‘Wishful Thinking,’ ‘Over Your Dead Body’ Among 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival Juried and Audience Award Winners
South by Southwest (SXSW) today announced the 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival Jury and Special Award winners, honoring filmmakers and designers in the SXSW Film & TV program, as well as the Audience Award winners of this year’s fest.
Graham Parkes’ Wishful Thinking, starring Maya Hawke and Lewis Pullman, won the juried award for Narrative Feature while Jorma Taccone’s Over Your Dead Body, with Jason Segel and Samara Weaving, was the audience award favorite from the Headliner section.
The 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival presented 120 Features including 90 World Premieres, two International Premieres, five North American Premieres, six U.S. Premieres, 16 Texas Premieres, 52 Short Films, and 20 Music Videos. The TV Program included 13 TV projects, with four TV premieres, three TV Spotlight, and six Independent TV Pilots. There were 31 projects in the XR Experience Program, including 17 in XR Experience Competition, 13 in XR Experience Spotlight, and one XR Experience Special Event.
Film & TV projects receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature Competition categories, plus all other juried sections, including Shorts, Independent TV Pilots, Music Videos, Poster Design and XR Experience Awards. Special Awards announced include the Agog Immersive Impact Award, Green Lens Award, Janet Pierson Champion Award, NEON Auteur Award, Redbreast Unhidden Award, SXSW Best of Texas Award, and the Vimeo Staff Pick.
“This week reminded me, once again, why we do this,” said Claudette Godfrey, VP, Film & TV. “The world has felt heavy. But inside our theaters, something extraordinary happened. Strangers became collaborators, audiences showed up with their whole hearts, and filmmaker after filmmaker reminded us exactly why we gather. We are so proud to celebrate this year’s jury and special award winners. Trust us, you’re going to be hearing a lot more from them.”
Winners of the Best Animated, Best Narrative and Best Documentary Short Film categories become eligible for the Oscars and British Short Film or British Short Animation that screens at SXSW is eligible for BAFTA nomination.
All 2026 Film & TV Festival projects were eligible for category-specific Audience Awards and certified by the accounting firm of Maxwell Locke & Ritter.
Here is the complete list of winners.
2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival Jury and Special Award Winners
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION presented by Kickstarter
Thank you to our sponsor Kickstarter, the leading crowdfunding and launch platform for creative projects of every size, for supporting the Narrative Feature Competition Film Screening section
Winner: Wishful Thinking directed by Graham Parkes
Special Jury Award for Performance: Susan Kent, The Snake
Special Jury Award for Screenwriting: Robb Boardman, Cory Loykasek, Donny Divianian and Frankie Quinones, Plantman & Blondie: A Dress Up Gang Film
Narrative Feature Competition Jury: Monica Castillo, Freelance Critic, RogerEbert.com; Amy Nicholson, Film Critic, Los Angeles Times; and Gregory Ellwood, Editor At Large, The Playlist
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Winner: Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story directed by Ayden Mayeri
Special Jury Award: The Last Critic directed by Matty Wishnow
Special Jury Award: Stormbound directed by Miko Lim
Documentary Feature Competition Jury: Carlos Aguilar, Film Critic, Freelance; Tatiana Siegel, Writer at Large, The California Post; and Angie Han, Critic, The Hollywood Reporter
SHORT FILM COMPETITION Presented by Vimeo
Thank you to our Shorts Program Presenting sponsor, Vimeo: the premier home for video professionals and the best short films on the internet.
NARRATIVE SHORT COMPETITION
Winner: Souvenir directed by Renée Marie Petropoulos
Special Jury Award: Supper directed by Savannah Braswell
Narrative Short Competition Jury: Ryan Koo, Founder, No Film School; Rheagan Kearney, Creative Executive, Ley Line Entertainment; and Kara Durrett, President and Head of Film & TV, Pinky Promise Films
DOCUMENTARY SHORT COMPETITION
Winner: In The Morning Sun directed by Serville Poblete
Special Jury Award: Eructation directed by Victoria Trow
“A fun, informative, breath of fresh air that is visually playful and encourages sonic curiosity. This film is a quirky character study that demonstrates ambition can be applied to even the most obscure pursuits. Delightful and surprising.”
