South by Southwest (SXSW) Film & TV Festival announced the 2026 Jury and Special Award winners, with Wishful Thinking, directed by Graham Parkes, winning in the Narrative Feature Competition, and Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story, directed by Ayden Mayeri, winning in the Documentary Feature Competition.
In Wishful Thinking, a volatile couple discovers their emotional state has supernatural consequences on the world around them, and they must decide whether to fight for their relationship or accept that their powerful connection might be doing more harm than good.
In a statement, the jury said, “Taking audiences on a funny, wild, and surprisingly poignant ride, this film follows an electric couple who have a once-in-a-lifetime connection, but soon realize their combustible energy has drastic consequences to the outside world. Remarkable performances conjure grounded, rarely explored moments in everyday relationships while balancing dramedy with a genre twist in an impressive achievement that deserves high praise.”
In Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story, four friends reunite when the album they made as pre-teens becomes a cult hit on the internet and scores a record deal twenty years later. Together, they revisit their friendship and early 2000s girlhood.
“Avidly weaving individual stories into a cohesive whole, this delightful and poignant ode to the creativity of childhood examines the bonds of its subjects, and how growing up eroded them. Rather than stepping into an account with a predetermined conclusion, the viewer bears witness to how these four women navigate the thorny road to mending their relationships and reconnect with a part of themselves they had long neglected,” said the jury in a statement.
Film & TV projects receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature Competition categories, plus all other juried sections, including Shorts, Independent TV Pilots, Music Videos, Poster Design and XR Experience Awards. Special Awards announced include the Agog Immersive Impact Award, Green Lens Award, Janet Pierson Champion Award, NEON Auteur Award, Redbreast Unhidden Award, SXSW Best of Texas Award, and the Vimeo Staff Pick.
“This week reminded me, once again, why we do this,” said Claudette Godfrey, VP, Film & TV. “The world has felt heavy. But inside our theaters, something extraordinary happened. Strangers became collaborators, audiences showed up with their whole hearts, and filmmaker after filmmaker reminded us exactly why we gather. We are so proud to celebrate this year’s jury and special award winners. Trust us, you’re going to be hearing a lot more from them.”
See below for all 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival Jury and Special Award winners,
2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival Jury and Special Award Winners
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Narrative Feature Competition
Winner: Wishful Thinking directed by Graham Parkes
Special Jury Award for Performance: Susan Kent, The Snake
Special Jury Award for Screenwriting: Robb Boardman, Cory Loykasek, Donny Divianian and Frankie Quinones, Plantman & Blondie: A Dress Up Gang Film
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Documentary Feature Competition
Winner: Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story directed by Ayden Mayeri
Special Jury Award: The Last Critic, directed by Matty Wishnow
Special Jury Award: Stormbound, directed by Miko Lim
SHORT FILM COMPETITION
NARRATIVE SHORT COMPETITION
Narrative Short Competition
Winner: Souvenir directed by Renée Marie Petropoulos
Special Jury Award: Supper directed by Savannah Braswell
DOCUMENTARY SHORT COMPETITION
Documentary Short Competition
Winner: In The Morning Sun directed by Serville Poblete
Special Jury Award: Eructation directed by Victoria Trow
ANIMATED SHORT COMPETITION
Animated Short Competition
Winner: Paper Trail directed by Don Hertzfeldt
Special Jury Award: Hag directed by Anna Ginsburg
MIDNIGHT SHORT COMPETITION
Midnight Short Competition
Winner: Tongue directed by Lim Da seul
Special Jury Award: Man Eating Pussy directed by Emily Lawson
TEXAS SHORT COMPETITION
Texas Short Competition
Winner: Forcefield of Love directed by Liz Moskowitz and Riley Engemoen
Special Jury Award for Standout Ensemble: Stalin Boys directed by Ora DeKornfeld and Bianca Giaever
MUSIC VIDEO COMPETITION
Music Video Competition
Winner: Rawayana and Bomba Estereo – ‘Fogata’ directed by Paola Ossa
Special Jury Award: Doechii – ‘Anxiety’ directed by James Mackel
INDEPENDENT TV PILOT COMPETITION
Independent Tv Pilot Competition
Winner: In My Blood from Showrunner and Director Alex Bendo
Special Jury Award: Son of a Bikram from Showrunners and Screenwriters Ash T and Johnny Rey Diaz and Director Johnny Rey Diaz
XR EXPERIENCE COMPETITION
XR Experience Competition
Winner: Body Proxy by Danny Cannizzaro and Samantha Gorman
Special Jury Award: The Forgotten War by Hayoun Kwon
SPECIAL AWARDS
Agog Immersive Impact Award
Winner: A Long Goodbye directed by Kate Voet and Victor Maes
Green Lens Award
Winner: Plantman & Blondie: A Dress Up Gang Film directed by Robb Boardman
Janet Pierson Champion Award
Winner: Benjamin Wiessner
NEON Auteur Award
Winner: The Peril at Pincer Point directed by Jake Kuhn and Noah Stratton-Twine
Redbreast Unhidden Award
Winner: We Were Here directed by Pranav Bhasin
SXSW Best of Texas Award
Winner: Stages directed by Ryan Booth
Vimeo Staff Pick
Winner: Mantis Stream! Like & Subscribe directed by Lincoln Robisch and Sarah Maerten (CLUSTERFUCK!)
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