Jordan Peele’s US to Make World Premiere as Opening Night Film at South by Southwest 2019

Last year, John Krasinski's A Quiet Place made a big, scary splash in its world premiere as the opening night film at South by Southwest 2018. This year, the Austin cinematic celebration's opening night film will once again be a world premiere of one of the most anticipated horror movies of the year: Jordan Peele's Us.

The SXSW film festival will kick off with a screening of Jordan Peele's Us on Friday, March 8th, one week before it's released in theaters. As always, stay tuned to Daily Dead this March for our coverage of all things horror at SXSW.

Press Release: Austin, Texas — January 8, 2019 — South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals (March 8–17, 2019) announced the world premiere of Jordan Peele’s Us as its Opening Night film for the 26th edition of the SXSW Film Festival on Friday March 8, 2019 in Austin, Texas. After sending shockwaves across contemporary culture and setting a new standard for provocative, socially conscious horror films with his directorial debut, Get Out, Academy Award®-winning visionary Jordan Peele returns with another original nightmare.

“We are crazy excited to world premiere the most anticipated film of 2019 from the creative powerhouse that brought us Get Out,” said Janet Pierson, Director of Film. “We honestly couldn’t imagine a more perfect film to kick off the 2019 SXSW Film Festival.”

Set in present day along the iconic Northern California coastline, Us, stars Oscar® winner Lupita Nyong’o as Adelaide Wilson, a woman returning to her beachside childhood home with her husband, Gabe (Black Panther’s Winston Duke), and their two children (Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex) for an idyllic summer getaway. Haunted by an unexplainable and unresolved trauma from her past and compounded by a string of eerie coincidences, Adelaide feels her paranoia elevate to high-alert as she grows increasingly certain that something bad is about to befall her family. After spending a tense beach day with their friends, the Tylers (Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Cali Sheldon, Noelle Sheldon), Adelaide and her family return to their vacation home to discover the silhouettes of four figures standing in their driveway. Us pits an ordinary American family against a terrifying and uncanny opponent: doppelgängers of themselves.

Peele produces for his Monkeypaw Productions, alongside Monkeypaw creative director Ian Cooper, in the company’s first solo production venture. Also producing are Sean McKittrick and Jason Blum. Written and directed by Peele, Us will be released by Universal Pictures on Friday, March 15, 2019.

SXSW Film Festival will release its Feature slate on Wednesday, January 16, 2019 (except for Midnighters and Festival Favorites). Midnighters, Festival Favorites, Shorts, Episodic Pilot Competition, Virtual Cinema, Music Videos and Title Sequence Competition will be announced on Wednesday, February 6, 2019.

SXSW is proud to be an official qualifying festival for the Academy Awards® Short Film competition. The Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short and Best Animated Short winners become eligible for the Academy Awards.

About SXSW

SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. An essential destination for global professionals, the event features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2019 will take place March 8-17, 2019. For more information, please visit sxsw.com. To register for the event, please visit sxsw.com/attend.

SXSW 2019 is sponsored by Capital One, Mercedes-Benz, Bud Light, and The Austin Chronicle.