SXSW FILM & TV FESTIVAL 2026 AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS
Plantman & Blondie: A Dress Up Gang Film and The Ascent Take Narrative and Documentary Feature Competition Audience Awards
Austin, Texas, Friday, March 20, 2026 – The South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals announced the Audience Award winners for the 33rd SXSW Film & TV Festival today. The Audience Awards follow the previously announced 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival Jury and Special Awards. Audience Award Winners were certified by Maxwell Locke & Ritter LLP.
SXSW Film & TV Festival presented 120 Features including 90 World Premieres, 2 International Premieres, 5 North American Premieres, 6 U.S. Premieres, 16 Texas Premieres, 52 Short Films and 20 Music Videos. The TV Program included 13 TV projects, with 4 TV premieres, 3 TV Spotlight and 6 Independent TV Pilots. There were 31 projects in the XR Experience Program, including 17 in XR Experience Competition, 13 in XR Experience Spotlight and 1 XR Experience Special Event.
“This year’s SXSW Film & TV Festival was a powerful reminder of what makes this community so special,” said Claudette Godfrey, VP, Film & TV. “From emerging storytellers to established voices, the range of work across film, TV, and XR reflected the depth and creativity of the global creative community. Experiencing these projects together across Austin created a real sense of connection and discovery, and we’re grateful to the audiences, filmmakers, and volunteers who made it all possible. We’re excited to see how these projects continue to reach and resonate with audiences beyond SXSW.”
SXSW draws thousands of fans, film and television creators, press, and industry leaders to discover the smartest, most innovative, and entertaining new films, TV and XR projects of the year, as well as giving access to hundreds of Conference Sessions, Creative Industry Exhibitions, Mentoring, Meetups, and Special Events that define the cross-industry event.
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
SXSW is proud to be an official qualifying festival for the Academy Awards® Short Film competition. Winners of our Best Animated, Best Narrative and Best Documentary Short Film categories become eligible for Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards (Oscars). Any British Short Film or British Short Animation that screens at SXSW is eligible for BAFTA nomination. Films are also eligible for the Independent Spirit Awards, more information on eligibility here.
Press Links:
- Film Stills can be found at: https://filmmaker.sxsw.com/media
- Publicists for projects in the 2026 program can be found here.
About SXSW Film & TV Festival
Now in its 33rd year, SXSW Film & TV Festival brings together creatives of all stripes to experience a diverse lineup and access to the music and comedy festivals plus conference sessions with visionaries from all corners of the entertainment, media, and technology industries.
About SXSW
SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is known worldwide for conferences and festivals that celebrate the convergence of technology, film and television, music, education, comedy and culture. The annual event serves global professionals through sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and networking that consistently generates unexpected discoveries when diverse communities come together. SXSW and SXSW EDU 2027 will take place in March 2027 in Austin, TX. Learn more at sxsw.com.
SXSW continues to connect creative communities around the world through its flagship event in Austin and SXSW London, which launched in 2025—reflecting SXSW’s commitment to fostering meaningful exchange across culture, technology, and creativity.
SXSW 2026 is Driven by Rivian.
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