Documentary Short Competition Jury: Opal H. Bennett, Senior Producer, POV, and Executive Producer, POV Shorts; Anna Klein, Director of Documentary Programming, HBO; Alexis Galfas, Manager, Cinetic Media
ANIMATED SHORT COMPETITION
Winner: Paper Trail directed by Don Hertzfeldt
Special Jury Award: Hag directed by Anna Ginsburg
Animated Short Competition Jury: Ellen Willis Brenner, Creative Executive, Netflix Animation Studios; Adrian Molina, Director, Pixar Animation Studios; and Kirsten Lepore, Director and Animator
MIDNIGHT SHORT COMPETITION
Winner: Tongue directed by Lim Da seul
Special Jury Award: Man Eating Pussy directed by Emily Lawson
Midnight Short Competition Jury: Rebekah McKendry, PhD, Professor of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California; Adam Hendricks, Co-Founder, Divide/Conquer; and Dana Gills Mycoo, EVP of Production & Development, Monkeypaw Productions
TEXAS SHORT COMPETITION
Winner: Forcefield of Love directed by Liz Moskowitz and Riley Engemoen
Special Jury Award for Standout Ensemble: Stalin Boys directed by Ora DeKornfeld and Bianca Giaever
Texas Short Competition Jury: Ryan McQuade, Executive Editor, AwardsWatch; Seckeita Lewis, Co-founder, Lewis Taylor Productions; and Andrew Logan, Screenwriter, Producer and Journalist
MUSIC VIDEO COMPETITION
Winner: Rawayana and Bomba Estereo – ‘Fogata’ directed by Paola Ossa
Special Jury Award: Doechii – ‘Anxiety‘ directed by James Mackel
Music Video Competition Jury: Marc Fort, Radio Producer, Host and DJ, KUTX 98.9, KUT News, and KOOP 91.7; Warren Fu, Music Video Director; and Julyssa Lopez, Deputy Music Editor, Rolling Stone
INDEPENDENT TV PILOT COMPETITION
Winner: In My Blood from Showrunner and Director Alex Bendo
Special Jury Award: Son of a Bikram from Showrunners and Screenwriters Ash T and Johnny Rey Diaz and Director Johnny Rey Diaz
Independent TV Pilot Jury: Kat Candler, Writer, Director and Producer; Billy Luther, Writer and Director; and Lindsey Villarreal, Writer and Director
XR EXPERIENCE COMPETITION
Winner: Body Proxy by Danny Cannizzaro and Samantha Gorman
Special Jury Award: The Forgotten War by Hayoun Kwon
XR Experience Jury: Katayoun Dibamehr, Producer; Fred Volhuer, Executive and Co-Founder, Atlas V; and Michele Ziegler, Executive Director, NewImages
SPECIAL AWARDS
Agog Immersive Impact Award
Thank you to our sponsor: Designed to inspire creators and changemakers to use XR for good, the Agog Immersive Impact Award recognizes projects that help us all imagine and work toward a more just and sustainable world.
Winner: A Long Goodbye directed by Kate Voet and Victor Maes
Green Lens Award
Launched this year in partnership with the Sustainable Entertainment Alliance, the Green Lens Award honors the TV or Film project that best reflects our changing world, the human experience of living through the age of climate change, or pathways to a more sustainable future.
Winner: Plantman & Blondie: A Dress Up Gang Film directed by Robb Boardman
Janet Pierson Champion Award
Winner: Benjamin Wiessner
NEON Auteur Award
As an award-winning champion of not just films, but filmmakers and film festivals, NEON is a guiding force in independent cinema.
Winner: The Peril at Pincer Point directed by Jake Kuhn and Noah Stratton-Twine
Redbreast Unhidden Award
In collaboration with SXSW Film & TV Festival and Andrew Scott, Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is championing the discovery of bold and original stories through the Redbreast Unhidden Award — an honour recognising an independent short filmmaker whose work brings fresh perspectives to the screen. The Redbreast Unhidden Award aims to celebrate the most exciting emerging talent in short film at this year’s festival.
Winner: We Were Here directed by Pranav Bhasin
SXSW Best of Texas Award
Winner: Stages directed by Ryan Booth
Vimeo Staff Pick
Winner: Mantis Stream! Like & Subscribe directed by Lincoln Robisch and Sarah Maerten (CLUSTERFUCK!)
2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival Audience Award Winners
Feature Film Program
HEADLINER Presented by Louisville Film Office
Audience Award Winner: Over Your Dead Body
Director: Jorma Taccone, Producers: Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Lee Kim, Guy Danella, Nick Spicer, Aram Tertzakian, Screenwriters: Nick Kocher, Brian McElhaney
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION presented by Kickstarter
Thank you to our sponsor Kickstarter, the leading crowdfunding and launch platform for creative projects of every size, for supporting the Narrative Feature Competition Film Screening section.
