See 62 films at Sundar Prize festival in Surrey, North Delta this week
Published 9:45 am Monday, April 20, 2026
Venues in Guildford and North Delta will stage the 2026 edition of Sundar Prize Film Festival this week, Thursday to Sunday (April 23-26).
Sixty-two films were selected from 823 submissions for the third annual festival, which spotlights “courageous storytelling” to “elevate marginalized voices and drive social change through the power of cinema.” This year’s theme is “Home Is Complicated, So Are We.”
The festival starts at North Delta Centre for the Arts Thursday and Friday (April 24-25), then shifts to Landmark Cinemas in Guildford for screenings and awards, Saturday and Sunday.
This year 50 films are Canadian-made (42 in B.C.), 33 directed by women and 48 created by filmmakers from “underrepresented communities” including IBPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ creators, organizers say on the fest website, sundarprize.com.
Featured films for 2026 include Patrick Shannon’s Saints and Warriors, a documentary that focuses on the Haida basketball season, where leaders of the Skidegate Saints fight to defend their All Native Basketball Championship title, “while also battling for their land and waters against the government that stole it through the Indian Act.”
Also featured is One Day This Kid by Alexander Farah, inspired by David Wojnarowicz’s renowned text, “is an exploration of silent struggle and unspoken tension as Hamed navigates an undefined future with his father.” Under the weight of his father’s expectations, the kid confronts fear, desire and shame in search of a self unknown.
Last April in Surrey, makers of 11 movies went home with handcrafted bamboo trophies, $50,000 in total cash prizes and in-kind support following the festival, a project of Sher Pride (formerly Sher Vancouver), a Metro Vancouver charity for queer South Asians and allies.
“Though vastly different in form, genre and geography, the films selected this year are united by a shared inquiry into belonging,” says Sidartha Murjani, Sundar executive director and senior programmer.
“Home is explored not only as a physical place, but as identity, memory, community and longing — a nuanced, ever-evolving concept, much like ourselves.”
Watch the 2026 festival trailer below.