Today is Day 1 of the 2026 edition of SXSW Film & TV. The fest has expanded to editions in Sydney and London, but the OG in Austin commands our loyalty. While the festival is a couple of days shorter than it used to be, the line-up is still full of delicious dishes. As usual, the ones cooked by members of the Short of the Week family are those we are the most excited about!

The sheer abundance of work that catches our eye, especially at this scale of fest, makes SXSW pretty much unmatched, and the announcement of the lineup is a highly anticipated event at S/W HQ. We've combed the listings to track names familiar to our shorts-loving audience, so if you're looking for a starting point to build your watchlist, look no further!

Below is a list of all S/W alums with new films at the festival. An insane 17 directors featured on Short of the Week are bringing a new short to the festival! This includes fresh work from current Oscar® nominee Sam Davis, and from Alyssa Loh, whose prior SXSW short, Let, has been viewed 23M times on YouTube. 13 additional directors from our alum community are presenting a feature, including debuts from prior Short of the Year winner Graham Parkes, as well as Caleb J Phillips, whose short, Other Side of the Box, is a 7M view viral smash on YT.

Shorts

This year, you will find in the shorts program 16 films that are directed by S/W alums! This record number obviously fills us with joy, with films in the Animation, Documentary, Narrative, and Texas competitions

A New Inferno by Nita Blum‑Reddick & Jonathan Pickett
S/W Films (Jonathan Pickett): Chicken Stories
Synopsis: Set during a record Phoenix heatwave, paramedics use radical ice immersion therapy to save heatstroke victims, racing against the searing temperatures.
Section: Documentary Short Competition
A Wolf in the Suburbs by Amélie Hardy
S/W Films: Hello Stranger
Synopsis: In suburban Mississauga, one man’s wildly overgrown lawn becomes a catalyst for chaos, challenging rigid neighborhood norms and expectations.
Section: Documentary Short Competition
Copy, Save by Alyssa Loh
S/W Films: Let
Synopsis: Two teenage sisters uncover each other’s secret online money‑making schemes and must confront the murky ethics of their digital hustles.
Section: Narrative Short Competition

[caption id="attachment_42163" align="aligncenter" width="720"] copy_save_sxsw_03

Copy, Save by Alyssa Loh[/caption]

He’s Out There by Kurt Andrew Schneider & Sam Davis
S/W Films (Kurt Andrew Schneider): Notice Me, Higher Power
S/W Films (Sam Davis): (SHn(y)o͞of), Are You Still There?, You Know Where to Find Me
Synopsis: A documentary capturing the journey of an autistic Bigfoot enthusiast as he connects with his heroes and explores his passion for the unknown.
Section: Documentary Short Competition
I Saw You In The Flood by Kevin Xian Ming Yu
S/W Films (as Cinematographer): Nun’s Beach, Breadwinner
Synopsis: The film follows Kai, a genderqueer Chinese-American, and their mother, Li, as they deal with the effects of a heavy storm on their basement apartment in Queens. Zhou, Kai’s grandfather, is dying in Northeast China. During this sleepless night, a familiar spirit visits Kai and mistakes them for Li.
Section: Narrative Short Competition
Imago by Ariel Zengotita
S/W Films: Flick
Synopsis: When Ana’s mother begins transforming into a bug, their codependent relationship reaches a breaking point.
Section: Narrative Short Competition

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Imago by Ariel Zengotita[/caption]

Im Auto Tapes und Butterbrot by Kiana Naghshineh
S/W Films: Augenblicke - a blink of an eye
Synopsis: As her body begins to fade into stardust, Shari reflects on what truly matters in her life and confronts her own impermanence.
Section: Animation Short Competition
In The Beginning by Ala Nunu
S/W Films: Ahead
Synopsis: A surreal animated odyssey featuring a space probe, legless birds of paradise, and odd creatures as humanity tries to make sense of the cosmos and its own place in it.
Section: Animation Short Competition
Marga en el DF by Gabriela Ortega
S/W Films: Huella (Footprints)
Synopsis: A Dominican woman’s life spirals during a surprise visit to Mexico City at 21 weeks pregnant — set against the aftermath of Selena Quintanilla’s murder.
Section: Narrative Short Competition

[caption id="attachment_42166" align="aligncenter" width="720"]

In The Beginning by Ala Nunu[/caption]

