The Hollywood Outsider – Film and Television Podcast | Reviews An award-winning film and television podcast for the fan in all of us
The SXSW Film and TV Festival is one of the largest of its kind in the world. In a typical year, thousands of fans arrive in downtown Austin, TX to partake in a couple of weeks of great music, technology, and film. For this special episode of The Hollywood Outsider, we take you along for our annual deep dive into the heart of the 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival portion, and even further into the films themselves.
Over the course of several days, the 2026 SXSW Film and TV Festival screened numerous features, TV premieres, many from first-time filmmakers (consisting of World Premieres, North American Premieres, and US Premieres), shorts, virtual reality exhibits, AI advancements, and other works. These films were selected from thousands of overall submissions, and – while we can’t see them all – we have a nice sample to share with you of what came out of this stellar lineup of independent and popular films and television series. Over 25 films are on our docket this year, and we review them all (including Ready or Not 2, Family Movie, Phoenix Jones, Rock Springs, Obsession, Stormbound, Normal, They Will Kill You, Chili Finger, Ugly Cry, and more), as well as snippets from panels and a whole lot more!
So sit back and relax. You’re about to experience The 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival from the comfort of your own home.
Discussed on this episode of The Hollywood Outsider Movie and TV Podcast:
- Thoughts on the 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival
- Reviews of over 25 films, TV episodic premieres, and panels screened at the festival.
- See titles listed below, courtesy of SXSW.com
- Our personal awards from the festival
- Please support The Hollywood Outsider and gain immediate access to bonus content, including Patreon exclusive podcast content like our Bad Movie Night by visiting Patreon.com/ TheHollywoodOutsider
- Be sure to join our Facebook Group
- Follow us on X @BuyPopcorn
- Subscribe on Apple
- Subscribe on Spotify
- Subscribe via RSS
| Title | Description |
| Kill Me | Director/Screenwriter: Peter Warren, Producers: Nate Bolotin, Keith Goldberg, Natalie Metzger, Maxime Cottray, Mike Richardson, Charlie Day, Peter Warren Jimmy didn’t try to kill himself. Or at least, he’s pretty sure he didn’t… With the help of a reluctant 911 operator, he sets out on a darkly comedic amateur investigation to solve whether he is being stalked by a killer or chasing himself. Cast: Charlie Day, Allison Williams, Giancarlo Esposito, Aya Cash, Jessica Harper, David Krumholtz, Tony Cavalero |
| See You When I See You | Director: Jay Duplass, Producers: Fred Bernstein, Jay Duplass, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon, Adam Cayton-Holland, Screenwriter: Adam Cayton-Holland With the help of his family, a comedy writer battles PTSD after the tragic death of his sister. Cast: Cooper Raiff, David Duchovny, Kaitlyn Dever, Hope Davis, Lucy Boynton |
| And Her Body Was Never Found | Director: Polaris Banks, Producers: Polaris Banks, Mor Cohen, Hilarion Banks, Screenwriters: Polaris Banks, Mor Cohen A couple treks deep into the wilderness to make a movie about their troubled relationship, but takes the opportunity to kill each other instead. Cast: Mor Cohen, Polaris Banks, Grae Drake |
| Pretty Lethal | Director: Vicky Jewson, Producers: Kelly McCormick, Mike Karz, William Bindley, Piers Tempest, Screenwriter: Kate Freund An action-packed thriller where five ballerinas, stranded in a remote forest, take shelter at an unsettling roadside inn. They must weaponize years of brutal training, turning grace, discipline, and even pointe shoes into tools for survival. Cast: Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Maddie Ziegler, Uma Thurman |
| Ugly Cry | Director/Screenwriter: Emily Robinson, Producers: Sophia Sabella, Pablo Feldman, Jolene Mendes, Rhianon Jones, Tristan Scott-Behrends, Emily Robinson An actor loses their dream role because of their “ugly cry” causing them to spiral down the dark and dangerous path to perfection. Cast: Emily Robinson, Ryan Simpkins, Aaron Dominguez, Robin Tunney |
