2025 LINEUP
Scroll to meet each artist. Click here to explore daily schedules and tickets.
• FEATURED FILMS •
TIGER, WRITTEN BY ABBEY WEBER AND DIRECTED BY KATIE MACK
ABOUT THE FILM ★ After sharing a dreamy moment at dance class, Airen finds a keychain dropped by their dance partner and can't stop thinking about them. Will Airen see them again? In Tiger, love’s a beast, and this kitten’s in heat.
ABOUT THE WRITER ★ Abbey Weber (they/them) is a queer, multidisciplinary, expressionist artist, writer, and filmmaker living in Austin, TX. Working with themes of love, obsession, heartbreak, and identity, Abbey believes that art making is a way of telling the truth.
SOMBRAS, WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY SOFIA ALEJANDRA BARRIOS
ABOUT THE FILM ★ Based on the director’s father, SOMBRAS is an homage to lineage and one man’s passion to become a mariachi singer. So many Latine immigrants sacrifice their desires for the prosperity of their family, and this film brings the sacrificed dreams of a parent to life.
ABOUT THE WRITER & DIRECTOR ★ Sofia Alejandra Barrios is an incoming fourth-year Film and Latino Media Arts student at UT Austin. Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, she is driven by a desire to uplift and share Latine narratives.
NECHES, WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY KATY MCCARTHY
ABOUT THE FILM ★ In Neches, we join an older woman who experiences a quiet telepathy with the Neches River. The river offers us the woman’s memories, as she recalls being a young girl warmly introduced to the spirit of the place by her mother. As the film conflates time, we see a forest once lush now gone—can a landscape provide the resolution our guide craves about the past?
ABOUT THE WRITER & DIRECTOR ★ Katy McCarthy (she/her) is an artist, filmmaker and educator based in Austin, Texas. Her work has been screened and exhibited at the Dallas International Film Festival’s Short Film Fest, Cindependent Film Festival, The Every Woman Biennial Film Festival, Tiger Strike Asteroid Gallery Los Angeles, and the Santa Barbara Contemporary Art Museum among other venues. She is an assistant professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
OUR FIRST HAUNTED HOME, WRITTEN BY MASE KERWICK AND DIRECTED BY ELIZABETH MIMS
ABOUT THE FILM ★ In Our First Haunted Home, a neurotic gay couple spiral out of control when their next door neighbor attempts to make a documentary about the sexually frustrated ghost haunting their home.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR ★ Elizabeth Mims is an award-winning Austin filmmaker with 15+ years’ experience in the film industry spanning writing, directing, editing, and producing. She was selected as one of Filmmaker Magazine’s Faces to Watch and nominated for a Spirit Award for her documentary Only the Young. She's currently the executive producer for the Emmy award-winning PBS television show On Story.
ABOUT THE WRITER & PRODUCER ★ Mase Kerwick is a queer filmmaker, content producer, and comedian based in Austin, Texas. Since 2017, he has hosted the popular comedy show Queertowne, a two-time nominee for Best Podcast in The Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin Readers Poll.
PRINCESS, WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY BEVERLY “BEV” CHUKWU
ABOUT THE FILM ★ PRINCESS is a psychological drama about a 33-year-old shut-in, who convinces herself to go to a community festival, where she’s forced to confront her assaulter and a chain of hallucinations related to her unprocessed trauma. As the eldest daughter in her Nigerian American family, Princess must reckon with the expectations placed on her to be sexually "pure" in a reality where she is not. A film for survivors, by survivors, PRINCESS uses surrealism and horror techniques to show the lengths we'll go to avoid telling the truth, especially when that truth is not deemed socially acceptable.
ABOUT THE WRITER & DIRECTOR ✹ Beverly “Bev” Chukwu is a Nigerian American writer, director, producer and the co-founder of AyaGozie Productions, an art-making collective with a focus on culturally inclusive storytelling in the Texas area. Bev’s work rose to public attention in 2021, when her screenplay PRINCE OF LAVENDALE STREET won the international 2021 BlueCat Screenplay Competition, and her projects have either screened or won awards at African Film Festival Atlanta, Women in Horror Film Festival, Cleveland Arthouse Film Awards, AGLIFF, Portland New Alternative voices, and more. Bev has earned fellowships from the Black List x WIF Lab; Google’s YouTube Originals Black Voices Program; and the James A. Michener Center for Writers, where she received her MFA in Screenwriting and Fiction and established herself as a queer writer, who tells genre-agnostic dramas about assimilation and the allure of groupthink.
