Short Film
Two Cars, One Night, Dir: Taika Waititi
Short Film
Fueled by artistic expression and limited only by their run time, short films transcend traditional storytelling. They are a significant and popular way artists can connect with audiences. From documentary to animation, narrative to experimental, the abbreviated form is no longer just for the novice. Shorts have and will continue to be an important part of cinema, storytelling, and culture. The Sundance Film Festival has always been proud to treat short films with the highest regard and to give a home to new (and old) projects for audiences to discover and celebrate.
Learn more about Sundance Institute’s artist development programs that support short films:
Feature Film Program
Documentary Film Program
Indigenous Program
2026 Short Film Tour presented by Ketel One
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour is a curated collection of six standout short films from this year’s Festival, including three Festival Award–winning titles. This 96-minute program offers a mix of stories that highlight bold perspectives and next-gen storytellers.
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour offers a mix of stories that highlight bold perspectives and next-gen storytellers, highlighting the depth of narrative possibilities explored in the short film format. This tour invites audiences across the world to experience a collection of resonant, provocative, tender, and human-centered fiction, nonfiction, and animated shorts that showcase truly dynamic independent storytelling.
The Festival’s Short Film Program has long been established as a place to discover talented directors, such as past alumni Andrea Arnold, Lake Bell, Damien Chazelle, Destin Daniel Cretton, Jay and Mark Duplass, Debra Granik, Rashaad Ernesto Green, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Todd Haynes, Sterlin Harjo, Don Hertzfeldt, Sky Hopinka, Shaka King, Lynne Ramsay, Dee Rees, Joey Soloway, Taika Waititi, and many others.
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour is presented by Ketel One.
2026 Program
The Boys and the Bees / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Arielle C. Knight, Producer: Sean Weiner) — 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. Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction
Crisis Actor / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Lily Platt, Producers: Sophie Seyd, Alex Bendo, Lexi Preiser) — 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. Cast: Sarah Steele, Philip Ettinger. Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction
Living with a Visionary / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Stephen P. Neary, Producer: Mireia Vilanova) — After 50 years of marriage, John must care for his wife while learning to live alongside her vivid hallucinations. Cast: James Cromwell, Katherine LaVictoire. Short Film Jury Award: Animation.
Marga en el DF / Mexico, U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Gabriela Ortega, Producers: Karla Luna Cantú, Natalia Gonzalez, Eugenio Valero, Carlos López Estrada, Valerie Bush, Stacy Perskie) — 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. Cast: Camila Santana, David Palacio, Xabiani Ponce de León, Andrea de Fátima.
Pankaja / U.S.A., India (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Anooya Swamy, Producers: Nakirekanti Swamy, Archana Swamy, Vindhya Gupta) — Pankaja, along with her daughter, Lalli, searches for her missing husband through the city slums of Bangalore to bring him back home. Cast: Harshini Boyalla, Padmashree G.
Sauna Sickness / Sweden (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Malin Barr) — Struggling to maintain the peace she mistakes for love, Cleo’s steamy New Year’s Eve plans fissure into a chilling nightmare. Cast: Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Adam Lundgren, Magnus Krepper, Sanna Krepper.
Upcoming Dates
| Venue | City | State | Date(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guild Cinema | Albuquerque | NM | June 3-5 |
| Austin Film Society | Austin | TX | June 13-19 |
| Cincinnati World Cinema | Cincinnati | OH | June 13-22 |
| Ojai Playhouse | Ojai | CA | June 15 |
| SBIFF Riviera | Santa Barbara | CA | July 4-11 |
| Images Cinema | Williamstown | MA | July 4 |
| Bear Tooth Cinema | Anchorage | AK | July 7 |
| Culver Cinema - UCR Arts | Riverside | CA | July 12, 13, 19 & 20 |
| Hopkins Center for the Arts | Hanover | NH | July 12 |
| Space Gallery | Portland | ME | August 10 |
