“Ash”
Starring Eiza González, Aaron Paul, Flying Lotus, Iko Uwais, Kate Elliott, and Beulah Koale, this sci-fi drama is a gripping tale of survival and resilience that chronicles the journey of a community rebuilding their lives after a devastating volcanic eruption. Flying Lotus, aka DJ, rapper and filmmaker Steven D. Bingley-Ellison, directs.
“Fantasy Life”
The directorial debut by actor turned writer/filmmaker Matthew Shear (“Mistress America”), who also co-stars, this comedy is essentially about a younger man who falls for a married woman with kids. The film centers on a paralegal (Shear) who loses his job, suffers a panic attack and stumbles into a job babysitting his psychiatrist’s three granddaughters. The girls’ mother (Amanda Peet) is an actor whose once-promising career has stalled; she’s in a difficult marriage to a rock bassist (Alessandro Nivola). When the rocker husband goes abroad on tour, the young man and lonely mom discover an easy rapport as well as a shared history of mental illness. Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban, Andrea Martin, Zosia Mamet, Jessica Harper, Holland Taylor and Sheng Wang co-star.
“The Threesome”
Starring Zoey Deutch (“Before I Fall”), Jonah Hauer-King (“World On Fire”) and Ruby Cruz (“Bottoms”), plus Jaboukie Young-White and Josh Segarra, “The Threesome” is a bold and provocative exploration of modern relationships that examines the complexities of love, desire, and commitment. Directed by Chad Hartigan (“Morris From America”), the film centers on how a young man’s perennial crush leads him into an unexpected threesome. But at the end of the fantasy, there are sobering real-world consequences.
“It Ends”
The feature-length directorial debut of director, screenwriter, and editor Alexander Ullom, named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film,” this narrative feature competition entry explores themes of existential dread and survival. The film centers on a group of friends who, on a late-night food run, become trapped on an infinite highway with otherworldly terrors lurking beyond. Confined in their Jeep Cherokee, they must decide whether to accept their fate or attempt escape. Newcomers Phinehas Yoon, Akira Jackson, Noah Toth, and Mitchell Cole star.
“Government Cheese”
A surrealist family comedy set in 1969 San Fernando Valley, this series from Apple TV+ starring David Oyelowo centers on a man recently released from prison who attempts to win back his family and keep his criminal past at bay with the help of a little divine intervention. The series, created by showrunners Paul Hunter and Aeysha Carr, also co-stars Simone Missick, Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Evan Ellison, and Bokeem Woodbine.
For more, check out the entire 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival line-up here.
Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2008. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
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