Published: March 22, 2026 | By texas.film
SXSW wrapped last week, and for Texas filmmakers, this year's slate was a meaningful snapshot of where the state's indie scene actually stands. Not the Taylor Sheridan economy — that's a different machine entirely. The grassroots stuff. The Austin filmmaker making a movie with his daughter. The South Texas country singer getting his portrait filmed in London. The horror shot around a small town near Round Top.
Here's what SXSW 2026 told us about Texas independent film in 2026.
The Duplass Brothers Are Still Austin's Anchor
Mark and Jay Duplass had two films at SXSW this year. That's not a coincidence — it's what happens when you've been building a creative infrastructure in Austin for two decades without leaving.
Their Town (world premiere, SXSW 2026) — written by Mark Duplass, starring his daughter Ora in what appears to be her first feature role. A story of two high schoolers exploring and connecting. Small, personal, Austin through and through.
See You When I See You — directed by Jay Duplass solo (the first time Jay has directed without Mark), the film premiered at Sundance and got its Texas premiere at SXSW. It stars Dallas-born Cooper Raiff alongside David Duchovny and Kaitlyn Dever, following a comedy writer dealing with PTSD after a family tragedy.
Jay told The Hollywood Reporter he was nervous about going solo: "You don't want to be the person that leaves Fleetwood Mac and makes a solo album and everybody's like, 'ehhh — no thank you.'" Judging by the Sundance reception, the answer wasn't no thank you.
Two films from one producing team in one year at the same festival. The Duplass brothers have made Austin home for their careers, and Austin has benefited enormously.
Macon Blair Brings Austin Comedy to the National Stage
The Shitheads — written and directed by Austin filmmaker Macon Blair, premiered at Sundance and made its way to SXSW. Stars Dave Franco and O'Shea Jackson Jr.
Blair is worth knowing. He came up through the Blue Ruin / Green Room orbit (Jeremy Saulnier collaborations) and made his directorial debut with I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (Netflix, 2017). He lives and works in Austin. The Shitheads is his feature follow-up and by all accounts a departure — a straight-up comedy with legitimate star power behind it.
Sydney Chandler Shot on Celluloid
Anima (world premiere, SXSW 2026) — stars Austin native Sydney Chandler, daughter of Friday Night Lights actor Kyle Chandler. Central Texas resident, rising star (you may have seen her in Alien: Earth). The film is a near-future sci-fi about a woman who takes a job with a company that uploads consciousness to the cloud, then embarks on a cross-country drive with a client.
The production detail that stands out: Anima was shot on celluloid. Actual film. In 2026. Chandler told Texas Standard: "Working on film — which I've never been able to do before — was so much fun."
That's a Texas-connected filmmaker working with a Texas actor on a celluloid shoot. Worth noting.
Iliza Shlesinger's Texas Homecoming
Chasing Summer — written by and starring comedian Iliza Shlesinger, who was born in New York but raised in the suburbs of Dallas. Directed by Josephine Decker (who also grew up in Texas). Shot at least in part in Texas. A Sundance-to-SXSW film about a woman who flees back to her small Texas hometown after her life collapses.
Decker on what drew her to the script: "The people I grew up with in Texas — I had emblazoned in my mind as, like, vampires, some of them — and then realizing that there's humanity in everyone, there's so much complexity."
Texas as emotional geography. The film isn't flattering to Texas exactly, but that's fine — Texas can handle complicated. What matters is that a filmmaker raised in Texas made a film about Texas with a co-creator raised in Texas, and it went to Sundance. That's the ecosystem working.
The Music Documentary Tradition Holds Strong
Two Texas music docs at SXSW this year:
A Cowboy in London — a documentary about South Texas native Charley Crockett, one of the most prolific voices in modern outlaw country (15 albums in a decade, new album Age of the Ram due in April). The film follows three days of sold-out shows in London. The timing with SXSW — Crockett played Stubb's the same week — was intentional.
The Man with the Big Hat — directed by Austin-based filmmaker Austin Sayre, about Steven Fromholz, an underappreciated progenitor of 1970s progressive country. Revered by your favorite musicians, never commercially successful, then a stroke in 2003 erased much of his musical memory. The film includes never-before-heard recordings. This is the kind of preservation documentary that only gets made because Austin remembers its music history.
AFS Production is in the Building
First They Came for My College — produced by Holly Herrick, head of film and creative media at the Austin Film Society. A documentary about a right-wing takeover of a public school in Florida — one of the first instances of such an academic overhaul. The AFS connection is direct.
AFS isn't just a grant-giving organization and a movie theater. It produces. This film is a reminder of that.
What SXSW 2026 Tells Us
A few observations from this year's Texas-connected slate:
Austin is the creative center, but the subject matter reaches statewide. Films shot in Austin, about Dallas, drawing from South Texas, with Houston connections. The production infrastructure is Austin-centric; the Texas identity is not.
The Duplass machine is real. They've been building for 20+ years without leaving. Two films in one year at one festival is the result of that. If you want to understand what a sustainable Texas indie career looks like, study the Duplass brothers.
Celluloid is back for the right projects. Anima shot on film in 2026. That's not nostalgia — that's craft. Texas has labs and talent that can support it.
Music docs are a Texas specialty. Two this year, both strong. Willie Nelson to Charley Crockett to Steven Fromholz — Texas music history is rich enough that documentary filmmakers keep finding new stories.
The AFF early bird deadline is March 27. If you made something this year, submit it.
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