NYWIFT at Sundance 2026: In Conversation with Jamie Kiernan O’Brien
NYWIFT Member Jamie Kiernan O'Brien is celebrating a remarkable achievement: still a student at NYU, her narrative short film Gender Studies is premiering at 2026 Sundance Film Festival…with screenings at SXSW to follow! In Gender Studies, a trans college student learns the girl she idolizes is sleeping with their teaching assistant and takes drastic steps to emulate her. Jamie was also Production Sound Mixer for Crisis Actor, directed by fellow NYU student Lily Platt. The narrative short follows an impulsive actress – recently fired from her day job – as she crashes a support group and spirals into a chaotic night that forces her to face her addiction to drama. Jamie spoke to us about this exciting milestone in her career.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Seeley Björkstén
Welcome to NYWIFT, Seeley Björkstén! Seeley is an NYC-based filmmaker and digital artist who is mostly interested in telling impactful nonfiction stories through film. Their passion for incorporating animation and other types of unconventional creativity into their work is reflected in their short film Who I Wasn’t, among other projects. Having studied at American University and FAMU, one of the oldest film schools in the world, Seeley is currently the Marketing & Social Media Manager at the Bushwick Film Festival. As someone who believes that art has the power to change the world, they consider their creations to be a form of activism. Seeley spoke to us about what drew them to animation, their creative journey, and their most personal project to date.
READ MORENYWIFT at Sundance: In Conversation with Katharina Otto-Bernstein
Since premiering and winning the Jury Prize in the 2022 Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival (the first to do so from the Indian subcontinent), Joyland has moved audiences worldwide with its human portrayal of the limits of love in the face of patriarchy. The film follows the youngest son in a traditional Pakistani family as he takes a job as a backup dancer in a Bollywood-style burlesque, and quickly becomes infatuated with the strong-willed trans woman who runs the show. The film is both a loving portrait of the people of Lahore, Pakistan, and a painful depiction of how rigid traditional gender roles and repressed sexuality can have a ripple effect that harms the whole community. NYWIFT member Katharina Otto-Bernstein, who produced Joyland, spoke to us about discovering new artists through mentorship, political pushback on Joyland, and how Malala Yousafzai helped the film finally reach Pakistani audiences.
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