SXSW 2024 will include a lot of great documentaries. Check out a list of films in the Documentary Spotlight category, which include features receiving their World, North American, or U.S. premieres.

7 Beats Per Minute (Canada)
Director/Screenwriter: Yuqi Kang, Producers: Ina Fichman, Sherien Barsoum
Director Yuqi Kang’s documentary captures the descent of a lifetime, when freediving champion Jessea Lu returns to the site of her near-death experience to face the traumas of her past and find a way back to connection. (World Premiere)

The Antisocial Network
Directors: Giorgio Angelini, Arthur Jones, Producers: Giorgio Angelini, Arthur Jones, Jordan Wynn, Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard
From the rise of QAnon to the January 6th riots, The Antisocial Network explains how a group of bored teenagers built an online community out of their shared loneliness but accidentally shattered consensus reality in the process. (World Premiere)

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
Director: Charlie Hamilton James, Producer: Jeff Wilson
From National Geographic and Silverback Films, Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story is a heart-warming story of love between a wild otter and a man set in the remote Scottish islands of Shetland. (World Premiere)

Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion
Director: Eva Orner, Producers: Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn, Eva Orner
Hiding behind the shiny Instagram façade of Brandy Melville, the go-to clothing brand for young women, is a shockingly toxic culture that lies within the global fast fashion industry. (World Premiere)

Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie
Director: David Bushell, Producers: David Bushell, Robbi Chong
Cheech and Chong’s Last Movie explores the legacy of pioneering comics Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong with a mix of archival madness and cinematic road trip. The result is a true-life tale of fame and friendship stranger (and funnier) than fiction. (World Premiere)

Clemente
Director: David Altrogge, Producers: Mike Blizzard, Mary Sabol, Sarah Altrogge, Jocelyn Hartnett, Stephen Turselli, Keith Ayers, Andrew Calvetti, Steve Burman, John Scanlon, Screenwriters: Elise Andert, David Altrogge
An immersive documentary about the remarkable life and legacy of MLB icon Roberto Clemente. Featuring Vera Clemente, Rita Moreno, Roberto Clemente Jr., Michael Keaton, Luis Roberto Clemente, Bob Costas, Tom Morello, Francisco Lindor, Yadier Molina, Richard Linklater. (World Premiere)

Dickweed
Director: Jonathan Ignatius Green, Producers: David Ricksecker, Jefferis Gray
Two people got kidnapped. One man lost his dick. No one got any money. This heist-gone-horribly-wrong led one Newport Beach detective on an international manhunt for the most twisted criminal he’s ever hunted. (World Premiere)

Fly
Directors/Producers: Shaul Schwarz, Christina Clusiau
To stand on the edge and jump into the wind, one must be willing to lose everything. That could mean the love of your life, or the life you love. Over seven years, three couples in the world of BASE jumping risk everything to feel alive. (World Premiere)

The Hobby (Canada)
Director: Simon Ennis, Producers: Kim C. Roberts, Tina Pehme, Justin Rebelo
Are games the meaning of life? The Hobby is a funny, affectionate, character-driven portrait of the massive subculture of modern board games, featuring a fascinating and diverse group of subjects who find deep meaning in “meaningless” pursuits. (World Premiere)

How Music Got Free
Showrunner/Director: Alexandria Stapleton, Producers: Philip Byron, Marshall Mathers, Paul Rosenberg, LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Steve Stoute, Jamal Henderson, Bridgette Theriault, Dan Sacks, James Chapman, Steve Berman, John Janick, Anthony Seyler, Stephen Witt, Alexandria Stapleton, Bruce Gillmer, Michael Maniaci, Malik Johnson
How Music Got Free is a documentary by Alexandria Stapleton, that reveals the true story of Dell Glover, a CD factory worker turned piracy pioneer, who sparked a global file-sharing revolution. (World Premiere)

How To Build A Truth Engine (Austria)
Director/Screenwriter: Friedrich Moser, Producers: Friedrich Moser, Robert Rippberger, Amina Bayou, Ivan Williams
An eye-opening documentary about how our biological hard-wired neurological behavior makes us so susceptible to misinformation, and what we can do about it. (World Premiere)

Lions of Mesopotamia
Director: Lucian Read, Producers: Mohamed Al Daradji, Patrick Reardon, David Hillman, Lucian Read, Ryan Bundra, David Katsman, Adam Linehan, Michael Sugar
This film recounts the Iraqi national soccer team’s journey to become Asian Cup champions in 2007 during the bloodiest days of their country’s civil war. The team, the sons of sworn enemies battling in war, united their country in its darkest hour. (World Premiere)

Plastic People (Canada)
Directors: Ben Addelman, Ziya Tong, Producers: Vanessa Dylyn, Stephen Paniccia, Screenwriter: Ben Addelman
Plastic People is a landmark feature documentary that chronicles humanity’s fraught relationship with plastic and one woman’s mission to expose shocking new revelations about the impact of microplastics on human health. (World Premiere)

Preconceived
Directors: Sabrine Keane, Kate Dumke, Producers: Heather Keane, Sabrine Keane, Maggie Contreras
A riveting documentary about the pervasive, but overlooked presence of Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Preconceived explores the complex role of deception, finances, faith, and privacy amid a shifting legal landscape. (World Premiere)

Secret Mall Apartment
Director/Producer: Jeremy Workman
In 2003, eight young Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment hidden inside the Providence Place Mall and lived in it for four years, filming everything along the way. The secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all its inhabitants. (World Premiere)

Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter
Directors: Abby Ginzberg, Christy Carpenter, Producers: Abby Ginzberg, Christy Carpenter, Jessica Brannon-Wranosky
Shaking it Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter is the story of a trailblazing journalist, White House official, feminist leader, political activist, and humorist whose legacy is a vital part of Texas and US history and highly relevant today. (World Premiere)

She Looks Like Me (United Kingdom)
Director/Screenwriter: Torquil Jones, Producers: Lindsey Dryden, Ian Davies, Torquil Jones
Born without legs, Jen Bricker is abandoned by her biological parents. She idolizes America’s superstar gymnast – the mesmerizing Dominique Moceanu – only to find out that the two women share a shocking secret. (World Premiere)

MoviePass, MovieCrash
Director: Muta’Ali, Producers: Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Archie Gips, Scott Veltri, Jack Heller, David Wendell
MoviePass, MovieCrash chronicles the origin story, meteoric rise and stranger-than-fiction implosion of the theatrical movie subscription app, MoviePass. (World Premiere)

Stormy
Director: Sarah Gibson, Producers: Sarah Gibson, Erin Lee Carr, Emelia Brown
From reporters to lawyers to politicians, many have attempted to define Stormy Daniels. Stormy tells the unvarnished truth about an unlikely American icon – this time, in her own words. (World Premiere)

The Truth vs. Alex Jones
Director: Dan Reed, Producers: Dan Reed, Marguerite Gaudin
How grieving Sandy Hook families defeated conspiracy giant Alex Jones in two historic trials, holding him to account for the lies he spread about the 2012 mass shooting. Fake news on trial, with unprecedented access to a Travis County courtroom. (World Premiere)

Whatever it Takes (United Kingdom)
Director: Jenny Carchman, Producers: Allyson Luchak, Ben Travers
In 2019, a middle-aged couple are subjected to cyberstalking and bizarre deliveries, including a bloody pig mask and funeral wreath. As the harassment intensifies, the police and FBI close in on a Silicon Valley giant and some very unlikely suspects. (World Premiere)

SXSW will run from March 8-16 in Austin, TX. You can purchase various badges on their website.

We will be covering SXSW, so be sure to follow along for further updates including reviews and event coverage!