The New Media Film Festival\u00ae<\/a> today announced its full 2026 lineup, featuring an expansive slate of narrative films, documentaries, science driven projects, innovative storytelling formats and music culture collaborations from international filmmakers, award recognized creators and globally known artists. The 17th annual festival will take place June 3\u20134, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.<\/p>\nThis year’s slate includes 35 world premieres, 5 U.S. premieres and 18 Los Angeles premieres, representing 58 premieres across 80 new media films and projects. Creators represent the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Italy, France, Ireland, Norway, Israel, Switzerland, Malta, Serbia, Panama, Kazakhstan, Brazil and Japan.<\/p>\n
This year’s selections include work from YongJik Lee (Sunflowers), Fabio Thieme (A Dream My Sister Had), Lo\u00efs Levy (Summer 1990), Kenji Ishimaru (If You See a Cat), Leeorah Hursky (Naked Soul), Lori Moilov (Reach the Sky; creator of Limitless Podcast), Nick Roth (Is Ai Gonna Get Better, or Nah?), Da Eun Kim (A Day (HARU)), Dr. Owain Llwyd (Life in the Trees) and Rod Findley (Dolphins of the Reef).<\/p>\n
Music and culture programming features major artists including multi platinum Pendulum and WARGASM with their collaboration Cannibal, and a visual teaser centered on David Byrne, the Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe winning cultural icon known for reshaping the boundaries of performance and visual storytelling.<\/p>\n
Documentary and cultural titles include Kinfolk \u2013 The Juke Joint Blues, featuring historically significant blues figures such as Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, Theresa Needham and Muddy Waters Jr.<\/p>\n
The lineup also includes appearances from notable industry leaders such as Bob Weis, former President of Walt Disney Imagineering, who joins the Limitless Podcast LA premiere as a special guest.<\/p>\n
The festival’s classic and tech driven category highlights span Bartogay Lake, One Day the Sun Will Only Shine for You, Sign, Father Christmas, Storm Hunters, Our Brightest Nights, In Media Res, Moon Over Capri, Roots & Relics, The Mystery of Emma Thorn, Halloween Girl \u2013 Gods and Monsters, Marionette, Take Me Home, 2 Can Play, Honey Fungus, The Chapel Door, Ceol Chicago, Talking Heads’ David Byrne \u2013 What Is the Reason For It?, To the Moon, If You See a Cat, Dolphins of the Reef and Life in the Trees.<\/p>\n
Family and youth oriented selections include The Adventures of The Sensokids, Ish Meets a Mermaid and Kishta, the Black Cat. The lineup features Indigenous and S\u00e1mi creators, including regional Emmy winning Native American filmmaker Jonathan Thunder (Ish Meets a Mermaid) and internationally recognized S\u00e1mi multimedia artist Gjert Rognli (One Day the Sun Will Only Shine for You).<\/p>\n
The festival’s science and innovation program includes Antibiotic Resistance: Could Metals Be the Answer?, Emergence in Marfa and the hybrid media project Androsphere. Immersive selections include Tirosen \u2013 King Boat VR Experience.<\/p>\n
Innovation driven programming includes work from leading contemporary and digital artists such as Bernar Venet, A.A. Murakami, Mitchell F. Chan, Daniella Loftus, Anna Carreras, DADABOTS, OONA, remnynt and Luke Shannon, representing the forefront of conceptual art, generative design and AI driven creativity.<\/p>\n
Notable talent featured across the 2026 lineup includes:
\nDavid Byrne \u2013 Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe winner
\nMary Lou Belli \u2013 Two time Emmy winner
\nBlair Underwood \u2013 Golden Globe and Grammy nominee
\nVernon Davis \u2013 Sports Emmy winner
\nCindy Herron \u2013 Grammy winner (En Vogue)
\nErnesto Paglia \u2013 International Emmy winner
\nGjert Rognli \u2013 Internationally award winning S\u00e1mi multimedia artist
\nJonathan Thunder \u2013 Regional Emmy winning Native American filmmaker
\nAva Della Pietra \u2013 Billboard charting artist and Broadway alum
\nLynn Lowry \u2013 Cult cinema icon
\nPaul Ben Victor \u2013 SAG Award nominee
\nJames Urbaniak \u2013 Annie Award nominee
\nNicole Kang \u2013 Series regular, Batwoman
\nMather Zickel \u2013 SAG ensemble nominee <\/p>\n
The 2026 lineup reflects a forward looking vision that celebrates innovation, global voices and the evolving landscape of film, music, science and immersive media.<\/p>\n
Festival Director Susan Johnston emphasized the festival’s continued commitment to innovation, noting that “each year we champion creators who push the boundaries of story, technology, and culture. The 2026 lineup reflects the global imagination shaping the future of new media.”<\/p>\n
Founded in 2009, the New Media Film Festival<\/a> is a Los Angeles\u2013based event dedicated to honoring stories worth telling. The festival showcases work across more than 28 categories, spanning classic and tech driven formats including narrative and documentary projects, pilots, web series, scripts, animation, music driven visuals, experimental work and emerging media.<\/p>\nEach year, the festival brings together storytellers from around the world and is supported by a distinguished judging body that has included industry professionals from Marvel, HBO, PBS, BBC, ABC and other leading creative institutions. With a focus on discovery and innovation in both form and format, the festival highlights creators working at the intersection of story and technology, from page to screen and beyond.<\/p>\n
# # #<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n