2023 saw the SXSW Film Festival change its name to Film & TV Festival, a reflection of the strong TV programming the festival has consistently showcased for years. Claudette Godfrey took leadership as VP Film & TV while Janet Pierson, who had been at the helm of the festival for 15 years, transitioned to the new role of Director Emieritus. 2023 also made history for SXSW’s connection to the Academy Awards. Not only were the Oscars held during the festival for the first time ever, but Everything Everywhere All at Once, SXSW 2022’s Opening Night Film, swept the Academy Awards with 11 nominations and seven wins for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress for Yeoh, Best Supporting Actor for Ke Huy Quan, Best Supporting Actress for Jamie Lee Curtis, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing, becoming the first film to win six above-the-line Oscars.
Official selections from the 2023 program that resonated with critics and audiences included Opening Night film Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Opening Night TV premiere Swarm, Closing Night Film Air and Closing Night TV Premiere Beef. Other narrative feature highlights included Joy Ride, Bottoms, John Wick 4, Evil Dead Rise, Problemista, Tetris, BlackBerry, Furies, Down Low, Parachute, Story Ave, and Talk to Me. Among documentaries, highlights included: Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, Love to Love You, Donna Summer, Wild Life, It’s Only Life After All. TV Premieres also included I’m a Virgo, Slip, Demascus, Mrs. Davis, The Big Door Prize, Lucky Hank, The Luckiest Guy in the World, and American Born Chinese. The 2023 Narrative Jury Award Winner was Raging Grace, while the Documentary Jury Award Winner was Angel Applicant. Other feature award winners included: Another Body, The Ladybird Diaries, The Herricanes, Confessions of a Good Samaritan, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, Chronicles of a Wandering Saint, and Fancy Dance. Prolific independent producer Lizzie Shapiro, whose SXSW premieres include Parachute, Story Ave, Mickey and the Bear and Shiva Baby, won the inaugural Janet Pierson Champion Award.
