Slamdance Sets Alexandre Rockwell’s ‘The Projectionist’ As Opening-Night Film; Fest Teams With Utopia

EXCLUSIVE: The 32nd Slamdance Film Festival’s opening night film will be the world premiere of Alexandre Rockwell’s The Projectionist.

Produced by two-time Oscar winner Quentin Tarantino and Jack Auen, The Projectionist follows a reclusive projectionist who is haunted by a wrongful conviction and the loss of his wife. He lives in solitude inside a fading art house theater until one fateful night when his past resurfaces, forcing him to confront the truth, rekindle love and find peace in the glow of the final reel. Pic stars Vondie Curtis-Hall, Karyn Parsons, Kasi Lemmons, David Proval, Kevin Corrigan and Michael Buscemi.

Slamdance returns to Los Angeles for a second consecutive year. It runs in person from Feb. 19-25, 2026, and virtually from Feb. 24-March 6, 2026 on the Slamdance Channel.

“Celebrating our second year in L.A., Slamdance is proud to shine an even brighter spotlight on the independent filmmakers who are redefining storytelling. With Rockwell’s masterful new film The Projectionist kicking off our slate, we can’t wait to bring new creative visions and new ideas in filmmaking to the L.A. community and beyond,” Peter Baxter, Co-Founder of Slamdance said in a statement. “At the same time, we recognize the seismic shift of the media landscape, and we’re honored to join with partners like Utopia, the DGA, and Landmark to deliver a meaningful platform for new voices and together champion the art of independent film.

“The Projectionist is a love letter to the quiet power of cinema as a refuge where our stories are held, remembered, and reborn — and we couldn’t be more honored to screen our film at the opening night of Slamdance, a festival that embodies the vital spirit of independent film better than anywhere,” said Rockwell.

Also featured in the festival’s Spotlight section is the Unititled Ruby Slippers Documentary, directed by Seth Gordon and Nikki Calabrese. The film traces the theft and recovery of the world’s most sought-after piece of movie memorabilia — the Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz — sending a small Minnesota town reeling. A maze of clues and calamities unfolds, delivering unexpected twists and turns in small-town life and big-time crime, proving that even the most outlandish capers can reveal profound truths.

“We’re honored to be premiering this documentary at Slamdance 2026. It’s a homecoming of sorts for us on a few levels: 20 years ago, Seth’s first documentary, The King of Kong, premiered at Slamdance, and that’s also when he shot the first interview for this film,” stated directors Seth Gordon and Nikki Calabrese. “This film has been two decades in the making and along the way we’ve uncovered some remarkable and harrowing stories connected to a larger-than-life true crime more bizarre than we could possibly dream up, layered with trauma, mafia entanglements, hope and reinvention. It took all of those 20 years for the truth behind the crime to emerge, and we can’t wait for the world to see it.”

Slamdance this year is teaming with Robert Schwartzman and Cole Harper’s Utopia to offer theatrical distribution opportunities to the Slamdance award winners. Utopia’s releases include The Last Showgirl, Pavements, Red Rooms and Shiva Baby and the Slamdance premiere Therapy Dogs. Utopia will offer a traditional theatrical distribution deal to a 2026 Grand Prize Winner. In addition, Utopia’s technology suite including Powerflix and Altavod will offer aggregation and bespoke digital distribution opportunities to all competition films.

“Peter and the Slamdance team have always been innovative and forward-thinking when it comes to their offerings for filmmakers whether through technologies, resource sharing or partnerships,” said Utopia Co-Founder, Cole Harper. “Our company is thrilled to collaborate with Slamdance to continue on that mission and bring a timely solution to the biggest issue filmmakers face – receiving meaningful distribution services and tools to bring their movies to the masses, from a theatrical strategy that elevates the film to a long-term approach that creates visibility wherever audiences are, both real-world and online. Utopia is uniquely positioned and excited to extend our services to Slamdance’s films and their entire filmmaker community, and we know this is just the beginning of a new offering that benefits everyone, with no ceiling on its potential.”

Also featured in the festival’s Spotlight section is The Untitled Ruby Slippers Documentary, directed by Seth Gordon and Nikki Calabrese. The film traces the theft and recovery of the world’s most sought-after piece of movie memorabilia – the Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz – sending a small Minnesota town reeling. A maze of clues and calamities unfolds, delivering unexpected twists and turns in small-town life and big-time crime, proving that even the most outlandish capers can reveal profound truths.

Slamdance venues in LA include DGA, Landmark Sunset, and 2220 Arts. This year’s submissions were comprised of 28% titles hailing from the greater Los Angeles area.