An Emersonian’s Guide to SXSW 2026

This year’s SXSW Film & TV Festival will feature 40 films, shorts, videos, series, and XR experiences that were written, directed, shot, or otherwise brought to life by nearly 60 Emerson alumni.

They include Aaron Ryder ’94, producer of I Love Boosters, a Boots Riley-directed crime caper about a crew of shoplifters who target a fashion maven, starring Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, and Demi Moore. The film will screen in this year’s Headliners program.

Also in the mix is Danny Madden ’09, whose film Downbeat is screening in the Narrative Spotlight program. Downbeat, about a down-on-his-luck drummer who uses music as an escape from his own bad decisions, was produced by Benjamin Wiessner ’08. Madden also was sound designer for Erupcja (Festival Favorite), about the romantic complications of two women living in Poland.

And Emmy Award–winner Henry Winkler ’67, LHD ‘78, Emerson Class of 2026 commencement speaker, plays Mayor Kibner in Normal (Narrative Spotlight), a neo-Western starring Bob Odenkirk as a substitute sheriff with a troubled past.

SXSW will run March 12-18 in Austin, Texas, and features tracks for TV & Film, Music, conferences, and more. Emerson faculty and students from the School of Film, Television and Media Arts and the School of Communication will be there to attend screenings and panels, network, and cover various events for WEBN.

The community also is invited to attend Emerson@SXSW on Saturday, March 14, 2:00-4:00 pm CDT at Parley in Austin, to connect and celebrate with fellow Emersonians.

Who’s Who

Pablo Feldman ’18 produced two entries in this year’s festival: the feature film Ugly Cry (Narrative Spotlight), about an actress who becomes obsessive and delusional after a producer decides she has an “ugly cry;” and Doechii’s video for “Anxiety” (Music Video Competition), which earned Feldman a Grammy Award earlier this month. Ugly Cry was executive produced by Galileo Mondol ’21.

Emerson Trustee Randy Barbato ’82, LHD ‘24,  a longtime Emmy Award-winning executive producer of RuPaul’s Drag Race, was executive producer of Manhood (Documentary Spotlight), which explores themes of masculinity and shame through a Dallas entrepreneur trying to make penis enlargement as common as Botox.  

Actor Dan Perrault ’09 is featured in the rom-com Love Language (Narrative Spotlight), executive produced by Michael Sagol ’96. It follows an aspiring author with a side hustle writing wedding vows, who gets a job writing “I do’s” for her college best friend and crush.  

Three alumni had a hand in making Drag, a comedy thriller screening in the Midnighter program: cinematographer Benjamin Goodman ’12, post-production supervisor Samara Levenstein ’97, and supervising sound editor Kevin Peters ’11.

A trio of Emersonians also worked on Chappell Roan’s “The Subway” (Music Video Competition): CG artist Loni Paone ’15, VFX artist Cooper Vacheron ’16, and manager Kyle Goold ’21.

Terry Leonard ’99 produced Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool, and Samantha Mustari ’18 produced Noah Kahan: Out of Body, both screening in the 24 Beats Per Second music-themed film program. Paul Gibek ’14 was sound mixer for the Noah Kahan film.

And three alumni films that premiered at Sundance earlier this year also will screen in Austin next month. Chasing Summer was written, produced, and stars Iliza Shlesinger ’05 and was co-executive produced by Thomas Pettinelli ’13. Lowell A. Meyer ’11 was cinematographer for, and Daniel Kwan ’10 produced, The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist. Both are screening as Festival Favorites. Riley Donigan’s (’19) Stairs will screen in the Narrative Short Competition.

Other alumni SXSW projects:

Headliner

Dulany Foster IV ’10 was compositing supervisor (Folks VFX) on Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice.

Narrative Feature Competition

Edgar Rosa ’12 was line producer on Brian.

Natalie Groce ’10 was production designer for Wishful Thinking.

Shari Gaynes ’19 was production designer on Plantman & Blondie: A Dress Up Gang Film.

Narrative Spotlight

Mae O’Neill ’19 was costumer on Pizza Movie.

Michael McCarthy ’91 was matchmove artist (SSVFX) for Power Ballad.

William Parker ’26 played Tyler in Their Town.

Matheus Bastos was cinematographer and Jeff Hopkins ’22 was script supervisor on Anima.

Basic was executive produced by Jordan Moncada ’13, and edited by Drew Van Steenbergen ’11.

Alison Cupples ’03 was production coordinator on Same Same but Different.

Midnighter

Keri Palmetto ’12 worked on fabrication and Sarah Nicklin ’09 played a security guard in Grind.

Ian Lyons ’99 played a dad in Imposters and Brian Misiewicz ’09 was sound mixer.

Visions

Bagworm was shot by cinematographer Andriel Gonzalez ’15; Taylor Westerfield ’15 was ADR recordist/dialogue editor.

Festival Favorite

Malcolm Kelner ’16 played a bartender in Obsession; Jake White ’16 was a colorist.

George Loucas ’04 was visual effects supervisor on Rock Springs.

24 Beats Per Second

Brian Flanagan ’03 is with the distributor of Mile End Kicks

TV Premiere

Michelle Parvin ’92 is second assistant director and Kim Richards ’11 is first assistant director on Margo’s Got Money Troubles.

If you like how The Comeback (Season 3) looks, thank cinematographer Eli Smolkin ’08 and first assistant camera (B camera) Ian T. Barbella ’07.

Matthew Poliquin ’04 is visual effects supervisor on The Audacity.

TV Spotlight

Jenna Tresidder ’22 is assistant sound editor on Woodstockers

Narrative Short Competition

Kai Czamowski ’20 shot Visitors, and Scotty Anderson ’13 was casting director for Vomit.

Music Video Competition

Benjamin Brewer ’10 was VFX director and 3D artist on FKA twigs’s video for “Eusexua.”

Jhanvi Motla ’14 was first assistant director and Jake White ’16, colorist, for Great Grandpa’s “Doom” video.

Avery Niles was colorist for Model/Actriz’s “Cinderella” video.

XR Experience

Yuval Shapira ’17 produced and edited The Great Dictator: A Participatory Installation about Power, Rhetoric, and Memory, a project for which Barry Pousman ’06 was creative advisor.

Panels and Sessions

Alumni also are sharing their expertise at SXSW on panels and talks throughout the week. Among them are:

Bill Vergos ’97, Head of Digital Distribution, Magenta Light Studios, speaking on a “Roundtable: Sales, Acquisitions and Distribution”.

Danielle Mullin, MFA ’94, Senior Vice President for Brand Marketing, Hallmark Media, speaking on the panel “Building Hollywood Buzz Without the Hollywood Style Campaign”.

Executive Producer Ron Schmidt ’91 (TASK, House of the Dragon, Watchmen) will participate in a Producers Mentor session.

Music Festival

And if you’re looking beyond film and TV, the indie pop band Passion Pit, fronted by Michael Angelakos ‘09, will perform for the SXSW Music Festival.

Did we miss anyone? Let us know at alumni@emerson.edu.

Note: The SXSW Comedy lineup has not yet been announced as of this posting. Any involved alum will be added later.