5 Films to Watch at SXSW 2026

I didn’t travel to Austin, Texas, last year for SXSW, but am once more in 2026. The slate this time includes 120 feature films—with 90 world premieres—and plenty more. On top of the Film & TV Festival, there’s also Comedy, Innovation, and Music, with each conference presenting a variety of exhibits, panels, mentoring sessions, and keynote speakers. Everything runs concurrently now, from March 12-18. Below, I mention 5 films that I’ve already seen, courtesy of advance screeners.

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Anima (Brian Tetsuro Ivie)

In Anima, director Brian Tetsuro Ivie (Emanuel) gently explores the metaphysics of regret in a near future where one’s memories (and, possibly, consciousness) can live on; if you have the money to make it happen. Sydney Chandler (Don’t Worry Darling) stars as Beck, a recently unemployed young woman hired to accompany Paul (Takehiro Hira, Captain America: Brave New World), a terminally ill button executive, on his journey to the company that will simultaneously euthanize and preserve him. Along the way, Paul tries to make up for lost time and repaid damaged relationships. It’s a moving journey.

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The Ascent (Francis Cronin/Edward Drake/Scott Veltri)

On July 26, 2014, Mandy Horvath was run over by a locomotive engine in Steele City, Nebraska. How she ended up, unconscious, on the tracks, remains a mystery to this day, though some of that is explored in the new documentary The Ascent, from directors Francis Cronin, Edward Drake (Guns Up), and Scott Veltri. Most of the movie’s focus, however, is on the life Horvath has lived since, as a bilateral amputee (she lost both legs in the accident). The spine of the narrative follows her on a climb to the peak of Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro. Filled with equal amount riddles and inspirational moments, The Ascent also features beautiful cinematography of Africa’s highest peak.

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Manhood (Daniel Lombroso)

No one obsesses over penis size as much as men with average to small genitalia. For those unfortunate souls who cannot reconcile themselves to what Mother Nature gave them, there are, in the 21^st-century, a variety of procedures that can help. In the documentary Manhood, from director Daniel Lombroso (White Noise), we mostly learn about one of them, PhalloFILL®, pioneered by one of the film’s primary subjects, Bill Moore, based in Dallas, Texas. He can’t change length, but with a series of injections can increase girth to a not-insignificant degree. It’s a bittersweet tale, emphasizing the many ways in which men can feel inadequate and the complicated treatments that may not actually make them happier.

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Same Same but Different (Lauren Noll)

If you like your romantic comedies filled with broad humor and manic shenanigans, then Same Same but Different should be right up your alley. Director Lauren Noll, making her feature debut and working from a script by one of the movie’s stars, Dalia Rooni (I Know What You Did Last Summer), centers the narrative on a trio of friends, all of Iranian background. Nadia (Rooni) and Set (Layla Mohammadi, The Persian Version) are both American, but Rana (Medalion Rahimi, Skincare) needs a Green Card to stay in the States. Fortunately, Adam (Logan Miller, Psycho Killer), the son of her wealth employer, has fallen in love with her, and she with him (well, sort of). What ensues is a madcap wedding gathering where tears and laughter are shed in tandem and good times are had by most everyone.

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Your Attention Please (Sara Robin)

Social media is trash. It has effectively ruined the human race and will most likely lead to our early destruction. That’s my opinion, but director Sara Robin, in her feature debut Your Attention Please, presents a lot of concurring thoughts through her large cast of talking-head experts. There’s Tristan Harris, Vivek Murthy, Trisha Prahbu, Tobias Rose-Stockwell, Sherry Turkle, and many more, including the parents of children who have killed themselves after being bullied online. Our attention is very much needed, especially given how divided it has become. Will we survive? Watch and decide for yourself.