This year’s SXSW Film Festival featured an incredible slate of documentaries, including a robust slate of music, film, and general pop culture subjects. We’ve highlighted a few of our favourite documentaries from this year’s lineup below, including deep dives into the the lives and careers of icons Michael J. Fox and William Shatner, a look at the legacy of Canada’s MuchMusic station, an examination into the history of the first Black Barbie doll, and more.

You can find all of our SXSW coverage here.

SXSW 2023 Best Documentaries

299 Queen Street West

While American teens in the ’80s and ’90s may have been raised by MTV, north of the border, MuchMusic was the babysitter of choice for generations of music fans. 299 Queen Street West, a new documentary by filmmaker Sean Menard, explores the impact of the heyday of MuchMusic through the eyes of the young VJs who were suddenly thrust into the spotlight.

Featuring interviews with Canadian icons including Sook-Yin Lee, Steve Anthony, Erica Ehm, Rick “The Temp” Campanelli, and more, 299 Queen Street West will be catnip for those of us who had MuchMusic on 24/7 growing up. Featuring a treasure trove of rare archival video with voice-over reminisces from the VJs and behind-the-scenes workers who made MuchMusic so iconic, 299 Queen Street West makes a strong argument for MuchMusic as one of the most influential Canadian media institutions we’ve ever had.

A Disturbance in the Force

The Star Wars Holiday Special is the stuff of legend among Star Wars diehards. Released in 1978 following the massive success of the original film, the special aired just once before being mothballed into Lucasfilm’s basement, never to be (officially) seen again. Starring the original cast, the incomprehensible special features a journey to the Wookie planet to celebrate “Life Day,” and also throws in virtual porn, extended scenes of Wookie family chit-chat, an animated sequence (that introduces Boba Fett), and much more.

A Disturbance in the Force, a new documentary from directors Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak, dives into the insanity of the special with interviews from the likes of Kevin Smith (obviously), Seth Greene, Paul Scheer, Weird Al Yankovic, the late and great Gilbert Gottfried, and more. The film not only delves into how the wild special came to light but highlights the wild west era in Hollywood when filmmakers like Lucas were still throwing ideas at the wall, never knowing how long the success of their previous films would last.

Black Barbie: A Documentary

Ahead of this summer’s blockbuster Barbie movie comes filmmaker Lagueria Davis’ Black Barbie: A Documentary, a personal and thought-provoking look at the evolution, production, and release of the first Black Barbie doll.

Davis frames the film through her own personal experience with the Black Barbie doll; her aunt, Beulah Mae Mitchell, even worked for Mattel, the company that produces Barbie, for over forty years. Featuring interviews with Mattel designers and celebrities including Dear White People‘s Ashley Blaine-Featherson Jenkins, Davis examines the impact of not having a Black Barbie available for decades following the successful launch of the “original” (and very white) Barbie and its particular effect on young Black women.

A vital and necessary examination of representation viewed through a broad pop culture context, Black Barbie: A Documentary is also a highly entertaining look at how a small group of people pushed for — and eventually manifested change — within a corporate toy juggernaut.

Hung Up on a Dream

Legendary British rockers The Zombies finally get the documentary treatment they deserve. Director Robert Schwartzman (Dreamland) follows the group’s twisty trajectory as contemporaries of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to scoring the smash hit “Time of the Season”… after they had already broken up.

Featuring in-depth interviews with the surviving band members, Hung Up on a Dream tells a different kind of rock n’ roll success story — one of a band that survived the ups and downs of the music industry and still produces new music to this day. The charm and general enthusiasm of the band members as they chart their history is contagious; hopefully, Hung Up on a Dream helps to cement The Zombies in the greater public consciousness as one of the most vital and influential bands of the era.

Revival69: The Concert That Rocked the World

While Woodstock is known as the defining musical event of 1969 (with Altamont on the other end of the spectrum), another less-remembered but equally influential festival also took place that year in Toronto. The mastermind of John Brower and Ken Walker, a pair of young Canadian promoters, Revival69 was meant to celebrate the roots of classic rock n’ roll as well as its modern update, with appearances from Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Gene Vincent, The Doors, Alice Cooper, and more. Set for Toronto’s massive Varsity Stadium, ticket sales were so poor that the event was almost cancelled until a brilliant plan was hatched to invite John Lennon as a last-minute addition.

Revival69 marked the first public appearance of the John Lennon and Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band, and their inclusion made the show a huge success, capping off an incredible multi-generational rock showcase for the ages. Directed by Ron Chapman (Who the F**K Is Arthur Fogel), Revival69 is packed with vital concert footage and perfectly encapsulates the excitement (and terror) as we follow the young promoters struggling to pull off such a massive event. Packed with new interviews with the performers, promoters, and fans who made up the huge crowd, Revival69 is a fascinating look at a groundbreaking event that has flown under the radar for far too long.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

Still takes a fascinating approach to documenting the life of Michael J. Fox. Since Fox has been an integral presence in so many of our lives through movies like the Back to the Future series and shows like Family Ties, director Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Deadwood) stages much of Still like an ’80s comedy. Iconic scenes from throughout Fox’s career are staged against Fox’s narration of his life and career, creating a unique viewpoint on his life growing up in the public eye.

Alongside Fox’s thrilling journey as a down-on-his-luck young actor to becoming one of the most recognizable stars of all time, Still is a moving look at Fox’s Parkinson’s diagnosis, which he received when he was just 29 years old. Through frank and self-deprecating interviews, we witness Fox managing his day-to-day life, from his physical coaching to downtime with his family, along with his tireless work to find a cure for Parkinson’s via The Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Equal parts heartwarming, hilarious, and revelatory, Still is an exceeding intimate portrait of tenacity and resilience, regardless of what life throws your way. It will also make you love Michael J. Fox even more (if that’s possible).

You Can Call Me Bill

It’s easy to feel like you know William Shatner. If you grew up watching the original Star Trek show and subsequent films or even passed a link around to clips of his “unique” song stylings, William Shatner always had an open presence that made audiences feel like they were on the journey with him.

Director Alexandre O. Philippe (Lynch/Oz, Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist) has taken that familiarity to the extreme with You Can Call Me Bill, an emotional look at Shatner’s life, beliefs, and concerns as he enters his 90’s. While Philippe covers the main points of Shatner’s life from his time growing up in Montreal to his iconic role as Star Trek’s Captain James T. Kirk, much of the film is also dedicated to Shatner’s life-changing recent trip to space, which he describes as a profoundly lonely experience. A poetic look at Shatner examining his work, hopes, and legacy, You Can Call Me Bill is an unexpected gut punch that also serves as a celebration of Shatner’s life and the very planet itself.