Sundance Announces Short Documentaries in Competition

Ten short documentaries will screen in competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Sundance announced today the short film slate, which includes several Canadian talents across the field. In the non-fiction short films competition, two-time Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot (The Last Repair Shop, The Queen of Basketball) teams up with basketball star Stephen Curry for The Baddest Speechwriter of Them All, which profiles Martin Luther King Jr.’s speechwriter and lawyer, Clarence P. Jones. The film marks Curry’s directorial debut and he produces alongside Proudfoot and Erick Peyton.

Also screening in the documentary competition is Tuktuit: Caribou, directed, written, and produced by Inuk filmmaker Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre. Tuktuit is an experimental work that uses handcrafted caribou gelatin elusion to explore the relationship between caribous, lichen, and Inuit communities in an exploration of interconnectedness.

Sundance’s short doc slate includes several profiles of notable and/or notorious figures, including Luigi Mangione in Luigi. The doc will explore how a young man accused of murder quickly became the Internet’s boyfriend and a symbol for justice in the face of a broken system. Liza Mandelup (Jawline) directed with Lauren Cioffi producing.

Meanwhile, in La Tierra del Valor (The Home of the Brave), director/producer Cristina Costantini (Sally) and producer Alfie Koetter observe a community’s resilience in the face of immigration raids. Other docs in the competition explore the legacy of family business and nutcrackers and bees in The Chimney Sweeper and The Boys and the Bees, respectively.

Other Canadian titles announced in the Sundance shorts slate include two animated works. In Mangittatuarjuk (The Gnawer of Rocks) director Louise Flaherty imagines the titular fable about two young women who draw upon the knowledge of their elders to defeat a monster and save their village. Finally, in Cabbage Daddy, Grace An explores the mind of a bilingual child and all things that are lost and found in translation. Both films screen in the animated shorts competition.

Meanwhile, the international dramatic competition of Sundance shorts includes Canadian works Jazz Infernal (Director and Screenwriter: Will Niava, Screenwriter: Kristelle Laroche, Producers: Zion Lipstein-Saffer, Samuel Caron), How Brief (Director: Kelly McCormack, Screenwriter: Tess Degenstein, Producers: Ariel Bond, Lucy McNulty, Jill Orsten), and the co-production Agnes (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Leah Vlemmiks, Producer: Priscila Gonçalves).

Sundance previously announced its feature film slate. Docs at the festival include Nuisance Bear from directors Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman, and The A.I. Doc from directors Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell, making for a strong showing for Canadian filmmakers at this year’s festival.

 

The documentary short films announced today are:

The Baddest Speechwriter of All / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Ben Proudfoot, Stephen Curry, Producer: Erick Peyton) — 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. Available online for public.

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. Available online for public. 

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. Available online for public.

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

La Tierra del Valor (The Home of the Brave) / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Cristina Costantini, Producer: Alfie Koetter) — 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. Available online for public.

Luigi / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Liza Mandelup, Producer: Lauren Cioffi) — 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. Available online for public.

Some Kind of Refuge / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Alexandra Kern, Producer: Colin Cadarette) — 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. Available online for public.

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. Available online for public.

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 habitat disruption. Available online for public.

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