- SXSW Sydney’s Screen Festival has today confirmed that Scott Cooper’s Bruce Springsteen biopic will be the Opening Night film at the Seymour Centre.
- Other premieres include The Black Phone 2 and Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia.
- SXSW Sydney 2025 is shaping up to be its most diverse year to date.
With SXSW Sydney coming up next month, we’ve now got an idea of what the 2025 Screen Festival will look like as it’s threaded amongst the music, brand activations, parties and networking events the week-long event has become known for. And there are some big names to get across: Bruce Springsteen, Jeremy Allen White, Than Hawke, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattison and more.
Headlining the extensive screen program is Scott Cooper’s highly anticipated Bruce Springsteen biopic, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. It has been locked in for the festival’s opening night on Monday, October 13. Starring The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White as The Boss, the film will explore the period when the music icon was recording his most personal album, 1992’s Nebraska, as well as taking a close look at his relationship with his father.
Other films as part of this week’s SXSW Headliners announcement include the local premiere of the time-travelling cult comedy film Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie, the hotly anticipated horror flick Black Phone 2 with Ethan Hawke reprising his terrifying role from the successful original, the Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattison-led Die My Love, a gory black comedy starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemmons (Bugonia), and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, starring Australian film legend Rose Byrne.
Festivalgoers with a Platinum Pass, Pro Pass or Screen Wristband have unlimited access to screenings across the week, but individual tickets can also be purchased through the SXSW Sydney website.
Diversity taking shape
Now in its third year, SXSW Sydney seems to be finding its footing as it seeks to highlight the creative industries across the Southern Hemisphere. With Austin’s original still going strong, this down-under edition seems primed for success as more people are starting to look outside of America for their pop culture fix.
Over 50 new performers were just recently added to the already stacked live music line-up, including Australian EDM star Ninajirachi, American rockers Whitney and Irish act Picture This. But that’s just the surface of it. Head to Tumbalong Park throughout the week and you’ll find free showcases from South Asian, First Nations and Indonesian artists amongst many others. This forms part of an ambitious SXSW Sydney Unlocked program that features over 85 hours of free entertainment and lifestyle activations.
2025 Screen Festival schedule
If you want to catch any of the big flicks at SXSW this year, take note of the following Screen Festival schedule.
- Monday, October 13
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere | 7pm | Seymour Centre - Thursday, October 14
Black Phone 2 | 7:30pm | Seymour Centre - Wednesday, October 15
Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie | 7:30pm | Seymour Centre - Thursday, October 16
Die My Love | 7:30pm | Seymour Centre - Friday, October 17
Bugonia | 7:30pm | Seymour Centre
SXSW Sydney
When: Monday, October 13 – Sunday, October 19, 2025
Where: Various locations
Tickets: sxswsydney.com
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