Audience Award Winner: Plantman & Blondie: A Dress Up Gang Film
Director: Robb Boardman, Producers: Mark Ankner, Robb Boardman, Cory Loykasek, Donny Divanian, Frankie Quinones, Jay Patumanoan, Adam Karm, Ben Wagner, Screenwriters: Robb Boardman, Cory Loykasek, Donny Divanian, Frankie Quinones
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: The Ascent
Directors: Edward Drake, Scott Veltri, Francis Cronin, Producers: Edward Drake, Scott Veltri
NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
Audience Award Winner: Campeón Gabacho
Director: Jonás Cuarón, Producers: Gabriela Rodríguez, Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón, Nicolás Celis, Screenwriters: Jonás Cuarón, Aura Xilonen
DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT
Audience Award Winner: Ceremony
Director/Producer: Banchi Hanuse
MIDNIGHTER
Audience Award Winner: Never After Dark
Director/Screenwriter: Dave Boyle, Producers: Dave Boyle, Kento Kaku, Kosuke Tsutsumi
VISIONS
Audience Award Winner: Daughters of the Forest
Director/Screenwriter: Otilia Portillo Padua, Producers: Paula Arroio, Elena Fortes, Otilia Portillo Padua
GLOBAL Presented by MUBI
Thank you to our sponsor, MUBI: the global streaming service, production company and film distributor dedicated to elevating great cinema, from iconic directors to emerging auteurs.
Audience Award Winner: Mickey
Director: Dano García, Producers: Dano García, Indira Cato, Joceline Hernandez, Alejandra Guevara Castillo, Christian Giraud, Screenwriters: Dano García, Tonatiuh Israel
24 BEATS PER SECOND
Audience Award Winner: Noah Kahan: Out of Body
Director: Nick Sweeney, Producers: Samantha Mustari, Dave Sirulnick, Stacey Reiss, Ryan Kroft, Vaughn Trudeau, Anna Keegan, David Blackman, Jeff Ludwig, Devon Libran
FESTIVAL FAVORITE
Audience Award Winner: Cookie Queens
Director: Alysa Nahmias, Producers: Gregory Kershaw, Michael Dweck, Alysa Nahmias, Jennifer Sims
Short Film Program Presented by Vimeo
Thank you to our Shorts Program Presenting sponsor, Vimeo: the premier home for video professionals and the best short films on the internet.
NARRATIVE SHORT COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: We Were Here
Director/Screenwriter: Pranav Bhasin, Producer: Yash Gonsai
DOCUMENTARY SHORT COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: I Got My Brother
Director: Victor K. Gabriel, Producer: Rachel Earnest
ANIMATED SHORT COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: Paper Trail
Director/Producer/Screenwriter: Don Hertzfeldt
MIDNIGHT SHORT COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much
Director/Screenwriter: Eric Jackowitz, Producer: Colton Mastro
TEXAS SHORT COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: Stalin Boys
Directors: Ora DeKornfeld, Bianca Giaever, Producers: Alejandra Vasquez, Ora DeKornfeld, Bianca Giaever
MUSIC VIDEO COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: OK Go – ‘Love‘
Directors: Aaron Duffy, Miguel Espada, Damian Kulash
TV Program
TV PREMIERE Audience Award Winner: Monsters of God
Showrunner: Jeremy McBride, Director: Eric Goode, Producers: Tom Petersen, James Liu, Callie Barlow, Lissa Rivera, Charles Divak, Adrienne Gits, Daniel Johnson, Screenwriters: Jeremy McBride, Eric Goode, Tom Petersen
TV SPOTLIGHT Audience Award Winner: Woodstockers
Showrunner: Corbin Bernsen, Director: Oliver Bernsen, Producer: Zoe Rosenberg, Screenwriters: Corbin Bernsen, Joshua Michael Stern, Henry Bernsen
INDEPENDENT TV PILOT COMPETITION Audience Award Winner: Birth is For P*ssies
Showrunner/Screenwriter: Hannah Shealy, Directors: Hannah Shealy, Celine Sutter, Producer: Celine Sutter
XR Experience
XR EXPERIENCE COMPETITION
Audience Award Winner: Fabula Rasa: Dead Man Talking
Directors: Luiza Justus, Marcelo Marcati, Producer: Erika Nakayama, Screenwriters: Eduardo Nicolau, Pedro Penna
XR EXPERIENCE SPOTLIGHT
Audience Award Winner: The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up
Director: Singing Chen, Producers: Singing CHEN, SUNG Chin-Hsuan, Screenwriters: Singing CHEN, LOU Yi-An
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- ‘Wishful Thinking,’ ‘Over Your Dead Body’ Among 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival Juried and Audience Award Winners - March 21, 2026
- Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) Television and Nonfiction Nominations Announced: ‘Adolescence,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Slow Horses’ and More - March 20, 2026
- Trailer Watch: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Dune: Part Three,’ Disclosure Day,’ ‘Wild Horse Nine’ - March 20, 2026
‘Wishful Thinking,’ ‘Over Your Dead Body’ Among 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival Juried and Audience Award Winners 
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 144 – ‘A Matter of Life and Death (Powell and Pressburger, 1946) with Special Guest Jesse Nussman 
Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) Television and Nonfiction Nominations Announced: ‘Adolescence,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Slow Horses’ and More 
Trailer Watch: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ ‘Dune: Part Three,’ Disclosure Day,’ ‘Wild Horse Nine’