Sundance Institute awarded the prizes for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Program at the Short Film Awards Ceremony & Party Presented by Vimeo. 

Filmmakers from across all 57 shorts selected for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival gathered at The Park in Park City for a private event celebrating short-form storytelling.

Most award-winning short films are available online nationwide Jan. 30 through Feb. 2 for audiences to view from home. Visit festival.sundance.org for all details. The 2025 Festival, taking place now through Feb. 2, has featured world premieres, screenings, talks, events, and more in Park City and Salt Lake City.

The Grand Jury Prize went to “The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing” (International Nonfiction). Short Film Jury Awards were presented to “Trokas Duras” (U.S. Fiction), “Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites” (International Fiction), “We Were The Scenery” (Nonfiction) and “Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado” (Animation). 

Two Special Jury Awards were also presented: Short Film Special Jury Award for Animation Directing to “The Eating of an Orange” (Animation) and Short Film Special Jury Award for “Directing to Tiger” (Nonfiction). 

This year the Festival short film jury included: Kaniehtiio Horn, Maggie Mackay and Kibwe Tavares.

“Each year we are fortunate to present so many impressive shorts. Filmmakers bring us their distinctive visions from around the world, whether for entertainment or enlightenment and often both,” said Mike Plante, Sundance Film Festival senior programmer, short film. “We aim to bring new audiences to their work, especially as most of the filmmakers are attending Sundance for the first time. Congratulations to the award winners, whose films demonstrate the powerful artistic talent at the Festival.”

The Short Film Program awards honored the winning projects five days before the conclusion of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where 88 feature-length and episodic works and 57 short films — curated from 11,153 short film submissions — have screened to audiences in Park City, Salt Lake City and online.

Short film award winners in previous years include “The Masterpiece” by Alex Lora Cercos, “When You Left Me On That Boulevard” by Kayla Abuda Galang, “The Headhunter’s Daughter” by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, “Lizard” by Akinola Davies Jr., “So What If the Goats Die” by Sofia Alaoui, “Aziza” by Soudade Kaadan, “Matria” by Álvaro Gago, “And so we put goldfish in the pool.” by Makoto Nagahisa, “Thunder Road” by Jim Cummings, “World of Tomorrow” by Don Hertzfeldt and “Of Gods and Dogs” by Abounaddara Collective.

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film awards are:

The Short Film Grand Jury Prize was awarded to: Theo Panagopoulos for “The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing” / U.K. (Director: Theo Panagopoulos, Producer: Marissa Keating) — When a filmmaker of Palestinian descent based in Scotland unearths a rarely seen film archive of Palestinian wildflowers, he decides to reclaim the footage. North American Premiere. Available online for Public.

Jury citation: “For a timely, urgent, and beautiful examination of colonialism and a moving reclaiming of history through the use of archival footage, the Short Film Grand Jury Prize goes to The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing, directed by Theo Panagopoulos.”

The Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction was awarded to: Jazmin Garcia for “Trokas Duras” / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Jazmin Garcia, Screenwriter: Benjamin Benji Moreno, Producers: Sally Su Jin Oh, Mayte Avina, Scott O’Donnell) — Journeying through the interior landscapes of a Jornalero’s dreams, his waking reality in Los Angeles, and what it looks like when a group of people relegated to serving others labors for their own elevation of body and spirit. Cast: Benjamin Benji Moreno, La Chapis, El Barrio, Luis Valentan, Elmer Mayorga, Tricia Sarmento. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Jury citation: “For a visionary perspective and a stunning visual narrative approach that creates an unequivocally empowering and intimate portrait, the Short Film Jury Award for U.S. Fiction goes to Trokas Duras, directed by Jazmin Garcia.”

