At SXSW, Everything Old Is New Again
For decades, when visitors arrived in Austin for South by Southwest, the first thing they did was head to the Austin Convention Center to pick up their badge. If they try that this year, they’ll be confronted with a massive hole in the ground, and that’s just the first shift to what people have come…
Music
Cure for Paranoia Comes Full Circle in SXSW Return
Over a decade into his musical career, with several South by Southwest stops under his belt, Cure for Paranoia mastermind Cameron McCloud experienced the surreal festival moment all artists dream of last year: People recognized him and showed up for his music. “We’ve played for packed rooms when it’s us opening for somebody, but it’s…
Switchfoot Is Still in the Moment
They may be nearly three decades into their career, but Switchfoot is still crossing dreams old and new off their rock star bucket list: namely, playing South by Southwest for the first time this year, and a 2025 single with pioneering blues guitarist Buddy Guy. “In all the years we’ve been a band, that was…
HNRY FLWR Summons the “Infinite Void”
It takes an odd set of ingredients to make a HNRY FLWR, but sometimes you need the strangest things to produce something that truly stands out in a world that’s seen just about everything. The man behind the project, David Van Witt, spent much of his childhood in a meditation commune – or cult, depending…
40 Musical Acts to See at SXSW 2026
A Wordless Orange Neo-psychedelic trio A Wordless Orange are translating global rhythmic trends into their own context in Wuhan, China. Their lush, bilingual tracks carry the laid-back ease of vintage soul and the suave playfulness of Afrobeat and jazz to a new genre dimension, which their Instagram bio aptly dubs “Asian-beat.” Their tranquil aesthetic takes…
Film + TV
Horror Heals a Marriage in And Her Body Was Never Found
People make movies for many reasons – fame, fortune, artistry. Mor Cohen and her husband, Polaris Banks, ended up saving their marriage when they went to the middle of nowhere to film twisty meta-horror And Her Body Was Never Found. Premiering at South by Southwest this week, it’s a literal two-hander from the Austin filmmaking…
File Under: Movies for Sickos
If someone tells you there’s a film about two burnouts hired to take a kid to rehab, you might expect a feel-good story where life lessons are learned, and everything is solved with a hug. The Shitheads is definitely not that movie. Instead, writer/director Macon Blair said, “It’s a propulsive, berserk buddy comedy,” heavily influenced…
Ready or Not, Here They Come
It’s been a long time since filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett were at South by Southwest, or even in Austin: Back in 2012, as part of filmmaking collective Radio Silence, they contributed the segment “10/31/98” to anthology horror V/H/S. That film played as part of the Midnighters lineup, but now they’re rubbing shoulders with…
The Sincerity of Silliness in The Peril at Pincer Point
There are strange tides washing at Pincer Point. Foul winds blow in legends of pirates that steal sailors’ souls. Yet gusting in from across the ocean are the goofiest B-movies of Roger Corman. In The Peril at Pincer Point, which premieres this week at South by Southwest, sound engineer Jim Baitte (Jack Redmayne) has been…
A Lens on Honky Tonk Legends
Eric Geadelmann trains his camera in tight on the neck of Bruce Robison’s guitar, the shot moving down the frets with the songwriter’s fingers as he winces out a poignant take of Waylon Jennings’ “You Ask Me To.” The small film crew is gathered in Ray Benson’s new studio just east of Austin, capturing some…
Philosophy of the Shaggs
Sometime in 1980, a University of Southern California film student named Ken Kwapis walked into a Los Angeles record store. As he was flipping through the bins, an album caught his eye. Three long-haired young women on the cover, two in matching jumpers holding guitars, one at the drum kit, none of them looking particularly…
From Teammates to Family in SXSW Sports Doc Summer of ’94
They always say, never meet your idols. That’s kind of impossible when you’re making a movie about a seminal event in your own life. For documentarians Dave LaMattina and Chad Walker, that’s the situation they faced with Summer of ’94, their documentary about the year that soccer broke in America. It was 1994, when the…
Tempest in a Fishbowl
The world of kids’ playthings has never been simply fun and games. It’s big money, and with big money comes intrigue and industrial espionage. When it’s an iconic brand, the stakes can become life or death, even if it’s something as seemingly wacky and weird as sea monkeys. Yes, the little cartoon critters that would…
There’s Nothing Normal About Ben Wheatley
If there’s one thing you can predict about Ben Wheatley, it’s that he’s unpredictable. Last year the British filmmaker took weirdo lo-fi romp Bulk to festivals. This year, he’s coming in all guns blazing with action-comedy Normal, which receives its U.S. premiere at this week’s South by Southwest. “They’re all a bit of a change…
The Fight for Free Thought in First They Came for My College
As head of film & creative media for the Austin Film Society, Holly Herrick may be synonymous with Austin, but her cultural roots lay in the New College of Florida. She said, “I’ve basically credited New College with the life I have now.” Now she’s repaying the life debt as producer of First They Came…
Cosmic Horror Meets Matrimonial Mayhem in Imposters
Not every protagonist needs to be likable. Take the married couple at the heart of cosmically tinged relationship horror Imposters. “I wanted to tell a story that was only possible with characters this selfish,” said writer/director Caleb Phillips. It all comes back to the idea that everyone loves a good mystery, but may not love…
Innovation
SXSW Panel Wonders if the American Dream Died?
