Sundar Prize Film Festival announces 2026 lineup highlighting Canadian-made titles
Offerings span basketball documentary Saints and Warriors, identity-focused short “One Day This Kid”, and beyond
SPONSORED POST BY Sundar Prize Film Festival
Saints and Warriors
The Sundar Prize Film Festival has officially unveiled its 2026 lineup, screening schedule, and program highlights, showcasing a powerful slate of films that explore identity, belonging, resilience, and social change.
Taking place April 23 to 26 at the North Delta Centre for the Arts and Landmark Cinemas Guildford in Surrey, this year’s festival presents 61 official selections chosen from 823 submissions. The 2026 festival is themed Home Is Complicated, So Are We.
This year’s official selections demonstrate strong representation and artistic excellence. They emphasize local talent, with 81 percent of films Canadian-made and 68 percent produced in British Columbia. They also highlight diverse voices, with 54 percent of the selections directed by women, and 78 percent by filmmakers from underrepresented communities, including IBPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+.
Among this year’s standout titles is Patrick Shannon’s documentary Saints and Warriors, which has garnered three Leo Awards, a Hot Docs Top 5 Audience Award, the CIFF Grand Jury Prize for Best Canadian Documentary, and the DOXA DGC Colin Low Award for Best Canadian Director. Set against the backdrop of the Haida basketball season, the film follows leaders of the Skidegate Saints as they defend their All Native Basketball Championship title while simultaneously fighting for land sovereignty.
Calorie
Calorie, directed by Eisha Marjara, follows a family burdened by unresolved trauma as its members struggle to find their way back to one another. Elsewhere, director Josias Tschanz tells a powerful story with The Fire in Our Hearts; when wildfires threaten a remote region of B.C., Cheslatta Carrier Nation and Southside residents stay to defend their land.
In the short “One Day This Kid” by Alexander Farah—inspired by David Wojnarowicz’s seminal text—a young boy navigates an unspoken future with his father. The film won Best Narrative Short at SXSW 2025 and recently welcomed Dan Levy of Schitt’s Creek as executive producer.
Additional selections include the international feature Bayaan by Bikas Mishra; Ethan Wingrove’s short “Sheepskin”, starring Hudson Williams of Heated Rivalry; and Jason Sakaki’s short “Ramen Boys”, winner of Best 2SLGBTQ+ Film at the Itaewon Film Festival in Korea.
The full Sundar Prize Film Festival lineup and screening schedule can be found here.
Post sponsored by Sundar Prize Film Festival.
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