to put their differences aside and come together through a shared love of comedy. Through the lens of their intergenerational bond Hacks examines the plight of the female comic and the brave women that paved the way. At its core, Hacks is always about the unique and complicated bond between these two characters.
Streaming May 2.
The Fall Guy
World Premiere Narrative Feature 2024
Ryan Gosling stars as Colt, a stuntman who, after a near-career-ending accident, is drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget movie—being directed by his ex, Jody (Emily Blunt)—goes missing. Now, this working-class hero has to solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job. What could possibly go right? Inspired by the hit 1980s TV series, The Fall Guy is directed by the blockbuster director of Bullet Train and Deadpool 2, David Leitch.
In Theaters May 3 and VOD May 21.
I Saw The TV Glow
Texas Premiere Narrative Feature 2024
Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.
In theaters May 3.
This World is Not My Own
World Premiere Documentary Feature 2023
Chewing gum sculptures, a wealthy gallerist, a firebrand wrestler, a notorious murder case and the segregated south – it’s all part of Nellie Mae Rowe’s boundless universe. This World is Not My Own reimagines this self-taught artist’s world and her life spanning the 20th century.
In theaters May 3.
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
World Premiere Documentary Feature 2024
A heart-warming story of the love between a wild otter, Molly, and her devoted rescuer, Billy, set in the remote Scottish islands of Shetland.
National Geographic Broadcast Premiere May 6, streaming on Disney+/Hulu May 7.
Black Twitter: A People's History
World Premiere TV 2024
Based on Jason Parham’s Wired article “A People’s History of Black Twitter,” this three-part series charts the rise, the movements, the voices, and the memes that made Black Twitter an influential and dominant force in nearly every aspect of American political and cultural life.
Streaming on Hulu May 9.
Gasoline Rainbow
North American Premiere, Narrative Feature 2024
With high school in the rearview, five teenagers from small-town Oregon decide to embark on one last adventure. Piling into a van with a busted tail light, their mission is to make it to a place they’ve never been — the Pacific coast, five hundred miles away. Their plan, in full: “Fuck it.”
In Theaters May 10 and streaming May 31.
Babes
World Premiere Narrative Feature 2024
After becoming pregnant from a one-night stand, Eden leans on her married best friend and mother of two, Dawn, to guide her through gestation and beyond.
In theaters May 17.
STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A.
World Premiere TV Premiere 2024
STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A. tells the story of an underdog, interracial record label that ushered in the groundbreaking music of Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, The Staple Singers, Sam & Dave and many others. Defying the notion that Black artists needed to be “made marketable,” the Memphis-based label went from ultimate outsider to one of the record industry’s most influential producers of soul music. It's a quintessentially American story of an audacious group of individuals who dared to make their own music on their own terms creating an institution that has continued to help define our culture long after the label itself has gone.
Streaming on HBO May 20.
The Last Brunch
World Premiere Narrative Short 2024
Sometimes you don't realize how thirsty you are until it's right in front of you. From Jim Cummings, who wrote, directed, and starred in the 2018 SXSW Grand Jury Prize Winning feature film, Thunder Road.
Vimeo Staff Pick Available Now.
MoviePass, MovieCrash
World Premiere, Narrative Feature 2024
MoviePass, MovieCrash chronicles the origin story, meteoric rise and stranger-than-fiction implosion of the theatrical movie subscription app, MoviePass.
Streaming on HBO May 29.
Backspot
World Premiere, Narrative Feature 2024
Riley, a mid-level cheerleader, is given an opportunity to cheer for the Thunderhawks. With a competition looming, Riley must navigate her crippling anxiety, her relationship with her girlfriend and her desperate need for approval from her new coach.
May 31
The Young Wife
North American Premiere, Narrative Feature 2023
The story of a young woman grappling with the meaning of love in the face of an uncertain world, The Young Wife is a sunny day panic attack and a wholly new take on the wedding film following her over the course of her “non-wedding” day.
