The USC School of Cinematic Arts congratulates our alumni with projects accepted at the 2026 Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals!
If your project was selected to screen at the 2026 Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals, please share the details with us here so we can include your work in our publications.
Sundance 2026 Award Winners
Short Film Grand Jury Prize
The Baddest Speechwriter of All
Ben Proudfoot ’12
Director/Producer
Brandon Somerhalder ’14
Director of Photography
Stepan Derluguian ’11
Colorist
Short Film Jury Award: Animation
Living with a Visionary
Mireia Vilanova ’20
Producer
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting Ensemble
LADY
Alex Polunin
Producer
World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision
Filipiñana
Alex Polunin
Producer
U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Debut Feature
Bedford Park
Gary Foster ’83
Producer
Nina Yang Bongiovi ’99
Producer
Yeon Jin Lee ’20
Associate Producer
Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic
Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!
Kari Barber ’12
Sound Mixer
Sundance 2026
U.S DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Bedford Park
Gary Foster ’83
Producer
Nina Yang Bongiovi ’99
Producer
Yeon Jin Lee ’20
Associate Producer
Carousel
Ryan Winterstern ’11
Executive Producer
Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!
Kari Barber ’12
Sound Mixer
The Musical
Gillian Bohrer ’03
Executive Producer
Run Amok
Max Berger ’10
Editor
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Joybubbles
Roman Nesis ’14
Executive Producer
Seized
Derek Boonstra ’07
Editor
WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Filipiñana
Alex Polunin
Producer
LADY
Alex Polunin
Producer
Levitating
Siera Tamihardja ’12 (Annenberg)
Producer
PREMIERES
I Want Your Sex
Gregg Araki ’85
Director/Writer/Producer
Juliana Khanjian ’16
Associate Producer
The Invite
Megan Ellison
Producer
The Oldest Person in the World
Roman Nesis ’14
Executive Producer
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York
Rian Johnson ’96
Executive Producer
Queen of Chess
Nicole Moreno ’20
Production Coordinator
Eszter Zakarias ’02
Proofreader/Translator
Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story
Judd Apatow
Producer/Director
The Shitheads
O'Shea Jackson Jr.
Executive Producer/Cast
Brandon James ’91
Producer
MIDNIGHT
Rock Springs
Poppy Hanks ’95
Producer
Jason Michael Berman ’06
Producer
Heyjin Jun ’17
Director of Photography
EPISODIC
FreeLance
Stephen Love Jr. ’14
Executive Producer
Soft Boil
Don Ohmer ’19
Producer
Drue Robertson
Producer
The Screener
Daniel Rashid ’15
Cast
SPOTLIGHT
Tuner
Christina Piovesan ’04
Executive Producer
PARK CITY LEGACY
Mysterious Skin
Gregg Araki ’85
Director/Writer/Producer
FAMILY MATINEE
Cookie Queens
Lawrence Everson ’03
Supervising Sound Editor & Re-Recording Mixer
ANIMATED SHORT FILMS
Living with a Visionary
Mireia Vilanova ’20
Producer
Once in a Body
Mireia Vilanova ’20
Producer
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS
The Baddest Speechwriter of All
Ben Proudfoot ’12
Director/Producer
Brandon Somerhalder ’14
Director of Photography
Stepan Derluguian ’11
Colorist
U.S. FICTION SHORT FILMS
Balloon Animals
Sevag Chahinian ’18
Producer/Director of Photography
Callback
Sam Davis ’16
Director of Photography
Seniors
Matt Hanisch ’19
Editor
INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS
Marga en el DF
Gabriela Ortega ’17
Writer/Director
Karla Luna Cantu ’18
Producer
Mónica Salazar ’13
Editor
Slamdance Film Festival
NARRATIVE FEATURES
Three Colors: Pan-African
Elijah Davis ’24
Director/Producer
Joseph Agboola ’24
Producer
Ben Ephraim ’24
Producer
Asar Saint Lamont ’24
Producer
Amy Roach ’24
Producer
Jack McMann ’24
Producer
Dami Olatunji ’24
Producer
Post-Producer
Jay Liu ’23
Editor
BREAKOUT FEATURES
CLOVERS
Jacob Hatley
Director/Producer
EPISODES
Soft Boil
Don Ohmer ’19
Producer
Drue Robertson
Producer
Vicky Wakes Up
Lisa Anderson ’11
Producer
We Used to Take the Long Way Home
Max Retik ’19
Producer
UNSTOPPABLE SHORTS
BLINDSIDED
Patrick Hogan ’98
Writer/Director
DIGITAL, INTERACTIVE AND GAMING
Before Closure
Haocheng Liu ’25
Director/Producer
Bryan Sng ’25
Director/Producer
FILM INDEPENDENT PROJECT
Seaweed Snacks
Brandyn Johnson ’21
Writer
Andrès L. Correa ’17
Producer
We apologize if we missed anyone. Please contact us at alumni@cinema.usc.edu for more information or updates.