Matt Damon stars as real-life Nike marketing exec Sonny Vaccaro

It’s been six years since Ben Affleck’s last film, the underperforming Live By Night, but the wait was already almost over: His newest film, AIR, is set to debut in theatres on April. But SXSW is getting a jump on that.

In a surprise announcement, the festival revealed AIR will debut Saturday in the coveted Closing Night Film slot.

Ben Affleck directs and costars as Phil Knight

Written by Alex Convery, AIR tells the story of a Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, the mastermind behind the Michael Jordan/Nike partnership that led to the iconic Air Jordan brand. Affleck costars as Nike cofounder Phil Knight; other luminaries filling out a pretty stacked cast include Viola Davis (playing Jordan’s mother, Deloris Jordan), Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina, and Matthew Maher.

AIR launches on Prime Video following an April theatrical run.

This article appears in March 10 • 2023.

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A graduate of the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, Kimberley has written about film, books, and pop culture for The Austin Chronicle since 2000. She was named Editor of the Chronicle in 2016; she previously served as the paper’s Managing Editor, Screens Editor, Books Editor, and proofreader. Her work has been awarded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia for excellence in arts criticism, team reporting, and special section (Best of Austin). The Austin Alliance for Women...