The 2026 Sundar Prize Film Festival was the third annual Sundar Prize Film Festival, held from April 23 to 26, 2026, in Delta and Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Presented by Sher Pride, the festival's program was organized around the theme "Home Is Complicated, So Are We".
The festival opened at the North Delta Centre for the Arts with the screening block The Weight of Silence, The Power of Choice, which included Patrick Shannon's feature documentary Saints and Warriors, and closed at Landmark Cinemas Guildford with the screening block Choosing Each Other, which included Cory Thibert's feature film Mildlife.
Sidartha Murjani continued as the festival's executive director and senior programmer, a role he had held since the inaugural festival.
Program The 2026 festival was held across two venues, with programming on April 23 and 24 at the North Delta Centre for the Arts in Delta, and on April 25 and 26 at Landmark Cinemas Guildford in Surrey. The program included films exploring social justice and 2SLGBTQ+ experiences, alongside filmmaker question-and-answer sessions, panel discussions, receptions, a pitch session, and an awards ceremony.
Jury The festival listed separate Finalist Jury and Shortlist Jury groups for the 2026 edition.
Finalist Jury Carolyn Mauricette Greg Chan Sidartha Murjani Susan Ruzic
Shortlist Jury Akshay Sachdeva Amit Dhuga Charleen Phelps Dikshant Joshi Jane Diokpo King Louie Palomo Peter Lilly Valerie Raghoebier Rami Kahlon Rashi Sethi Shanthini Balasubramanian Siddharth Ganesh Swann Tsai Nic Altobelli
Awards The festival's award winners were announced on April 26, 2026, during an awards ceremony at Landmark Cinemas Guildford in Surrey.
Award Film Director or recipient Prize Best Feature Film Bayaan Bikas Ranjan Mishra $2,000 CAD Best Short Film One Day This Kid Alexander Farah $1,000 CAD Best Feature Documentary Saints and Warriors Patrick Shannon $2,000 CAD Best Short Documentary Light Through the Blindfold Alireza Kazemipour $1,000 CAD Best Short Animation Sing to the Wind Yaffa Aboudib Husseini $1,000 CAD Best Environmental Film The Fire in Our Hearts Josias Tschanz $1,000 CAD Best 2SLGBTQ+ Film If Tathagata Ghosh $2,000 CAD Best Student Film Praying for Love Sofia Tonin $500 CAD Best Youth Film (19 and under) Fallen Angela Ruohan Yan $500 CAD Best British Columbia Feature Film A Cree Approach Tristin Greyeyes $2,000 CAD Best British Columbia Short Film Red Light Rebel Hannah Yang $1,000 CAD BC Student Film Showcase Award, First Prize Home Is a Feeling Ryah SM King $1,000 CAD BC Student Film Showcase Award, Second Prize Through the Flow of Summer Snow Sophia Santos English $750 CAD BC Student Film Showcase Award, Third Prize Pan de Muerto Renata Calderon $500 CAD Best Spiritual, Health, and Wellness Film Et maintenant? (What Now?) Jocelyn Forgues $1,000 CAD KDocsFF Best Emerging Filmmaker Residency Prize Burcu's Angels Özgün Gündüz $1,000 CAD The Performer's Mastery Award for Outstanding BC Performance E for Effort, Never Excellence, Shitcute, and It's Not You Medha Gautham $500 CAD
Films The films were organized into themed screening blocks across the festival's four days.
The Weight of Silence, The Power of Choice This opening-night screening block was screened on April 23, 2026, at the North Delta Centre for the Arts.
English title Director(s) Production country Love Train Tiegan Monaghan Canada Home Is a Feeling Ryah SM King Canada One Day This Kid Alexander Farah Canada Saints and Warriors Patrick Shannon Canada
Small Stories, Big Questions This BC Student and Youth Showcase screening block was screened on April 24, 2026, at the North Delta Centre for the Arts.