The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction was awarded to: “Chheangkea for Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites” / Cambodia, France (Director and Screenwriter: Chheangkea, Producers: Daniel Mattes, Karen Madar) — During her chaotic family’s Qingming visit, dead Grandma Nai sneaks away from her peaceful afterlife after overhearing that her Queer grandson is about to get engaged to a woman. Cast: Bonrotanak Rith, Saroeun Nay, Sokun Theary Ty, Phalla Im, Chansophorn Buth, Ponleu Chab. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Jury citation: “For the perfect execution of a truly hilarious and relatable exploration of self- and family acceptance within a fantastical framework, we give the Short Film Jury Award for International Fiction to Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites, directed by Chheangkea.”

The Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction was awarded to: Christopher Radcliff for “We Were The Scenery” / U.S.A. (Director: Christopher Radcliff, Producers: Cathy Linh Che, Jess X. Snow) — In 1975, Hoa Thi Le and Hue Nguyen Che fled from Vietnam by boat and docked in the Philippines, where they were utilized as background extras during the filming of Apocalypse Now. World Premiere. 

Jury citation: “For a wholly unique, witty, joyful perspective on art-making, the impact of film, and how they intersect with real lives, the Short Film Jury Award for Nonfiction goes to We Were The Scenery, directed by Christopher Radcliff.”

The Short Film Jury Award: Animation was awarded to: Natalia León for “Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado” / France (Director and Screenwriter: Natalia León, Producer: Luc Camilli) — Olivia, a young woman living abroad, returns to her hometown in Mexico in the hope of reconnecting with her past. Cast: Carolina Zárate Wall, Natalia León, GAYA, Rebeca Magdely Gonzalez Alfaro. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Jury citation: “For an immersive and deeply intimate approach to a tragic epidemic, using the craft of animation in surprising and poignant ways, the Short Film Jury Award for Animation goes to Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado, directed by Natalia León.”

The Short Film Special Jury Award for Animation Directing was awarded to: May Kindred-Boothby for “The Eating of an Orange” / U.K. (Director and Screenwriter: May Kindred-Boothby) — Convention and sexuality are explored through slugs, rituals, and the eating of an orange. International Premiere. Available online for Public.

Jury citation: “For the intricate crafting of a deeply emotional tale told without dialogue and traditional narrative structure, and for a fresh take on female empowerment, the Short Film Special Jury Award for Animation Directing goes to The Eating of an Orange, directed by May Kindred-Boothby.”

The Short Film Special Jury Award for Directing was awarded to: Loren Waters for “Tiger” / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Loren Waters, Producer: Dana Tiger) — A portrait of award-winning, internationally acclaimed Indigenous artist and elder Dana Tiger, her family, and the resurgence of the iconic Tiger T-shirt company. World Premiere. Available online for Public.

Jury citation: “For the inspired direction and innovative vision that tells the moving story of a family’s cultural and artistic legacy, the Short Film Special Jury Award for Directing goes to Tiger, directed by Loren Waters.”

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The Sundance Institute has announced the addition of two feature films to the current 2025 Sundance Film Festival program, bringing the total feature films at this year’s Festival to 88 projects. The festival will take place from Jan. 23–Feb. 2 in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with all of the competition films and more available online from Jan. 30–Feb. 2 for audiences across the country.

Single film tickets for in-person and online screenings go on sale Jan. 16 at 10 a.m. Visit festival.sundance.org for more information.

The latest feature films world premiering at the upcoming Festival are documentaries “The Alabama Solution” and “The Stringer,” both in the Premieres category. Each of the projects are directed by filmmakers who have presented their works at previous editions of the Sundance Film Festival. 

“The Stringer” director Bao Nguyen premiered “Be Water” (2020) and “The Greatest Night in Pop” (2024), while “The Alabama Solution” director Andrew Jarecki has brought three projects to the Festival previously: “Capturing the Friedmans” (2003), “Just a Clown” (2004) and “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” (2015).

“Adding these two nonfiction features to our robust slate of documentary offerings at the Festival, both told by filmmakers who have been a part of our Sundance community for many years, completes our programming with compelling explorations around justice and truth-telling,” said Kim Yutani, Sundance Film Festival director of programming. 

