Film still from Remaining Native
Congratulations to the five IDA grantee projects and twelve IDA members who will have world premieres at SXSW 2025. The SXSW Film & TV Festival is known for launching a high-caliber and diverse program of film, TV, and XR projects. It serves as a global gathering for smart, enthusiastic, influential audiences that drive the conversation for months to come. SXSW takes place March 7-15, 2025 in Austin, Texas.
Let's take a look at IDA grantee projects premiering at SXSW this year!
Arrest the Midwife
Film still from Arrest the Midwife.
Director: Elaine Epstein | Producers: Elaine Epstein, Robin Hessman | 2022 Enterprise Grantee
The arrest of midwives in a rural healthcare desert ignites an unexpected rebellion: Amish and Mennonite women who break from tradition, and emerge as fierce political activists fighting for reproductive justice and birthing rights. See screening times here.
Remaining Native
Film still from Remaining Native.
Director: Paige Bethmann | Producers: Jessica Epstein & Paige Bethmann | 2022 Logan Elevate
Remaining Native is a coming-of-age documentary told from the perspective of Kutoven (Ku) Stevens, a 17-year-old Native American runner, struggling to navigate his dream of becoming a collegiate athlete as the memory of his great-grandfather's escape from an Indian boarding school begins to connect past, present, and future. See screening times here.
Shuffle
Film still from Shuffle. Courtesy of SXSW.
Director/Writer: Benjamin Flaherty | Producers: Carra Greenberg, Harris Fishman, Scott Paskoff, Benjamin Flaherty | 2019 Enterprise Development Fund
Through the lens of his own recovery, a filmmaker offers an intimate look inside the billion-dollar addiction treatment industry where young people are bought and sold for their insurance policies and ushered into a system designed to keep them sick. What begins as an investigation of a street-level scam, explodes to uncover collusion at the highest levels of government. See screening times here.
The Spies Among Us
Film still from The Spies Among Us. Courtesy of Jamie Coughlin & Gabriel Silverman.
Directors/Producers: Jamie Coughlin & Gabriel Silverman | 2020 Enterprise Production, 2018 Enterprise Development
Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, a former political prisoner of the East German secret police searches for the truth after learning his brother spied on him for the regime, and discovers the lasting effects of living in a surveillance state. See screening times here.
The Tallest Dwarf
Film still from The Tallest Dwarf. Courtesy of Julie Wyman.
Director: Julie Wyman | Producers: Lindsey Dryden, Shaleece Haas, Jonna McKone, Julie Wyman | Writers: Julie Wyman, Debra Schaffner | 2021 Enterprise Production, 2019 Enterprise Development
When filmmaker Julie Wyman embarks on a journey to understand the rumors of dwarfism in her family, her path collides with a new drug that promises to make little people taller, threatening the community it claims to serve. As Julie discovers her place in dwarf culture, the film asks whether it’s possible to see and be seen differently. See screening times here.
We're not done! Congratulations to these IDA Members with films premiering at SXSW!
Assembly | Co-director, producer: Johnny Symons
Deepfaking Sam Altman | Director: Adam Bhala Lough
Forever We Are Young | Co-Director: Grace Lee | Producer: Eurie Chung
Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore | Producer: Justine Nagan, Bonni Cohen
Mola: A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss | Producer: Katherine LeBlond
Selena y Los Dinos | Producer: David Blackman
Starman | Director: Robert Stone
The Makings of Curtis Mayfield | Producer: Sarah Haber
Uvalde Mom | Director: Anayansi Prado | Producer: Ina Fichman