| Family Movie | Director: Kevin Bacon, Producers: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Sosie Bacon, Travis Bacon, Vince Jolivette, Casey Durant, Greg Lauritano, Russell Wayne Groves, Screenwriter: Dan Beers A filmmaking family’s low-budget horror movie turns into a real-life slasher when a dead body shows up on set. Chaos ensues as the Smiths fight to keep the production on track. After all – the show must go on! Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Sosie Bacon, Travis Bacon, Liza Koshy, John Carroll Lynch, Jackie Earle Haley |
| Ready or Not 2: Here I Come | Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Producers: Tripp Vinson, James Vanderbilt, William Sherak, Bradley J. Fischer, Screenwriters: Guy Busick, R. Christopher Murphy After surviving the Le Domas attack, Grace faces the next level of the deadly game – now with her estranged sister Faith. With four rival families hunting them, Grace must survive, protect her sister, and claim the High Seat that rules it all. Cast: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Néstor Carbonell, David Cronenberg, Elijah Wood |
| Pizza Movie | Directors/Screenwriters: Brian McElhaney, Nick Kocher, Producers: Jeremy Garelick, Will Phelps, Billy Rosenberg, Jason Zaro, Molle DeBartolo, Max A. Butler A group of college students go downstairs to their dorm lobby to get a delivery pizza. There’s only one issue: They’re insanely high on a home-made drug, turning their simple journey down two sets of stairs into a mind-bendingly transformative quest. Cast: Gaten Matarazzo, Sean Giambrone, Lulu Wilson, Jack Martin, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Marcus Scribner, Caleb Hearon, Sarah Sherman, Miguel-Andres Garcia, Justin Cooley |
| Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story | Director: Ayden Mayeri, Producers/Screenwriters: Ayden Mayeri, Barry Rothbart, Rachael Fung Four friends reunite when the album they made as pre-teens becomes a cult hit on the internet and scores a record deal twenty years later. Together, they revisit their friendship and early 2000s girlhood. Featuring Ayden Mayeri, Jessica Hall, Janet Kariuki, Mary Washburn, Robin O’Brien |
| #SkyKing | Director: Patricia Gillespie, Producer: Chris Cowen #Skyking tells the story of Richard “Beebo” Russell, a ground service agent who stole an airplane belonging to his employer, and took off on a flight that would come to embody the hopes, dreams, and despair of the American working class. |
| Stormbound | Director: Miko Lim, Producers: Trevor Jones, Miko Lim, Adam McKay, Todd Schulman, John Turner Go inside the eye of the hurricane and the life of one of America’s top stormchasers. Utilizing a 30-year archive and a new storm season set to be deadlier than ever, Jeff Gammons’ search for the ultimate shot could see him chase his final storm. Featuring Jeff Gammons, Sara Gammons |
| Woodstockers | Showrunner: Corbin Bernsen, Director: Oliver Bernsen, Producer: Zoe Rosenberg, Screenwriters: Corbin Bernsen, Joshua Michael Stern, Henry Bernsen When his marriage collapses and his best friend dies, an aging hippie who went to Woodstock in 1969 and never left must finally reckon with a life shaped by peace, love, and too much weed. Featuring Corbin Bernsen, Stephen Tobolowsky, Barbara Hershey, Susan Ruttan, Maggie Lawson, Willie C. Carpenter, John Glover, Lee Wilkof, Lea Delaria, Jilian Medford |
| Normal | Director: Ben Wheatley, Producers: Marc Provissiero, Derek Kolstad, Bob Odenkirk, Screenwriter: Derek Kolstad Director Ben Wheatley and John Wick creator Derek Kolstad pit a provisional sheriff against his constituents when the exposure of a small town’s sordid secret sparks a rip-roaring firefight. Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Henry Winkler, Lena Headey, Ryan Allen, Billy MacLellan, Brendan Fletcher, Reena Jolly, Peter Shinkoda, Jess McLeod, Derek Barnes |