Not Scared, Just Sad by Isabelle Mecattaf
S/W Films: Beity
Synopsis: A family in Beirut strives for normalcy as war encroaches on their suburb, balancing everyday life with the looming realities of conflict.
Section: Documentary Short Competition
Paper Trail by Don Hertzfeldt
S/W Films: Ah l’amour, Everything Will be OK, The Meaning of Life, World of Tomorrow
Synopsis: A minimalist yet profound animated portrait of a life, depicted through the simple and evocative medium of paper animation.
Section: Animation Short Competition
Praying Mantis by Joe Hsieh
S/W Films: 夜車 (Night Bus)
Synopsis: A praying mantis mutant, driven by desperation to save her child, seduces and preys on men — only to uncover hidden pasts and dark revelations along the way.
Section: Animation Short Competition
Souvenir by Renée Marie Petropoulos
S/W Films: Tangles and Knots
Synopsis: On a family vacation, a closeted teen must face her own anxieties when her girlfriend’s casual photos trigger discomfort and self‑reflection.
Section: Narrative Short Competition

[caption id="attachment_42165" align="aligncenter" width="720"] We Were Here Pranav Bhasin

We Were Here by Pranav Bhasin[/caption]

Stalin Boys by Ora DeKornfeld & Bianca Giaever
S/W Films (Bianca Giaever): Crush
Synopsis: Four middle-school boys in a Texas border town have developed an unusual obsession: Joseph Stalin. When they hear about the Texas State History Fair, they write a play about the Soviet dictator and his efforts to destroy all who opposed him.
Section: Texas Short Competition
We Were Here by Pranav Bhasin
S/W Films: New Year’s Eve
Synopsis: In a deteriorating Indian town, three retired men protest machines replacing human jobs by impersonating household appliances themselves.
Section: Narrative Short Competition
What We Leave Behind by Jean‑Sébastien Hamel & Alexandra Myotte
S/W Films: Un trou dans la poitrine (A Crab in the Pool)
Synopsis: Dan wakes up with a painful memory gap — and a literal hole in his neck. To become whole again, he must return to the haunted arena of his childhood and confront what he once left behind.
Section: Animation Short Competition

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Features

Short of the Week celebrates shorts, naturally, but we also want short filmmakers to be able to afford their rent! So we always wish them the best if and when they transition to features and are delighted when they debut full-length films on the festival circuit. Getting a spot on the SXSW lineup is no small feat, so while the entirety of the lineup makes our watchlist, we will first and foremost catch the films of our alums. 13 projects on the feature side of the program were directed by members of the S/W family, across the Narrative Feature Competition, both Narrative and Documentary Spotlights, 24 Beats, Midnighter, and Festival Favorite categories.

Basic by Chelsea Devantez
S/W Films: Basic
Synopsis: After Gloria and Nick break up, Gloria takes us through Nick's dating history, untangling his web of ex-girlfriends through details she can find online. But when she discovers Kaylinn, the hottest, most basic ex-girlfriend to ever exist, Gloria not only loses herself, she loses control of the story she's been telling. Basic is a comedy that blends the magical realism of jealous paranoia with the magic of falling in love.
Section: Narrative Spotlight

Brian by Will Ropp
S/W Films: Kodar: The Primordial God of Light and Ether
Synopsis: An acerbic high school student prone to panic attacks runs for class president to get closer to the teacher he’s hopelessly in love with.
Section: Narrative Feature Competition
Downbeat by Danny Madden
S/W Films: (Notes on) Biology, Confusion Through Sand, Frolic N’ Mae
Synopsis: Fleeing mistakes in Atlanta, Mauro crashes on his sister’s couch in Boston. He takes to bucket drumming on the streets for a way out, but can’t stop screwing things up and drawing everyone else into his own feral shortcomings.
Section: Narrative Spotlight

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Downbeat by Danny Madden[/caption]

First They Came for My College by Patrick Bresnan
S/W Films: The Rabbit Hunt, Skip Day
Synopsis: When the Governor of Florida transforms a beloved public honors college as part of a political coup, students and professors confront a new reality: their campus is ground zero in a growing nationwide assault on academic freedom.
Section: Documentary Spotlight
Hokum by Damian McCarthy
S/W Films: He Dies at the End
Synopsis: When novelist Ohm Bauman retreats to a remote inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he is consumed by tales of a witch haunting the honeymoon suite. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance force him to confront dark corners of his past.
Section: Midnighter

