The 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour is a 110-minute program of seven short films curated from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, including three festival award–winning titles. This sampling of Festival offerings is a testament to the unique storytelling potential that the format holds. Audiences can enjoy a mix of fiction, documentary, and animated shorts that are funny, sad, inspiring, and full of strong characters. Driven by innovation and experimentation, the Short Film Program seeks out filmmaking’s most original voices from around the world.
The Festival’s Short Film Program has long been a place to discover talented directors. Past alumni include Andrea Arnold, Lake Bell, Damien Chazelle, Hawai‘i’s Destin Daniel Cretton, Jay and Mark Duplass, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Todd Haynes, Sterlin Harjo, Don Hertzfeldt, Sky Hopinka, Shaka King, LJoey Soloway, and Taika Waititi.
Program
ALOK
Directed by Alex Hedison. Produced by Natalie Shirinian, Elizabeth Baudouin, Meggan Lennon. USA.
A compelling portrait of Alok Vaid-Menon, acclaimed nonbinary author, poet, comedian, and public speaker. Executive-produced by Jodie Foster. Nonfiction. Cast: Alok Vaid-Menon, Dylan Mulvaney, Chani Nicholas.
Bug Diner
Directed by Alex Hedison. Produced by Natalie Shirinian, Elizabeth Baudouin, Meggan Lennon. USA.
A dissatisfied marriage, a secret crush, and workplace fantasies come to a head in a diner run by a mole with a hot ass. Fiction. Cast: Jacob Levy, Phoebe Hart. 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Jury Award: Animation.
Dream Creep
Directed and written by Carlos A.F. Lopez. Produced by Megan Leonard, Bobby McHugh, Jonathan Caso, Zeus Kontoyannis. USA.
A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice. Fiction. Cast: Ian Edlund, Sidney Jayne Hunt.
Essex Girls
Directed by Yero Timi-Biu. Written by Busayo Ige. Produced by Angela Moneke, Simon Hatton. UK.
After an incident at her high school pulls her into the orbit of the only other Black girl in her year, “Essex Girl” Bisola is plunged into a journey to discover a whole new side of herself. Fiction. Cast: Busayo Ige, Corinna Brown, Maisie Smith, Adrianna Bertola, Krysstina Frempong, Rebecca Dike.
The Masterpiece
Directed and produced by Àlex Lora Cercós. Written and produced by Lluis Quilez. Written by Alfonso Amador. Produced by Sandra Travé, Josemari Martínez, Néstor López. Spain.
Leo and Diana, a wealthy couple, meet Salif and Yousef, two scrap dealers, at a recycle center. Offering them more junk, Diana invites them to their mansion, but the immigrants actually might be the ones with something she wants. Fiction. Cast: Daniel Grao, Babou Cham, Melina Matthews, Adam Nourou, Guido Grao. 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Grand Jury Prize.
Pathological
Directed and written by Alison Rich. Produced by Bridgett Greenberg, Ingrid Haas, Avtar Khalsa, Peter Principato, Todd Ruhnau. USA.
A pathological liar wakes up one day to discover her lies have become true. Fiction. Cast: Alison Rich, Meaghan Rath, Luke Cook, Adam Lustick, Heather Pasternak, George Kareman.
Pisko the Crab Child is in Love
Directed and written by Makoto Nagahisa. Produced by Yasuo Suzuki. Japan.
Pisko’s father is a crab while her mother is human. Pisko falls in love with her teacher but is heartbroken when he leaves her because she is half-crab. Pisko finally finds love and companionship with her friend Kubokayo. Fiction. Cast: Aiko Kano, Saya, Maki Fukuda, Kanta Sato. 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Special Jury Prize for Directing.
