2022 marks the 34th year ofSouth By Southwest, the hybrid film, music, and comedy festival held in Austin, Texas. For the first time since 2019, SXSW will return to a sense of normalcy this year by offering in-person events while still utilizing the virtual festival experience it has relied on since the pandemic began. Each year the film festival section of SXSW grows in scale and patrons, offering an impressive variety of the latest indie and studio titles from film and television representing all corners of the world.
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The 2022 SXSW Film Festival lineup includes many highly-anticipated new works that will prove to be very influential over the rest of the year, ranging from documentaries to horror films to episodic television. More information on this year’s edition of South By Southwest can be found on the festival’s website.
Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood
The celebrated American auteur and Texas nativeRichard Linklater’s latest filmApollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhoodwill premiere in the Headliner section at SXSW on March 13th. Linklater’s first animated film in over a decade,Apollo 10 1/2centers its narrative around a group of suburban children during the summer of 1969 as they experience the famous Apollo 11 moon landing.
Emphasizing the perspectives of children as they live through a monumental moment in American history,Apollo 10 1/2will likely play well for adult and child audiences alike.Netflix produced and will distributeApollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhoodlater this year.
Director/Producer extraordinaireAva DuVernay’s latest miniseriesDMZwill be making its world premiere at this year’s South By. Adapted from a graphic novel series written byBrian Wood,DMZstarsRosario Dawsonas a Manhattan mother searching for her lost son in a futuristic and war-torn America.
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DuVernay sharesDMZ’s directing credits withErnest Dickerson, who has worked on many popular television shows throughout the years, includingBosch,Dexter, andRaised by Wolves. A dystopian thriller that will likely employ themes and narratives critical of the state of the modern world,DMZwill be released byHBO Maxafter launching at SXSW.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
This year’sSXSW opening night film will beEverything Everywhere All at Once, directed by the compellingDaniel KwanandDaniel Scheinert, best known forSwiss Army Manfrom 2016. A genre-bending sci-fi action film,Everything Everywhere All at OncestarsMichelle Yeohas a Chinese American woman desperately trying to finish her taxes.
With a supporting cast that includesJenny Slate,Jamie Lee Curtis, andStephanie Hsu,Everything Everywhere All At Onceis anticipated to be an entertaining and highly original movie that could become one of the buzziest films of the festival.A24will release the film theatrically on March 25th.
One of SXSW’s most anticipated episodic premieres will be theParamount+adaptation ofHalo. A beloved video game franchise for over two decades now, this television adaptation ofHalowill ambitiously tackle the franchise’s foremost conflict between humanity and the alien race known as the Covenant.
WithSteven Spielbergcredited as one of the series' executive directors, it is safe to predict thatHalowill flaunt the enormous futuristic scale needed to convey the franchise’s vast legacy and influence.Halowill begin streaming on Paramount+ on March 24th.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
After its world premiere atTelluride Film Festivallast fall,Marcel the Shell with Shoes Onwill reenter the film festival circuit at South By Southwest on March 12th. This animated mockumentary revolves around a tiny googly-eyed seashell called Marcel (voiced by Jenny Slate), whose quest to find his family becomes the subject of a documentary filmmaker’s latest work.
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Directed byDean Fleischer-Camp,Marcel the Shell with ShoesOnreceived terrific reactions from critics and audiences after its initial premiere and will likely impress SXSW patrons too. A24 will releaseMarcel the Shell with Shoes Onlater this year.
Mama Bears
A new documentary that will make its world premiere at SXSW isMama Bears, directed byDaresha Kyi.Mama Bearswill focus on the untold perspectives of devoutly Evangelical Christian mothers who choose to support their LGBTQ+ children, regardless of the fundamental stigmatization of queerness in conservative Christian communities.
Comprised of a mixture of home movies, social media posts, interviews, and footage shot by Kyi,Mama Bearsaims to capture the unconditional love and support these mothers devote their lives to showcasing. Expected to be a heartwarming watch,Mama Bearswill premiere on March 13th in the Documentary Feature Competition.
The Girl From Plainville
The Girl From Plainvilleis a newHululimited series that will debut at SXSW this year.Directed byLisa Cholodenkoand starringElle Fanning,The Girl From Plainvilleis inspired by the real-life account of Michelle Carter, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for convincing her boyfriend to commit suicide via text message.
The case was highly publicized in 2017 when it occurred, meaning that many SXSW patrons will be familiar with the story’s background. After its world premiere,The Girl From Plainvillewill stream on Hulu sometime this spring.
The Lost City
A major studio film set to make its world premiere at this year’s SXSW will beThe Lost City.Sandra Bullockstars inThe Lost Cityas a successful romance novelist who gets kidnapped by a villainous millionaire (played byDaniel Radcliffe) searching for an ancient city mentioned in the author’s most recent novel.
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Channing Tatumcostars as the film’s “knight in shining armor” and love interest for Bullock’s character. Directed by sibling filmmakersAaronandAdam Nee,Paramount Pictureswill releaseThe Lost Citytheatrically on March 25th, shortly after the film’s South By debut.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
This year, one of SXSW’s glitziest blockbuster premieres will beThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, directed byTom Gormicanand starringNicolas Cage. This action-comedy centers aroundCage in his most meta performance yet, playing himself as he takes a high-paying gig attending the birthday of a mega-wealthy super fan. Cage is pushed to embody some of his most notable performances in order to save his family from the maniacal super fan when the job goes awry.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talentwill undoubtedly align well with the incredible fandom around Cage’s long and varied career, breaking the third wall between fact and fiction onscreen.The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talentwill premiere at SXSW on March 12th beforeLionsgatedistributes it theatrically on April 22nd.
Connoisseur horror directorTi Westjoins forces with A24 to produce and distribute his newest film,X, which makes its world premiere at South By on March 18th.Xstars an incredible cast that includesMia Goth,Kid Cudi,Brittany Snow, andJenna Ortega, portraying an adult film crew who head to the backwoods of Texas to shoot a new movie, only to be terrorized by the elderly couple hosting them.
Set in the 1970s,Xappears to be an homage to the iconic horror films from that decade, most significantlyTexas Chainsaw Massacre,which will surely appease dedicated fans of the genre and pay respects to the state that hosts SXSW.Xwill make its theatrical debut on March 18th, the same day as its premiere.
