This year’s SXSW Film & TV Festival brought an impressive slate of films, featuring over 100 features, alongside shorts, TV projects and XR experiences. True to SXSW’s indie spirit, this year’s lineup championed daring debuts and unconventional storytelling, pushing the boundaries of genre and form. From dark comedies and poignant documentaries to chilling thrillers, here are eight standout films that made waves—and left audiences talking—at this year’s festival.
Friendship
Premiered: Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
Theatrical Release: May 9, 2025
A24’s latest comedy, “Friendship,” stars Tim Robinson (“I Think You Should Leave”) and Paul Rudd (“Anchorman”) in a bizarre tale of obsessive friendship gone wrong. Robinson delivers a brilliantly unhinged performance as Craig, a suburban dad whose increasingly desperate attempts to befriend his neighbor (Rudd) spiral into hilariously psychotic chaos. Director Andrew DeYoung deftly transforms Robinson’s offbeat sketch comedy style into an engaging feature-length narrative filled with goofy humor and sharp satire on male loneliness. “Friendship” stands out as one of the year’s funniest films, offering audiences an irresistibly strange and genuinely entertaining experience.
The Rivals of Amziah King
Premiered: SXSW
Theatrical Release: TBA
“The Rivals of Amziah King,” starring Matthew McConaughey, Kurt Russell, and Angelina LookingGlass, earned a rare standing ovation at its SXSW world premiere. Directed with warmth and wit, the film blends crime-thriller intrigue with feel-good comedy, following charismatic musician and beekeeper Amziah (McConaughey) as he mentors his former foster child Kateri (LookingGlass) while confronting a ruthless rival (Russell). McConaughey effortlessly embodies Amziah’s charm and warmth, carrying the film with his trademark charisma, while Russell excels as his ruthless rival. Set against the backdrop of rural Oklahoma, the film thoughtfully explores themes of family bonds and small-town dynamics, enriched by a soulful bluegrass soundtrack.
Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt
Premiered: SXSW
Theatrical Release: TBA
Tom Stern’s thrilling documentary captures the journey of the Butthole Surfers, the Texas art-punk pioneers fronted by Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary. Combining archival footage, candid interviews, surreal animations and puppetry, Stern—who began filming the band in 1986—crafts a vivid portrait of their history from playing underground clubs to festival infamy. Equal parts hilarious and poignant, the film explores both the band’s outrageous antics (Haynes’ infamous nude, fake blood-soaked performances and onstage theatrics) and their deeper struggles with loss and personal trauma. It’s an irresistible celebration of artistic anarchy, perfectly reflecting the band’s legacy of unhinged brilliance.
Together
Premiered: Sundance Film Festival
Theatrical Release: August 1, 2025
Michael Shanks makes an impressive directorial debut with “Together,” a clever and unsettling body-horror starring real-life couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco. Portraying Millie and Tim, a struggling pair attempting a fresh start in the countryside, Brie and Franco deliver electrifying chemistry as their relationship—and ultimately their physical bodies—undergo a terrifying transformation after a supernatural encounter. Balancing anxiety-inducing thrills with humor, Shanks skillfully translates the emotional suffocation of codependency into literal, visceral horror. The film also thoughtfully explores the loss of identity that can occur within long-term relationships, creatively depicting love’s darker extremes in shocking physical form.
The Ballad of Wallis Island
Premiered: Sundance Film Festival
Theatrical Release: March 28, 2025
Nearly two decades after his acclaimed short, “The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island” (2007), director James Griffiths returns with “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” reuniting Tom Basden (“After Life”) and Tim Key (“See How They Run”), alongside Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”). The film follows Charles (Key), an eccentric lottery winner living in isolation on a remote island, who orchestrates a private performance from his favorite folk duo, McGwyer Mortimer (Basden and Mulligan). However, as the long-estranged bandmates reconnect, lingering tensions between them begin to surface, complicating Charles’s well-intentioned plans. Blending humor, heartfelt drama and a rich folk soundtrack, “The Ballad of Wallis Island” thrives on the interplay between Key’s endearing eccentricity and Basden’s guarded reserve.
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Premiered: SXSW
Theatrical Release: TBA
Despite its misleading title, Matt Johnson’s “Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie” isn’t about the legendary grunge band. Instead, it hilariously follows two hapless friends, played by creators Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, as they concoct absurd schemes to book a gig at Toronto’s Rivoli venue. Building on Johnson’s commercial success with “Blackberry,” this Canadian government-funded feature expands on the duo’s mockumentary sitcom. The film leaps from their chaotic, improvised antics into outright surrealism when a botched stunt accidentally sends them back to 2008. Johnson and McCarrol’s impeccable chemistry and relentless comedic energy make the movie a wildly entertaining and joyful experience.
Slanted
Premiered: SXSW
Theatrical Release: TBD
Through the eyes of Joan Huang (Shirley Chen, “Didi”), most everything in her life might be solved by being white, particularly her pursuit of being prom queen. Amy Wang’s “Slanted” provides a satirical look at race growing up in the United States as protagonist Huang undergoes experimental transracial surgery to become white. With elements of comedy, drama and even body horror, Huang’s road to self discovery paints a tender picture of contending with external pressures to conform.
Idiotka
Premiered: SXSW
Theatrical Release: TBD
“Idiotka,” director Nastasya Popov’s debut feature, depicts an overplayed version of Hollywood’s entertainment industry as fashion designer Margarita Levlnasky (Anna Baryshnikov, “Dickinson”) competes on reality show Slay, Serve, Survive. Levlnasky is a native of West Hollywood’s Russian district where she lives with her father, brother and grandmother. As Levlnasky works to stand out amongst other talented designers, she grapples with how much of her personal and family life to broadcast on screen. Packed into a tight 82-minutes Popov comically explores the absurdity of television and how immigrant stories are exploited to appease audiences.
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