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Need To Know the Black Films Playing at SXSW Film & TV Festival? We Got You Covered!

Need To Know the Black Films Playing at SXSW Film & TV Festival? We Got You Covered!

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SXSW, the fan-favorite Austin-based festival, announced their lineup for Film and TV section, including some top-notch talent, documentaries, shorts, and more. While the event has been around since 1987, the film festival aspect will be going on its 32nd year and run from March 7th to March 15th in 2025.

SXSW continues to be a great platform for people of all backgrounds to showcase their work to large audiences. The amount of visibility that comes from participating in the festival has the potential to be life-changing for a lot of people in the industry. We take a look at the Black-led projects that are must-sees on this year’s ticket.

Assembly

Documentary Feature

Directors/Producers/Screenwriters: Rashaad Newsome and Johnny Symons

Art meets AI when Rashaad Newsome when transforms a space that was once a military facility into a Black queer utopia. He uses eye catching visuals along with dancers, musicians, and poets to complement his storytelling. He incorporates performances to that give a spotlight to Black trans women and the AIDS crisis amougst other creative art forms. Assembly highlights how art brings about solidarity, liberation, and strength within many communities.

The Dutchman

Narrative Spotlight

Director: Andre Gaines

Cast: André Holland, Kate Mara, Zazie Beetz, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Aldis Hodge, Lauren E. Banks

A Black businessman attends therapy with his wife in hopes of saving their marriage but things take a turn when the therapist starts to appear to him outside of their scheduled sessions. While on a train, Clay encounters a seductive white woman that begins to tamper with his life. In an effort to figure out what is going on, Clay searches for the reason for them crossing paths, all while trying to survive and get back to his wife.

Seen and Heard

Documentary Feature

Directors: Giselle Bailey and Phil Bertelsen

Featuring Tracee Ellis Ross, Swizz Beatz, Cord Jefferson, Lena Waithe, Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes, Tyler Perry, and Ava Duvernay

Issa Rae is on a roll with no signs of slowing down as she is an executive producer on Seen and Heard, a two-part documentary that aims to capture Black entertainment creatives from the past to today. After producing One of Them Days which has been very well received, Rae links back up with HBO to bring us an inside look through the perspective of writers, producers, creators, and actors attached to some of the most successful Black TV series. It’ll have its world premiere in the Documentary Spotlight category via her Issa Rae Productions team. It will explore the evolution of Black storytelling through the lens of those who watched it unfold in real time and takes a look at what those individuals are up to now.

Cotton Candy Bubble Gum

Narrative Spotlight

Director/Screenwriter: J. Pinder, Producer: Cole Dabney

Cast: Nick Darnell, Morgan Jay, R. Marcus Taylor, JadaPaige, Jack Stone, Ben Scattone, Mildred Marie Langford, Rodney J. Hobbs, Jecobi Swain, Sophia Renee Sherman

Carter, a 21-year-old mama’s boy still living at home, must land a paid promotion at his internship by the end of the day or find a new place to live. To get the job, his boss gives him a seemingly impossible list of tasks to complete: get his Jeep detailed, babysit his teenage son, set up his birthday party,, and recover a sex tape. Everything that can go wrong does but if Carter can conquer this wildly chaotic day, he might be ready for the real world after all. 

New Jack Fury

Narrative Feature 

Director/Screenwriter: Lanfia Wal, Producers: Van White, Mariah Morgenstern, Denaun Porter, Lanfia Wal, Akino Childrey

Cast: Andre Hall, Page Kennedy, Dean Morrow (aka Michael Trapson), Paul Wheeler, Ally Renee, Shawn Nathan, Wrekless Watson, Ace Vane, James Markham Hall, Jr., Vincent M. Ward 

Taking place in the 80’s, a former cop must seek the help of two unlawful R&B eccentrics to help save his girlfriend after she is kidnapped by a ruthless kingpin. Along the way, he sets out to take down a powerful crime organization called the Styles Syndicate while arch rivals Moon and Leslie try not to kill each other.

The Infinite Husk

Narrative Feature

Director/Screenwriter: Aaron Silverstein, Producers: Aaron Silverstein, Mitchel McKenzie, Christine Sohail

Cast: Peace Ikediuba, Foreste Jean Feely, Circus-Szalewski, Michael Jon Murphy, Geena Alexandra, Gary Lee Reed, William Thomas Jones, Smaran Harihar, Jyl Haruye Kaneshiro

An alien consciousness is sent to Earth and her only hope of ever getting back home is to accept a seemingly impossible mission: spy on one of her own kind, uncover his research, and report her findings. This isn’t easy task for her as she is forced to inhabit a human body where she discovers the joys and sorrows of what it means to be human, all while her target weaves his own game of intrigue in the name of a new and very dangerous kind of science.

