2026 SAG-AFTRA FOUNDATION
Shorts Showcase
PRESENTED BY
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation Shorts Showcase presented by City National Bank, celebrates and recognizes outstanding short films created by and/or featuring SAG-AFTRA members while inspiring performers to tell their own stories.
Through screenings, panels and educational programming, the Showcase provides performers with the tools, insights and practical knowledge needed to create, produce and share original content. Submissions are now closed. All submissions must have been made under a SAG-AFTRA contract.
The Shorts Showcase includes two evenings of screenings at the Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists is Los Angeles and the Robin Williams Center in New York, featuring the Official Selections, chosen by a jury of SAG-AFTRA members.
In 2026, the Shorts Showcase will introduce an independent grand jury which will recognize two Official Selections for Excellence in Creativity and Excellence in Performance. Each recognized short will receive a $5,000 honorarium.
Leading up to the showcase, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation will present free educational panels and classes around short filmmaking, to provide SAG-AFTRA performers with requisite knowledge and a toolkit to get started as short-form creators.
Official Selections
Do I Know You From Somewhere?
Directed by Alan Scott Neal
Starring Angela Wong Carbone, Fiona Fu, Jodi Long, Laura Esterman, Alison Bartlett and Alan Trong
Gloria
Directed by Kim Blanck
Starring Emily Kuroda
I Got Next
Directed by Christopher Baxter
Starring Bailey Bass, Emmy Coggshall and Jason Stuart
Ta Ta, Dear
Directed by Brandon Tyson
Starring Sharon Lawrence and David Thompson
Veronica
Directed by Brett Dos Santos
Starring Selene Luna, Katey Sagal, Josh Brener, Taryn Manning, Margaret Cho, Sam Pancake and Tom Lenk
Wait
Directed by Paige Morrow Kimball
Starring Lexi Simonsen, Eian O’Brien
¡Que Suene La Banda!
Directed by Jorge Parra Jr.
Starring Anthony Gonzalez, Martin Morales, Celina Fang, Marabina Jaimes and Brenda Ortiz
Always Azizam
Directed by Shayan Ebrahim
Starring Pooya Mohseni and Pej Vahdat
Girl | Dad
Directed by Lianzi Fields
Starring Sherry Cola and Chris Tallman
JODÓN (hoh-duhn)
Directed by Erin Ramirez
Starring Gregory Diaz IV, Leilany Celeste, Marilyn Jimenez Mark, Fidel Vicioso, Bryan Reynoso and Elias Jimenes
Meeting Your Maker
Directed by Gregory Kasunich
Starring Jonathan Kite, Amanda Maddock, Lenny Jacobson, Thomas Lennon, Jason Sklar, Randy Sklar, Dylan Playfair, Dylan Mooney, Anna Chazelle, Kayla Radomski and Ryan Colt Levy
Take Five
Directed by Daniel Weingarten
Starring Zoe Kanters and Craig Cackowski
Honors
Excellence in Performance recognizes a film with a resonant and standout performance by an individual or cast.
Excellence in Creativity recognizes a film made under the SAG-AFTRA Micro-budget Agreement, with a budget of less than $20,000, distinguished by its ingenuity, innovation and creativity.
Each recognized short will receive a $5,000 honorarium.
Jurors
Dulé Hill
Amy Landecker
Mario Van Peebles
Selection Process
A SAG-AFTRA jury selects a slate of exceptional short films as the Official Selection of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Shorts Showcase. These exceptional works will screen over two evenings, followed by in-depth moderated conversations with the filmmakers and performers. These conversations will be published on the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s YouTube channel.
The Shorts Showcase culminates in a live presentation in Los Angeles where an independent grand jury will present top honors to two shorts for excellence in creativity and performance.
Rules & Fees
Short films must be no longer than 30 minutes including credits.
Submission is $50 per entry with SAG-AFTRA members receiving a 50% discounted rate of $25 per entry.
All projects must have been made under a SAG-AFTRA contract and must provide proof of an agreement.
All films submitted must be completed between January 1, 2025 – June 22, 2026 to be considered. Works in progress may be submitted, but they must be fully completed by the notification date of July 31, 2026.
The deadline for all submissions is June 22, 2026.
SAG-AFTRA Foundation and SAG-AFTRA staff members are ineligible to receive official recognition in the Showcase for Shorts.
Rules for the Showcase are subject to change, please check FilmFreeway for any updated rules.
Past Selections
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation Shorts Showcase is an annual event that evolved out of the Foundation’s Short Film Showcase, which originated in New York and Los Angeles in 2009.
Excellence in Performance
2025
Buscando Alma
Directed by Melissa Fisher
Starring Carolina Gutierrez, Neher Jacqueline Briceño, Marc Anthony Samuel
CLAUD_IA
Directed by Gabriel Furman*
Starring Naiya Ortiz, Scott McCord, Kathleen Simmonds
George
Directed by Aaron Craig, Alex Craig
Starring Adrian Martinez, Angela Sarafyan
Mildred 4 a Million
Directed by Kim ‘Kimmie P’ Callaway
Starring Marla Gibbs, Brie Eley, Obriella Genesis Witron
Neo Dome
Directed by Bonnie Discepolo*
Starring Anna Camp, Michael Mosely, Nicholas Kowalzyk
Excellence in Filmmaking
2025
Darcine’s Day
Directed by Aaron Goffman
Starring Kyla Diane Kennedy, Brent Huff, Elizabeth Lamboy-Wilson
Dig Deeper
Directed by Girault Seger
Starring Victor Williams, Lee Wilkof, Grant Moore
Once More, Like Rain Man
Directed by Sue Ann Pien*
Starring Bella Zoe Martinez, Matt Jones, Joe Mantegna
This is Jan
Directed by Robert Larriviere*
Starring Lyle Brocato, James Dumont, Laura Flannery
The Woman From Hamburg
Directed by Michael Masarof
Starring Jenette Goldstein, Einat Holland, Casey Killoran
