Sundance Film Festival 2025 on Park City Mainstreet Photo: TownLift//Randi Sidman-Moore

PARK CITY, Utah — Today the nonprofit Sundance Institute revealed the 54 short films selected for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and a Park City Legacy short film program. Park City is hosting its final Sundance Film Festival before it moves to Boulder, Colorado in 2027. The selected films will be screening in eight curated Short Film Programs presented by Ketel One Vodka, the shorts represent a variety of genres and styles within fiction, nonfiction, and animation from around the world. Single Film Tickets for in-person and online screenings go on sale January 14 at 10 a.m. MT.

Surprise Park City Legacy short film program features past alums

The Park City Legacy short film program features entertaining selections from past editions with filmmakers in attendance and hosted by short film alum Joey Soloway. Filmmakers are being invited back to celebrate their shorts as part of this surprise screening. The Sundance Film Festival has supported short films since the start, providing a platform for both established and emerging filmmakers to connect with audiences in live action, animation, and nonfiction shorts. This important tradition will be honored as part of our Park City Legacy screenings. The Sundance Film Festival has been a proud supporter of global short-form cinema for decades, with an alumni list that includes: Andrea Arnold, Lake Bell, Damien Chazelle, Destin Daniel Cretton, Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, Debra Granik, Rashaad Ernesto Green, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Sterlin Harjo, Todd Haynes, Nikyatu Jusu, Shaka King, Lynne Ramsay, Dee Rees, Charlotte Regan, A.V. Rockwell, RaMell Ross, Joey Soloway, Taika Waititi, and many others.

54 films out of 11,480 made it into this year’s program

“The short films in this year’s selection are so different from each other, but what impressed us most is how inventive they are — there’s so much dynamic and exciting filmmaking to enjoy throughout the program,”
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said Heidi Zwicker, Senior Programmer, Feature Films and Short Films. “This global lineup runs the gamut when it comes to genres, themes, and the worlds these films bring to life. We’re excited to share that variety with our audiences while providing a platform for both emerging and established filmmakers to showcase their work.”

“Each one is a testament to the creative talent working in the short film space, proving that powerful storytelling is impactful across formats. This year’s program is rich with explorations of belonging, resilience, and the unexpected ways people navigate both the everyday and the extraordinary,” said Kim Yutani, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming.

The program of 54 short films in the 2026 Sundance Film Festival was curated from 11,480 submissions. Of these submissions, 4,914 were from the U.S. and 6,566 were international. Works from 22 countries and territories are represented in the lineup. Sundance Institute supports innovative short filmmaking year-round through the Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour, where curated Festival shorts are exhibited as a traveling program at theaters in the U.S. and internationally.

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival Short Films are:

U.S. FICTION SHORT FILMS

Albatross / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Amandine Thomas, Screenwriter and Producer: Gerardo Coello Escalante) — Maria, burdened with caregiving for her sick husband, gets invited to a party.

Balloon Animals / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Anna Baumgarten) — Two grocery store employees have an unexpected, helium-fueled encounter with a late-night customer.

Birdie / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Praise Odigie Paige) — In 1970, a 16-year-old Nigerian refugee in Virginia tries to keep her family together when a newcomer draws her sister away.

Callback / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Matthew Puccini) — Max arrives home to find that his boyfriend has booked a callback. All hell breaks loose.

The Creature of Darkness / U.S.A. (Directors and Screenwriters: Lisa Malloy, Ray Whitaker) — Darkness settles over Little Egypt. Brielle, Karri, and Nunu wander among the limestone outcrops and sandstone spires. In a cave that hid freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad, their uncle shares a story of a creature that stirs at night.

Crisis Actor / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Lily Platt) — Fired from her day job, an impulsive actress crashes a support group and spirals into a chaotic night that forces her to face her addiction to drama.

DON’T TELL MAMA / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Chloe Leigh King) — A Montenegrin father takes his teenage daughter on an unforgettable dinner date.

Gender Studies / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Jamie Kiernan O’Brien) — When a trans college student learns the girl she idolizes is sleeping with their teaching assistant, she takes drastic steps to emulate her.

The Oracle / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: JJ Adler) — When an atheist psychiatrist hypnotizes his con artist patient, a message from his long-dead twin emerges. It could be the perfect con, or it could be proof that reality is far stranger than he would like to admit.

Pankaja / U.S.A., India (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Anooya Swamy) — Pankaja, along with her daughter, Lalli, searches for her missing husband through the city slums of Bangalore to bring him back home.

Prime / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Meagan Coyle) — A trauma victim joins a utopian farming community only to find she’s bitten off more than she can chew.

