The 2025 SXSW Film and Television Festival is about to take over Austin, TX for the next ten days and as always, I am covering the event. SXSW is a fun festival experience because the movies that screen here are not typically awards season hopefuls but rather films that, for the most part, are made to entertain. I love this festival because of the audiences and the fact that they are attending to just have fun. I feel more festivals need to play a wider variety of genres because while most festivals tend to have a comedy here and there, the bulk of the films are heavy dramas and during such depressing times, we want to go to the movies to have a good time.
With that said, here are a combination of ten films and television shows playing at SXSW that I believe should be on everyone’s radar.
10. The Studio
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have worked together several times before but I think The Studio might be their finest outing yet. While I can’t say anything about the series due to the embargo, I will say that those who are attending the premiere at the Paramount Theater on Friday night are in for a damn good time. The show is a hilarious satire about the Hollywood Studio system but it also poses great questions about the state of industry. Did I mention that the show has cameos galore? Wait until you see who pops up in the first episode. Like I said, if this show isn’t on your radar, it should be and will very likely become a major Emmy player for Apple.
The Studio premieres Friday, March 7, 2024 at the Paramount Theater at 9:15pm.
9. Friendship
While Friendship isn’t premiering at SXSW, it is the perfect film to program at the festival. I was lucky enough to watch the film during its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last September and knew nothing about it going in. I laughed A LOT and found the film’s plot to be completely absurd but absolutely hysterical. The film stars Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd, who as one probably would expect, are comedic gold together. If you are a fan of awkward humor then this one is for you. The film already has distribution by A24 but if you get to see this with a SXSW crowd, I strongly recommend it. I know the SXSW crowd pretty well and they are going to eat this film up.
Friendship plays twice during the festival. The first showing is on on Sunday, March 9th at the Alamo Lamar at 5:30pm and the second time at 11am on March 11th at the Paramount Theater.
8. The Ballad of Wallis Island
Similar to Friendship, The Ballad of Wallis Island is not premiering at the festival but playing as a Festival Favorite. I saw the film at Sundance and it is a sweet and charming little film about life, love, and music. It is being released by Focus Features later this year but given the center plot centered around music, this is another great choice for SXSW. The story revolves around a hardcore music fan named Charles, who ends up winning the lottery and invites his favorite musicians to perform on a private island. The reunion of the bandmates, who just also happen to be ex-lovers, stirs up many emotions which causes this dream reunion to not go as smoothly as Charles initially expected.
The Ballad of Wallis Island stars Carey Mulligan, Tom Basden, and Tim Key. The film plays twice during the festival with the first showing taking place on Saturday, March 8th at 6:15pm at the Zach Theater and a second screening on March 13th at the Alamo Lamar.
7. Death of a Unicorn
It feels like an annual tradition at this point for a new A24 film to premiere at SXSW. The first time that I remember being at SXSW and seeing an A24 premiere was Spring Breakers, a film that I disliked very much but ultimately played like gangbusters at fest and was a major success for A24. This year, Death of a Unicorn premieres at the festival and as a horror comedy, the film is very likely to get quite the reaction from the crowd. This feels like an audience movie and there are no better audiences than SXSW to premiere a Horror or Comedy and this one just happens to blur the lines of both genres. I look forward to seeing the cast at the premiere because I can’t help but wonder what kind of fun viral moment they are planning to have during the premiere.
Death of a Unicorn has its World Premiere on Saturday, March 8th at the Paramount Theater. There will be one additional screening on Sunday morning at 11am at the Hyatt Regency.
6. Clown in the Cornfield
Clown in the Cornfield is one of those SXSW titles that is flying a bit under the radar but I believe is likely to make quite the splash at the festival. Similar to Death of a Unicorn in terms of blurring the lines of horror and comedy, writer/director Eli Craig is probably best known for Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, which won the Midnighter Award at the festival and is now considered a cult classic amongst genre fans. His new film, based on a 2020 book of the same name, feels like it could garner the same kind of appeal.
The book itself was so well received that the author wrote two additional books; one that was released in 2022 and a third that is currently being written. While the books are geared towards the Young Adult crowd, I do feel the film adaptation is likely to attract horror fans of all ages. To be fair, I wouldn’t be surprised if Clown in the Cornfield becomes the sleeper hit of SXSW 2025.
