Austin, Texas – The winners of the Audience Awards for the 31st edition of the SXSW festival were announced on Monday. The festival, which recently concluded, recognized outstanding films in various categories. Among the winners were “Bob Trevino Likes It” by Tracie Laymon, which won in the Narrative Feature Competition, and “Monkey Man” by Dev Patel, marking his directorial debut, which dominated the Headliner section. Other notable winners included A24’s “Sing Sing,” starring Colman Domingo, winning in the Festival Favorite category, and Kyle Hausmann-Stokes’ “My Dead Friend Zoe,” starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, and Ed Harris, which won in the Narrative Spotlight category.
Claudette Godfrey, VP Film & TV of SXSW, expressed gratitude to the filmmakers, audiences, and volunteers for contributing to one of the most exciting SXSW Film & TV Festivals to date. She noted the overwhelming positive response to the program, which featured explosive studio films, surprising indie dramas and comedies, powerful documentaries, and innovative XR projects. She emphasized the joy of the shared cinema experience throughout the week and expressed enthusiasm for these films to reach wider audiences beyond SXSW.
The festival showcased 118 features and 80 short films, along with numerous TV and XR projects. In addition to the Audience Awards, SXSW also announced the Jury and Special Award winners. “Bob Trevino Likes It” won the Narrative Feature Jury Award, and “Grand Theft Hamlet” won the Documentary Feature Jury Award.
The full list of Audience Award winners includes diverse films across multiple categories. In the Headliner section, “Monkey Man” emerged as the winner. “Bob Trevino Likes It” took home the Audience Award in the Narrative Feature Competition category. In the Documentary Feature Competition, “Resynator” won the Audience Award. “My Dead Friend Zoe” received the Audience Award in the Narrative Spotlight category, while “Clemente” won in the Documentary Spotlight category. The Midnighter section saw “Oddity” as the Audience Award winner. “Songs From the Hole” won the Audience Award in the Visions category. “Bionico’s Bachata” emerged as the winner in the Global category, and “Faders Up: The John Aielli Experience” won in the 24 Beats Per Second category. The Festival Favorite Audience Award went to “Sing Sing.”
The Short Film Programs also recognized outstanding work. “Can” won the Audience Award in the Narrative Short Competition, “Frank” won in the Documentary Short Competition, “A Crab in the Pool” won in the Animated Short Competition, “Meat Puppet” won in the Midnight Short Competition, and “Sangre Violenta / Sangre Violeta” won in the Texas Short Competition. The Audience Award for the Music Video Competition went to “Dillon Francis – ‘LA on Acid’.”
In the TV Program category, “STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A.” won the Audience Award for TV Premiere, “Hacks Season 3 Premiere” won in the TV Spotlight category, and “Neo-Dome” won in the Independent TV Pilot Competition.
The XR Experience category recognized innovative virtual reality projects. “Last We Left Off” emerged as the Audience Award winner in the XR Experience Competition, while “Emperor” won in the XR Experience Spotlight category. The Audience Award for the XR Experience Special Event went to “Kiss/Crash.”
The Audience Awards at SXSW highlight the films and projects that resonated most with the festival audience, celebrating the creativity and excellence of filmmakers across various genres and formats.