Is there an American Dream in 2026? If so, what is it? And is it still obtainable as it once was for previous generations that managed to purchase homes and fill those spaces with families surrounded by white picket fences? As we approach the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding, these are the questions experts…
Redefining the Education-to-Workforce Pipeline at SXSW
Experts on South by Southwest’s The Big Blur: Rethinking the Transition From School to Work panel were quick to say that modern education systems have failed students, stating that the pipeline between schools to employment are too far separated, often leaving students without the necessary experience, training, or opportunities to establish a meaningful career post-graduation. “We…
The Future of DEI in the Community, Workforce, and Classroom
For a brief moment after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, it seemed our society had collectively decided to do better. Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs proliferated in public and private institutions. Companies hired experts specializing in anti-racism training and equitable hiring practices. Colleges and universities expanded their outreach to students of color and…
The Cost of War We Aren’t Talking About: Superbugs
[Editor’s Note: The Conflict Contagion panel at the center of this story has been canceled due to travel concerns.] Humans have not benefited from antibiotics for long in the grand scheme of things. Antibiotics were deployed for the first time in 1910. In the century since, antibiotics have extended the average human lifespan by more…
AI’s Influence on How Gen Z Embraces Education and the Workplace
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in classrooms and workplaces, Gen Z is entering adulthood with tools former generations never had. Some experts see AI as a disruption, while others see an opportunity, but one thing is clear: AI is not going anywhere. For Nicole Fichera, an innovation strategist and speaker on South by Southwest’s…
Tripping as Medicine
“The government sends folks to war, and then they’re back, and we’re not providing sufficient care,” said Logan Davidson, legislative director for Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions and speaker on South by Southwest’s Expediting Psychedelic Research to Qualify for Right to Try panel. When selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and common prescriptions proved inadequate, desperate for…
How Heightened Political Tensions Are Influencing a New Reproductive Reality
For young people, sex is changing. At least, the attitudes, expectations, and habits surrounding it are. But why? In a country where the reversal of Roe v. Wade and an increasingly conservative sociopolitical climate has altered the cultural landscape surrounding sexual and reproductive health, young people are situated at the forefront of a new era.…
Building Community Connection Through Drastic Development
It’s no question that architecture is advancing at an extremely accelerated pace. Within Austin itself, the Republic, ATX Tower, and the Modern Austin Residences are all demonstrations of skyscraper projects that were once unimaginable, now reality that shapes the city’s skyline. And there’s plenty of other projects underway with the new convention center set to…
Experts Explore Sustainable AI Practices to Combat Environmental Downfalls
Texas is booming as a host for data centers used to power AI’s growing infrastructure. With over 400 active centers, Texas already accounts for about 15% of the nation’s total energy use, and the state’s industry demands are on the rise. And it will soon be home to the largest data center campus in the…
Vic Mensa Is Here to Expand
Vic Mensa made waves in 2013 on the strength of his dynamic debut mixtape, INNANETAPE, before signing to Roc Nation’s record label just two years later. Yet he closed the decade with an album from his pop-punk band 93PUNX, much to the chagrin of longtime fans clamoring for the days of “Orange Soda.” Sharp lyricism,…
