For the second year running, Redbreast Irish Whiskey is making its presence felt at the SXSW Film & TV Festival in Austin, Texas — and this time, the stakes are higher for the filmmakers hoping to catch a break.
The brand's Redbreast Unhidden initiative, now in its sophomore year, is back with a clear mission: find the short films and emerging directors that the wider world hasn't discovered yet. The program leans into a simple but powerful idea — that the best things are often the ones you have to look a little harder to find. It's a philosophy that Redbreast applies to its whiskey, and apparently to cinema as well.
Andrew Scott Steps Into a Bigger Role
Irish actor Andrew Scott, who earned a BAFTA win along with Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations, isn't just lending his name to this thing. This year, Scott is stepping up as Executive Producer for whatever film the Redbreast Unhidden Award winner makes next. That's a meaningful upgrade from an endorsement deal. Having someone with Scott's reputation and industry connections attached to a project can open doors that money alone can't.
"Short films are where so many bold, original ideas begin, and are often where emerging filmmakers find their voice," Scott said. "It's a privilege to be part of 'Redbreast Unhidden' to help discover those stories, and I'm excited to support this year's winner as their work moves out into the world."
Scott also took on the task of personally curating the shortlist of finalists from SXSW submissions, looking for work that showed authenticity, depth, and the kind of craftsmanship that doesn't cut corners.
The Five Films Fighting for the Award
This year's shortlist is a diverse mix of storytelling styles and subjects. The five finalists are:
Can I Put You On Hold, directed by James Cutler. Visitors, from director Cali "Minnie" Schedeen. We Were Here, by Pranav Bhasin. Imago, directed by Ariel Zengotita. And Winter Ceremony, from Sidi Wang.
Taken together, the five films cover a lot of ground — drama, comedy, and horror all make appearances, with themes ranging from intergenerational conflict and questions of identity to the complicated nature of love and the friction of modern life. It's exactly the kind of range you'd want to see from a program that's supposedly about finding the unexpected.
The winner will walk away with a project grant sponsored by Redbreast, along with the creative support to help develop their next film and get it in front of more people. The 2026 award will be announced at the SXSW Film & TV Awards on March 18th.
A Look Back at Last Year
The inaugural Redbreast Unhidden Award in 2025 went to Andy Reid for his film Brief Somebodies. The program was well-received enough that both Redbreast and SXSW are not only continuing it but growing it — which says something about what it delivered in its first year.
SXSW's own Francis Román, Senior Film & TV Festival Programming Manager, weighed in on what the partnership means for the festival. "SXSW has always been about discovery and championing new voices that push the art of filmmaking forward," Román said. "With the return of Redbreast Unhidden, we're proud to continue spotlighting exceptional short filmmakers whose work reflects bold storytelling. Seeing this initiative grow in its second year with Andrew Scott stepping into an Executive Producer role reinforces our shared commitment to giving emerging storytellers meaningful support and a global platform at a pivotal moment in their careers."
What's Happening on the Ground in Austin
Beyond the award itself, Redbreast is running a series of experiences throughout the festival. The Unhidden Showcase lets festival attendees browse through the five shortlisted films that Scott selected. There's also the Redbreast Unhidden Bar — described as a speakeasy setup — where evenings are built around music, conversation, and cocktails made with Redbreast whiskey. It's designed to feel like the kind of place where creative people talk, and where something interesting might happen.
The brand is also promising additional moments scattered around Austin where festivalgoers can stumble onto something unexpected, in keeping with the whole discovery theme.
The Whiskey Angle
None of this happens in a vacuum. Redbreast is the world's most awarded Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, a title backed by results from eight major global blind tasting competitions in 2025, including the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the World Whiskies Awards, and the International Wine & Spirit Competition, among others. It's imported by Pernod Ricard USA and produced by Irish Distillers, the same group behind Jameson.
The Unhidden platform ties directly to what the brand calls its "Quite the Find" campaign — the idea being that discovering a great short film and discovering a glass of Redbreast are essentially the same kind of experience. You had to look past the obvious stuff to get there, and the reward is something that feels genuinely different from what you'd normally come across.
Aurelie Torre, VP of Marketing for Redbreast Irish Whiskey, spelled out the thinking: "'Redbreast Unhidden' is rooted in the brand's global 'Quite the Find' campaign, which celebrates the thrill of discovering hidden gems - from a remarkable short film to the first sip of Redbreast Irish Whiskey. Building on the success of last year, we are proud to evolve the Redbreast Unhidden platform with Andrew Scott's continued partnership and our shared commitment to creative exploration. We look forward to shining a light on the next generation of creative talent and the cinematic gems waiting to be discovered."
Why Short Films Matter
Short films don't get a lot of mainstream attention. They rarely play in theaters, they don't dominate streaming platforms, and they don't generate the kind of press that a big feature release would. But they've always been the place where filmmakers take risks — where someone with a strong idea and not a lot of resources can actually execute something and prove what they can do.
The directors on this year's shortlist are working in that tradition. Winning the Redbreast Unhidden Award won't make any of them household names overnight, but the combination of the grant money, the creative support, and having Andrew Scott attached as Executive Producer to their next project gives the winner a genuine shot at stepping up to a larger stage.
Where to Follow Along
For anyone tracking the SXSW Film & TV Festival this year, the Redbreast Unhidden Award announcement on March 18th is worth watching. Redbreast's SXSW coverage and finalist trailers are available at RedbreastWhiskey.com, with ongoing updates through the brand's Instagram at @RedbreastUS.
The broader story here isn't just about whiskey marketing or celebrity tie-ins. It's about what happens when a program like this actually follows through on what it says it's going to do — find talented people early, give them real resources, and help their work reach people who would otherwise never see it. Whether Redbreast Unhidden continues to deliver on that promise is something worth keeping an eye on.
