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SXSW Film & TV Festival
Austin, United States
March 12-18, 2026
7 days
About SXSW Film & TV Festival
The SXSW Film & TV Festival & Conference is held each March in Austin, Texas, as part of the larger SXSW event that also spans music, comedy and innovation programming. Launched in 1994, the film festival presents narrative and documentary features, shorts, episodic work and XR projects across historic downtown venues. Its documentary programming includes the Documentary Feature Competition, Documentary Spotlight and Documentary Short Competition.
Festival details
Location
Austin, United States
Scope
International
Focus
Documentary · Feature · Short
Duration
7 days
Founded
1994
Awards
Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize
Top jury award for documentary features in competition.
Documentary Short Grand Jury Prize
Jury award for the strongest documentary short.
Audience Award (Documentary Feature)
Audience-voted honor for a favorite documentary feature.
Special programs
Documentary Feature Competition
World premiere competition for documentary features by emerging voices.
Documentary Spotlight
Features receiving World, North American or U.S. premieres outside competition.
Documentary Short Competition
Competitive section for nonfiction short films.
Festival Favorites
Curated selection of standout films from other festivals worldwide.
Film & TV Conference
Industry conference covering storytelling, production, financing, distribution.
Best Documentary Films
Award-Winning Documentaries
Curated For You
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