DIFF SHORTS Film Festival has announced the lineup for the 2026 event to be held October 16 through 18 at Angelika Film Center & Café Dallas located in Mockingbird Station. With a goal of elevating short films and celebrating shorts filmmakers, DIFF SHORTS Film Festival 2026 will feature 16 themed film blocks with 100+ films, Q&As, industry panels, daily red carpets, and receptions for filmmakers and sponsors at The Highland Dallas, Host Hotel of the 2026 DIFF Shorts Film Festival.
“We are very pleased to present this third edition of the DIFF SHORTS Film Festival in October,” said James Faust, DIFF Artistic Director. “The 100+ short films that are the official selections this year showcase this unique and powerful medium for storytelling.”
Programmers Choice Awards at the DIFF SHORTS Film Festival 2026 will be given for Best Narrative Film, Best Texas Film, Best Music Video, Best College Student Film, Best Animated Film, Best Documentary Film, and Best First-Time Filmmaker.
Audience Awards will be given for Best Narrative Film, Best Texas Film, Best Music Video, Best College Student Film, Best High School Student Film, Best Animated Film, Best Documentary Film, and Best First-Time Filmmaker.
“Short films are where filmmakers can push boundaries—experimenting with structure, style, and story in ways that feel bold and alive,” said Amber Ekleberry, Director of Programming. “The films in this year’s lineup pack a real punch. They’re daring, inventive, and will stay with audiences long after the lights come up.”
This year’s Shorts Blocks bring together an exciting mix of stories and styles—something for every kind of movie lover. From heartfelt journeys through grief to fresh perspectives from high school filmmakers, from family-friendly adventures and coming-of-age tales to explorations of identity and relationships, the lineup is as varied as it is vibrant. Audiences can also look forward to late-night thrills, sports-themed stories, Latino voices, music videos, and everything in between. Each block is curated to showcase the creativity and diversity of voices shaping today’s short-film landscape, making every screening its own unique cinematic experience.
DIFF SHORTS 2026 Official Selections | Directors | Countries of Origin
FILMS:
10TH FLOOR TRANSFORMATION – Katy McCarthy – United States
64 – Max Galante – United States
A HAND TO HOLD – Philip Clyde-Smith – United Kingdom
AN AFTERNOON WAKE – Will Chase – United States
BARBRIX! OR HOW TO MAYBE CAPTURE A PSYCHIC HOMINID – Dylan Dugas – United States
BEATING PEOPLE WITH A STICK – John Benavides – United States
BECOMING BUFFALO – Montana Cypress – United States
BIRDS – Sandra Iraizoz Cía – Spain
CAN’T FLOAT – Dave Schilling – United States
CASUAL – Tawanda Mlalu, Shira Chait – United States
CINDY – Al Chang – United States
CLARA – Kaarthik Reddy Kunadi – United States
CONCEPTION GAME – Natalie Arle-Toyne – United Kingdom
CONTRAST THERAPY – Ben Stephen Gageler – Australia
DADNESS – Riley Rudy – United States
DESOLATION – Norry Niven – United States
DISC – Blake Rice – United States
DONA NOBIS PACEM – Marcos Martinez – United States
DONOR – Jennifer Saura – United States
ECHOES FROM THE KITCHEN – A Tale of Comida & Cultura – Chef Eddie Garza – United States
ELEPHANTS – Cassie Bryant Hay – United States
EMPTY CAN – Jinuk Choi – South Korea, United States
EXHALE – Anoop Chakravarthy Bajineni – United States