The Sundance Film Festival is an artist program of Sundance Institute, a nonprofit that impacts thousands of artists every year through its year-round artist programs, the Festival, and through Sundance Collab, its online educational filmmaking platform. Profits from Festival ticket sales go to uplifting and developing emerging artists on a year-round basis through focused labs, direct grants, fellowships, residencies, and more.

Today’s additions round out the 2025 Festival slate, where 88 feature-length films will screen representing 33 countries, and 37 of 88 (42%) feature film directors are first-time feature filmmakers. Nine of the feature films and projects were supported by Sundance Institute in development through direct granting or residency labs. This year the film slate includes 84, or 96%, world premieres.

The latest additions to the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Premieres category are:

The Alabama Solution / U.S.A. (Directors, Producers: Andrew Jarecki, Charlotte Kaufman) — Incarcerated men defy the odds to expose a cover-up in one of America’s deadliest prison systems. World Premiere. Documentary.

The Stringer / U.S.A. (Director: Bao Nguyen, Producers: Fiona Turner, Terri Lichstein) — A two-year investigation uncovers a scandal behind the making of one of the most-recognized photographs of the 20th century. Five decades of secrets are unraveled in the search for justice for a man known only as “the stringer.” World Premiere. Documentary.

The 2025 Festival will kick off on Thursday, Jan. 23, with premieres in Park City every day through the end of Tuesday, Jan. 28. 

Additional showings will take place in Park City and Salt Lake City throughout the Festival until Sunday, Feb. 2. Over 11 days, world debuts of projects across program categories will highlight fresh voices, entertaining stories and groundbreaking works.

Beginning Jan. 30, more than half the feature program will be available online for audiences nationwide to watch from home at festival.sundance.org. 

The curated online program 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, episodic, and Short Film Program presented by Vimeo. 

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The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced details for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s gala fundraiser, Celebrating Sundance Institute Presented by Google TV, which will take place on Friday, Jan. 24, at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah.

The event will be an evening in celebration of Michelle Satter, founding senior director of Artist Programs at Sundance Institute, for her longstanding commitment to nurturing artists and cultivating independent film through the Sundance Labs, where visionary artists convene to develop groundbreaking projects through an in-depth creative process, for the past four decades.

The annual Vanguard Awards Presented by Acura will be awarded during the evening to Sean Wang, writer and director of “Dìdi” (弟弟) and Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of “Sugarcane,” who premiered their films at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

The annual gala enables the nonprofit to raise funds to support independent artists year-round through labs, grants,and public programming that nurture artists from all over the world.

The event is made possible with the generous support of Google TV. The Festival will take place from Jan. 23-Feb. 2 in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online from Jan. 30-Feb. 2 for audiences across the country to discover bold independent storytelling.

“For over four decades Michelle has been devoted to truly championing independent storytellers,” said Amanda Kelso, acting chief executive officer of Sundance Institute. “She has encouraged artists to own their voice, learn their craft, become fierce leaders, and develop their resilience in our changing ecosystem. Her life-long commitment to supporting artists, especially in underrepresented communities, has helped produce some of the most bold and distinctive films that have engaged audiences globally and sustained their visionary work throughout their career. In addition this year, we are thrilled to recognize Sean Wang, Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie — inspiring filmmakers that represent the next generation of independent storytelling, who have each been supported by the Institute. We look forward to our guests joining us at the Celebrating Sundance Institute gala, allowing us to continue our nonprofit efforts of launching, transforming, and sustaining the work of artists and their immeasurable impact on the world.”

Starting in 1981, Satter worked alongside Robert Redford who founded the Sundance Institute. Together with a committed team of leaders and collaborators, they developed impactful ways of mentoring emerging independent storytellers in a creative, rigorous and safe space which launched with the annual June Filmmakers Lab.

Satter has acted as an influential mentor to generations of award-winning filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino, Chloé Zhao, Dee Rees, John Cameron Mitchell, Paul Thomas Anderson, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Ryan Coogler, Miranda July, Kimberly Peirce, Darren Aronofsky, Sterlin Harjo, Taika Waititi and many more.

Over the years, Satter has built the Episodic Program, Producers Program, the Institute’s global initiatives and oversees the Indigenous, Catalyst and Documentary Film Programs.