Clown in the Cornfield debuts at SXSW on Monday, March 10th at the Paramount Theater. The film will play one more time on Wednesday, March 12th at 2:30pm.
5. Good Boy
Good Boy’s premise suggests that the film will deliver on at least two things that I absolutely love: dogs and a high concept plot. Told from the perspective of Indy the dog, this horror thriller is a haunted house movie but the twist is that only the dog can see what happened there in the past. While I know that I will be upset if the dog ends up dying however, I do think that this is the kind of ballsy and risky high concept that we need more of nowadays. We need original ideas and whether or not the film ends up being successful in its execution, I do hope that it is going to be a film that will at very least prompt discussion.
Good Boy premieres on Saturday, March 8th at the Alamo Lamar and will have two additional screenings,; one on Monday, March 10th at 11:45am and the other on Thursday, March 14th at 11:45am.
4. O’Dessa
Anyone who knows me knows that I love musicals. When I saw that Odessa, a rock opera starring, Sadie Sink and Kelvin Harrison Jr., was debuting at the festival, I knew that I needed to see it. The film, which was funded by Searchlight Picture and will be released on Hulu, follows a farm girl who embarks on a quest to find a lost family heirloom and winds up discovering true love along the way. The film’s trailer, which was released a few weeks ago, intrigued me and this might be one of the only opportunities to see this one on the big screen.
O’Dessa premieres on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at the Paramount Theater with an encore screening set for Wednesday, March 12th at the Zach Theater beginning at 11am.
3. The Threesome
Those who have followed me over the years know that I am an avid supporter of rising talent and enjoy championing the hard work and careers of multiple actors who have consistently been on the rise over the past decade. Zoey Deutch is one of those actors and is the main reason why I added this film to my list. Deutch is one of those actors who stand out in every project that she is apart of no matter how big or small the role. She is consistently great and it sounds like this project will once again let her take center stage. I also have to admit that the plot synopsis definitely intrigues me as the it sounds like the film will have a lot to say about modern day relationships, not to mention, the choices that we make and how they can impact the future.
The Threesome premieres on Friday, March 7, 2025 at the Zach Theater at 3pm. The film will play two additional times during the festival, including a screening on March 10th at 7pm and March 11th at 11:30am.
2. Together
Together is the PERFECT and I mean PERFECT film to show at SXSW. Debuting as part of the Festival Favorites program, Together was one of my favorite films to come out of Sundance this year. The film ended up being purchased by NEON and is destined to become a horror cult classic. The film stars real life husband and wife, Dave Franco and Alison Brie, who end up moving into a new home and something creepy and mysterious begins to happen between the two of them.
This is a body horror comedy film that is a genuine crowd pleaser and will end up becoming a massive hit for NEON. The crowd at Sundance went absolutely bananas for this one so debuting this at midnight on the first night of the festival is a brilliant decision by the programming team. If you have a chance to catch this at the festival, do it. It’s a blood blast.
Together will screen at SXSW on Friday, March 7 at 11:55pm at the Paramount Theater. While I know the start time is a bit daunting, if you want to experience this film the way that it was meant to be experienced, I would highly recommend drinking a Red Bull or grabbing an XL coffee. It is sure to be one of the highlights of the festival for many. If you can’t do the late showtime, there is one more showing of the film at 9:30pm on March 13th at the Zach Theater.
1. Another Simple Favor
The original Simple Favor was a complete and total surprise. I ended up going to see it on a whim and ended up loving it. While some people might have a hard time looking past all of the Blake Lively drama in the news, I for one have no problem separating the artist from the art. Paul Feig is a tremendously talented filmmaker and this sequel looks like a ton of fun. The premise is different than the original and feels like given the unexpected success of the original, there will be a lot more surprises in store.
If nothing else, I am pretty sure that the film is going to blend mystery and comedy like peanut butter and jelly. SXSW is the perfect choice for this premiere as SXSW audiences know how to have a good time and going to have an absolute blast while watching it. I can’t wait to see it, which is why it’s my number one most anticipated film premiering at the festival.
Another Simple Favor will be released on Prime Video this May but makes it World Premiere debut at Paramount Theater on Friday, March 7, 2025 at 5:30pm. An encore screening has been set to take place on Sunday, March 8th at 11am at the Hyatt Regency Theater.
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