Slamdance 2026 Announces Opening Night Film The Projectionist and Major Utopia Distribution Partnership

Alexandre Rockwell’s The Projectionist will open Slamdance 2026, marking a major moment for the festival as it expands partnerships and celebrates bold independent voices.

Slamdance Announces Opening Night Film The Projectionist and New Utopia Distribution Partnership

Slamdance is coming into 2026 loud, proud, and laser-focused on its mission: independent film above everything. Today the festival announced that Alexandre Rockwell’s The Projectionist will open its 32nd edition—marking the festival’s second year in Los Angeles and another bold declaration of what Slamdance does best: championing uncompromising filmmakers who build worlds on their own terms.

Running February 19–25, 2026 in-person and February 24–March 6 virtually on the Slamdance Channel, the festival continues to evolve, and this year’s announcement makes it clear that the evolution is intentional.

Festival co-founder Peter Baxter said it best: Slamdance is doubling down on “new creative visions” and acknowledging the seismic changes in the modern media landscape. That shift is reflected not only in the programming but in the festival’s strengthened partnerships, including a major new alliance with indie disruptor Utopia.

Produced by Quentin Tarantino and Jack Auen, The Projectionist is positioned as a love letter to cinema’s quiet corners—the places where film has always functioned as a refuge. The story follows a reclusive projectionist (played by Vondie Curtis-Hall) carrying the weight of a wrongful conviction and the grief of losing his wife. Isolated inside a fading arthouse theater, he’s forced back into the world when a ghost from his past reopens old wounds and unexpected possibilities.

Karyn Parsons, Kasi Lemmons, David Proval, Kevin Corrigan, and Michael Buscemi round out the cast, adding to the film’s already emotional pedigree.

Rockwell called it “a love letter to the quiet power of cinema,” and opening at Slamdance—perhaps the most defiantly filmmaker-driven festival in the country—feels symbiotic.

Also announced for the Spotlight section is Seth Gordon and Nikki Calabrese’s The Untitled Ruby Slippers Documentary.

This project has been 20 years in the making—beginning the same year Gordon premiered The King of Kong at Slamdance. The film dives into a true crime so bizarre it almost outpaces fiction: a saga of stolen ruby slippers, mafia ties, layered trauma, reinvention, and the decades-long journey required to finally unearth the truth.

In the biggest strategic shift for Slamdance in years, the festival announced a new distribution partnership with Utopia—the studio behind Shiva Baby, Pavements, Red Rooms, and Slamdance alum Therapy Dogs.

This partnership is a game-changer.

Utopia will award a traditional theatrical distribution deal to the Slamdance 2026 Grand Prize Winner, giving filmmakers a real pipeline from festival to the marketplace—something that has become increasingly rare for new voices.

Additional digital distribution opportunities through Utopia’s tools—Powerflix and Altavod—will be available to all competition films.

Cole Harper, Utopia’s co-founder, frames it clearly: meaningful distribution is the biggest obstacle indie filmmakers face today, and this partnership is designed to knock down that wall.

Slamdance also announced the return of Market Monday on February 23—a full day dedicated to panels and workshops surrounding distribution, local production, and audience-building.

And in a move that reinforces its commitment to accessibility, festival passes remain just $50—a fraction of other major winter festivals. In-person passes and Slamdance Channel subscriptions are available now.

This year’s festival extends across landmark Los Angeles venues, including the Directors Guild of America, Landmark Sunset, and 2220 Arts, celebrating a record 28% of submissions coming from the greater LA region.

Festivities begin early on February 18 with the second annual Indie Awards, honoring filmmakers who’ve pushed through barriers that would have stopped most others.

Slamdance has always been the festival that refuses to lose its soul—and this year’s lineup, partnerships, and initiatives feel like a doubling-down on that ethos. With The Projectionist opening the festival and Utopia stepping in as a true distribution ally, the 2026 edition is shaping up to be one of the most consequential Slamdance events in years.

We’ll be covering the festival extensively. Stay tuned.