FAMILIAR – Dora Cheng – United States
FAMILY THREADS – Holly Lilja Evans – Iceland
FAREWELL – Ximena Álvarez Portilla – Mexico
FAUX BIJOUX – Jessy Moussallem – France, Lebanon
FLINK’S PIGEON PROBLEMS – Susan Fitzer, Brian Pimental – United States
FLUFF & FURIOUS – Chieh-Chih Liao – United States
GLORY BE! – Jorenzo Mallari – United States
GOOD BOY – Brett Robert Culbert – United States
HA HA HA – Matt Klug, Josh Harding – United States
HARD CASH – David Füsgen – Germany
HEADCASE – Spencer Zimmerman – Canada
HOPE FOR THE GUADALUPE – Ben Masters – United States
I F*CKING HATE YOU! – Gabriela Paciel – Mexico, United States
INVINCEBLE – Beth Gage, George Gage – United States
J.J. – Adam Dietrich, Elliott Gilbert – United States
JUST ONE PEEK – Mulan Fu – United States
LEO SACER – Emilie Upczak, Eric Coombs Esmail – United States
LITTLE EARTHQUAKES – Iris Davis-Quick – United States
LIVVY, ARE YOU THERE? – Synnove June – United States
MAN OR MOUNTAIN – Collin Monda – United States
METAL – Samuel McIntosh – United States
MIRIAM – Lauren Blumenfeld, Jennifer Chambers – United States
MISSING – Reed Barcellos – United States
ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE – Sam Hyatt – United States
PAPER DAUGHTER – Cami Kwan – United States
REMNANT. – Isabella Chavez – United States
REQUIEM FOR THE CASPIAN – Suad Gara – Azerbaijan, Italy, United Kingdom
SCOPE – Emma Moffat – United Kingdom
SELFLESS – Jason Hyun Kim – United States
SIDE EFFECTS – Daniel Fika – United States
SLEEPING PRINCESS – Callie Bacon – United States
SOBREMESA – Karla Luna Cantu – Mexico
SOME GIRL – Anika Yuzak – Canada
STOP SIGNS – Director not listed – United States
SUSURROS – Alexandra Pewinski, Marie Lombard, Florian Reignier, Emma Pluchard, Lisa Francillon, Alice Parmentier – France
SWEETWATER, TEXAS – Kaytie Nielsen, Nick Nielsen – Germany, United States
TEN TIMES OVER – Mac Welch – United States
THE BOY WITH THE DINOSAUR HEAD – Imran J Khan – United States
THE BRIS – Alec Bewkes – United States
THE COWS ON KILLING DAY – Sammie Hottel, Gabriel Urbano – United States
THE FIRST RAIN IN MAY – Asiana Weddington – Puerto Rico, United States
THE INTIMACY COORDINATOR – Louisa Connolly-Burnham – United Kingdom
THE NAME GAME – Eli Heaton – United States
THE SETTLEMENT – Carlos Garcia, Jr. – United States
THE TIDE INSIDE – Lorena Villanueva – Colombia, United States
THE WHISTLE – Greg Franklin – United States
THE WONDER – Alexandre Bilardo – Denmark, Switzerland
THREADBEAT DAD – Crystal Jin Kim – United States
THEM THAT’S NOT – Mekhai Lee – United States
TREE OF LIFE – Jana Bedić – Croatia
UNTOUCHABLE – Adam Lapallo – United States
VIKTORI – Carlos Cardona – United States
WAKE – Josue Segundo – United States
WE ARE WHERE WE ARE – Clara Planelles – United Kingdom
WHISTLE – Dakota Ford – United States
MUSIC VIDEOS:
DANCE WITH ME (MY SYNTH-POP QUEEN) – TAPES – Sam Hyatt – United States
EILEEN – SBR – Court Ware – United States
EVOLUTION // REBIRTH – Keanu Cordero – United States
GLAMOUR MAGICK – David Arthur – United Kingdom
MOSELLE – IDIOT OLYMPICS – Kat Lynch – United States
MY PILLOW – Meg Parker Wilson – United States
WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD – CLINT TOWNSEND – Michael Dean Marbach – United States
For more information, visit https://diffshorts2026.eventive.org/. Festival Passes are $75 (Senior and Student Passes are $50). Tickets are $10 for each Shorts Block.