Available to rent or buy on digital platforms May 31.
Ren Faire
World Premiere TV Premiere 2024
When the ailing king of America’s largest renaissance festival declares his retirement, an epic power struggle ensues between an actor, a former elephant trainer, and a kettle-corn kingpin to claim his throne.
Streaming on HBO June 2.
Late Bloomers
World Premiere Narrative Feature 2023
An aimless 28 year-old Brooklynite lands in the hospital after drunkenly breaking her hip being stupid. An encounter with a cranky elderly Polish woman who speaks no English leads to a job caring for her. Neither likes it, but it's time to grow up.
Available in select theaters, Apple TV, Prime Video and more, June 7.
How Music Got Free
World Premiere Documentary Feature 2024
How Music Got Free is a documentary by Alex Stapleton, that reveals the true story of Dell Glover, a CD factory worker turned piracy pioneer, who sparked a global file-sharing revolution.
Available in on Paramount+ June 11.
Ghostlight
World Premiere Narrative Feature 2024
When a construction worker unwittingly joins a local theater's production of "Romeo and Juliet", the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life.
In theaters June 14.
Queendom
World Premiere Documentary Feature 2023
In defiance of Russia’s anti-LGTBQ laws, a queer, 21-year-old artist risks her life performing in surreal costumes throughout Moscow. Jenna Marvin’s radical public performances blend artistry and activism in this SXSW documentary.
In theaters June 14.
I Used to Be Funny
World Premiere Narrative Feature 2023
I Used To Be Funny is a dark dramedy that follows Sam Cowell (Rachel Sennott), an aspiring stand-up comedian and au pair struggling with PTSD, as she decides whether or not to join the search for Brooke (Olga Petsa), a missing teenage girl she used to nanny. The story exists between the present, where Sam tries to recover from her trauma and get back on stage, and the past, where memories of Brooke make it harder and harder to ignore the troubled teen’s sudden disappearance.
In theaters June 7, VOD June 18.
Cora Bora
World Premiere Narrative Feature 2023
Starring breakout Megan Stalter (Hacks) and directed by Hannah Pearl Utt, follows Cora (Megan Stalter), a millennial struggling to find her path as a musician while on the rocks in her open relationship. Making one mistake after another and literally offending everyone around her, Cora finds a new alternative from the path she’s been on.
In theaters June 14, VOD July 14.
Fancy Dance
Texas Premiere, Narrative Feature 2023
Following her sister's disappearance, a Native American hustler kidnaps her niece from the child's white grandparents and sets out for the state powwow in the hopes of keeping what’s left of her family intact.
In select theaters June 21 and streaming on Apple TV+ June 28.
Confessions of A Good Samaritan
World Premiere, Documentary Feature
Director Penny Lane's decision to become a "Good Samaritan" by giving one of her kidneys to a stranger turns into a funny and moving personal quest to understand the nature of altruism.
In select theaters June 28.
Chronicles of a Wandering Saint
World Premiere, Narrative Feature
In a tiny rural village in Argentina, Rita Lopez, a pious yet insatiably competitive woman, discovers that staging a miracle could be her ticket to sainthood.
In select theaters June 28 and TVOD on August 16.
The Choice
North American Premiere, XR Experience
Debate about reproductive rights is often heated. But behind every family planning decision there is a human story. Using volumetric capture technology and creative design, this film lets us see from a different perspective the emotional and complex nature behind one woman’s Choice. In this unique VR documentary viewers will meet Kristen, a young Native American woman from Austin, TX who dreams of raising a family but instead finds herself facing a painful system that forces women into dehumanizing situations just to survive.
Available on the Meta Quest store.
Watch SXSW On Demand
Go beyond sessions, showcases, and screenings during exclusive interviews at the SXSW Studio with Host Juju Green. Watch Conference Keynotes and select Featured Sessions on our official SXSW YouTube Channel. Browse the full list of available content and stay tuned for more event recaps.