Imposters by Caleb J Phillips
S/W Films: Other Side of the Box, Play Me
Synopsis: After a couple’s baby boy is taken, the desperate mother learns of a way to bring him back. However, her husband begins to suspect that what she returned with isn't their son.
Section: Midnighter

[caption id="attachment_42171" align="aligncenter" width="720"]

Imposters by Caleb J Phillips[/caption]

Manhood by Daniel Lombroso
S/W Films: American Scar
Synopsis: Manhood follows Dallas businessman Bill Moore as he sets out to make penis enlargement as commonplace as Botox. Along the way, an OnlyFans star and a father of five put their bodies - and their insecurities - on the line.
Section: Documentary Spotlight

Mile End Kicks by Chandler Levack
S/W Films: We Forgot to Break Up
Synopsis: Grace Pine, a driven though easily distracted 23-year-old. She leaves her quirky parents’ home for a shared apartment found on Craigslist to devote herself to writing the next great book in the 33 1/3 album exploration series. Hers will be on the iconic Alanis Morissette opus Jagged Little Pill. Loft parties introduce Grace to two paramours. Unfortunately, they are members of the same rock band, Bone Patrol. And instead of sequestering herself away to complete her draft, she uses her music industry know-how to get in with the band as their publicist. Through wine-fuelled poetry readings and other ill-advised choices, Grace is in the trenches of self-discovery.
Section: 24 Beats

One Another by Amber Love
S/W Films: Strikers
Synopsis: Sometimes it takes the end of something to know what is really at stake. Joe, Giorgia, and Lorri are all grappling with the possible end of an intimate friendship at vastly different stages of life: a cross-country move, a mental health crisis, and a shift into empty-nesting have forced them each to reevaluate the support they need from those closest to them. Chronicling three different friendships over the course of three years, "One Another" brings together verite with a wealth of personal archives to intertwine their journeys as they search for what it really means for us to care for each other. The result is a story of change, heartache, and connection in this ode to platonic love.
Section: Documentary Spotlight

[caption id="attachment_42172" align="aligncenter" width="720"]

Wishful Thinking by Graham Parkes[/caption]

Stages by Ryan Booth
S/W Films: Five Star, The Heights
Synopsis: It's make-or-break time for Ben Garza as he embarks on his solo first tour after the collapse of his band. By his side are Rita, his former tour manager, stepping away from her stable life to help him, and Parker, a remaining bandmate who joins Ben as a utility player. However, Rita also secures Jessie Ramos as the opening act, a rising star whose sudden surge in popularity will completely destabilize Ben. Throughout this musical odyssey, Ben will face characters on the road who challenge his ideas of success, relevance, and purpose. Some encounters offer hope; others deepen his doubt. By the tour’s end, Ben must decide whether to keep chasing the life he once had—or chart a new path forward.
Section: 24 Beats

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist by Daniel Roher, Charlie Tyrell
S/W Films (Charlie Tyrell): My Dead Dad’s Porno Tapes, I Thought I Told You to Shut Up
Synopsis: A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with the AI insanity, exploring the existential dangers and stunning promise of this technology that humanity has created.
Section: Festival Favorite
The Saviors by Kevin Hamedani
S/W Films: In Her Place
Synopsis: Sean and Kim Harrison are a suburban couple about to divorce. By renting their guest house to a quiet Middle Eastern brother and sister, Amir and Jahan Razi, they find a perfect solution: raise money to fix and sell their house, then separate. But when bizarre occurrences begin to add up – mysterious lights, missing animals, glimpses of unexplainable tech – in the days before the President’s upcoming visit to town, their guests' strange behavior starts to seem suspicious and potentially dangerous. As Sean and Kim investigate their new tenants, they rediscover the emotional connection they once shared. But reconciliation may come at a significant cost in this timely and provocative thriller.
Section: Narrative Spotlight

Wishful Thinking by Graham Parkes
S/W Films: Where You Are, Craig’s Pathetic Freakout, The Voice in Your Head
Synopsis: When a volatile couple discovers their emotional state has supernatural consequences on the world around them, they must decide whether to fight for their relationship or accept that their powerful connection might be doing more harm than good.
Section: Narrative Feature Competition