For the fifth year in a row, Elements of Madness will officially be covering SXSW and this time I’m covering it solo! Excited as I am, I thought I’d put together a list of the films I’m hoping to cover during the festival or, at the very least, keep an eye out for afterward.
**These recommendations are primarily based on reading the summaries and finding them intriguing. If I’m able to cover (or it’s been covered previously by a member of the EoM team), the titles will be hyperlinked with a review – so be sure to check back as the festival goes on.**
SXSW 2025 takes place in Austin, Texas from March 7th – March 15th, 2025.
The Age of Disclosure
Official Synopsis:
An unprecedented film –featuring 34 senior members of the U.S. Senate, House, military and intelligence community– revealing a cover-up of the existence of non-human intelligent life and a secret war to reverse engineer technology of non-human origin.
Are We Good?
Official Synopsis:
An intimate portrait of comedian and podcast pioneer Marc Maron, following the sudden loss of his partner and filmmaker Lynn Shelton. Maron struggles with grief, disillusionment, and a shifting comedy landscape.
Marc Maron in documentary ARE WE GOOD?. Photo Credit: Steven Feinartz. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
Arrest the Midwife
Official Synopsis:
The arrest of midwives in a rural healthcare desert ignites an unexpected rebellion: Amish and Mennonite women who break from tradition, and emerge as fierce political activists fighting for reproductive justice and birthing rights.
Midwife, Lissa Horning, feeding sheep on her farm in the Finger Lakes, NY in ARREST THE MIDWIFE. Photo Credit: Naiti Gámez. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
Ash
Official Synopsis:
A woman wakes up on a distant planet and finds the crew of her space station viciously killed. Her investigation into what happened sets in motion a terrifying chain of events.
Brother Verses Brother
Official Synopsis:
Inspired by Francis Coppola’s concept of Live Cinema, Brother Verses Brother is a radically personal musical odyssey. Combative twin musicians hunt for their dying poet father, in an improvisation performed by the director’s own family, and presented as an unbroken real-time shot through the streets of San Francisco.
One brother seeks love, while the other seeks an audience. But as night falls and their father remains missing, their increasingly frantic safari leads them from the secret haunts of the Beat poets into the heart of their family. Their tale becomes a testament to the power of music, the bonds of brotherhood, and the lifeblood of a city – experienced by the viewer in real-time.
L-R: Ari Gold and Ethan Gold in BROTHER VERSES BROTHER. Photo Credit: Stefan Ciupek. Photo courtesy of Grack Films/SXSW.
Clown in a Cornfield
Official Synopsis:
A fading midwestern town in which Frendo the clown, a symbol of bygone success, reemerges as a terrifying scourge.
Creede U.S.A.
Official Synopsis:
Welcome to Creede – a remote mining town with no stop light, a theater company and 300+ folks at 9,000 feet. This unlikely setting – with its miners, ranchers and theater people – offers an unexpected lens on divisions felt by Americans everywhere.
Longtime town resident rides his horse down Main Street by Creede Repertory Theatre in CREEDE U.S.A.. Photo Credit: Graham Willoughby. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
Dead Lover
Official Synopsis:
A lonely Gravedigger who stinks of corpses finally meets her dream man, but their affair is cut short when he tragically drowns at sea. Grief-stricken, she goes to morbid lengths to resurrect him, resulting in grave consequences and unlikely love.
Grace Glowicki as Gravedigger in DEAD LOVER. Photo Credit: Rhayne Vermette. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
Death of a Unicorn
Official Synopsis:
A father (Paul Rudd) and daughter (Jenna Ortega) accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss (Richard E. Grant) seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
Descendent
Official Synopsis:
After a traumatic brain injury triggers terrifying visions of extraterrestrials and a newfound talent for drawing, a father-to-be begins to question his reality and becomes obsessed with the need to protect his family from an unseen threat.
A still from DESCENDENT. Photo Credit: Descendent. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
The Dutchman
Official Synopsis:
A successful black businessman, haunted by his crumbling marriage and identity crisis, is drawn into a psychological game of cat and mouse with a mysterious white woman he encounters on a New York subway.
L-R: André Holland as Clay and Kara Mara as Lula in THE DUTCHMAN. Photo Credit: Frank DeMarco / Andre Gaines. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
Forge
Official Synopsis:
In Miami, siblings Raymond and Coco Zhang’s art forgery ring flourishes when they encounter a disgraced millionaire in need of their expertise. Meanwhile, FBI Art Crimes agent Emily Lee moves to Miami to investigate a series of mysterious paintings.
A still from FORGE. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
Friendship
Official Synopsis:
Suburban dad Craig has his life turned upside down by the arrival of a new neighbor. As Craig’s attempts to make a friend spiral out of control, their blossoming relationship threatens to ruin both of their lives.
