Festival Schedule | June 18-21
Festival Passes are now available. All events at The Wright Opera House unless otherwise noted.
DAY 1 - JUNE 18 (THURSDAY)
10:30am - 12:45 pm | PASSHOLDER CHECK-IN
Claim your pass at the Wright Opera House.
From record-breaking burps to botched heists, community-built schools, helpful ghosts, vivid visions, and helium-fueled encounters, these shorts find humor and heart in lives pushed off-script.
OIFF Alum Ethan Payne returns with the final film in the “WE” trilogy.
4:00 - 5:00 pm | SCREENWRITING WITH KIRSTEN “KIWI” SMITH
Kiwi Smith, writer of beloved hits such as 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, ELLA ENCHANTED, and LEGALLY BLONDE, in conversation with Tim Molloy, Editor-in-Chief of MovieMaker Magazine. This event is free and open to the public.
Kiwi Smith, screenwriter
7:30 - 9:30 pm | OPENING NIGHT FEATURE—DOWNBEAT
This SXSW premiering film is a feral, high-energy story of music, momentum, and the wreckage caused when a drummer runs from himself instead of changing. Director Danny Madden will be in attendance along with the cast of the film.
Fun fact: Downbeat was shot on a Sony Handycam.
9:30 - 11:00 pm | OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Enjoy live music and complimentary lite bites while you mingle with artists and fellow attendees in The Tavern at the Wright Opera House. Drinks will be available for purchase.
DAY 2 - JUNE 19 (FRIDAY)
Across Arctic landscapes, atomic towns, burning deserts, lonely interiors, and the strange world of the internet, these shorts examine what we inherit, what we perform, and what keeps us alive.
What is the internet? World Premiere of I’m Sorry
From alligators to skiing behind horses, 5 short films from Colorado filmmakers.
From Longmont to Silverton—Colorado filmmakers discuss their projects after their films.
Patron Pass holders, sponsors, and filmmakers meet in a private residence for desserts and beverages while hearing unreleased scripts.
4:30 - 6:00 pm | PATRON PARTY
Retrospective screening of the award-winning documentary 45365, described by the late Roger Ebert as an “achingly beautiful film.” Set in Sidney, Ohio, 45365 documents the lives of residents in the film’s titular ZIP code. Q&A with Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross will follow the screening.
The Ross Brothers, 2026 Film in Action Award Recipients.
DAY 3 - JUNE 20 (SATURDAY)
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | YO (LOVE IS A REBELLIOUS BIRD) [feature documentary]
After losing an older and beloved friend, filmmaker Anna Fitch spends a decade obsessively building a detailed, scale version of her friend Yo’s house in her studio. Pre-recorded Q&A with the directors after the screening.
Winner of the 2026 Silver Bear for Outstanding Artist Contribution at Berlinale.
1:15 - 2:30 pm | CINEMA OF THE ANDES
OIFF 2024 Grand Jury Prize winner Sisa Quispe curates short films highlighting the regional cinema of the Andes Mountains.
2:30 - 3:30 pm | INTERMISSION WITH FOOD
Catered Peruvian cuisine.
3:45 - 4:45 pm | WORLD PREMIERE & LIVE DANCE
Enjoy the world premiere of Apolo Bautista’s short film “The Inka of Malvas.” Q&A with producer Sisa Quispe and the film’s subject Sergio Papa Ruark. Plus live dance from Sergio following the Q&A.
Sisa Quispe, Curator of Andean Cinema at OIFF 2026
7: 30 pm - 9:30 pm | DIRECTOR’S SPOTLIGHT WITH ERICA TREMBLAY
A screening of Tremblay’s 2023 Sundance debut feature film, FANCY DANCE, starring Lily Gladstone. Tremblay will be in attendance for a post-film Q&A.
Erica Tremblay, 2026 Director’s Spotlight Award Recipient
DAY 4 - JUNE 21 (SUNDAY)
11:00 am -12:15 pm | HOW MOVIES GET SEEN—PANEL DISCUSSION
Hear from film curators and programmers about how movies are getting seen in 2026.
2:30 - 4:00 pm | SHORT FILMS BLOCK D
Family spirits, stranger confessions, school-day identity, reanimated fathers, childhood homes, and internet-fueled road trips collide in these shorts about the funny, tender, and unexpected ways the past keeps showing up.
In this economy?
7:00 - 8:40 pm | SHORT FILMS BLOCK E
From Chinatown coin shops to superhero auditions, family farms, forest legacies, and a town resisting automation, these shorts explore value, inheritance, and the fight to be seen on one’s own terms.
@harrisonhuangofficial
8:45 - 9:20 pm | AWARD CEREMONY
Complimentary champagne (21+) and custom awards for this year’s festival winners.
Who will take home an award at this year’s festival?
9:30 - 10:30 pm | OFFICIAL AFTER-PARTY
Patrons, sponsors, and filmmakers enjoy complimentary beverages and light bites as we celebrate OIFF 2026.