Ben Affleck’s ‘AIR’ to close 2023 SXSW Film and TV festival 

Matt Damon and Viola Davis in a still from ‘AIR’
| Photo Credit: Prime Video

Ben Affleck’s upcoming film AIR, headlined by Matt Damon, will close the 2023 SXSW Film and TV festival on March 18. The film will be screened on the closing night this Saturday at 6:30 PM at The Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas, United States.

“We are thrilled to close out the 2023 SXSW Film & TV Festival with AIR. Ben Affleck has crafted an exceptional film filled with outstanding performances that capture the emotional ride behind the creation of this legendary brand. We know it will be a truly one-of-a-kind experience for our SXSW crowd,” said Claudette Godfrey, the VP of Film & TV, SXSW, in a statement. The cast of the film will be present at the screening as well.

AIR tells the story of how the partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division, which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand, came about. It details Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro’s (Damon) efforts in making the iconic deal and creating the Air Jordan brand of sportswear. “This moving story follows the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line, the uncompromising vision of a mother who knows the worth of her son’s immense talent, and the basketball phenom who would become the greatest of all time,” reads the plotline.

Affleck plays Nike co-founder Phil Knight with Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as David Falk, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan, Gustaf Skarsgård as Horst Dassler, and Julius Tennon as James Jordan.

AIR marks the first time Affleck is directing a feature film starring Damon. With a script penned by Alex Convery, the film is produced by David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, Jon Weinbach, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Madison Ainley, Jeff Robinov, Peter Guber, and Jason Michael Berman. Executive producers include Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Kevin Halloran, Michael Joe, Drew Vinton, John Graham, Peter E. Strauss, and Jordan Moldo.

The Amazon Original film releases exclusively in theatres globally on April 5.