2026 Short Films

The act of writing collapses the past and the present into the dissonant experience of witnessing the colonization of the body.

Retired police-officer uses his unique art form of taxidermy to help himself overcome trauma inflicted from being in law enforcement.

Indonesian activist, Rukka Sombolinggi believes the key to confronting the climate crisis is to unite and mobilize the Indigenous communities who are often impacted the most. Now, as the first female general secretary of the world’s largest Indigenous Peoples organization, she has the power to do just that. But the challenge is monumental.

Distilled is a documentary following Asmir Hadzibeganovic, a Bosnian war refugee, who is now an entrepreneur living in Berlin. As Asmir works to realize his dream of opening his own distillery in a ruined historic cellar under the old Wine Street Berlin, he makes the decision to face his own buried past and travel back to his hometown in Bosnia for the first time since he was forced to flee.

Avital, a mother of five, moves with her young children to live in a converted truck on South Mt. Hebron in order to establish a legal, but totally isolated, community farm. But the physical and emotional hardship make her question whether she and her children can continue to pay the price for her dream.

On July 16, 1945, the United States dropped the first nuclear bomb on U.S. soil. Almost 80 years later, the people in Southern Utah are still feeling the effects of nuclear testing. Follow a filmmaker as she explores her family history and the connection between the people and the land that led to their deaths.

Goddess is an enchanting short that takes you on a poetic journey beneath the waves. Through the voice of a diver, this cinematic love letter celebrates the breathtaking beauty of underwater life, inviting you to connect deeply with the ocean’s wonders. Prepare to be mesmerised by this celebration of nature’s majesty and humanity’s bond with the sea.

After eight years of caring for his mother with severe dementia, a son struggles through their daily care routine. Recorded voicemails serve to show the progression of the disease, underscoring the frustration, isolation and burnout that comes with intensive caregiving.

“IN COLD BLOOD” is an intimate mountain film told through the inner voice of a rider torn between fear and obsession. As he moves between high-stakes competitions and raw backcountry adventures, we witness a search for balance between adrenaline and family, ambition and peace. No interviews, no showboating—just one man’s honest dialogue with the mountains. A visual and emotional journey into what truly drives us. In the end, it’s not about the best ride—it’s about feeling fully alive.

From childhood dreams to Olympic triumphs, Legend Has It: The Remarkable Rise of Stephen McCain unveils the resilience, sacrifice, and heart of an athlete whose pursuit of greatness redefined what it means to be a legend.

In the heart of the Masai Mara, amid the smiles of children, Masai dances, and the wild breath of the savannah, an intense and authentic visual story unfolds. A journey in which tradition, nature, and humanity merge under the African sun. A cinematic tribute to the primordial beauty of Kenya.

After Monty is assaulted at the strip club where she works, she weaponizes public art to exact justice against a system’s refusal to act.

Laird, a simple man turned rancher, operates a farm in Northern Nevada that comes with its “benefits”.

The story of the iconic electronic music group Yello and their classic 1980’s hit song. Oh Yeah is one of the most recognizable songs of all time, made famous by Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and embodies 80’s American culture more than any other song. While not well known in the United States, the Swiss duo that founded Yello have been making avant-garde music and videos for over 45 years. This short documentary explores the cultural phenomenon of Oh Yeah and its enduring place in the American psyche, while introducing the unique artists behind the music.

For centuries, the natural riches of Cerro Rico in Potosí, Bolivia, fueled empires—colonial forces extracted immense quantities of silver while countless indigenous miners lost their lives in the mine shafts and rubble. While Europe prospered, Potosí was left behind to face poverty and environmental ruin. Today, the cycle threatens to repeat itself. Beneath the Potosí’s vast salt flats lie some of the planet’s largest lithium reserves—critical to the global green energy transition. This short documentary confronts a haunting question: is Potosí once again at the center of a resource boom that will enrich the world, but leave its people behind?

Inspired by his favorite novel, The Lord of the Rings, a retiring park ranger journeys into the Alaskan wilderness to search for hope in the face of climate change.

When a devastating wildfire ravages their land, a sixth-generation ranching family grapples with the legacy of the American cowboy in the face of government policies that threaten their livelihood and a changing culture that brands their lifestyle a thing of the past.

In the remote military town of 29 Palms, artist Ted Meyer helps wounded veterans and active-duty service members turn their physical scars into powerful works of art—unearthing the emotional trauma beneath, and telling the stories their bodies can’t forget. This short documentary follows four individuals: an active-duty Marine instructor still coping with an injury sustained early in his career; an active-duty Marine who recently suffered a potentially career-ending injury; a retired Marine sergeant whose battle with cancer may be linked to her military service; and a retired Navy special ops officer—now a transgender woman—grappling with trauma after being ambushed and shot multiple times.

Two eusocial species, humans and bees, survive amidst pollution and climate change. Backyard beekeeper Alex Wonder tends a hive at Rose Park community garden, minutes away from two oil refineries and a waste treatment plant. Alex and bumblebee scientist Laura-Arneson Horn emphasize the importance of biodiversity as opposed to the message to “save the bees.”

Spirit of the Driftless is a short documentary that transports viewers on a serene yet powerful journey through the rugged landscapes, hidden underworlds, ancient archaeology, rare habitats, and vibrant wildlife of the unglaciated Driftless Region.

Twin brothers, with the same name, go on a road trip to their childhood home as they unpack their rocky relationship.

A lost eden drowned under Lake Powell re-emerges, revealing the follies of the past and a new way forward for the Colorado River. What The River Knows is an advocacy short-doc that explores this unique inflection point in a centuries-long history: at the same time that we are met with the need to redesign our systems of water management in the west, we are presented with the opportunity to restore one of the most stunning landscapes on the planet.

After three teen boys suffered devastating spinal cord injuries in the 1960s, they formed a profound bond and dedicated their lives to leading the independent living movement in Massachusetts. White Nine follows the story of these three survivalists turned activists and their fight for their civil rights.

At puberty Adam was diagnosed with a chromosomal abnormality, XXY-47. A number of surgeries later, and with the knowledge that he may never be able to father biological children, Adam uses his own illustrations and medical records in this animated documentary to try and come to terms with his disorder.