SXSW 2024 preview: 15 queer films we can’t wait to see!
Queer films are taking over Austin this weekend and we can’t wait to be seated! That’s right it’s SXSW and as always the festival boasts a ton of films that are going to be keeping us entertained this year including more than a dozen of OUR stories. Needless to say, we are going to be seated for the following films, and stay tuned for more coverage as the films premiere. But here is what is on our most anticipated list this year while we wait patiently, ok, not so patiently, for their debuts!
All film descriptions courtesy of SXSW.
I Saw the TV Glow
Courtesy of A24
Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack. Directed by Jane Schoenbrun
Sing Sing
Courtesy of A24
Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin), in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors. Directed by Greg Kwedar.
Cuckoo
Courtesy of Neon
On a trip to the German Alps with her father and stepmother, Gretchen (Hunter Schafer from HBO’s “Euphoria”) discovers that the resort town where they’re staying hides sinister secrets, as she’s plagued by strange noises and frightening visions of a woman pursuing her. Soon, Gretchen finds herself pulled into a conspiracy involving bizarre experiments by the resort’s owner that echo back generations. Directed by Tilman Singer.
Y2K
Nicole Rivelli
On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Years Eve party, only to find themselves fighting for their lives in this dial-up disaster comedy. Directed by Kyle Mooney.
I Wish You All the Best
Courtesy of SXSW
Based on Mason Deaver's novel, the film follows Ben DeBacker, a non-binary teen who is thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas. Struggling with anxiety, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their art teacher, Ms. Lyons, while trying to keep a low profile at their new school. Ben's attempts to survive junior year unnoticed are thwarted when Nathan, a funny and charismatic student, decides to take Ben under his wing. With the help of Nathan, and his friends Sophie and Mel, Ben discovers themselves and what started as a disastrous turn of events looks like it might just be a chance to start a happier new life. Directed by Tommy Dorfman
Backspot
Courtesy of SXSW
Riley is the formidable backspot on her mid-level cheerleading squad until professional coach Eileen McNamara gives her an opportunity to join the Thunderhawks, a high performance All Star team. Young, ambitious, and fiercely in love with her girlfriend Amanda, Riley would be on top of the world if only she could get her crippling anxiety under control. Desperate to be heard and appreciated, two qualities her home life severely lacks, Riley will do anything to ingratiate herself to her new coach. Overwhelmed, obsessive and with a competition looming, this young, queer athlete must decipher her own voice from the women around her, and form a healthier relationship to the sport that she loves. Directed by D.W. Waterson.
I Don’t Understand You
DP: Lowell Meyer
An American couple, on the verge of adopting a baby, goes on an Italian vacation — an opportunity to reconnect before the new addition arrives. Everything is picture-perfect; the epitome of a European baby moon, when things begin to spiral out of control. On the way to dinner, they get their rental car stuck in a ditch and are stranded in rural nowhere in a downpour. These two Americans, who are used to being catered to, are now in a foreign land without service, an Italian language comprehension of about zero, and clear relationship turmoil that could explode at any minute. Fear obviously takes over. Directed by Brian Crano and David Craig.
Stormy
Courtesy of SXSW
From director and producer Sarah Gibson, the Peacock Original documentary "Stormy" delves into the life and times of Stormy Daniels, as she shares her story and account of events that have become part of American history. Produced by Erin Lee Carr, and executive produced by Judd Apatow, Sara Bernstein and Meredith Kaulfers (Imagine Documentaries), the film takes the audience behind the curtain as Stormy navigates being a mother, an artist, and an advocate working hard to reinvent herself, while still grappling with the bombshell that went off in her life five years earlier. Directed by Sarah Gibson.
A House is Not a Disco
Courtesy of SXSW
"A House Is Not A Disco" documents a year-in-the-life in the world’s most iconic “homo-normative” community: Fire Island Pines. Situated fifty miles from New York City, this storied queer beach town finds itself in the midst of a renaissance as a new generation of Millennial homeowners reimagine The Pines for a new, more inclusive era. Filmed like a Wiseman movie on magic mushrooms, a large cast of unforgettable eccentrics, activists, drifters and first-timers reflect on the legacy of The Pines while preparing their beloved village for the biggest challenge it has faced since the AIDS crisis: rising seas caused by climate change. Directed by Brian J. Smith.
We Can Be Heroes
Peter Alton
Sometimes, finding your tribe requires a bit of magic. For attendees of a live action role-playing (LARP) camp in upstate New York, the deeply accepting environment has given neurodivergent, queer, and self-proclaimed "nerdy" teenagers the space for self-discovery that they have never found anywhere else. As the campers immerse themselves in this imaginative world, they discover inner strength, heal from traumas, and emerge as heroes, both in the fantasy realm and in real life.
From directors Carina Mia Wong and Alex Simmons, WE CAN BE HEROES celebrates the fleeting, but profoundly formative moments that make up the most intense years of adolescence, with a little help from foam swords. Directed by Carina Mia Wong.
A Nice Indian Boy
Courtesy of SXSW
Self-effacing doctor Naveen Gavaskar meets Jay Kurundkar, a white man adopted by two Indian parents, when Jay takes his picture at the hospital. Despite initial skepticism on Naveen’s part, the two quickly fall in love. Naveen avoids telling his traditional family—parents Megha & Archit and sister Arundhathi—who accepted his sexuality years earlier and are close to him but increasingly don’t know much about his life. Eventually, inevitably, Jay, with no family of his own, has to meet the Gavaskars, who have never met a boyfriend of Naveen's. What follows is the comedic & heartfelt collision between the family, Jay and Naveen, caught between the versions of himself his family and Jay know. Directed by Roshan Sethi.
Doin’ It
Courtesy of SXSW
After teenage Maya is caught in a sexually compromising position, her mom moves the family back to India so Maya can learn proper discipline. Years later, she returns to the US to find funding for her teen-focused app, and gets a job as a substitute high school teacher so she can research her target demo. But when the principal assigns her to teach sex ed, Maya —who’s still a virgin— sets out on a quest with her best friend to make up for the high school experience she lost out on. Directed by Sara Zandieh.
Pet Shop Days
TIWN/MeMo Films/Storyteller Productions/Tenderstories/3 Marys Entertainment/ELA Films
In an act of desperation, impulsive black sheep Alejandro flees his home in Mexico. On the run from his unforgiving father, Alejandro finds himself in New York City where he meets Jack, a college age pet store employee with similar parental baggage. Together the two enter a whirlwind romance sending them down the rabbit hole of drugs and depravity in Manhattan’s underworld. When Alejandro’s past threatens to catch up with him, Jack is forced to choose between his family and a life on the run. Directed by Olmo Schnabel.
Toll
Courtesy of SXSW
Suellen, a Brazilian toll booth attendant and mother, falls in with a gang of thieves in an attempt to keep her family afloat. In doing so, she realizes she can use her job to raise some extra money illegally for a so-called noble cause: to send her son to an expensive gay conversion workshop led by a renowned foreign priest. Directed by Carolina Markowicz.
Road House
Courtesy of Prime Video
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in Road House as Dalton, ex-UFC fighter-turned-bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, owned by Frankie (Jessica Williams). Facing threats from a criminal gang led by Brandt (Billy Magnussen), Dalton's violent past emerges. When he is confronted by Knox (Conor McGregor), a lethal gun-for-hire, the escalating brawls and bloodshed become more dangerous than his days in the Octagon. Directed by Doug Liman.