Radiant Frost / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Hannah Schierbeek) — A drifter’s life takes a dramatic turn when he discovers a runaway member of a survivalist cult in the back of his truck.

Seniors / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Adam Curley) — A high school senior goes on his first college campus tour the day his parents’ marriage begins to fracture.

Stairs / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Riley Donigan) — A woman’s life unravels after she becomes addicted to throwing herself down flights of stairs.

Taga / U.S.A., Philippines (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Jill Marie Sachs) — Vivi, a third-culture Filipina American, travels to the Philippines to reconnect with her roots but falls in with a group of Western eco-volunteers. When they scorn the customs of a remote mountain village, an ancient evil comes knocking.

Together Forever / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Gregory Barnes) — A Mormon couple ties the knot.

INTERNATIONAL FICTION SHORT FILMS

Agnes / U.K., Canada (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Leah Vlemmiks) — Under pressure from her adult daughter to move and become a live-in babysitter, 74-year-old Agnes finds agency in an unexpected place.

Blue Heart / Haiti, France (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Samuel Suffren) — Marianne and Pétion, living in Haiti, await a call from their son who has left in pursuit of the American dream.

Candy Bar / Australia (Director and Producer: Nash Edgerton, Screenwriter: Damon Herriman) — A young girl thinks a man in the candy bar line looks like her dad.

Faux Bijoux / France, Lebanon (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Jessy Moussallem, Screenwriter: Jihad Hojeily) — Mireille promises Johnny the big screen, dragging him to an audition whose rules only she truly knows.

Fruit (Buah) / Singapore (Director and Screenwriter: Jen Nee Lim) — In a time and place where abortion is illegal, a pregnant woman’s repeated attempts to end her pregnancy fail until she crosses paths with a strange bus driver. North American Premiere.

How Brief / Canada (Director: Kelly McCormack, Screenwriter: Tess Degenstein) — A disappearing act occurs over the course of one night in 1962 when a restless woman returns to her childhood home for the last time. Inspired by the music of singer-songwriter

Connie Converse. World Premiere.

I’m Glad You’re Dead Now / France, Greece, Palestine (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Tawfeek Barhom) — Two brothers return to the island of their childhood, where buried secrets and heavy tensions force them to confront a dark past that connects them.

Ivar / Norway (Director: Markus Tangre, Screenwriter: Signe Dammann Anker) — A change in her husband’s scent sends Anne spiraling into a late-night existential crisis.

Jazz Infernal / Canada (Director and Screenwriter: Will Niava, Screenwriter: Kristelle Laroche) — Koffi, a young Ivorian trumpeter, arrives in Montréal with nothing but the legacy of his father to guide him. Lost between the city’s noise and the silence of his past, he must confront his roots to finally find his voice.

The Liars / Argentina (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Eduardo Braun Costa) — Thrown into adulthood, Matías and Jaime try to make sense of the world.

One day, Jaime is arrested by a security guard at a mall and Matías must ask a stranger to pretend to be their father to free him.

Marga en el DF / Mexico, U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Gabriela Ortega) — In the wake of Selena Quintanilla’s murder, Marga’s life takes an unexpected turn at 21 weeks pregnant during a surprise visit to Mexico City.

Norheimsund / Cuba, U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Ana A. Alpizar) — A girl’s long-distance romance with an older Norwegian man promises to pull her and her mother from their austere life in Cuba, but her dreams are shaken when she realizes he isn’t as ideal as he seems. U.S. Premiere.

O’Sey Balamma / India (Director and Screenwriter: Raman Nimmala) — During the Sankranti festival celebrations, a matriarch and her housekeeper confront solitude through the intimacy of each other’s company. World Premiere.

¡PIKA! / Peru (Director and Producer: Alex Fischman Cárdenas, Screenwriter and Producer: Trout Cohen) — A man wakes up with an unbearable itch. Anxious to find a cure, he embarks on a nightmarish odyssey in search of relief. North American Premiere.

Sauna Sickness / Sweden (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Malin Barr) — Locked out on a freezing New Year’s Eve, Cleo discovers the real threat isn’t the cold — it’s the man beside her. World Premiere.

Without Kelly (Utan Kelly) / Sweden (Director and Screenwriter: Lovisa Sirén) — Forced to leave her baby daughter with the child’s father, young mother Esther is caught in desperation and longing. Through the night she chases touch and comfort, seeking ways to hold onto whom she loves the most. North American Premiere.

The Worm / Australia (Director and Producer: Tom Noakes, Screenwriter and Producer: Will Goodfellow) — A young man’s strange belief sparks an intervention from his family. World Premiere.

ANIMATION SHORT FILMS

1981 / U.S.A. (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Andy London, Carolyn London) — In 1981 in suburban Long Island, New York, the mullets are long, the metal is heavy, and 14-year-old Douglas gets a birthday surprise that will change his life forever.

