Boots Riley’s new film “I Love Boosters” will open the 2026 SXSW Film Festival, world premiering during the Austin-based fest’s 40th anniversary, SXSW announced on Thursday.
The story follows a crew of professional shoplifters who take aim at “a cutthroat fashion maven,” with an ensemble that includes Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza Gonzalez, LaKeith Stanfield, Don Cheadle and Demi Moore.
The film is Riley’s second feature after 2018’s wholly unique “Sorry to Bother You,” also starring Stanfield. The filmmaker most recently wrote and directed the absurdist Prime Video series “I’m a Virgo.”
Neon will release “I Love Boosters” on May 22, 2026.
“The Velvet Gang has officially cased Austin and decided Opening Night at SXSW 2026 will be the start of their global takeover! We are beyond thrilled to kick off the festival with the World Premiere of Boots Riley’s ‘I Love Boosters,’” said Claudette Godfrey, SXSW’s VP Film & TV. “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!”
