Texas Standard’s third annual March Madness tournament is back with a new topic!
We’re making the leap from the soundwaves to the silver screen — pitting 32 Texas films against each other. Which will Texans crown champion? Check back during each round of voting to make your picks in the form below.
Don’t see your favorite Texas film? Scroll further for a look at our methodology — and/or leave us a message about how we did you wrong.
We want to hear from you! Do you have a special connection to or a story about one of the movies in our bracket? Use the form below to record a short message telling us about it – you may hear yourself on an upcoming Texas Standard!
Round of 32: March 16-19
Sweet 16: March 20-25
Elite Eight: March 26-31
Final Four: April 1-6
Championship: April 6-10
The Texas Standard staff drew up a long list of Texas movies. What makes a movie a Texas movie? Good question! We decided, to narrow down the list, to focus on movies with a strong Texas tie — those where the plot and filming is primarily in Texas.
Texas is home to some excellent (and prolific) filmmakers. We also tried to limit the number of movies from each of them to up to two — which is why “Slackers,” among others, is not on here.
And where’s “Lonesome Dove”? Since it was a TV miniseries, it didn’t make the cut. But, we agree, it’s worth celebrating.
Of course, we’re not perfect. Do you see a glaring omission or a wild card that should have been considered? Let us know! There may be some honorable mentions in order.
Want to do a bit of research? Check back to some of our past coverage of Texas film, including interviews with some of the filmmakers represented on this list!
Our first tournament, in 2024, included songs about *specific Texas places. The final showdown was between “Luckenbach, Texas” by Waylon Jennings and ZZ Top’s “La Grange.” Voters chose the former. Here’s a look back at that tournament — which includes a map of those Texas songs.
In 2025, we continued with a focus on music by broadening the field to any song having to do with Texas. The championship came down to Asleep at the Wheel’s “Miles and Miles of Texas” against “London Homesick Blues” by Gary P. Nunn and Jerry Jeff Walker, with the latter coming out on top. Check out how the full tournament played out here.
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