PIZZA MY HEART, WRITTEN BY CHRISTINE HOANG AND DIRECTED BY ELIZABETH V. NEWMAN
ABOUT THE FILM ★ In Pizza My Heart, a Pizza Telegram Singing Delivery Specialist (PTSD Specialist) delivers comfort food and a song to a heartbroken 12-year-old girl. Through musical dreamscapes, the characters experience connection and healing.
ABOUT THE WRITER & DIRECTOR ✹ Writer, producer, and actor Christine Hoang and Director Elizabeth V. Newman have collaborated on several theatre productions that explore coming of age, self discovery, and the importance of kindness. Pizza My Heart is Christine and Elizabeth’s first film collaboration.
VESTAL VIRGIN VENGEANCE, DIRECTED BY VIRGINIA L. MONTGOMERY
ABOUT THE FILM ★ Vestal Virgin Vengeance is a surreal, symbolic and sculptural art-film inspired by the feminist film-theory idea of "the gaze" and the contentious state of women's healthcare in Texas today. Via a surrealist lens, Vestal Virgin Vengeance channels the protective powers of The Vestal Virgins, an all-women pagan cult active in 2nd century Rome, who were renowned for their mysterious rites, supernatural abilities, and curious oaths to eternal virginity. Exploring themes of bodily autonomy, Vestal Virgin Vengeance was created in emotive response to the tragic 2024 deaths of Texas women Josseli Barnica and Nevaeh Crain, who each died due Texas’s unjust abortion ban—a policy which prohibits Texas women from receiving life-saving healthcare amidst miscarriages. Vestal Virgin Vengeance was filmed, edited and scored by multimedia artist Virginia L. Montgomery.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR ★ Virginia L. Montgomery (Austin, Texas) is an award-winning experimental filmmaker and multimedia artist working across video, performance, sound design, and sculpture. She received her MFA from Yale University and her BFA from The University of Texas at Austin. VLM is known for her surreal, synthesia-esque artworks which unite elements from mysticism, science, and her own neurodivergent world.
CIRCLE OF RETURN, WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ANONYMOUS IN COLLABORATION WITH FABIANA MUNOZ AND JULIO MARTINEZ
ABOUT THE FILM ★ “They say home is where the heart is,
I found your heart,
my love,
in the meal you prepared
before I stepped out into this big, scary world.
These minutes of film and aroma have been designed to introduce you to two forms of love—pozole and empanadas.”
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR ★ Circle of Return is an anonymous painter based in Austin, Texas. Their work seeks to create experiences in the external world that reflect internal musings.
PLAY THING, WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY SARAH JOY BYINGTON
ABOUT THE FILM ★ In Play Thing, a woman hires a specialist to uncover that the missing link in her and her partner's relationship is a toy.
ABOUT THE WRITER & DIRECTOR ★ Sarah Joy Byington is an Austin-LOCAL, multi-hyphenate filmmaker that has been making waves in the local scene in recent years. Most notably, their political thriller Labor and Justice made its premiere at Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts in Los Angeles, and currently has two feature films that they have written/slated to direct in development. Eight months after filming Play Thing, the film's feline star, Cooper, passed, making the short film an unintentional but special memorial of his sweet spirit.
THE DECADES, WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ADAM MADGE, FEATURING MARLENE FELIZ NINA
ABOUT THE FILM ★ In The Decades, Marley's quiet life is upended when an unexpected visitor from her ancestral past arrives, setting her on a journey of profound self-discovery. As she navigates unknown territories and confronts enigmatic forces, Marley must take a leap of faith and trust her own instincts to unravel the truth.
ABOUT THE FEATURED LEAD ★ Marléne Feliz Nina is a Dominican-born, New York City-raised, Austin-based organizer and multidisciplinary creative. She made her lead acting debut in the short film The Decades, and is also a writer, poet, videographer/photographer, musician, and artist. Deeply involved in community work, she leads hikes and teaches self-defense classes with the Queer Black Women Alliance, performs poetry at open mic nights across the city, and trains, coaches, and competes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
BEHIND THE STRINGS: AMPLIFYING BLACK FEMINISM IN GUITAR CULTURE, WRITTEN BY JESS GARLAND AND DIRECTED BY JUDAH AGBOHINKA
ABOUT THE FILM ★ Despite being pioneers and influencers in genres that center guitar, Black women are often removed from the social narrative around guitarists and instrumentalists. To increase access and representation, Swan Strings founder Jess Garland partnered with Pegasus Media Project to produce Behind the Strings: Amplifying Black Feminism in Guitar Culture, an intimate behind-the-scenes short documentary that explores her work as an artist, musician, and cultural advocate. The film highlights the diversity and intersectionality of Black women, girls, and femmes based in Texas through exploring history and opportunities for musicians to be confident in their identity and musicianship.
