The 17th Annual New Media Film Festival® has announced its second wave of early selections for 2026, featuring a lineup of global creators and premiere titles that reinforce its standing as one of Los Angeles' most forward-looking cultural institutions. The festival, which will be held at The Culver Theater on June 3-4, 2026, continues its hybrid model of distinct in-person and online programming to expand global reach while maintaining industry relevance. This year's early selections highlight the festival's commitment to bold, international talent whose work resonates across continents, platforms, and creative disciplines.
The lineup includes a striking visual teaser from legendary Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, marking a new creative chapter from one of music's most enduring innovators. A high-voltage collaboration between Pendulum & Wargasm titled "Cannibal" will make its world premiere after generating more than 662 million views in seven months, underscoring the power of cross-genre, cross-platform storytelling. The festival will also feature the Los Angeles premiere of the Limitless Podcast, where creator Lori Moilov will be joined by special guest Bob Weis, former President of Walt Disney Imagineering, for a conversation exploring imagination as a renewable resource and the future of experiential storytelling.
International selections include CEOL from Ireland, a visually rich animation originally created for the recent World Fair that blends cultural heritage with next-generation design, and Stark Files from Spain, a world premiere web series offering a kinetic, documentary-style exploration of the rise of electric bikes and the new era of mainstream racing culture sweeping Europe. Now in its 17th year, the New Media Film Festival® has earned a reputation for elevating creators who shape the future of media, with a legacy that includes honoring pioneers such as Jeff Bridges and assembling jurors from Marvel, HBO, the Emmys, the Grammys, PBS, and the BBC.
The festival's commitment to transparency, creator trust, and meaningful industry pathways continues to set it apart, with new verification systems, authenticated reviews, and identity-confirmed leadership supporting a clear, accountable ecosystem for filmmakers and digital creators. The two-day event will feature world premieres, exclusive screenings, red carpet arrivals, a VIP soirée, creator conversations, live Q&A sessions, classic cinema showcases, tech-driven presentations, an awards ceremony, and cross-industry networking that has historically led to distribution deals, funding opportunities, casting breakthroughs, and long-term creative partnerships.
Submissions are accepted through April 6, with schedule locks occurring in mid-April. Tickets, programming updates, and submission details are available at https://www.NewMediaFilmFestival.com. Since its founding in 2009, the New Media Film Festival® has been dedicated to discovering, showcasing, and supporting the world's most compelling storytellers. As the first major festival to embrace the full spectrum of new media technologies, it has consistently led the industry in recognizing groundbreaking work and pioneering new pathways for global content distribution and monetization. The festival celebrates creators who challenge convention, elevate the craft, and use technology to expand what storytelling can achieve, earning participation from judges representing HBO, BBC, PBS, Marvel, AMPAS, the Television Academy, and other leaders shaping the future of entertainment.
