Last month, SXSW announced it had tapped Boots Riley’s latest effort, I Love Boosters, to open this year’s fest. Now, SXSW is sharpening its industry focus, dropping a high-profile premiere of Apple TV’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles in the Opening Night TV slot. The 33rd edition of the SXSW Film & TV Festival runs March 12–18, 2026, with a newly retooled schedule that opens on a Thursday and closes on a Wednesday. 

Opening night TV honors go to Margo’s Got Money Troubles, the David E. Kelley–produced adaptation of Rufi Thorpe’s best-selling novel. Elle Fanning toplines the Apple TV series as a college dropout juggling new motherhood, financial precarity, and creative ambition. The cast is stacked with name talent, including Michelle Pfeiffer and Nick Offerman as Margo’s parents, alongside Nicole Kidman, Marcia Gay Harden, Greg Kinnear, and Rico Nasty. The SXSW bow comes ahead of the show’s April 15 global launch on Apple TV, reinforcing the festival’s value as a premium TV launchpad.

The opening-night selections for both film and TV anchor an initial lineup that blends star-driven projects with SXSW’s traditional discovery lanes. Early feature highlights include Jorma Taccone’s Over Your Dead Body, Jonás Cuarón’s Campeón Gabacho, Victoria Strouse’s Seekers of Infinite Love, Family Movie from Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, Deon Taylor’s Drift, and the music-centric doc Los Lobos Native Sons from Doug Blush and Piero F. Giunti. AMC’s The Audacity adds to the early TV slate.

So far, the festival has locked in 58 feature films, including 49 world premieres, along with 52 short films and 20 music videos. The TV program comprises nine projects, split between three TV premieres and six titles in the Independent TV Pilot Competition. XR remains a core pillar, with 29 immersive projects spanning competition, spotlight, and special event sections.

Films will roll out across SXSW’s established sections, including Narrative and Documentary Competition, Midnighter, Visions, Global presented by MUBI, 24 Beats Per Second, and Festival Favorite. All sections will compete for audience awards. The remaining Film and TV slate will be unveiled in mid-February. A full list of films currently slated for SXSW 2026 can be found here.