The film follows a group of shoplifters who “take aim at a fashion maven” and stars Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza Gonzalez, LaKeith Stanfield, Don Cheadle and Demi Moore. Being a Boots Riley joint, it’ll probably be irreverent and pretty left politically. Riley’s feature debut, 2018’s Sorry To Bother You, focused on how capitalism has the capacity to turn us into animals, while his 2023 Prime Video series I’m A Virgo took aim at policing via a super hero metaphor.
“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,” SXSW’s VP of Film & TV Claudette Godfrey says in a statement. “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!”
