Festivals - SXSW 2026 : Barco to Power The Paramount Theater & Alamo South Lamar with Laser Projection

By Mulder, 12 march 2026

As the 2026 edition of SXSW celebrates its 40th anniversary in Austin, Texas, the festival continues to reinforce its reputation as one of the most forward-thinking cinematic events in the world by announcing a high-profile technological partnership with the Belgian company Barco, widely recognized as one of the global leaders in laser projection for cinema. This collaboration will see the installation of Laser by Barco projection systems in two of the festival’s most iconic venues, the historic Paramount Theatre and the beloved Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, marking the first time that both locations will present SXSW screenings using this next-generation projection technology. For festival veterans, this move feels like a natural evolution, as SXSW has always positioned itself as a launchpad for bold filmmaking voices and innovative presentation formats, and the introduction of high-end laser projection reinforces that commitment to giving filmmakers the best possible platform for their work. Over the years, attending screenings at SXSW has often meant discovering films before the rest of the world, sometimes in intimate or unconventional venues, and the idea of combining that raw festival energy with cutting-edge projection promises a particularly exciting experience for both industry professionals and cinephiles who travel to Austin every March.

The partnership was officially confirmed by Gerwin Damberg, Executive Vice President of Barco Cinema, who emphasized that SXSW represents exactly the kind of creative environment where the company’s technology can shine, explaining that the goal of the collaboration is to give filmmakers “a powerful canvas to present their work with exceptional brightness, color, and clarity” while allowing audiences to experience films exactly as they were intended to be seen. That statement resonates strongly with anyone who has attended major festivals in recent years, where projection quality can vary depending on the venue, sometimes becoming a point of discussion among journalists and filmmakers after premieres. By installing Laser by Barco systems in the Paramount Theatre, which traditionally hosts the opening-night premiere, and the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, one of Austin’s most beloved screening locations, SXSW is clearly signaling its desire to ensure a consistent premium presentation for some of the festival’s most anticipated titles. The choice of these two venues is far from random, as the Paramount Theatre, built in 1915, is one of the architectural jewels of Austin, while the Alamo Drafthouse chain has long been associated with a cinephile culture that values both technical excellence and audience experience, making them ideal showcases for a technology designed to deliver brighter images, deeper contrast, and improved color accuracy compared to traditional xenon projection systems.

Among the films confirmed to benefit from the Laser by Barco presentation this year is the opening-night feature I Love Boosters, directed by Boots Riley and starring Keke Palmer, LaKeith Stanfield, Naomi Ackie, and Demi Moore, a lineup that already suggests the kind of high-profile premiere SXSW has become known for over the decades. Additional titles scheduled to screen using the format include Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, and Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, showing that the technology will not be limited to a single gala event but will instead be used throughout the festival’s programming. For attendees, this means that the difference in image quality should be immediately noticeable, particularly in larger auditoriums where laser projection’s increased brightness and color range can dramatically enhance the viewing experience, especially for films with complex lighting, strong color grading, or visual effects. Having covered festivals where projection issues occasionally became the subject of post-screening conversations in press rooms and festival bars, the move to laser projection feels like a reassuring step toward making technical excellence as much a priority as artistic discovery.

From the festival side, Gabe Van Amburgh, Senior Manager of Film & TV Programming at SXSW, underlined that the partnership aligns perfectly with the event’s long-standing mission to provide filmmakers with a world-class stage for their stories, noting that bringing Barco’s technology to these venues ensures that the work shown at SXSW can be experienced at the level of quality it deserves. This statement also reflects a broader trend in the festival circuit, where presentation quality has become increasingly important as filmmakers and distributors pay closer attention to how premieres are perceived by critics, buyers, and audiences. In recent years, major festivals such as Cannes, Venice, and Toronto have all invested heavily in projection and sound upgrades, and SXSW’s decision to integrate Laser by Barco into its flagship venues shows that the Austin event intends to remain competitive not only in programming but also in technical standards. For a festival that prides itself on mixing independent cinema, studio premieres, and experimental storytelling, ensuring that every film can look its best on screen is a logical and welcome evolution.

Founded in Kortrijk, Belgium, Barco has built a strong reputation in the entertainment industry thanks to its work in digital cinema, large-scale visualization, and immersive display technologies, with its laser projection systems now used in theaters, theme parks, and premium large-format auditoriums around the world. The company, which employs more than 3,000 people and reported sales of 964 million euros in 2025, has increasingly focused on laser-based solutions as the future of theatrical projection, offering improved efficiency, longer lifespan, and more stable brightness compared to traditional lamp-based systems. Seeing this technology integrated into a festival environment like SXSW is particularly significant, because it shows that innovations once reserved for flagship multiplexes and premium formats are now becoming part of the festival circuit, where filmmakers often have their very first encounter with an audience. As SXSW enters its fifth decade, the collaboration with Barco feels like both a celebration of how far the festival has come and a reminder that cinema presentation continues to evolve, ensuring that the stories discovered in Austin can shine on screen with the same intensity as the ideas that inspired them.