Glorious Summer
Official Synopsis:
A sun-drenched renaissance palace. Three women remain in a carefree state of limbo, tended to by an unseen, all-providing system. But as cracks in the paradise begin to appear, they are faced with a choice: escape or remain in the perfect illusion?
A still from GLORIOUS SUMMER. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
Good Boy
Official Synopsis:
Do you ever wonder why your dog stares at empty corners, barks for no reason, or refuses to go into the basement? Good Boy is the story of a dog who sees everything that goes bump in the night. No talking pets, just terrifying scares.
Todd finds Indy staring at a seemingly empty corner in GOOD BOY. Photo Credit: Good Boy. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
Make It Look Real
Official Synopsis:
Intimacy coordinator Claire Warden guides actors through sex scenes for a new film Tightrope, negotiating the vision of a director, the physical and psychological needs of the actors, and a documentary crew filming her every move.
Actor Sarah Roberts performs an intimate scene in a dramatic sequence from Tightrope, under the guidance of intimacy coordinator Claire Warden, as featured in the documentary MAKE IT LOOK REAL. Photo courtesy of SXSW. © Staple Fiction and Projector Films 2024.
New Jack Fury
Official Synopsis:
After his girlfriend is kidnapped by a ruthless kingpin, a former cop must seek the help of two unlawful R&B eccentrics to help save her.
O’Dessa
Official Synopsis:
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, O’Dessa is a rock opera about a farm girl on a quest to recover a family heirloom. Her journey leads her to a dangerous city, where she must use the power of destiny and song to save her true love’s soul.
Odyssey
Official Synopsis:
Odyssey follows Natasha Flynn, a sharp-tongued, coke-fuelled London estate agent, who juggles debts, danger, and deception. Her seemingly glossy life—flashy clothes, posh loft apartment, and endless champagne—hides a spiralling mess of broken dreams, addiction and a business on the brink of collapse. Enter Dan and Will, smooth-talking loan sharks with a sinister edge. Their offer? Easy cash, if she hides a kidnapped fellow estate agent. What follows is a wild, neon-soaked ride through London’s seedy underbelly, as Natasha searches for The Viking, an old ally with violent tendencies. A bloody, chaotic showdown ensues, leaving bodies—and morals—shattered.
A still from ODYSSEY. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
Redux Redux
Official Synopsis:
In an attempt to avenge her daughter’s death, Irene Kelly travels through parallel universes, killing her daughter’s murderer over and over again. She grows addicted to the revenge streak, putting her own humanity in jeopardy.
Reeling
Official Synopsis:
After a life altering accident, Ryan struggles to fit in with old friends and family at a birthday luau on his family’s homestead. As the pig slowly roasts in an imu pit and the partygoers cut loose, the celebration boils over when Ryan uncovers the missing memory of when his life took a tragic turn.
A still from REELING in which Ryan escapes family chaos for a moment to contemplate a changing horizon as the thundering waves at Pounders Beach hammer the shoreline of Laie, Oahu. Photo Credit: Rafael Leyva. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
Remaining Native
Official Synopsis:
Ku Stevens, a 17-year-old Native American runner, struggles to navigate his dream of becoming a collegiate athlete as the memory of his great grandfather’s escape from an Indian boarding school begins to connect past, present, and future.
Kutoven Stevens in a film still from REMAINING NATIVE. Photo Credit: Remaining Native. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror
Official Synopsis:
A wild journey into the origins of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the biggest cult film of all time, its impact on popular culture and socio-political resonance to this day.
A still frame of Richard O’Brien in STRANGE JOURNEY: THE STORY OF ROCKY HORROR. Photo Credit: Warren Kommers. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
The Surrender
Official Synopsis:
A fraught mother-daughter relationship is put to a terrifying test when the family patriarch dies, and the grieving mother hires a mysterious stranger to bring her husband back from the dead. As the bizarre and brutal resurrection spirals out of control, both women must confront their differences as they fight for their lives – and for each other.
L-R: Colby Minifie as Megan and Kate Burton as Barbara in THE SURRENDER. Photo Credit: Cailin Yatsko. Photo courtesy of SXSW.
Touch Me
Official Synopsis:
Touch Me is a story about two codependent best friends who become addicted to the heroin-like touch of an alien narcissist who may or may not be trying to take over the world.
Olivia Taylor Dudley as Joey in Addison Heimann’s TOUCH ME. Photo courtesy of Rustic Films/Sundance Film Festival.
About SXSW:
An essential destination for global professionals, the annual March event features sessions, music and comedy showcases, film and television screenings, world-class exhibitions, professional development and networking opportunities, tech competitions, awards ceremonies, and much more. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together.
South By Southwest dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals.
Join us March 8-16 in Austin, Texas for the 2024 SXSW Conference & Festivals. Learn more about registration and how to book your hotel for 9 days of discovery and creative inspiration!
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Categories: Coming Soon, Recommendation
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