Each year, South by Southwest gives opportunities to Texas’ independent film community, as it opens networking opportunities with bigger production companies and unlocks secrets of filmmaking for newcomers. This year’s SXSW will offer an offshoot of the normal shorts festival — the Texas Shorts Program — featuring short films made in, about or relating to the state of Texas. 

The Daily Texan compiled a list of the short films screening at this year’s competition. Attendees can catch the Texas Shorts Program at The Long Center’s Rollins Theatre on March 10 from 5 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. and March 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:20 p.m.

Breaking Silence

The documentary short “Breaking Silence,” directed by Amy Bench and Annie Silverstein, shows a glimpse of a deaf activist’s life and the bonds he forms with his previously incarcerated daughter over their shared experience with the criminal justice system. Their story, told through a series of joint interviews, follows their exploration of how imprisonment and re-entry helped generate new paths toward advocacy.

Call Me Mommy 

“Call Me Mommy,” directed by Haley Alea Erickson and Taylor Washington, follows Annie, a struggling actress, as she responds to a personal ad looking for professional improvisationalists. The client ends up being a pregnant woman named Igna who hires Annie to roleplay as her daughter.

Dressed

“Dressed,” written and directed by Bethiael Alemayoh, follows a former bride-to-be who tries to sell her wedding dress.

Exit 238

A documentary short written, shot and directed by Henry Davis seeks to showcase an event in the early weeks of fall at Austin’s Capital Plaza shopping center, in which locals gather to witness the migration of thousands of Purple Martins heading to Brazil.

Eyestring

This horror mystery short directed by Javier Devitt and co-written by Devitt and Alena Chinault follows Veronica as she notices a string growing out of her eye. On top of that, she receives strange, cryptic messages from a hotline service. The string continues to grow from her eye, and with that, she notices more and more odd signals from the hotline messages.

Funny Face

Director and writer Jude Hope Harris’ “Funny Face” recreates the moment her brother and girlfriend met for the first time after Sophie (Jude Harris) arrives home after her facial feminization surgery. The autobiographical dramedy features her family playing versions of themselves. 

La Cosecha

Written by Samuel Díaz Fernández and Ái Vuong, this documentary follows Nolvia Castillo, who immigrated to Austin from Chiriqui, Guatemala. Nolvia shares her story of gaining her independence in her new home while reflecting on her past.

When You Left Me On That Boulevard

UT alumna and director Kayla Abuda Galang’s narrative short “When You Left Me on That Boulevard” tells the story of Ly and her cousins getting high before a giant Thanksgiving gathering and the chaos that ensues throughout.

Wüm

“Wüm,” written and directed by Anna Margaret Hollyman, follows nonbinary parent Bennett as they trudge through their new reality of parenthood. When Bennett arrives late to their postpartum “Mamas Group” and soon finds themself struggling with their 3-month-old daughter Edie, the intended safe space soon turns into a place of harassment and micro-aggressions from the other mothers.