From Crowdfunding to the Big Screen: Kickstarter Films at Sundance 2026
Meet the four projects that rode the wave of community support all the way to one of indie film’s biggest stages.
The lights are dimming, the snow boots are on, and the indie film world is officially heading to the mountains. The 2026 Sundance Film Festival runs January 22–February 1, and once again, Kickstarter creators are showing up on one of the world’s biggest stages for independent cinema.
This year, we’re thrilled to celebrate four Kickstarter films premiering at Sundance, each proof that when creators and communities come together, anything can happen.
Let’s roll the trailer.
Radiant Frost
A short film with big tension and big stakes.
Radiant Frost follows a drifter whose life takes a sharp turn when he discovers a runaway member of a survivalist cult hiding in the back of his truck. It’s the kind of premise that immediately hooks you — unsettling, emotional, and full of momentum.
And yes: it began on Kickstarter.
Radiant Frost represents the best of film on Kickstarter: a bold, character-driven story brought to life through creative risk, community support, and a clear point of view. Now stepping onto one of the most iconic film stages in the world.
Take Me Home
This one deserves a ten-minute standing ovation.
Take Me Home tells the story of Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability, caring for her aging parents in a delicate, complicated balance of dependency and love.
But what makes it especially powerful as a Kickstarter story is this:
This project started as a crowdfunded short, then evolved into a feature after receiving a $1M grant from Tribeca to expand the story.
It’s a clear example of how community support can create real momentum — building visibility, credibility, and a path from early idea to feature-length debut.
Callback
Callback is a sharp, character-driven short from Sundance and SXSW-winning filmmaker Matthew Puccini that dives into jealousy, class, and the slippery performance of everyday relationships.
Centered on a couple whose evening spirals into chaos after unexpected news, this roughly 15-minute film blends comedy and emotional insight with Puccini’s signature observational voice.
Backed by its community on Kickstarter, Callback represents the kind of bold short storytelling that Kickstarter is uniquely positioned to support, and it’s now headed for its world premiere at Sundance 2026.
Everybody to Kenmure Street
Everybody to Kenmure Street is a powerful feature documentary that captures a real-world moment of collective resistance in Glasgow’s most diverse neighborhood. When two residents face deportation, neighbors and activists mobilize in the street to block their removal, creating a dramatic standoff with police and authorities. Through ground-level footage and first-person perspectives, the film celebrates collective action and community solidarity, tracing the histories that brought people together that day.
Funded on Kickstarter and supported by Scottish film organizations, it’s premiering in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at Sundance 2026, a testament to how community-funded stories can uncover urgent, timely voices on the big stage.
The Power of Crowdfunding in Film
Independent film is being shaped by a shifting industry. Streaming has changed how audiences discover new work, media consolidation has narrowed traditional paths to funding and distribution, and fewer people are showing up to theaters. For many filmmakers, the space for truly independent stories feels smaller than ever.
In that landscape, crowdfunding has become more than a way to raise money. It’s a way to build momentum early, connect directly with audiences, and move projects forward when traditional routes feel increasingly out of reach. Kickstarter gives creators the ability to retain creative control while demonstrating real demand for their work before a film ever premieres.
As the industry continues to evolve, crowdfunding remains one of the few places where bold, original ideas can still find their footing — and where independent films can begin with community support at their core.
Elise McCave
See You at Sundance
We’ll be at Sundance this year, teaming up with the Shifter(s) Series for an invite-only gathering that brings together filmmakers and industry leaders at a pivotal moment for independent film.
As traditional pathways become harder to access, this event creates space for the conversations shaping what comes next, exploring new ways projects get funded, finished, and distributed, and how filmmakers can bring their work to life on their own terms.
Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor and Film Lead Taylor K. Shaw-Omachonu will be in the room alongside creators and collaborators from across the industry.
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What's Next?
As the curtain rises on Sundance 2026, we’re celebrating the films premiering this year and looking ahead to what’s next. Somewhere right now, a filmmaker is sketching out an idea, building toward their first campaign, and wondering if it’s possible. To them, we say: keep going. And to the backers who support bold, original stories: thank you. You’re helping shape the future of independent film.
Maybe next year, we’ll be writing about your Sundance debut. Now, wouldn't that be a plot twist worth watching?
Kickstarter Staff
