SXSW Sydney has confirmed that acclaimed filmmaker and producer Paul Feig will headline the Screen Festival’s 2025 program.
Feig will deliver a keynote address and receive the inaugural Screen Pioneer Award in recognition of his contributions to modern screen culture.
Feig, known for Bridesmaids, Spy, The Heat, Ghostbusters (2016), A Simple Favor, and cult-favourite series Freaks and Geeks, will appear in Sydney this October as part of the festival’s second edition. His keynote will draw from a career spanning decades in film and television, celebrated for witty dialogue, ensemble casts and a consistent focus on underrepresented voices.
To coincide with his appearance, the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival will host a retrospective of Feig’s work, celebrating his influence on genre-blending comedy and his commitment to telling stories led by women and outsiders.
Feig’s films have become mainstays of contemporary pop culture, and his inclusion adds notable weight to the 2025 speaker program.
Joining Feig on the keynote roster is Mo Gawdat, the former Chief Business Officer at Google X and host of top-charting mental health podcast Slo Mo. They appear alongside previously announced keynote speaker Meredith Whittaker, president of encrypted messaging service Signal.
Joining Paul Feig at SXSW Sydney:
Additional featured speakers announced today include Lucy Guo, CEO of creator platform Passes and currently the youngest self-made female billionaire. Also confirmed are Lars Rasmussen (co-founder of Google Maps) and Niall Firth, Executive Editor of MIT Technology Review.
ScreenHub: The Surfer, We Bury The Dead and more Australian films to screen at SXSW
These screen and tech announcements follow a major expansion of the SXSW Sydney Music Festival lineup last week, which now includes Indian pop artist and Diplo collaborator Rashmeet Kaur, US electronic act Vandelux, Indonesian rap duo Tenxi & Jemsii, and neo-soul singer August Wahh from the Philippines.
New local additions to the music lineup include blue diner, Holly Hebe, Yasmina Sadiki, and Munan. Music industry leaders from Goldenvoice, Warner Music Korea, and Reservoir will also participate in the conference program.
Six new feature films have been added to the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival lineup: By Design (starring Juliette Lewis), $POSITIONS, Dead Lover, Zodiac Killer Project, The Last Sacrifice, and Bokshi. These titles will screen alongside a range of shorts, including the BAFTA-nominated Stomach Bug and Chasing the Party, produced by Oscar-winner Sam Rockwell.
The SXSW Sydney 2025 Games Festival Showcase has also announced its first wave of programming, with 40 titles set to feature playable demos from 26 countries. More than 30 mentors and industry leaders will host panels, workshops, and networking sessions on topics ranging from global publishing to creative resilience in game development.
This latest announcement brings the 2025 event tally to over 100 speakers, 50 conference sessions, 75 artists, 40 games and 27 films, with more still to be revealed.
SXSW Sydney returns from 13–19 October 2025, anticipating more than 1,600 events spanning film, music, games, technology, and innovation. The event is supported by key partners including the Commonwealth Bank, QMS, and Accenture, and will spotlight key focus areas such as AI, cybersecurity, quantum technology, sustainability, and storytelling futures.
The full list of confirmed speakers, artists and sessions is available via the official SXSW Sydney website.
SXSW Sydney takes place from 13-19 October 2025.
