By Jessica Herndon
Sometimes, keeping things short is key when you’re looking to make a lasting first impression. Each year at the Sundance Film Festival, we showcase bold, innovative short films that spotlight the next wave of storytelling talent — and we’ve always believed a short is an incredible way for an artist to express their vision. For many filmmakers, screening a short at the Festival is a launchpad to showcase their unique voices to a broad audience and transition from emerging artists to celebrated visionaries.
Shorts from directors like Jason Reitman and Sterlin Harjo didn’t just capture attention when they premiered at the Fest, they established the filmmakers’ storytelling style, paving the way for feature-length projects and award-winning series. In 2004, Taika Waititi brought his signature humor and heart to Two Cars, One Night, a poignant and playful short that hinted at the offbeat charm he would later weave into films like the Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit. In 2008, we were introduced to Dee Rees’ raw and intimate storytelling with her deeply personal short Pariah, which became the foundation for her acclaimed feature of the same name.
These filmmakers and many others have unveiled their voices in short films. Below, learn about 10 directors with inspiring careers whose shorts screened at the Festival early in their creative journeys, and be sure to check out our 2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Program with a Short Films Pass: Online to get unlimited on-demand access to our curated collection of short films.
Todd Haynes — Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story
Todd Haynes made a provocative splash at the 1988 Sundance Film Festival with Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, a short that used Barbie dolls to depict the life and tragic death of singer Karen Carpenter. The bold approach of Superstar marked Haynes as an innovator unafraid to push boundaries and set the stage for more emotionally complex works, like Poison, Velvet Goldmine, Carol, and other stories about influential musicians, including 2007’s I’m Not There about Bob Dylan.
Jason Reitman — Operation
Jason Reitman debuted Operation, a funny take on an urban legend following a kidney heist, at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998. The short, which showcased his knack for irreverent humor, was a precursor to the sharp, satirical tone of his later work. Films like Thank You for Smoking, which premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, and Juno and Up in the Air, both of which earned Reitman a nomination for the Best Director Academy Award, are among his most well-known.
Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass — This is John
The Duplass brothers brought their signature charm to the Sundance Film Festival in 2003 with the hilarious short This is John, which Jay directed and Mark wrote about a man’s existential crisis while recording an answering machine message. After their Festival debut, the duo went on to premiere Scrabble, a short that they co-directed about a Scrabble game that goes awry, at the 2004 Fest. They’ve since become prolific creators, producing, executive-producing, and directing films and TV shows under their banner Duplass Brothers Productions, including Sundance Film Fest favorites like the feature The Skeleton Twins, a 2014 Fest premiere they executive produced; Tangerine, a 2015 Fest premiere they executive produced; and the series Penelope, which Mark created and the duo executive produced, and whose pilot episode premiered at the 2024 Fest.
Taika Waititi — Two Cars, One Night
Taika Waititi’s Academy Award–nominated Two Cars, One Night screened at the 2004 Festival, grabbing audiences with its mix of slick cinematography and childhood wonder. The story, centered on two kids forging an unexpected connection in a parking lot, was a endearing glimpse into the quirkiness that would define Waititi’s later work, including What We Do in the Shadows (a 2014 Sundance Film Festival premiere), Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, and Jojo Rabbit, which won him the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Sterlin Harjo — Goodnight Irene
Sterlin Harjo premiered Goodnight Irene, a moving short about loss and healing that showcased his deep connection to his Indigenous heritage and his talent for telling stories rooted in community and resilience. After screening his film at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005, Harjo went on to direct features like Mekko and Four Sheets to the Wind, the latter of which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and won actor Tamara Podemski the Special Jury Prize for Acting. He also co-created the groundbreaking series Reservation Dogs, which won a Peabody Award and gained critical acclaim for its authentic portrayal of Indigenous life.
Dee Rees — Pariah
Dee Rees made a powerful debut at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival with Pariah, an evocative short about a young Black woman navigating her queer identity and self-expression in a world that often stifles them. The short’s raw honesty set the tone for Rees’s storytelling, laying the groundwork for her 2011 feature of the same name, which premiered at the Fest and won the Excellence in Cinematography Award: U.S. Dramatic. Rees has gone on to direct films like Mudbound, which received four Academy Award nominations, including one for the adapted screenplay, which Rees co-wrote.
Destin Daniel Cretton — Short Term 12
Destin Daniel Cretton’s Short Term 12 premiered at the Festival in 2009, immersing audiences in the world of a group home for at-risk teens. The emotionally gripping short, inspired by Cretton’s own experiences working in such a facility, revealed his gift for empathetic storytelling. The short became the foundation for his feature-length adaptation in 2013, which won both the Feature Film Jury Award and the Audience Award in the Narrative Feature Competition at the South By Southwest Film & TV Festival. Cretton has gone on to direct films like Just Mercy and Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Lake Bell — Worst Enemy
In 2011, actor Lake Bell’s Worst Enemy, a comical short about a woman who gets stuck in a full-body girdle, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film, an off-center exploration of self-sabotage and insecurity, showcased Bell’s ability to blend wit and relatability — a talent that’s become her signature. Bell has continued to make her mark as a filmmaker, most notably with her feature-length 2013 Fest premiere and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award–winner In a World…, which she wrote, directed, and starred in.
Reinaldo Marcus Green — Stop
Reinaldo Marcus Green premiered Stop, a tense and timely short about the encounter between a young Black man and a police officer, at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The film’s nuanced take on systemic racism and personal vulnerability established Green as an audacious and socially conscious storyteller. Green has since directed compelling films like Monsters and Men — which premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Outstanding First Feature — and King Richard.
