Oh, Austin. I have arrived in 2026 for what is the 40th year of South By Southwest and my 19th year of covering the crazy-big event in one of my favourite spots in the world. For all of these years it has been several planes, massive layovers or delays in airports just to hang out with film fans in Texas. It has been worth every single moment as not only have I seen so many great movies and made life-long connections in this town, but SxSW has also helped me develop greatly as a person as well.
For 2026, I feel a very personal vibe this year as not only have I changed as I have attended this festival for nearly two decades, but the conference itself has had to take a different approach with the temporary closure of one of its critical venues and as a result, work with an even shorter run-time. This seems to be somewhat common for a lot of festivals over the last few years thanks to the pandemic, but at least one of North America’s largest festivals has an excuse.
For my first year, the Get Reel Movies team has secured Platinum credentials for covering South By Southwest including having access to music and innovation sections of the festival, and I/we intend to seek out any events where the events converge with each other. My work over the years has expanded to not just reviewing movies but also venturing into social media, promotions and even mild programming for some theatres in Canada, and as well my team including Austin-based Anna Hanks (also writing for Dallas Morning Observer) and Antonio Quintero are also here to cover as much as humanly possible for this site.
This is also a big change for SxSW and Austin, as this is the first year with the pivotal Austin Convention Centre closed for renovations for nearly four years. Taking up an entire city block, the ACC has been the main hub for all SxSW registrants ever since I first started attending in 2007. To walk in to the mammoth, multi-level every year even just to pick up my badge makes me feel like a kid again, and to always see thousands upon thousands of people walking in all directions is an image and feeling that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
This even affects the movies, because a lot of the film conference which involves panels and connections to the film industry, take place here. This is also where I have met filmmakers for interviews, caught up on emails in the press suite (oh the days where this Canadian traveler had to rely on the sometimes dodgy WIFI with no cell phone plan; thankfully that’s a thing of the past now!).
When it finally reopens (in what I believe will be 2029 or 2030, barring any delays), the convention centre will handle SxSW at a new level that I don’t think any of us are ready for, especially with the annual event growing and growing in attendance to bring all aspects of many industries together. I will be even older than I already am, with Austin and its media fans aging me like a fine wine. Or so I like to tell myself.
As for now and I am guessing for the next few years, Film, TV, Music & Innovation (formerly Interactive) has been all pushed into seven days all running concurrently with many hubs situated around the Congress Street area of Austin. The three main tracks have an individual “clubhouse” which your badge gets you into which will act as a connection site to bring badge holders together. This is in addition to the entire area around the mighty Paramount Theatre being closed off for an open, public “block party” of sorts. Since we have a good forecast of sun and warmth planned for this week in Austin, I am just a little bit excited for the events around the movies.
I mention all of this too as this is such a unique experience for this film festival fan, and not all festivals are like this, either. I attend the Toronto International Film Festival every year and even though that’s the one of the largest and most important in the world, I still feel I can handle the people and its fun even with the King Street closure (if you know, you know). Other festivals I have attended back home in BC like Vancouver, Whistler and so forth feel like just a few lines here and there and just packed screenings and not much else. With SxSW, there is so much going on than MORE than just movies and I have always expanded my interests here to include more live music shows, activation houses and yes, a LOT of free swag. You have no idea how many pens and notepads I have secured here over the last twenty years; my apologies to my stationery stores back home for my lack of business.
But for the most part, we are here for the movies. The festival opens with Boots Riley’s I LOVE BOOSTERS, a fun-looking new feature from the director of SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, which I remember seeing here at the 2018 edition. I know absolutely nothing about this Neon distributed feature except for the longline on the festival site: “A crew of professional shoplifters take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. It’s like community service.” With SORRY TO BOTHER YOU being a top favourite of everyone’s lists that year at SxSW and then having a successful theatrical release later that year, I am sure that I am going to love Boots’ latest movie on the big screen at the mammoth Paramount Theatre. I will be there and hope to be laughing along with 1100 other people. (No, really. That’s how many the theatre can hold!)
There are also a few big headliners here of titles that are soon seeing a theatrical release in North America; in particular READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME and THEY WILL KILL YOU, both genre movies that ARE coming out in a few weeks. As much as I would love to see the likes of Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton and Zazie Beetz in person, yours truly may be elsewhere at the festival so seeing more of the more indie, genre and Canadian content at the festival which is what truly excites this movie buff.
And speaking of Canada! I am Canadian, and this is a Canadian site, so I absolutely want to represent my home land. To start, I am thrilled to see Chandler Levack’s MILE END KICKS is also premiering on the first day. This is a somewhat autobiographical story of filmmaker Chandler Levack’s (I LIKE MOVIES is a personal favourite Canadian movie of mine) as a writer trying to find her way in Montreal. There’s so much love for the city and its culture here with a terrific cast of both English and French speaking talent, and it’s a true sign of Levack’s amazing talent; that she also has a Netflix movie coming out produced by Adam Sandler next month AND an April theatrical for MILE END KICKS is amazing!
In addition, there are some British Columbia features that I am venturing all the way down here to see as well; there’s the thriller A SAFE DISTANCE which is about a woman who turns down a marriage proposal and then winds up befriending two “Bonnie & Clyde” types running from the law and still creating a lot of mayhem in the process. The movie features a lot of what I love about living back home as I truly feel I live in a different paradise than what I always love about Austin.
In addition, there’s also the stunning looking documentary CEREMONY set in Bella Coola, BC, about a small community trying to unearth a mystery after one of their main sources of their town vanishes, and a radio station and locals uncover the real reason. It’s such an eye-opener premise for a doc (we will be posting our reaction in a few days here on the site) but it is strongly recommended to locals as well just to get a taste of my home province and its culture.
I could say more, but throughout the festival, Antonio, Anna and myself will have some reactions from many of the movies playing and we’ll talk about it on here! Next week we’ll wrap it all up and talk about our favourite movies and experiences here at SxSW 2026. If you see any of us at SxSW this year, PLEASE say hi! Get a high-five or virtual one, a selfie or even help us create a TikTok video. It’s the future!
On a more personal note, you can also hear me talk about movies locally in Victoria on CFAX 1070 Victoria! Since my hosts Josh & Jade always give this site a shoutout, I can only return the favour!
SxSW 2026 runs from March 12-18th. Click on the SxSW 2026 hashtag here for all of our reactions and photos throughout the event. For more information, point your browser to SXSW.com!
Our huge & sincere thanks to the always amazing SxSW publicist team!