SAGindie returned to good ol’ SXSW for their 2025 film (and music and tech) festival in Austin, Texas. This year’s festivities took place from March 7 – 15, and included SAGindie Executive Director Darrien Michele Gipson’s Funding & Artist Support Roundtable, our SAG-AFTRA Low Budget Contracts Workshop, and a Film & TV Industry Happy Hour hosted by SAGindie and SAG-AFTRA. We met many fine folks, saw many fine movies, and celebrated many fine people in their creative endeavors!
Additional programming included a Keynote Conversation with Issa Rae, Career Retrospective with Kevin Bacon, Action Filmmaking with Robert Rodriguez, An Intro to NEON, and The Future of Hollywood AI (featuring SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland). Check out the links to watch or listen to those sessions, and see the full list of SXSW 2025’s award-winning films below!
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2025 SXSW Film Award Winners:
Feature Film Grand Jury Awards
- Grand Jury Winner – Narrative Feature: Slanted
- Special Jury Award for Performance – Narrative Feature: Amanda Peet, Fantasy Life
- Special Jury Award for Multi-Hyphenate – Narrative Feature: Annapurna Sriram, Fucktoys
- Grand Jury Winner – Documentary Feature: Shuffle
- Special Jury Award – Documentary Feature: The Python Hunter
- Special Jury Award – Documentary Feature: Remaining Native
Short Film Grand Jury Awards (presented by Vimeo)
- Grand Jury Award Winner – Narrative Short: One Day This Kid
- Special Jury Award – Narrative Short: I’m the Most Racist Person I Know
- Grand Jury Award Winner – Documentary Short: Looking for a Donkey
- Special Jury Award – Documentary Short: Welcome Home Freckles
- Grand Jury Award Winner – Midnight Shorts: Stomach Bug
- Special Jury Award – Midnight Shorts: Whitch
- Grand Jury Award Winner – Animated Shorts: Retirement Plan
- Special Jury Award – Animated Shorts: My Wonderful Life
- Grand Jury Award Winner – Music Videos: BIJI, “ZIGDI” directed by Maceo Frost
- Special Jury Award – Music Videos: Sarah Klang, “Other Girls” directed by Rose Bush & Kirsten Bode
- Grand Jury Award Winner – Texas Shorts: Harvester
- Special Jury Award – Texas Shorts: Newbies
- Grand Jury Award Winner – Independent TV Pilot: F*ckups Anonymous
- Special Jury Award – Independent TV Pilot: Denim
SXSW Film Design Awards
- Jury Award Winner – Poster Design: Resolution: A Cinephonic Rhapsody for the Soul
- Special Jury Award – Poster Design: Glorious Summer
- Agog Immersive Impact Award – XR Experience: In the Current of Being
- Jury Award Winner – XR Experience: Reflections of Little Red Dot
- Special Jury Award – XR Experience: Proof As If Proof Were Needed
SXSW Special Awards
- Redbreast Unhidden Award: Brief Somebodies
- Vimeo Staff Pick Award: Familiar
- SXSW Best of Texas Award: Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt
- Janet Pierson Champion Award: Lindsey Dryden
- NEON Auteur Award for Uncompromising Visionary in the Visions Section: Grace Glowicki
- Howl of Fame Award: Indy, Good Boy
SXSW Audience Awards
- Audience Award – Narrative Feature Competition: Fantasy Life
- Audience Award – Documentary Feature Competition: Remaining Native
- Audience Award – Narrative Spotlight: The Baltimorons
- Audience Award – Documentary Spotlight: Luv Ya, Bum!
- Audience Award – Visions: Ghost Boy
- Audience Award – Headliners: The Accountant 2
- Audience Award – Midnighters: Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie
- Audience Award – Global: Corina
- Audience Award – 24 Beats Per Second: Selena y Los Dinos
- Audience Award – Festival Favorites: Deaf President Now!
- Audience Award – Narrative Shorts Competition: Ben’s Sister
- Audience Award – Documentary Shorts Competition: Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
- Audience Award – Animated Shorts Competition: Retirement Plan
- Audience Award – Midnight Shorts Competition: Lurk
- Audience Award – Texas Shorts Competition: Sweet Briar
- Audience Award – Music Videos Competition: A$AP Rocky, “Tailor Swif” directed by Vania Heymann & Gal Muggia
- Audience Award – TV Premieres: Spy High
- Audience Award – TV Spotlight: Mix Tape
- Audience Award – Independent TV Pilot Competition: Bulldozer
- Audience Award – XR Experience Competition: Face Jumping
- Audience Award – XR Experience Spotlight: Resolution: A Cinephonic Rhapsody for the Soul
CONGRATS TO SXSW FOR ANOTHER GREAT YEAR AND TO THE 2025 SXSW AWARD WINNERS!
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