ABOUT THE WRITER ★ Jess Garland is a Dallas-based composer, performer, filmmaker, and founder of Swan Strings, a nonprofit that offers free music education, community concerts and sound therapy services grounded in racial and gender equity. Her work bridges experimental sound, community-based pedagogy and cultural activism, often centering the legacy of Black women in American music history. Garland’s multidisciplinary projects such as her laser harp performance titled Luminescence and the documentary Behind the Strings fuse musical innovation with healing, visibility and social transformation.
IN TOW, WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY SHARON ARTEAGA
ABOUT THE FILM ★ In IN TOW, a self-involved teen and her overworked single mom confront their differences as their mobile home is towed away ... with them inside of it!
ABOUT THE WRITER & DIRECTOR ★ SHARON ARTEAGA is a writer/director who convinced her mom to buy her a video camera instead of a Quinceañera. A first-generation Mexican-American, from Corpus Christi, Texas, Arteaga’s films playfully navigate generational, linguistic, and cultural differences between people. Arteaga's award-winning short films include the 2021 HBO LatinxShort Film Competition Winner, “When You Clean a Stranger’s Home,” now streaming on HBO Max. Passionate about empowering others to tell their own stories through film, Arteaga is a co-founder of the Tejanas in Film and is the Sr. Manager of Filmmaker Support at the Austin Film Society.
• MUSICIANS + DJS •
VANITA LEO, CONTEMPORARY CUMBIA POP ARTIST
Coming from a rich lineage of Tejano heritage, Vanita Leo’s (@vanitaleomusic) appetite for ushering in a new wave of Chicano sound was inevitable. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas with a bloodline from Mazatlan, Sinaloa; the culture that Vanita was raised in was a melting pot of sounds.
Initially using the guise of lush bedroom pop as an introspective outlet of self-discovery & passion, Leo now devotes her talents to exploring the modern intersection of Latino and American music. Her influences includes Sade, José José, Alicia Villarreal, Etta James, Pilar Montenegro, and of course la reina de la cumbia Selena Quintanilla.
Her next single release will be “Solo Tú bb,” a cumbia with influences of sonidera, RNB and love.
OLIVIA KOMAHCHEET, EXPERIMENTAL SOUND ARTIST AND COMPOSER
Based in Austin, Olivia Komahcheet (@komahcheeto) is a music producer, live performer and Emmy nominated composer whose work spans within spaces of music, visual media and immersive art experiences.
Collectively intertwining a multitude of soundscapes often integrating alternative/indie, experimental art pop and indie-tronica, Olivia has worked with top brands including Paramount Pictures, Apple +, PBS, Instagram, Ableton, Red Bull, Walrus Audio, Sundance, Square Register and Brooks Running with original music being heard on Netflix and Shudder TV platforms.
Her original music has been married to films screened at National Museum of the American Indian Smithsonian, TIFF Film Festival, SXSW and is a 3 year platinum Producer on Timbaland's global music industry platform "Beatclub.”
BELEN ESCOBEDO, TEXAS CONJUNTO FIDDLE TRIO
Before accordions became dominant in Conjunto music, the fiddle was the most common instrument in the genre. Belen Escobedo is one of the few living musicians who plays the rare and beautiful fiddle tunes in the South Texas Tejano (Texas-Mexican) tradition.
Growing up on the South side of San Antonio and working as a professional fiddler since she was a teenager, Belen has preserved a unique style of fiddling that has all but disappeared from the Texas borderlands. Belen has a vast and unique repertoire, including tunes she learned from her grandfather's whistling.
In 2017, Belen was awarded the Master Texas Fiddler Award at the Festival of Texas Fiddling in recognition of her significance as a one of the only people (and only woman) maintaining the rich traditions of Texas-Mexican fiddling.
DJ HONEYPOCKET, MULTIGENRE DJ AND WELLNESS PRACTITIONER
Brittany Greer (@honeypocketbeats), aka DJ HoneyPocket, has been into co-creation and passion fusion her whole life. As a multi-disciplinarian, she draws inspiration from the world around her and brings a blended mixture of skills and experience to the table, both figuratively and literally. Her musical tastes encompass this desire for blending and merging sounds together so you'll often hear a variety of genres, samples, reworks, and original tracks ranging from jazz, funk, hip hop, and latin roots to your newer sub-genres of house, future soul, and vapor twitch. She enjoys providing atmosphere in collaboration with what else is happening in a space—from cocktail lounge, to brunch, to members club meetups—she aims to enhance the vibe of what's already been curated.
DJ HELIOS, CONTEMOPRARY LATIN DJ AND CURATOR
From sound engineer turned DJ, Helios (@thedjhelios) has carved out a prominent presence in the music and entertainment industry for over a decade. Fusing beats from her Mexican roots with influences from hip hop, cumbia, reggaeton, house and funky edits, she creates an electric mix that celebrates the universality of music and exemplifies how people can celebrate community, cultura and life on the dance floor.
