Sound Unseen Austin Announces Full Lineup For Their Sixth Annual Film + Music Festival, Happening August 6-9 At Afs Cinema

Driven by a passion for discovering bold voices and celebrating the artists who define music culture, Sound Unseen Austin announces the full lineup for their sixth annual film + music festival, happening this August 6-9 at AFS Cinema. Championing films that capture the sound, spirit, and subcultures behind music, the four-day fest will include filmmaker Q&As, red carpets, industry gatherings and live music events. The full film lineup can be found below. Tickets for each screening at this year’s festival are now on sale and can be purchased on their website here. Media interested in covering the fest can request advance interviews or submit for press credentials by emailing here.  

Born in Minneapolis in 1999, Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival set out to spotlight music stories through the power of film. In 2020, Austin joined the journey, becoming a vibrant home for new perspectives and creative exploration. Sound Unseen Austin is the only festival in town dedicated to screening exclusively music-driven films. In addition to their annual festival, Sound Unseen Austin host signature film screenings, live music events and gatherings on a year-round basis. 

"Austin has always been a city where music and film naturally belong together," said Becky Arreaga, Festival Director of Sound Unseen Austin. "We're music fans who happen to run a film festival, and we love creating a place where those communities come together. If it's on our schedule, it's because we genuinely believe it's worth experiencing.” 

This year's celebration will kick off with a 20th anniversary screening of “Shut Up & Sing,” a documentary on The Chicks (formerly The Dixie Chicks). The film, directed by two time Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck, screens Thursday, Aug. 6 at 7:00 p.m. The lineup also includes films featuring national artists like Sara Bareilles, Eddie Cochran and local acts like The Black Angels, Big Boys, Tele Novella and Mama Duke. There will also be a shorts program happening Saturday, Aug. 8 from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. which includes a number of music videos and a film about Austin’s own punk band, Meat Joy, featuring Emmy-nominated actor John Hawkes (“Winter's Bone,” “Deadwood”) playing under the name John Perkins alongside queer music icon Gretchen Phillips (Two Nice Girls). For more information about this year’s festival, you can check out the website here. 

Thursday, August 6 

“The Chicks: Shut Up & Sing” by Cecilia Peck & Barbara Kopple 

20th Anniversary Screening 

Friday, August 7 

“Sara Bareilles: Good Grief” by Josh Alexander 

“The Black Angels, 20 Years of Passover” by James Oswald 

Pre-show Short 

“BP Fallon: Rock'n'Roll Wizard” by Alan Leonard 

Saturday, August 8 

Shorts Block: 

"Feels So Good To Be You" by Mama Duke (aka Kori Roy) 

“OH YEAH!” by Nick Canfield 

“Sound Again” by Carlos R Correa 

“Las Hijas de Rosalia” by Maria Mealla 

“Ring of Stones” by Vanessa Pla (Artist: Tele Novella) 

“Meat Joy: America's Entertainment Nightmare” by Lauren Ya 

“The Song of Hiawatha: The Life and HIGH Times of the First Black Hippie” by Jeffrey Wengrofsky 

“Adele” by Mike Henry 

Pre-show Short 

“You Can Color Outside the Lines, The Story of the Big Boys” by Joe Salinas & Andrew Leeper Sunday, August 9

“Don't Forget Me: Eddie Cochran” by Kirsty Bell 

“Janis Ian: Breaking Silence” by Varda Bar-Kar 

ABOUT SOUND UNSEEN AUSTIN

Sound Unseen Austin is The Film Festival for Music Fans, dedicated to music-driven storytelling and the creative communities behind it. Through curated documentaries, narrative features, short films, music videos, filmmaker conversations, and live music experiences, the festival connects the people who make music, make films, and love both.

Originally founded in Minneapolis in 1999, Sound Unseen expanded to Austin in 2020 and entered a new chapter in 2026 under the leadership of Festival Director Becky Arreaga. A longtime producer of the Austin festival, Arreaga brings more than three decades of experience in cultural programming, artist partnerships, experiential marketing, and nonprofit leadership. Her vision is to grow Sound Unseen Austin into a year-round cultural platform that strengthens the connection between Austin's music and film communities while supporting emerging filmmakers and artists through education, collaboration, and meaningful opportunities to connect.

Sound Unseen Austin is supported by Lionhearts Foundation, a fiscally sponsored charitable program under Legacy Global Programs, a 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at soundunseenaustin.com.

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