Sundance is one of the world's most significant and important festivals for independent films. The festival is universally recognised as a leading showcase for emerging directors, and a key launch-pad for indie film from the U.S and the world.
Sundance has competitive sections for dramatic and documentary feature and short films for the U.S. and World Cinema films. The non-competitive showcase sections include NEXT, Indie Episodic, Premieres, New Frontier, Spotlight, and Midnight. "NEXT" is intended for low-budget and no-budget narrative films, and Indie Episodic is for stories told in multiple episodes.
New Zealand at Sundance:
2026: Big Girls Don't Cry - World Cinema Dramatic Competition
2026: Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant - Midnight
2023: Bad Behaviour – World Cinema Dramatic Competition
2021: Coming Home in the Dark – Midnight
2019: Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen – Premieres
2016: Tickled – World Cinema Documentary Competition
2016: Hunt for the Wilderpeople – Premieres
2015: Slow West – World Cinema Dramatic Competition (Winner Grand Jury Prize)
2015: Turbo Kid – Midnight
2014: What We Do in the Shadows – Midnight
2013: Shopping – World Cinema Dramatic Competition
2012: The Orator (O Le Tulafale) – Spotlight
2010: Boy – World Cinema Dramatic Competition
2007: Eagle vs Shark – World Cinema Dramatic Competition
2006: No. 2 – World Cinema Dramatic Competition (Winner World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award) Short films include:
2022: Breathe – Midnight
2022: Two Cars, One Night – From the Collection Short Films, Sundance Institute 40th Anniversary Programme
2022: Kitchen Sink – From the Collection Short Films, Sundance Institute 40th Anniversary Programme
2022: Do No Harm – From the Collection Short Films, Sundance Institute 40th Anniversary Programme
2017: Do No Harm - Midnight
2011: Ebony Society – Indigenous Shorts Showcase
2011: Redemption – Indigenous Shorts Showcase
2010: Six Dollar Fifty Man – International Dramatic Shorts Competition (Winner Jury Prize for International Short Filmmaking)
2010: Vostok Station – New Frontier
2004: Water – International Short Film Competition
2004: Two Cars, One Night – Indigenous Programme
2004: Tiga e le iloa (Hidden Pain) – Indigenous Programme