SXSW: indie film winner
SXSW handed its top narrative prize to Wishful Thinking at the 2026 festival — a win that flags the movie as a notable indie to watch this spring. The prize list is out and points to several innovative newcomers from the fest circuit. (deadline.com).
Writer‑director Graham Parkes made his feature debut on Wishful Thinking, which stars Maya Hawke and Lewis Pullman and also features Randall Park, Kerri Kenney, Jake Shane and Amita Rao. (en.wikipedia.org)) The film had its world premiere at SXSW on March 12, 2026, and Parkes told a packed Zach Theater that the team completed the picture the Friday before its opening. (en.wikipedia.org)) (thedailytexan.com) Wishful Thinking follows a volatile Portland couple whose emotional states produce literal, world‑altering effects, a premise reviewers have described as a sci‑fi rom‑com with surreal manifestations and twin‑therapist beats in the story. (rogerebert.com) (imdb.com) The film was produced under the newcomer production arm Highway 10, with producers credited including Lewis Pullman, Matt Smith, Kara Durrett and Dan Gedman, and features cinematography by Christopher Ripley and editing by Lilly Wild. (variety.com) (en.wikipedia.org)) Early critical response praised the leads and the film’s formal daring, with Deadline noting its “sex magic” conceit and Variety and RogerEbert highlighting the actors’ chemistry and the film’s handheld, intimate cinematography. (deadline.com) (variety.com) (rogerebert.com) SXSW’s jury packet paired the film’s citation of “remarkable performances” with other competition honors — for example, the Special Jury Award for Performance went to Susan Kent for The Snake and a Special Jury Award for Screenwriting went to the team behind Plantman & Blondie — while all festival projects remained eligible for audience voting through March 18 with results posted via sxsw.com. (deadline.com) (sxsw.com)