The Bird’s Placebo / Tunisia (Director and Screenwriter: Rami Jarboui) — In a marginalized Tunisian neighborhood, a young man in a wheelchair dreams of crossing the Mediterranean Sea until a surreal encounter shifts his path. North American Premiere.

Busy Bodies / U.S.A (Director and Screenwriter: Kate Renshaw-Lewis) — Tiny workers run a domesticated factory under the supervision of giant hands. This fantastically convenient at-home solution for disposable creation is absurdly inefficient and potentially an answer to the question of how we get rubber gloves. The timer is ticking.

Cabbage Daddy / Canada (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Grace An) — When the mind of a bilingual child mirrors absurd translations, their poetic misinterpretations can accidentally produce multiple meanings — and create puns. World Premiere.

Homemade Gatorade / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Carter Amelia Davis) — A woman embarks on a road trip to deliver her creamy homemade sports drink to a mysterious online buyer.

HUGS / Belgium (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Nicolas Fong) — A ride on a bike’s luggage rack is a sensory roller coaster through a land full of cuddles. North American Premiere.

Living with a Visionary / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Stephen P. Neary) — After 50 years of marriage, John must care for his wife while learning to live alongside her vivid hallucinations. World Premiere.

Mangittatuarjuk (The Gnawer of Rocks) / Canada (Director, Screenwriter, Producer: Louise Flaherty, Screenwriter: Neil Christopher) — Two young women are trapped in the lair of the Mangittatuarjuk, the Gnawer of Rocks. The young women and their village use the teachings of the elders to try to defeat the monster.

Once in a Body / Colombia, U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: María Cristina Pérez) — A woman seeks to reconcile with her sister over an incident from their adolescence by exploring their shared experiences through their bodies.

Paper Trail / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Don Hertzfeldt) — A life, seen through paper. World Premiere.

Sorrow Doesn’t Sleep at Night / Chile (Directors and Screenwriters: Josefina Montino, Martín André, Screenwriter: Jacobi Hadley) — A man secludes himself in a house in the forest. The ghosts of his past begin to torment him, forcing him to face his fears and guilts to not be consumed by madness.

UM / France (Director and Screenwriter: Nieto, Producer: Nicolas Schmerkin) — The bird people have fallen into violent chaos and are prey to a disturbing phenomenon: Their eggs seem to be haunted by demonic faces. Their hatching appears to herald an imminent catastrophe. U.S. Premiere.

NONFICTION SHORT FILMS

The Baddest Speechwriter of All / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Ben Proudfoot, Stephen Curry) — Now 93, Martin Luther King Jr.’s lawyer and speechwriter reflects on the personal cost and surprising truths of making history, offering an intimate insider’s view of the Civil Rights Movement. World Premiere.

The Boys and the Bees / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Arielle C. Knight) — On an idyllic farm in rural Georgia, Black beekeeping parents tenderly share their knowledge of life, love, and nature with their young sons while restoring their homestead.

The Chimney Sweeper / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Jack Raese) — Markus — whose great-great-great-grandfather invented the nutcracker doll — makes nutcrackers for a living, as did each of his forefathers who descended from the great inventor. Markus discusses his life decisions.

Going Sane: The Rise and Fall of the Center For Feeling Therapy / U.S.A. (Director: Joey Izzo) — A 1970s Los Angeles therapy collective rises with utopian promise before devolving into a business-minded cult built on control and abuse. World Premiere.

La Tierra Del Valor (The Home of the Brave) / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Cristina Costantini) — During a summer of grief and fear brought on by immigration raids in Los Angeles, one small act of bravery gives a community hope. World Premiere.

Luigi / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Liza Mandelup) — When Luigi Mangione is charged with murder, he becomes the subject of fevered obsession. Through letters, fantasies, and conspiracies, strangers turn Luigi into a cultural sensation and a canvas for their rage, desire, and misplaced hope.

Some Kind of Refuge / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Alexandra Kern) — On the shifting edge of the Mississippi River in New Orleans, the spirit of a fading outsider community endures through its two oldest residents. World Premiere.

STILL STANDING / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Victor Tadashi Suarez, Livia Albeck-Ripka) — On January 7, 2025, the Eaton fire destroyed over 9,000 structures in Altadena, California. Thousands more were left standing but contaminated with toxic ash. Residents face the impossible decision of whether they should risk their health to return home. World Premiere.

Tuktuit : Caribou / Canada (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre) — An exploration of the close and enduring connections between Inuit, caribou, lichens, and land use. A handmade caribou gelatin emulsion reveals the land where caribou struggle to survive burn events and habit