‘I Love Boosters’ Teaser: Boots Riley Returns with a Star-Studded Ode to Shoplifting

The "Sorry to Bother You" director's film will open SXSW before hitting theaters on May 22.

If you don’t know what a “booster” is, the teaser for Boots Riley’s new film offers an immediate definition: “Somebody that steals clothes from a store and then sells it at a discount price.” That’s helpful context for a film titled “I Love Boosters,” which promises to be another politically-charged, genre-bending film from the director of “Sorry to Bother You.”

“I Love Boosters,” which was described in an official synopsis as following “a crew of professional shoplifters taking aim at a cutthroat fashion maven,” sees Riley setting his sights on the world of high-end fashion. The film appears to tackle the wealth discrepancy between the owners of expensive brands and lower-income people who want to wear them, with the teaser trailer describing boosting as “an act of community service.”

The film stars Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Poppy Liu, Eiza Gonzalez, LaKeith Stanfield, Don Cheadle, Will Poulter, and Demi Moore.

The movie has already been announced as the Opening Night Film at the 2026 SXSW Film and TV Festival. It will mark Riley’s second time premiering a project at the festival, following his 2023 Prime Video series “I’m a Virgo.” This is also only Riley’s second feature following his 2018 breakout debut “Sorry to Bother You,” which also starred Stanfield.

“We can’t wait for our audience to be sucked into his singular, subversive world where razor-sharp social commentary meets fearless, surreal storytelling and eye-popping imagery — all powered by a ridiculously stacked cast of some of the most talented actors on the planet,” SXSW VP of Film & TV Claudette Godfrey previously said in a statement announcing the selection. “‘I Love Boosters’ is audacious, entertaining, and guaranteed to get our festival off to an unforgettable start. Trust us, you’ll want to be there when The Velvet Gang bursts onto the scene!”

Riley, who enjoyed a successful music career as a member of rap group The Coup before pivoting to filmmaking, might have already lined up his next project as well. The auteur recently confirmed on X that he is developing a film adaptation of “Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play,” Anne Washburn’s acclaimed work of theatre that imagines humanity creating a new religion based on “The Simpsons” after an apocalypse.

Neon will release “I Love Boosters” in theaters on Friday, May 22. Watch the first teaser below.