2026 Sundance Film Festival Reveals 54 Titles Selected for Short Film Program Presented by Ketel One Vodka

Top L-R: La Tierra Del Valor (The Home of the Brave), Mangittatuarjuk (The Gnawer of Rocks), Luigi, The Bird's Placebo Center Row L-R: Candy Bar, Taga, DON'T TELL MAMA, The Boys and the Bees Bottom L-R: Jazz Infernal, Albatross, I'm Glad You're Dead Now, Busy Bodies

Individual Ticket Sales Begin January 14

PARK CITY, UTAH, December 15, 2025 - Today the nonprofit Sundance Institute revealed the 54 short films selected for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. 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. In addition, there will be a Park City Legacy short film program featuring entertaining selections from past editions with filmmakers in attendance. The Festival will be held from January 22-February 1, 2026, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with the at-home program available online from January 29-February 1, 2026, for audiences across the country. Be sure to check out the previously announced Feature Film and Episodic Program for the 2026 Festival. Single Film Tickets for in-person and online screenings go on sale January 14 at 10 a.m. MT. Visit the Sundance Film Festival website for more information at festival.sundance.org.

Throughout the full duration of the Festival, audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy daily screenings, talks, and events. Premieres will be held from Thursday, January 22, to Tuesday, January 27, in Park City. The 2026 Festival will serve as a meaningful tribute to Robert Redford and his vision that has inspired generations of artists and redefined cinema around the world.

From January 29-February 1, audiences nationwide can enjoy a curated program online at festival.sundance.org that will include all competition titles (U.S. Dramatic, U.S. Documentary, World Cinema Dramatic, World Cinema Documentary, and NEXT presented by Adobe), as well as additional selections from the feature and episodic programs and the Short Film Program presented by Ketel One Vodka.

We are looking forward to presenting these short films as part of our 2026 selection this coming January, said Kim Yutani, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. 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.

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, 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.

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.

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.

Sundance Institute supports innovative short filmmaking year-round through the Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour sponsored by Ketel One Vodka, 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, Producers: Zach Wechter, Valerie Bush, Carlos L pez Estrada, Glenn Kiser, Amanda Schneider) - Maria, burdened with caregiving for her sick husband, gets invited to a party. Cast: Georgina Salda a Wonchee, Patrick O'Brien, Ciro Su rez. World Premiere. Available online for public.

Balloon Animals / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Anna Baumgarten, Producer: Katy Wicker) - Two grocery store employees have an unexpected, helium-fueled encounter with a late-night customer. Cast: Angela Giarratana, Izzi Rojas, Kelsi Roberts. World Premiere. Available online for public.

Birdie / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Praise Odigie Paige, Producer: Yety Akinola, Praise Odigie Paige, Noni Limar, Nat Majette) - In 1970, a 16-year-old Nigerian refugee in Virginia tries to keep her family together when a newcomer draws her sister away. Cast: Eniola Abioro, Precious Maduanusi, Sheila Chukwulozie. World Premiere. Available online for public.

Callback / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Matthew Puccini, Producers: Jeremy Truong, Matt Kazman) - Max arrives home to find that his boyfriend has booked a callback. All hell breaks loose. Cast: Justin H. Min, Michael Hsu Rosen, Brayden Raque o. World Premiere. Available online for public.

The Creature of Darkness / U.S.A. (Directors and Screenwriters: Lisa Malloy, Ray Whitaker, Producer: Jennifer Reeder) - 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 t

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