| Over Your Dead Body | Director: Jorma Taccone, Producers: Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Lee Kim, Guy Danella, Nick Spicer, Aram Tertzakian, Screenwriters: Nick Kocher, Brian McElhaney A dysfunctional couple head to a remote cabin to supposedly reconnect, but each has secret plans to kill the other. Cast: Samara Weaving, Jason Segel, Timothy Olyphant, Juliette Lewis, Paul Guilfoyle, Keith Jardine |
| Buddy | Director: Casper Kelly, Producers: Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, Tracy Rosenblum, Screenwriters: Casper Kelly, Jamie King A brave girl and her friends must escape a kids television show. Cast: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt |
| Sender | Director/Screenwriter: Russell Goldman, Producers: Jamie Lee Curtis, Molly Hallam, Jake Katofsky After receiving a series of unwanted packages containing unnervingly targeted items, a woman tumbles down a paranoid rabbit hole to find her mysterious sender. Cast: Britt Lower, Rhea Seehorn, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anna Baryshnikov, David Dastmalchian, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Mike Mitchell, Edward Torres, Alyssa Limperis, Inger Stratton |
| They Will Kill You | Director: Kirill Sokolov, Producers: Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Dan Kagan, Screenwriters: Kirill Sokolov, Alex Litvak A high-octane horror-action-comedy in which a woman must survive the night at the Virgil, a demonic cult’s mysterious, twisted death-trap, before becoming their next offering in a uniquely brazen battle of epic kills and wickedly dark humor. Cast: Zazie Beetz, Myha’La, Paterson Joseph, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, Patricia Arquette |
| He Bled Neon | Director: Drew Kirsch, Producers: Nate Bolotin, Lucan Toh, Screenwriters: Tim Cairo, Jake Gibson After discovering his brother’s death by overdose may have actually been a murder, Ethan returns to a world he left behind—the underbelly of Las Vegas—uncovering a web of corruption and his own appetite for violence. Cast: Joe Cole, Rita Ora, Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Paul Wesley, Josh Holloway |
| Phoenix Jones: The Rise and Fall of a Real Life Superhero | Director: Bayan Joonam, Producers: Claire Chubbuck, Marlowe Blue, Duncan Dickerson Phoenix Jones is a real life superhero who fights crime on the streets of Seattle, but a recent arrest calls his motives into question. Featuring Phoenix Jones, Rainn Wilson, Jon Ronson, Midnight Jack, Freedom Fodor, Caros Fodor, Ryan McNamee, Ghost, Lance Coulter, El Caballero |
| Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice | Director/Screenwriter: BenDavid Grabinski A hilarious, stylized, R-rated action-comedy about two gangsters and the woman they love trying to survive the most dangerous night of their lives. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s one wild ingredient added to the mix: a time machine. Cast: Vince Vaughn, James Marsden, Eiza González, Keith David, Jimmy Tatro, Stephen Root, Lewis Tan, Ben Schwartz, Emily Hampshire, Arturo Castro |
| Obsession | Director/Screenwriter: Curry Barker, Producers: James Harris, Haley Nicole Johnson, Christian Mercuri, Roman Viaris After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price. Cast: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter |
| Rock Springs | Director/Screenwriter: Vera Miao, Producers: Stephen Feder, Kiri Hart, Charles D. King, Poppy Hanks, Greta Talia Fuentes, Jason Michael Berman, Matthew Lindner, Jordan Moldo, Vera Miao After the death of her father, a grieving young girl moves to an isolated house in a new town with her mother and grandmother, only to discover there is something monstrous hidden in the town’s history and the woods behind their new home. Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Benedict Wong, Jimmy O. Yang, Aria Kim, Fiona Fu |
| Chili Finger | Directors: Edd Benda, Stephen Helstad, Producers: Sam Sandweiss, Jo Henriquez, Screenwriter: Stephen Helstad When a small town lawyer discovers a severed finger in her chili, she blackmails the restaurant for a cash payout in an effort to regain control over her mundane life. The situation quickly spirals out of control, and her life descends into chaos. Cast: Judy Greer, Sean Astin, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Madeline Wise |