She also founded Sundance Collab — a global digital platform for storytelling, learning and community, open to creators everywhere.

Satter’s contributions to film and advocacy have been recognized with numerous awards including the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an Oscar presented at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science’s 2024 Governors Awards, the Women in Film Business Leadership Award and the ACLU Bill of Rights Award.

“Championing independent artists through the Sundance Institute has been the driving force of my career,” Satter shared. “I’m passionately invested in this work because I believe that art and storytelling can truly reshape the world, sparking empathy, bridging humanity and fostering understanding for global audiences, all while engaging and inspiring them. Our Labs have grown into vital spaces for creativity, risk-taking and community — building a model for artist support around the world. In today’s fast-changing industry, the mission of Sundance and other forward-thinking organizations has never been more crucial, paving new paths for independent artists and elevating voices that deserve to be heard.”

The annual Vanguard Awards Presented by Acura honor emerging artists whose work highlights the art of storytelling and creative independence in both fiction and nonfiction. The Vanguard Award for Fiction will be presented to Sean Wang, writer-director of “Dìdi” (弟弟), and the Vanguard Award for Nonfiction will go to Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of “Sugarcane.”

Previous honorees include: Celine Song, Maite Alberdi, W. Kamau Bell, Nikyatu Jusu, Ryan Coogler, Siân Heder, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Radha Blank, Lulu Wang, Dee Rees, Damien Chazelle, Marielle Heller, Benh Zeitlin, Boots Riley and many more. 

Academy Award® nominee Sean Wang gained recognition for his award-winning short, “Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó.”

Wang and his first feature film “Dìdi” (弟弟) represent how Sundance Institute as an organization works to uplift and foster independent storytellers and their projects across year-round programs. Wang and “Dìdi” (弟弟) were supported by the Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellowship, Sundance Institute | The Asian American Foundation Fellowship and the Institute’s 2023 Directors and Screenwriters Labs. 

“Dìdi” (弟弟) went on to premiere in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award, Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble Cast and was acquired by Focus Features for a summer 2024 theatrical release where it received critical praise and was a notable box office success.

Following the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January, “Dìdi” (弟弟) had premieres globally as the opening night film at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival: Asia in Taipei in August and the closing night film for the Sundance Film Festival: London 2024 in June.

“For over a decade, Sundance has been my north star, symbolizing artistic excellence and bold, distinct voices,” said Wang. “It has since also become a community of artists, an unwavering support system, and a creative home for both myself and my first feature, ‘Dìdi’ (弟弟). As the recipient of several Sundance Institute artist development programs — Ignite, TAAF and the Screenwriters and Directors Labs — I know firsthand how deeply transformative that support can be for emerging storytellers. I’ll especially never forget the experience of being at the Sundance Labs, just months before shooting my movie, and how reinvigorated and inspired I felt. It is a feeling that is too special to not nourish and carry forward for others. I truly wouldn’t be the filmmaker I am today without Sundance. I’m so grateful to receive this award and I’m excited to see the future of independent cinema continue to flourish under Michelle Satter’s steadfast vision and commitment to supporting new artists.”

Brave NoiseCat and Kassie premiered their film “Sugarcane” at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, which went on to win the U.S. Documentary Directing Award.

Writer and director Brave NoiseCat is a member of the Canim Lake Band and descendant of the Lil’Wat Nation of Mount Currie.

His first book We Survived the Night will be published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2025 and translated into French and German. 

Kassie is an Emmy and Peabody nominated filmmaker and investigative journalist. Her work for The New York Times, PBS and Netflix includes the Taliban’s crackdown on women, sexual abuse in America’s immigrant detention system, drug and weapons trafficking in the Saharan desert and child labor in Turkey. 

