SXSW 2026: ‘Are We Still Married?’ Brings Vampire Rules to a Relationship Reckoning

Taylor Misiak and Dustin Milligan face love, trust and vampire lore in Kit Steinkellner’s SXSW 2026 premiere.

South by Southwest 2026 is bringing romance, bloodlust and a locked front door together in one of its more intriguing genre hybrids. ARE WE STILL MARRIED? marks the latest project from writer-director Kit Steinkellner, and it’s set to world premiere March 14 at the Alamo Lamar.

At its core, the film is a supernatural rom-com built around one simple rule: vampires must be invited inside.

After a bat bite transforms Jack into a vampire, he returns home to the house he shares with his wife, Laura. There’s just one problem. He can’t come in.

Per vampire lore, Jack now needs an invitation to cross the threshold. Laura, standing safely inside, refuses to grant it.

Jack, played by Dustin Milligan (“Schitt’s Creek”), looks and sounds like the man she married. He jokes like him. He pleads like him. He even breaks her heart like him. But can she trust that what’s standing on the porch is still her husband?

Taylor Misiak (“Dave”) stars as Laura, who spends the night inside the house while Jack remains stranded outside. The film unfolds in real time, with the couple reconciling, arguing and revisiting the fractures in their marriage as the clock ticks toward sunrise.

It’s a clean, high-concept premise that leans into vampire mythology while using it as a metaphor for intimacy and boundaries. The front door becomes a battleground. The invitation becomes consent. And the looming sunrise adds a thriller-like countdown to what might otherwise feel like a relationship drama.

Steinkellner, who writes and directs, uses the supernatural twist to explore questions many couples quietly carry: Who are you after a fundamental change? How much do you owe the person you married? And when trust is broken, does love still grant access?

The SXSW screenings include a world premiere on Saturday, March 14 at 3:00 p.m. CST (Alamo Lamar 4), followed by a second public screening on Tuesday, March 17 at 6:45 p.m. CST (Alamo Lamar 5).

In a festival lineup stacked with genre mashups and bold storytelling, ARE WE STILL MARRIED? feels like a chamber piece with fangs — intimate, talky, and potentially devastating. If Steinkellner sticks the landing, this could be one of those SXSW discoveries that blends crowd-pleasing humor with sharp emotional teeth.

We’ll see you at the door.

Director: Kit Steinkellner

Screenwriter: Kit Steinkellner

Cast: Taylor Misiak (“Dave”), Dustin Milligan (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Producers: Barry Galperin

Executive Producers: Kit Steinkellner, Taylor Misiak, Dustin Milligan

Director of Photography: Justin McWilliams