Boots Riley’s ‘I Love Boosters’ Will Open SXSW 2026
- Leslie
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Client: Boots Riley – Writer, Director
Eight years after his directorial debut, Boots Riley is unleashing his sophomore feature I Love Boosters on SXSW‘s milestone 40th festival.
On Thursday, the Austin film festival said that the title will make its world premiere as the opening-night film of the 2026 lineup, which is scheduled to run March 12-18 in the Texas capital.
The sci-fi comedy follows a crew of boosters (aka professional shoplifters) and equal opportunists, who take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. It’s like community service.
Led by Keke Palmer, the movie’s ensemble cast includes Demi Moore, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza Gonzalez, LaKeith Stanfield and Don Cheadle.
“The Velvet Gang has officially cased Austin and decided opening night at SXSW 2026 will be the start of their global takeover!” said Claudette Godfrey, SXSW’s VP Film & TV, in a statement today. “We are beyond thrilled to kick off the festival with the world premiere of Boots Riley‘s I Love Boosters.”
Godfrey added, “Boots has created another wildly original and boundary-pushing vision that’s deliciously unpredictable. We can’t wait for our audience to be sucked into his singular, subversive world where razor-sharp social commentary meets fearless, surreal storytelling and eye-popping imagery — all powered by a ridiculously stacked cast of some of the most talented actors on the planet. I Love Boosters is audacious, entertaining and guaranteed to get our festival off to an unforgettable start. Trust us, you’ll want to be there when The Velvet Gang bursts onto the scene!”
Riley’s sophomore feature comes after his debut Sorry to Bother You in 2018, as well as his 2023 Prime Video series I’m a Virgo, which also premiered at SXSW.
The remainder of the SXSW 2026 lineup will roll out in January.