“We are deeply honored to receive the Vanguard Award for Sugarcane,” said Brave NoiseCat and Kassie. “Sundance gave us and our film a place to learn and grow through the generosity of mentors, peers and fellow artists. We will never forget that special afternoon at the Library Center Theatre when the room went dark and we held hands — and our breath — with anticipation. It meant the world to us and our participants, who so bravely shared their lives on screen, for this long ignored but essential history to be recognized by the preeminent home for independent cinema. Sundance helped bring the reckoning our film follows to a global audience at a pivotal moment, not just for the First People of North America but for all people who call this continent home. Thank you for letting us be part of this extraordinary legacy and for celebrating the film — and community — of ‘Sugarcane.’”

For more information about tables and tickets, please visit sundance.org/gala or contact benefitevent@sundance.org.

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Winners of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival jury prizes in short filmmaking were announced by Sundance Institute at a ceremony in Park City, Utah. The Short Film Grand Jury Prize, awarded to one film in the program of 73 shorts selected from 9,443 submissions, went to Aziza, directed by Soudade Kaadan and co-written by Kaadan and May Hayek. Full video of the ceremony is at youtube.com/sff. The Short Film program is presented by YouTube, as part of their ongoing support for emerging storytellers, unique voices and independent artists. 2019 marks the seventh year YouTube has been the official sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival Shorts program.

This year’s Short Film jurors are Sheila Vand, Young Jean Lee and Carter Smith.

Short Film awards winners in previous years include Matria by Álvaro Gago, And so we put goldfish in the pool. by Makato Nagahisa, Thunder Road by Jim Cummings, World of Tomorrow by Don Hertzfeldt, SMILF by Frankie Shaw, Of God and Dogs by Abounaddara Collective, Gregory Go Boom by Janicza Bravo, The Whistle by Grzegorz Zariczny, Whiplash by Damien Chazelle, FISHING WITHOUT NETS by Cutter Hodierne, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom by Lucy Walker and The Arm by Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos and Jessie Ennis

The short film program at the Festival is the centerpiece of Sundance Institute’s year-round efforts to support short filmmaking. Select Festival short films are presented as a traveling program in over 70 cities in the U.S. and Canada each year, one of the few theatrical releases of short films in North America. Short films and filmmakers also take part in regional Master Classes geared towards supporting emerging shorts-makers in cities around the country.

Of the seven short films selected for awards this year, four projects (57% percent) were directed by women, two were directed by people who identify as LGBTQ, and six (85.7%) were directed by people of color.

2019 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Jury Awards:

The Short Film Grand Jury Prize was awarded to: Aziza / Syria, Lebanon (Director: Soudade Kaadan, Screenwriters: Soudade Kaadan, May Hayek) — A dynamic take on the life of Syrian refugees, told through black comedy.

The Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction was presented to: Green / U.S.A. (Director: Suzanne Andrews Correa, Screenwriters: Suzanne Andrews Correa, Mustafa Kaymak) — Green, an undocumented Turkish pedicab driver, unwittingly draws police attention, endangering his brother, his community, and himself.

The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction was presented to: Dunya’s Day / Saudi Arabia, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Raed Alsemari) — Abandoned by her domestic help, Dunya fights to throw the perfect graduation soirée.

The Short Film Jury Award: Non-fiction was presented to: Ghosts of Sugar Land / U.S.A. (Director: Bassam Tariq) — In Sugar Land, Texas, a group of young Muslim-American men ponder the disappearance of their friend “Mark,” who is suspected of joining ISIS.

The Short Film Jury Award: Animation was presented to: Reneepoptosis / U.S.A., Japan (Director and screenwriter: Renee Zhan) — Three Renees go on a quest to find God, who is also Renee. As they traverse the mountains and valleys of Renee, they discover all the great joys, sorrows, and mysteries of being Renee.

A Special Jury Award for Directing was presented to: FAST HORSE / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Alexandra Lazarowich) — The Blackfoot bareback horse-racing tradition returns in the astonishingly dangerous Indian Relay. Siksika horseman Allison Red Crow struggles with second-hand horses and a new jockey on his way to challenge the best riders in the Blackfoot Confederacy.

A Special Jury Award for Directing was presented to: The MINORS / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Robert Machoian) — A slice of life about a grandpa and his grandsons, the future and the past.

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