| Wexner Center for the Arts | Columbus | OH | August 25 |
| Museum of Fine Arts, Houston | Houston | TX | August 28-31 |
| Avon Theatre | Stamford | CT | September 3 |
| PhilaMOCA | Philadelphia | PA | September 25 & 29 |
| Dreamland Cinema | Sacramento | CA | June 27-29 |
| Venue | City | State | Date(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Theatre | Durham | NC | 06/07 - 06/20/2024 |
| Riviera | Santa Barbara | CA | 06/07 - 6/13/2024 |
| IFC Center | New York | NY | 06/14/2024 - 06/21/2024 |
| Nightlight Cinema | Akron | OH | 06/15/2024 |
| Cincinnati World Cinema | Cincinnati | OH | 06/14 - 06/23/2024 |
| UCR Arts | Riverside | CA | 07/06 - 07/14/2024 |
| Dreamland Cinema | Sacramento | CA | 06/22 - 06/28/2024 |
| Guild Cinema | Albuquerque | NM | 06/23 - 06/27/2024 |
| Images Cinema | Williamstown | MA | 07/04/2024 |
| Bear Tooth Cinema | Anchorage | AK | 07/22/2024 |
| Hopkins Center for the Arts | Hanover | NH | 08/03/2024 |
| Screenland Armour | Kansas City | MO | 08/30 - 09/06/2024 |
| Avon Theatre | Stamford | CT | 09/04/2024 |
| Theatre N | Wilmington | DE | 06/15 - 06/19/2024 |
| Austin Film Society | Austin | TX | 07/04 - 07/10/2024 |
| Wexner Center for the Arts | Columbus | OH | 08/28/2024 |
| Nevada Museum of Art | Reno | NV | 08/29/2024 |
| PhilaMOCA | Philadelphia | PA | 09/26/2024 |
| Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque | Cleveland | OH | 07/26 - 07/28/2024 |
| Lark Theater | Larkspur | CA | 06/07 - 6/12/2024 |
| Space Gallery | Portland | ME | 07/21 - 07/22/2024 |
| Enzian Theater | Orlando | FL | 1/06/2025 |
| Cary Theater | Cary | NC | 08/16 - 08/21/2024 |
| Hirschfield International Film Series | Middlebury | VT | 09/26/2024 |
| Mesilla Valley Film Society | Mesilla | NM | 08/23/2024 |
| Museum of Fine Arts, Houston | Houston | TX | 09/14 - 09/15/2024 |
| Waldo Theatre | Waldoboro | ME | 10/18/2024 |
| Green Light Cinema | St. Petersburg | FL | 08/16 - 08/22/2024 |
| Belcourt Theatre | Nashville | TN | 08/16 - 08/22/2024 |
| Park Theatre | Jaffrey | NH | 08/03/2024 |
| Speed Museum | Louisville | KY | 08/30 - 09/01/2024 |
| 815HORTS | Rockford | IL | 12/13/2024 |
| Cornell Cinema | Ithaca | NY | 09/22 - 10/10/2024 |
| Palm Theatre | San Luis Obispo | CA | 09/20/2024 |
| Music Hall | Portsmouth | NH | 09/24 - 09/25/2024 |
| Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center | Lincoln | NE | 11/1/2024 |
| Historic Howell Theater | Howell | MI | 09/27 - 10/3/2024 |
| Vidiots | Los Angeles | CA | 09/27 - 10/2/2024 |
| American Cinematheque: Los Feliz 3 | Los Angeles | CA | 12/13/2024 |
| IFSOC | Colorado Springs | CO | 12/6/2024 - 12/7/2024 |
| Roxie Theater | San Francisco | CA | 1/3/2025 |
| Loft Cinema | Tucson | AZ | 1/8/2025 |
| O Cinema | Orlando | FL | 1/10/2025 |
| The Texas Theatre | Dallas | TX | 1/10 - 1/12/2025 |
| Northwest Film Forum | Seattle | WA | 1/8 - 1/26/2025 |
Upcoming Dates
For booking inquiries, please contact Mike Plante.
Want more access to Festival shorts?
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Short Film at the Sundance Film Festival
Each January, the Short Film Program at the Sundance Film Festival showcases between 70 and 80 shorts, helping to support careers working in the form while also discovering new talent in filmmaking. Every type of filmmaking style is welcome: animation, documentary, narrative, and experimental stories are chosen to reflect the diversity and range of each year’s pool of submissions. The Sundance Film Festival accepts content that is 49 minutes or under for the Short Film category from any country. Learn more about submitting your short film to the Sundance Film Festival.
History
The Sundance Film Festival celebrates the short form worldwide, from the high mountains of Park City to the online realm. The Sundance Film Festival’s Short Film Program has long been established as a place to discover talented directors, such as past alumni Wes Anderson, Andrea Arnold, Debra Granik, Sterlin Harjo, Todd Haynes, Shaka King, Lynne Ramsay, Dee Rees, Joey Soloway, Taika Waititi, and many others.
Shorts Online
For nearly a decade, the Sundance Film Festival has celebrated and exhibited short films in the online arena. Over the years, we’ve worked with iTunes, Netflix, Xbox, GSM, and YouTube in helping filmmakers reach a broad audience online. From selling shorts for the filmmakers’ profit to offering them free for audiences to enjoy, we’re always on the lookout for new ways the Festival can be both a leader and pioneer of the online frontier.
