South by Southwest (SXSW) is ramping up its announcements for 2026, and is in a flurry of news: yesterday, January 13, folks heard about a second round of musical acts (a big group of 300), and overnight news broke that SXSW Sydney would be calling it quits. Today's more local announcement includes information about the opening night TV premiere and the initial film lineup.

SXSW and its Film & TV Festival will take place from March 12-18. Like most of the festival and conference, it takes place in various venues around town. However, it's unique in that it presents awards for features, documentaries, shorts, TV pilots, extended reality (XR) experiences, and more. The festival is famous for its premieres, tying Austin to the breakout of many famous movies and shows.

Austinites who are keeping up with SXSW news have already heard that the opening night film will be I Love Boosters, featuring an ensemble cast including LaKeith Stanfield and Keke Palmer. The opening night TV Premiere will be Margo’s Got Money Troubles, an Apple TV series produced by David E. Kelley, writer and creator of The Practice and Big Little Lies. Margo's Got Money Troubles is based on a novel with the same name by Rufi Thorpe.

In the TV series, Elle Fanning plays Margo, who has dropped out of college and is falling behind on bills while taking care of a new baby. Michelle Pfeiffer (Kelley's wife) and Nick Offerman are Margo's parents — an ex-Hooter's waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, respectively. The press release from SXSW stops there, but Deadline reports that the series has a similar plot to the book, which sees Margot try OnlyFans with advice from her dad's wrestling career for inspiration.

Other cast members to appear in supporting roles include Nicole Kidman, Thaddea Graham, Marcia Gay Harden, Greg Kinnear, Michael Angarano, Rico Nasty, and Lindsey Normington, a real-life stripper who played a supporting role in 2024's Anora.

After the series' SXSW premiere, it will be available to watch on Apple TV starting April 15.

"Elle Fanning is absolutely magnetic as Margo, and Michelle Pfeiffer delivers a performance that reminds you why she's an absolute legend," said Film & TV Festival VP Claudette Godfrey in the release. "The mother-daughter dynamic these two create together is going to really get people talking. Nick Offerman will catch people completely off guard, as will the rest of the incredibly impressive cast. With its killer soundtrack, genuine heart, and sharp attitude and edge, this show captures the exact spirit that makes SXSW special and the bold, distinctive storytelling we love to open with!”

The rest of the lineup is too long to list, so here's a preview with some highlights.

Feature films are divided into these categories:

• Headliner
• Narrative Feature Competition presented by Kickstarter
• Documentary Feature Competition
• Narrative Spotlight
• Documentary Spotlight
• Visions
• Midnighter
• Global presented by MUBI
• 24 Beats Per Second
• Festival Favorite

The 24 Beats Per Second section is a favorite among crowds and press alike, focusing on musical stories and thus tying it in with SXSW's original identity.

The TV program is divided into only two sections: TV Premieres and the Independent TV Pilot Competition. Finally, there are several sections for shorts, including films connected to Texas and music videos.

The XR Experience Program rounds out the lineup, with 29 projects so far. The film and TV lineups have 58 and 9 projects announced so far.

The press releases presents a handful of highlights from the lineup so far, briefly summarized exactly as they appear here:

• Jorma Taccone’s Over Your Dead Body: A dysfunctional couple head to a remote cabin to supposedly reconnect, but each has secret plans to kill the other.
• Jonás Cuarón’s Campeón Gabacho: Campeón Gabacho tells the story of Liborio, a spirited Mexican migrant who fights, literally and figuratively, for a better life in the United States, punching through prejudice with heart, humor, and hope to become an unlikely hero.
• Victoria Strouse’s Seekers of Infinite Love: After learning their youngest sister has joined a traveling cult, three estranged siblings must come together to find and bring her back.
• Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon’s Family Movie: A filmmaking family’s low-budget horror movie turns into a real-life slasher when a dead body shows up on set. Chaos ensues as the Smiths fight to keep the production on track.
• Deon Taylor’s Drift: Isaac “Drift” Wright, a self-taught photographer and Army veteran haunted by trauma, finds healing through breathtaking, illegal climbs of the world’s tallest structures. But his pursuit of art sparks a high-stakes battle with law enforcement in this intimate portrait of risk, resilience, and freedom in modern America.
• Doug Blush and Piero F. Giunti’s Los Lobos Native Sons: Los Lobos Native Sons is the definitive chronicle of the global Latin rock ’n’ roll legends Los Lobos, offering an unparalleled 50-year musical journey through exclusive access to the band’s personal archives and extraordinary legacy.
• AMC’s The Audacity: A would-be tech titan and his therapist play dangerous games with privacy while trying to find happiness.

Platinum and Film & TV Badges ($1,865 or $1,095, respectively) are on sale now at sxsw.com. These badges give attendees priority access to films and sometimes other events. Other badge types, like Music, can also access films, but they do not get priority entry. Because space at premieres is limited and lines can be long, it is common to be locked out of popular films, even with the top badges. The SXSW app allows reservations for premieres — a similarly competitive, but more organized system.