Sixty percent of films screening in Competition categories at this year’s edition of the SXSW Film Festival are women-directed or co-directed. With no shortage of films by and about women in the program, the problem becomes choosing from so many great options. We’ve compiled just five of the titles we’re especially looking forward to, with subject matter as varied as a doc following a radical group of young girls fighting for a more just world, to a comedy about a Catholic teen overcome with guilt about her new favorite pastime.

This list is by no means exhaustive. Other films on our radar at SXSW include Numa Perrier’s “Jezebel,” inspired by the writer-director’s own experience in internet sex work in the ’90s, and Emily Ting’s “Go Back to China,” a coming-of-age story about a rich girl living in LA forced to move to China to support the family toy business.

We’ve already started rolling out interviews with women directors screening features at SXSW, and there’s plenty more to come, so stay tuned.

SXSW runs from March 8-16. Film synopses are courtesy of the festival.

“Booksmart” – Directed by Olivia Wilde; Written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman

What it’s about: On the eve of graduating high school, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined to not fall short of their peers, the girls set out on a mission to cram four years of fun into one night.

Why we’re excited: Like everyone else who saw “Lady Bird,” we were totally smitten with her BFF played by Beanie Feldstein. “Booksmart” sees her taking center stage alongside rising star Kaitlyn Dever (“Last Man Standing,” “Beautiful Boy”) in a “Superbad”-esque story. As the success 2018’s “Blockers” proved, audiences and critics are hungry for female-led high school comedies equal parts raunchy and hilarious. Plus, the film marks Olivia Wilde’s feature debut. The “TRON: Legacy” actress has been outspoken about the dearth of opportunities for women on-screen and behind the scenes, and we’re betting that her first feature, destined to be a fave at sleepovers, will be a feminist delight.

“We Are The Radical Monarchs” (Documentary) – Directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton

“We Are The Radical Monarchs”

What it’s about: Meet the Radical Monarchs, a group of young girls of color at the front lines of social justice. Set in Oakland, a city with a deep history of social justice movements, the film documents the journey of the group as they earn badges for completing units including being an LGBTQ ally, preserving the environment, and disability justice.

Why we’re excited: The world is kind of a mess right now, but Linda Goldstein Knowlton’s doc “We Are The Radical Monarchs” seems to make a sound argument that the next generation can and will help fix it. Set to make its world premiere at SXSW, the film centers on the two co-founders of the Radical Monarchs, a cool-as-hell alternative to the Girl Scouts or Brownies. These young women serve their communities by being inclusive and standing up for marginalized peoples. They’re being the change they want to see in the world and, as Goldstein Knowlton posited in a soon-to-be-published interview with us, they could inspire audiences to do the same. Progress “starts by each person doing what they can each day to change their own world,” she said. “Step by step, looking first at themselves and then their communities, and doing what the Radical Monarchs continue to do: speaking up and speaking out, and being allies to all.”

“Yes, God, Yes” – Written and Directed by Karen Maine

“Yes, God, Yes”

What it’s about: After an innocent AOL chat turns racy, a Catholic teenager in the early ’00s discovers masturbating and struggles to suppress her urges in the face of eternal damnation.

Why we’re excited: Described by writer-director Karen Maine as “a love story between one woman and her vagina,” “Yes, God, Yes” sees its teen protagonist, portrayed by “Stranger Things'” Natalia Dyer, discovering the joys of masturbation. Then feeling really, really bad about it. Female masturbation remains largely unexplored in media with some notable exceptions, Hulu’s “Pen15” among them. And self-pleasure among girls and women remains dramatically more taboo and stigmatized than it is among boys and men. “Yes, God, Yes” promises a sex-positive coming-of-age story that confronts the shame associated with masturbation — and acknowledges how empowering the act can be. “Many films that explore young women coming of age feature partnered sex,” Maine explained, “which is often depicted as painful and not very much fun. While that is a legitimate narrative, young women are also exploring their own bodies for the first time at this age.”

“For Sama” (Documentary) – Directed by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts

“For Sama”

What it’s about: “For Sama” tells the epic story of a young woman’s journey through love, war, and motherhood across five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria.

Why we’re excited: According to director Waad al-Kateab, “For Sama” “isn’t just a story.” “This is my life,” she revealed in an interview with Women and Hollywood, “a first-hand account of my experiences growing up in Aleppo during one of the world’s most devastating humanitarian crises.” This documentary is al-Kateab’s love letter to her daughter, Sama, her home, and her people’s fight for freedom. “[This] is my effort to explain to Sama the incredibly difficult choice that her father, Hamza, and I had to face: between protecting her and staying true to our struggle for freedom,” the filmmaker said. “I felt it was important that Sama understood not only our very real fears for our beloved city, but also our hope that one day she would have a better future because of our struggle.” “For Sama” looks to be one of the rare films in which a woman activist tells her own story on her own terms.

“Qualified” (Documentary) – Directed by Jenna Ricker

“Qualified”

What it’s about: In the world of motorsports, the Indianapolis 500 has long been considered the only race. In May 1977, Janet Guthrie — the first woman to attempt Indy — earned herself a spot in the prestigious field of 33.

Why we’re excited: “Qualified” presents the highly specific experience of one person — Janet Guthrie’s journey to the Indianapolis 500 — that still manages to resonate, even 40-plus years later. Most women have not tried to break barriers in motorsports, but they likely have come up against some form of personal or professional sexism. The universality of Guthrie’s story is actually what inspired director Jenna Ricker to make this doc. “[Guthrie] got on with pursuing her passion while everyone else was still gasping ‘but she’s a woman!,'” Ricker told Women and Hollywood. “The more I learned about her — giving up a career in aeronautical engineering, building her own engines, going broke, the 24/7 effort to secure sponsorship, getting the right equipment, and pulling a team together — the more I felt a kind of kinship.” She continued, “I’m not risking my life racing at 200mph, and I’m not clever enough to be an aeronautical engineer, but so many of her obstacles and triumphs echoed aspects I’ve experienced as a female filmmaker.”