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The Popcorn List: Pop Up Series to Launch Theatrical Series of Films Without Distribution
Summer's Camera The Popcorn List, an annual survey completed by festival programmers identifying “fresh, hot” films without wide distribution, presents the second edition of The Popcorn List: Pop Up Series. This sneak-preview screening event will be held at a dozen theaters across the country in July before arriving for an encore presentation during Gotham Week in October.
This is the second annual iteration of the Pop Up Series, which was created in 2025 to “deliver an additional window of visibility and audience-building for a number of films on the List” amid an uncertain distribution landscape, per a press release. This year, seven feature films from the 2026 edition of The Popcorn List have been selected by three curators: Ragtag Cinema programmer Ouma Amadou, Indiana University Cinema director Dr. Alicia Kozma, and freelance programmer Monica Castillo.
The films—all by first-time feature filmmakers, several of whom are women and people of color—have previously premiered at SXSW, Sundance, Venice, BFI Flare and True/False. The list of selected films is as follows: The Fisherman (Dir. Zoey Martinson), Fucktoys (Dir. Annapurna Sriram, who appeared on last year’s 25 New Faces of Film list), Remaining Native (Dir. Paige Bethmann), Seeds (Dir. Brittany Shyne), Summer’s Camera (Dir. Divine Sung), Trash Baby (Dir. Jacy Mairs) and WTO/99 (Dir. Ian Bell, who we interviewed on his great archival doc last year).
Once again, the filmmakers will partake in a collective financial model, meaning that the money from every ticket sold is funneled into a “solidarity pool” which will be split evenly among the participants when the series wraps. The filmmakers will also benefit from a “centralized marketing strategy,” which will allow them to retain the rights for their films while bringing them to new audiences.
At present, the participating cinemas include Amherst Cinema (Amherst, MA), CineSpeak (Philadelphia, PA), Esquire Theatre hosted by Leontine Cinema (Cincinnati, OH), Independent Picture House (Charlotte, NC), Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, TX), Nightlight Cinema (Akron, OH), Palm Theater (San Luis Obispo, CA), Phoenix Film Society (Phoenix, AZ), Roxie Theater (San Francisco, CA), SIFF (Seattle, WA), Sidewalk Film Center (Birmingham, AL), and Texas Theater (Dallas, TX).
Each cinema will select films based on their existing programming tastes and screen for a special one night engagement at some point during the month July, which TPL organizers have dubbed “Fresh, Hot Summer.” For those who don’t see their local theater listed, a virtual Pop Up Series will be hosted sometime after Gotham Week.
“The Pop Up Series is exciting because it’s an experiment with different structures, scheduling, and formulas, and that we can expand on last year’s Series is indicative of its potential,” said series co-organizer Kathy Susca of The Film Collaborative via press release. “We are looking to empower filmmakers, harness the power of the collective, and show that non-traditional collaborative projects can reach new audiences.”
“To follow the evolution of The Popcorn List since its inception in 2024 is very encouraging for the state of indie film distribution,” said co-organizer Lela Meadow-Conner of mamafilm. “What started as a literal kernel of an idea has grown into something that’s connecting us to so many like-minded collaborators and partners who believe in this community – which is the heart of our mission.”
Find descriptions of the participating films below.
THE FISHERMAN, Dir. Zoey Martinson (Recommended to TPL by Paul Sloop, Cordillera Intl. Film Festival; Clint Bowie, New Orleans Film Festival; World Premiere: Venice Biennale 2024)
In this Venice Film Festival-winning feast of magical realist comedy— aging Ghanaian Atta Oko sets his sights on finally having his own boat and becoming the envy of his village, he’ll just need help from a dead talking fish.’
FUCKTOYS, Dir. Annapurna Sriram (Recommended to TPL by Andrew Peterson, Provincetown Film Festival.; Brian Hu, San Diego Asian Film Festival; Allegra Madsen, Frameline; Lauren Thelen, Nashville Film Festival, World Premiere: SXSW 2025)
A cursed young woman sets out on a wild fundraising adventure through Trashtown, USA, after she’s told by multiple psychics that she can break the curse by paying them $1000.
REMAINING NATIVE, Dir. Paige Bethmann (Recommended to TPL by Sunrise Tippeconnie, deadCenter Film Festival, World Premiere: SXSW 2025)
Remaining Native is a coming-of-age documentary told from the perspective of Kutoven (Ku) Stevens, a 17-year-old Native American runner, struggling to navigate his dream of becoming a collegiate athlete as the memory of his great-grandfather’s escape from an Indian boarding school begins to connect past, present, and future.
SEEDS, Dir. Brittany Shyne (Recommended to TPL by Stephanie Owens, Sundance Film Festival; Javier Chavez, AFI; World Premiere: Sundance 2025 )
SEEDS is a portrait of centennial farmers in the American South. Using lyrical black and white imagery, this meditative film examines the decline of generational Black farmers and the significance of owning land.
SUMMER’S CAMERA, Dir. Divine Sung (Recommended to TPL by Beth Barrett, SIFF, World Premiere: BFI Flare 2025)
Summer captures her first crush through her late father’s camera—only to uncover photographs that reveal his hidden past, sending Summer on a journey that transforms her understanding of love and family.
TRASH BABY, Dir. Jacy Mairs, (Recommended to TPL by Ariana Farina, Dances with Films Festival; World Premiere: SXSW 2025)
Trash Baby is a coming-of-age drama that follows 12-year-old Stevie as she navigates growing up, getting out, and the art of finding beauty in the ugliest of places.
WTO/99, Dir. Ian Bell (Recommended to TPL by Ben Delgado, ReFocus Film Festival; World Premiere True/False 2025)
An archival documentary that depicts the 4-day clash between the then-emerging World Trade Organization (WTO) and the 40,000+ people who took to the streets of Seattle in 1999 to protest the WTO Conference and the WTO’s impact on human rights, labor, and the future effects of continued globalization.
The Series is presented by mamafilm and The Film Collaborative, and made possible with generous support from Product of Culture and Simple DCP. Tax deductible donations, which will contribute to the campaign costs, can be made here. Follow The Popcorn List on Substack to track the journey. Check out all of The Popcorn List films from 2024-2026 here.