With a versatile skill set, she’s captivated crowds of over 20,000 at Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium with Peligrosa, energized major corporate conferences in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and brought her sound to the iconic nightclubs of Mexico City.
Helios has shared stages with legends like Billy Idol and Carin León, brought unforgettable energy to Latin festivals like Besame Mucho, and proudly represented as an official SXSW Artist in both 2024 and 2025. Driven by rhythm and rooted in culture, she’s relentless on the decks, fearless in her vision, and reshaping the DJ scene with every crowd she connects with.
DAMINO, MULTIDISCIPLINARY VISUAL AND SOUND ARTIST
Damino (@__damino) is an interdisciplinary artist based out of ATX. Their love of music, art and wellness informs the work they create. They are currently focusing on releasing their first official EP, but are known for performing energizing hybrid live DJ sets. They also run their company Day by Day Wellness and curate events with @enter.chakana, @babeatx & @artislandatx. They are passionate about uplifting marginalized voices in the entertainment industry.
Since forming her project in 2021 just outside of Austin, Texas, her drive and passion to share the sounds of the world has allowed many doors to open as well as many beautiful connections to be made. She’s landed opportunities like performing at Deep Tropics Festival, Elements Music & Arts Festival, SXSW, and to be featured on the radio by Femme House on SiriusXM’s channel Diplo’s Revolution.
• GUEST ARTISTS + SPEAKERS •
IRIS KWON, VISUAL ARTIST AND PAINTER
Iris Kwon (@child_appetite) works as an artist under the name Child Appetite because holding onto her childhood memories keeps her grounded through experiences of not fitting into any cultures. Over the past few years, she has studied and explored her memories, transforming rather dark moments into whimsical pieces using vibrant colors and humorous characterized animals.
Her art is a continuous journey of turning personal history into visual narratives that invite viewers to rediscover the magic and resilience of childhood. She aims to evoke a sense of nostalgia and curiosity in strangers, believing that even though everyone’s experiences and memories are different, there is always an overlap.
STEPH GRANILLO, QUILT ARTIST AND EDUCATOR
Steph Granillo (@stephgrani) is an Austin-based quilt artist whose work celebrates the joy and beauty that can be found in unexpected places. Inspired by everyday moments and forgotten fabrics, she weaves color, texture, and pattern to honor the silent stories embedded into life and textiles.
XAVIER SCHIPANI, VISUAL ARTIST AND TRANS ACTIVIST
Xavier Schipani explores themes of Queer Identity, the trans masculine body, sexuality, memory and language. His work is centered around questions that contemplate gender identity, proof of existence, the transformative power of representation, and the emotional resonance of his experience as a transman.
Informed by what he calls his “Transcestors” or those who walked before him, he focuses his attention to that proof of existence. He is a collector of history and imagery, piecing together writing, film, music and art within his community. He uses the figure as an anchor to guide storytelling as a form of mapping. He is constantly in search of a world where his own body has a context by looking for historical representation of the trans masculine male. The visual result of his inspiration being large scale painting and mural work much like cave paintings and other tableaus which seek to communicate not only existence but importance. His figures emote a sense of longing, exploration and emotional curiosity that openly asks the viewer to be as vulnerable as he is. The connection between himself, his community and world surrounding it all, is a documentation of change and our ability to expand our collective view by truly offering space for all stories to be told.
SHANIA MONTUFAR, VISUAL ARTIST AND CURATOR
Shania Montúfar is an Ecuadorian-Colombian visual artist, curator, and PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin. Trained in studio art, social theory, and data science, she approaches world-building as an artistic, academic, and political practice. Her personal work spans photography, fiber, and installation, while her curatorial work includes ECHOES ATX, her debut show funded by the City of Austin, which highlighted the past, present, and future of Black and Brown Austin. Her practice is inspired by feminist theory, visual sociology, and third world thought.
GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ LEMUS, POET, PHOTOGRAPHER AND SCHOLAR
Gabriel Rodríguez Lemus, Jr. (he/él) is a PhD Candidate in the Program in Higher Education Leadership & Policy at The University of Texas at Austin with a dual graduate portfolio in Women & Gender Studies with a specialization in LGBTQ+ Studies and Mexican American & Latinx/a/o Studies. He is a photographer and poet, and his research examines the experiences of queer and trans Latinx/o people living with disabilities in higher education utilizing art-based participatory methods to posit more liberatory futures. As a queer jotx Latinx person living with a (dis)ability, his work is deeply tied to his positionality.