Hello, friends! Welcome to the It List South by Southwest (SXSW) Film & TV Festival guide, where I’m sharing my picks for the best of the festival’s films. Catch the weekly It List here for the latest releases that we can’t wait to watch, stream, listen to, read and binge.
This year, 96 movies and 18 television projects screened at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival. The titles ranged from the highly anticipated sequel The Accountant 2 to the buzzy horror movie Drop.
The festival ran between March 7 and March 14. I caught five screenings on the ground and 25 at home. SXSW premiere audiences are notoriously rowdy and tend to loudly express themselves throughout the movie screenings. It makes for a one-of-a-kind experience for film lovers.
I’m bummed I missed out on seeing Another Simple Favor and Death of a Unicorn in Austin, Texas, which I heard were particularly riotous, but thankfully, they’ll both be available to watch within the next few weeks.
I assigned superlatives to 10 of the best movies and TV shows I saw, along with some honorable mentions. Get your watch lists ready — I’ll walk you through the upcoming films.
Best audience reaction: Clown in a Cornfield
A scene from Clown in a Cornfield. (Courtesy of SXSW)
What to know: The film follows a teenage girl who moves with her father to a remote town with an eerie history. The local mascot, Frendo the Clown, starts killing her friends one by one.
Why I recommend it: Gore and gags are equally matched in this self-aware slasher, which had the audience at the premiere howling with laughter. It was a blast to watch with my fellow horror fans, who stood and clapped for one scene I refuse to spoil.
How to watch: Clown in a Cornfield is in theaters May 9.
Best use of Ben Affleck: The Accountant 2
Ben Affleck in The Accountant 2. (Amazon MGM Studios/Courtesy Everett Collection)
What to know: The brilliant but socially awkward forensic accountant played by Ben Affleck is finally back, nine years after the original — and he must team up with his estranged assassin brother (Jon Bernthal) to bring down a deadly foe.
Why I recommend it: I’ll watch anything Affleck’s in, from Dunkin’ ads to Jennifer Lopez-funded projects. He got me in the door for this one, and it ended up being an extremely clever romp.
How to watch: The Accountant 2 is in theaters April 25.
Honorable mention: Affleck’s production company, Artists Equity, produced and financed The Python Hunt, a delightfully wacky documentary that follows hunters competing in an invasive python removal contest in the Everglades.
Best use of aliens: Ash
Eiza González in Ash. (RLJE Films/Courtesy Everett Collection)
What to know: Eiza González stars as an astronaut who wakes up with no memory to find the entire crew in her space station killed near a mysterious planet. When a man (Aaron Paul) shows up, she has no idea if she can trust him.
Why I recommend it: I saw at least three alien horror movies at the festival, so I asked Ash director Flying Lotus what he thought about that. “Earth sucks right now … I think people are excited to leave it if they can for an hour and a half,” he said. This film stands out as particularly visually stunning and existentially terrifying.
How to watch: Ash is in theaters March 21.
Honorable mention: Age of Disclosure assembled 34 senior members of the government, military and intelligence community to share proof that humans are not alone in the universe. The documentary is somehow scarier than Ash.
Most moving documentary: Take No Prisoners
Community members gather in support of Eyvin Hernandez in Take No Prisoners. (Courtesy of SXSW)
What to know: The film sheds light on the mysterious process of setting hostage Americans free through the story of Eyvin Hernandez’s incarceration in Venezuela.
Why I recommend it: Come for the government secrets, stay for the heart-wrenching story of the lengths a family will go to to reunite with their loved one.
How to watch: Plans for distribution have not yet been announced.
Honorable mention: I didn’t expect to get teary-eyed over a documentary about a team of parkour athletes, but We Are Storror played out like a particularly emotional (and beautifully filmed) episode of Jackass.
Most surprising: Drop
Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar in Drop. (Bernard Walsh/Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)
Why I recommend it: The quirky premise got me in the door, but I was genuinely moved by the deeper story about domestic violence at play beneath the surface. It gets bonus points for being a breezy 90 minutes long.
How to watch: Drop is in theaters April 11.
Honorable mention: Slanted is a body horror satire that imagines what would happen if a teenage girl could undergo transracial surgery for a better shot at winning prom queen. It’s less subtle than The Substance, but it packs a punch.
Most likely to get stuck in your head: Forever We Are Young
BTS fans attend a concert in Forever We Are Young. (Courtesy of SXSW)
What to know: The documentary spotlights the international and multigenerational fanbase of the K-pop boy band BTS, which is genuinely unparalleled in its fervor.
Why I recommend it: My screening was packed with dozens of purple-clad superfans who cheered and gasped throughout the movie. Their passion was infectious — I hit play on a BTS Spotify playlist the second I left the theater.
How to watch: Plans for distribution have not yet been announced.
Best rom-ish-com: Summer of 69
Sam Morelos and Chloe Fineman in Summer of 69. (Courtesy of SXSW)
What to know: An awkward high school senior (Sam Morelos) hires a stripper (Chloe Fineman) to help her seduce her crush before graduation.
Why I recommend it: Like any good high school movie, this one’s more about finding yourself than finding love. It was so jam-packed with laughs, I didn’t mind the tropes.
How to watch: Summer of 69 is coming to Hulu in 2025, although an official release date has not yet been announced.
Honorable mention: I don’t want to spoil The Threesome, but Zoey Deutch navigates the most awkward situation humanly imaginable with extreme levels of charm.
Best use of a former Riverdale cast member: American Sweatshop
Lili Reinhart in American Sweatshop. (Guido Marx/Courtesy of SXSW)
What to know: Lili Reinhart plays one of many moderators for a social media company who is bombarded endlessly by disturbing imagery. She sees a video that changes her life.
Why I recommend it: It’s lovely to see one of the biggest TV stars of her generation so committed to independent filmmaking. It’s also nice to see the horrors of the internet depicted realistically.
How to watch: Plans for distribution have not yet been announced.
Honorable mention: Camila Mendes stands out among a cast of internet darlings in Idiotka, in which she plays a conniving reality TV producer.
Most likely to make me reconsider my 5-year plan: The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick
Zoë Chao in The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick. (Courtesy of SXSW)
What to know: A group of friends have escaped the city to stay in an idyllic countryside home where things go from offbeat to totally freaky.
Why I recommend it: I did not, at any point, expect what was going on here, but I think I’ll stay in the city for the foreseeable future.
How to watch: Plans for distribution have not yet been announced.
Best TV show: The Studio
A scene from The Studio. (Courtesy of Apple TV+)
What to know: The star-studded series, led by Seth Rogen, parodies the pressure to balance making good movies with making money.
Why I recommend it: Everyone I know who watched this walked away with it at the top of their festival favorites lists. There’s nothing like watching a show about movies to celebrate a long week of watching shows and movies!
How to watch: The first two episodes of The Studio start streaming March 26 on Apple TV+.
