SXSW was one of the first festivals to cancel their event in 2020 in light of the pandemic. While they’re still not holding in-person events this year, they plan on going ahead with a full virtual festival in 2021. Organizers have just unveiled the film festival’s lineup, and it includes premieres of documentary films following several acclaimed musicians.
Charli XCX’s documentary Alone Together will kick off SXSW’s events. Directed by Bradley Bell and Pablo Jones-Soler, the film will follow Charli as she wrote, recorded, and produced her album How I’m Feeling Now over the course of just two months in quarantine. Along with a look at Charli’s life, SXSW will premiere Demi Lovato: Dancing With The Devil, a YouTube Originals documentary about the singer’s nearly fatal overdose in 2018 and her healing process afterwards.
SWSW isn’t staying exclusive to the pop world, as they will also show the Tom Petty film Somewhere You Feel Free. Directed by Mary Wharton, it’s composed of recently discovered 16 mm archival film showing Tom Petty at work on his 1994 record Wildflowers.
Speaking in a statement about this year’s festival, Director Of Film Janet Pierson said:
“It’s been a year unlike any we’ve experienced, first marked by the cancellation of SXSW 2020. We feel privileged to have been able to pivot to SXSW Online and present a fantastic treasure trove of programming, including a pared down and wonderful selection of films that we know will delight, entertain and move our attendees. SXSW Online will bring attendees a multifaceted event that speaks to so many areas of creativity in one five-day experience that everyone can access on their laptops, phones and TVs. While we won’t have the wonderful in-person SXSW that we know and love, we can gather together to be inspired by the work.”
Because the festival has gone fully virtual this year, ticketing looks a little different. SXSW will launch seven films concurrently in two-hour increments from 11 am to 9 pm EST. Once a film is streaming, it will remain available for ticketholders to view until the event ends. SXSW is a global event, but certain films may have restricted access due to rights or the filmmaker’s discretion.
SXSW takes place from March 16 to 20. Get tickets here.
Charli XCX is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.