The 2024 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival kicks off today in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1987, this annual March event combines music and comedy showcases, film and television screenings, tech competitions, awards ceremonies, and more. While it’s more than just a film festival, the movie screenings often take center stage. Some of the most popular films of the past few years have made their debut at SXSW. We’re going to take a look at this year’s headliners as well as some favorite films from our collection that originally premiered at SXSW.
2024 Headliners
Babes
Director: Pamela Adlon
After becoming pregnant from a one-nightstand, Eden leans on her married best friend and mother of two, Dawn, to guide her through gestation and beyond.
Cast: Ilana Glazer, Michelle Buteau, Hasan Minhaj, John Carroll Lynch
Civil War
Director: Alex Garland
An adrenaline-fueled thrill ride through a near-future fractured America balanced on the razor’s edge.
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman
The Fall Guy
Director: David Leitch
Colt Seavers, a battle-scarred stuntman, is drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget studio movie—directed by his ex, Jody Moreno—goes missing.
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Winston Duke, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Stephanie Hsu
The Idea of You
Director: Michael Showalter
Based on the acclaimed, contemporary love story of the same name, 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. Based upon the book by Robinne Lee.
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine, Ella Rubin, Reid Scott, Annie Mumolo, Viktor White, Raymond Cham, Jaiden Anthony, Dakota Adan, Perry Mattfeld, Mathilda Gianopoulos, Jordan Aaron Hall
Immaculate
Director: Michael Mohan
A devout American nun embarks on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Her warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.
Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Dora Romano, Benedetta Porcaroli, Giorgio Colangeli, Simona Tabasco
Monkey Man
Director: Dev Patel
Dev Patel achieves an astonishing directing debut with this action thriller about a man’s vengeance against the men who murdered his mother.
Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikandar Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Adithi Kalkunte, Makarand Deshpande
Road House
Director: Doug Liman
In this adrenaline-fueled reimagining of the 80s cult classic, ex-UFC fighter Dalton takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Joaquim de Almeida, Conor McGregor, Lukas Gage, Arturo Castro, B.K. Cannon, Beau Knapp, Darren Barnet, Dominique Columbus, Bob Menery, Catfish Jean, Kevin Carroll, Travis Van Winkle, Hannah Love Lanier
Y2K
Director: Kyle Mooney
On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Years Eve party, only to find themselves fighting for their lives in this dial-up disaster comedy.
Cast: Rachel Zegler, Jaeden Martell, Julian Dennison, Lachlan Watson, Daniel Zolghadri, Mason Gooding, The Kid Laroi
Previous SXSW Films in the AU Collection
While you may not be able to watch the films premiering at SXSW 2024 just yet, you can watch some old favorites from previous iterations of the festival. All of the movies listed below are currently available on DVD for members of the AU community to check out.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Us (2019)
Director: Jordan Peele
Booksmart (2019)
Director: Olivia Wilde
A Quiet Place (2018)
Director: John Krasinski
Blockers (2018)
Director: Kay Cannon
Baby Driver (2017)
Director: Edgar Wright
Furious 7 (2015)
Director: James Wan
Chef (2014)
Director: Jon Favreau
Evil Dead (2013)
Director: Fede Álvarez
21 Jump Street (2012)
Director: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Director: Drew Goddard
Bridesmaids (2011)
Director: Paul Feig
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Knocked Up (2007)
Director: Judd Apatow
Hellboy (2004)
Director: Guillermo del Toro