Award-Winning Filmmaker Dano García's "MICKEY" to Premiere at SXSW 2026

Intimate documentary on trans identity, memory, and the transformative power of play and performance

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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MICKEY, the new feature documentary by multi-award-winning trans Mexican filmmaker Dano García, will have its world premiere in the Global section at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival. Filmed over ten years, the documentary centers on Mickey Cundapí (she/her), known artistically as Mis$ Mickey, a trans multidisciplinary artist who uses play and performance to re-signify the past and inhabit the present. The film moves between tenderness and rage, transforming memory into an act of liberation.

Why it matters

MICKEY challenges cinematic conventions and expands the language of trans representation, asserting trans cinema as both aesthetic innovation and political transformation. The film explores themes of trans identity, memory, and the power of art and performance within a conservative cultural context.

The details

Filmed over a decade, MICKEY follows Mickey Cundapí, a trans multidisciplinary artist, as she navigates her transition in the conservative city of Mazatlán, Mexico, known for its vibrant carnival traditions but also persistent homophobia and transphobia. Directors Dano García and Mickey Cundapí, who met as students, revisit archival material from their childhood friendship, reconstructing a shared journey of gender transition and resilience.

  • MICKEY will have its world premiere at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival, running March 12–18 in Austin, Texas.
  • Dano García and Mickey Cundapí first met as students at the same Catholic school when they were 14 years old.

The players

Dano García

A multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker who studied at the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in London and ENAC (formerly CUEC) at UNAM in Mexico City. Their debut feature, Kings of Nowhere (2015), won multiple awards.

Mickey Cundapí

Also known artistically as Mis$ Mickey, a trans multidisciplinary artist who, alongside García, uses play and performance to re-signify the past and inhabit the present.

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What they’re saying

“MICKEY moves between tenderness and rage, transforming memory into an act of liberation.”

— Dano García, Director (Criticologos)

What’s next

MICKEY will have its world premiere at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival, with additional screenings scheduled for March 13, 16, and 17.

The takeaway

MICKEY challenges conventional cinematic approaches to trans representation, using innovative filmmaking and collaborative storytelling to explore themes of identity, memory, and the transformative power of art. The film asserts trans cinema as a space for both aesthetic and political transformation.