English title Director(s) Production country Grain Ilana Zackon Canada E for Effort, Never Excellence Sarah Shahab Canada Humanity Over Hate Zara P. Bharadwaj United States Through the Flow of Summer Snow Sophia Santos English Canada Fallen Angela Ruohan Yan United States Black Chador Elyana Moradi Canada Always Forever Tibet Karayazgan Canada Drafting Janshin Soo Malaysia Best Friends Notice of Deportation Berenika Widera Canada All That Lies Beneath Ella McCleary Canada Quenched Ben Mark Hart Fieldhouse Canada
Who Are We Under Pressure? This BC and Indigenous Spotlight screening block was screened on April 24, 2026, at the North Delta Centre for the Arts.
English title Director(s) Production country Knitty Gritty Hannah Mangione United States The 2400 David Scott Titus Canada Diamond Belly Kyle D'Odorico Canada A Cree Approach Tristin Greyeyes Canada
When Home Is on Fire This Environmental Spotlight screening block was screened on April 24, 2026, at the North Delta Centre for the Arts.
English title Director(s) Production country Climate Crisis Peter Cameron-Inglis Canada Embers Trixie Pacis Canada The Fire in Our Hearts Josias Tschanz Canada
What We Don't Say This South Asian Spotlight screening block was screened on April 24, 2026, at the North Delta Centre for the Arts.
English title Director(s) Production country 18 to 35 Rahul Chaturvedi Canada Shitcute Ritisha Jhamb and Ry Fry Canada Sanjeevani Neetha John Canada Calorie Eisha Marjara Canada, India
Becoming Someone This shorts screening block was screened on April 25, 2026, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Pearl Alice Shin Canada Don't Think About the Pink Dolphins Anthony Lee Canada ripe chín Solara Thanh Bình Đặng Vietnam, Canada Art Connoisseur Hugh Liu Canada ENIGMA Anya Kapustianyk Canada Our Long Goodbye Dave Beamish Canada Praying for Love Sofia Tonin United States If যদি Tathagata Ghosh India Lateral Loken Charon Canada Sing to the Wind Yaffa Aboudib Husseini Canada Obscura 옵스큐라 Arnold Lim Canada
What We Inherit This Centrepiece Spotlight screening block was screened on April 25, 2026, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Director(s) Production country Sheepskin Ethan Wingrove Canada Pan de Muerto Renata Calderon Canada NEPO BABY Khánh Nguyễn Canada Bayaan Bikas Ranjan Mishra India
Crossing the Line This shorts screening block was screened on April 25, 2026, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Animals Michael Makaroff Canada Walk and Talk Inanna Cusi Canada Purgatory Nikki Shaffeeullah Canada Sheepskin Ethan Wingrove Canada At The End Lili Beaudoin and Isabelle Deluce Canada Trance Aman Mann Canada 113 Words For You Today Bo Qing Tang and Lan Zeng China, Taiwan, United States The Last Flight Amy Tsai and Brian Cheung Canada Vital Amir Zargara Canada, Iran Ambush كمين Yassmina Karajah Canada, Jordan
Love, Actually This Queer Spotlight screening block was screened on April 25, 2026, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Director(s) Production country Egg Yolk Custard Bun Soya Wu Canada It's Not You Tristan Garcia Ramos Canada Ramen Boys Jason Sakaki Canada Blood Lines Gail Maurice Canada
After Everything This Spiritual, Health, and Wellness Spotlight screening block was screened on April 26, 2026, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Surface Katherine Wong Canada A Ticket Home Magill Moyes Canada Light Through the Blindfold Alireza Kazemipour Canada What Now? Et maintenant? Jocelyn Forgues Canada
Choosing Each Other This closing screening block was screened on April 26, 2026, at Landmark Cinemas Guildford.
English title Director(s) Production country Following The Line Jia-Yee Ong Taiwan Red Light Rebel Hannah Yang Canada Burcu's Angels Özgün Gündüz Canada Mildlife Cory Thibert Canada
References
External links
2026 Program Summary 2026 Program Guide