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Denim

Independent TV Pilot Program

Denim – Independent TV Pilot Competition – 2025 SXSW Film & TV FestivalShowrunner/Director/Producer: Tedra Wilson

We explore the powerful journeys of three LGBTQIA+ creatives who are shape shifting their industries through self-expression. Kidd Kenn lays out his own path as a queer rapper in hip hop and speaks boldly about transforming the music scene. Project Runway’s Bishme Cromartie opens up for the first time about being a gay designer from Baltimore and navigating the fashion world. Each oh the trailblazers featured is pushing boundaries while driving the change the creative world needs.

Night Fight

Documentary Feature

Director: Khary Saeed Jones

Producers: Khary Saeed Jones, Kendra T. Field, Tiye Amenechi

It’s been seven years since I was followed by a vigilante down back roads in rural Canada. During that time, I have sought to document — at first, unwittingly — the emergence of the versions of myself that were born on that day and in the weeks and months afterward. Now, as I return to the town, I begin to wonder whether I want answers to my many questions or something else. Night Fight explores this secret life and the impossible task of sharing it with my young son.

The Makings of Curtis Mayfield

Documentary Feature

Director: H.E.R., Producers: Peter Afterman, Mari Keiko Gonzalez, Sarah Haber

Featuring Curtis Mayfield, H.E.R., Dr. Dre, Mary J Blige, John Legend, Lena Waithe, Stephen Marley, Maxwell, Tom Morello, Ernie Isley

Directed by and featuring Grammy Award-winning musical artist and actor, H.E.R., The Makings of Curtis Mayfield explores the legacy and deep musical and cultural influence of singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, and entrepreneur Curtis Mayfield. It focuses on his influential songwriting, innovative guitar playing, film soundtrack work, and his ability to write from different perspectives. 

Newbies

Narrative Short

See Also

Directors/Screenwriters: Kimiko Matsuda-Lawrence, Megan Trufant Tillman, 

Producers: Stephanie Roush, Melissa Louis-Jacques

Two broken strangers wrestling with their queer identities meet on the subway just after midnight. Through a poetic journey that spans past a few hours through their night, much is revealed about how they got here and what broke them. 

Vibrant films showcasing the sounds, culture and influence of music and musicians.

42nd Street (Dominican Republic)

42nd Street – 24 Beats Per Second – 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival


Director/Producer: José María Cabral

Screenwriters: José María Cabral, Miguel Yarul

A sensory dive into the lives of dancers and artists hungry for fame, clashing with police tactics and unorthodox views. 42nd Street unveils a defiant counter-culture in the Dominican urban scene—all unfolding on a bold, unrelenting 600-meter 42nd street. Featuring Demetal, Natasha Dancer, Maco Boba, Ricardo La Música (World Premiere)

Boxcutter (Canada)

Boxcutter – 24 Beats Per Second – 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival


Director: Reza Dahya, Producers: Soko Negash, Reza Dahya, Screenwriter: Chris Cromie


After his laptop is stolen, an aspiring rapper goes on a quest across the gentrifying streets of Toronto to recover his music in time for the event that could change his life – a meeting with a Grammy Award winning producer.

Cast: Ashton James, Zoe Lewis, Viphusan Vani (International Premiere)

La Salsa Vive (Colombia)

La Salsa Vive – 24 Beats Per Second – 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival

Director/Screenwriter: Juan Carvajal, Producers: Diego Ramirez, Kevin Lopez, Juan Carvajal

La Salsa Vive is a vibrant cinematic exploration of Afro-Cuban music’s history, tracing its roots from New York’s lively streets to Cali, Colombia, now the global salsa capital. Featuring Rubén Blades, Henry Fiol, Willie Rosario, Angel Lebron, Johnny Rodriguez, Luis Eduardo Mulato, Samuel Formell, Francia Elena, Yuleissy Montano, Kevin Santiago Quiñones (World Premiere)

Government Cheese

Government Cheese – TV Premiere – 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival


Showrunners/Screenwriters: Paul Hunter, Aeysha Carr, Director: Paul Hunter, Producers: Paul Hunter, Aeysha Carr, David Oyelowo, Charles D. King, Jelani Johnson, Ali Brown


Government Cheese is a seemingly surrealist family comedy set in 1969 San Fernando Valley that tells the story of the Chambers, a quirky family pursuing lofty and impossible dreams, beautifully unfettered by the realities of the world.

Cast: David Oyelowo, Simone Missick, Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Evan Ellison, Bokeem Woodbine (World Premiere)

Exodus

Exodus – Documentary Short Competition – 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival


Director: Nimco Sheikhaden, Producers: Nimco Sheikhaden, Sara Chishti


Exodus is an intimate portrait of two women who face unique challenges following decades of incarceration. The film bears witness to their impassioned attempts to rebuild their lives and ultimately restore their humanity. (World Premiere)

Murewa (United Kingdom)

Murewa – Documentary Short Competition – 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival


Director: Ché Scott-Heron Newton

Producer: Matt Houghton


What if you had a second chance at a childhood friendship? (World Premiere)

The 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival will run March 7-15th in Austin, TX.


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