Independent animator Carter Amelia Davis is one of the creative voices represented in the 2026 Sundance Film Festival’s Short Film Program with her surreal animated short Homemade Gatorade. The film is part of the Midnight Short Film Program, a category that highlights boundary‑pushing, experimental, and genre‑bending shorts at the world‑renowned festival.
A Surreal Road Trip on Screen
Homemade Gatorade tells an off‑kilter tale of a woman’s bizarre road trip to deliver her creamy homemade sports drink to a mysterious online buyer — a story that blends humor, absurdity, and visual inventiveness. The film, which runs approximately nine minutes, is written and directed by Carter Amelia Davis, who also appears in the cast alongside Lauren Davis, Spencer Hawk, Alosha Robinson, and Connett Croghan.
The short’s playful yet unsettling aesthetic typifies Davis’s self‑taught animation style, built over years of creating surreal and quirky shorts that often defy easy genre categorization. In festival programming, Homemade Gatorade stands out for its imaginative narrative and offbeat tone, fitting perfectly within the Midnight program’s celebration of daring and unexpected filmmaking.
Midnight Shorts: A Platform for Bold Voices
The Midnight Short Film Program at Sundance is known for showcasing films that push creative boundaries, exploring unconventional stories and experimental formats. As part of this lineup, Davis’s animation sits alongside a diverse array of international voices and genres — from fiction and animated shorts to nonfiction pieces — all selected from thousands of submissions worldwide.
Sundance’s commitment to shorts highlights the importance of short‑form storytelling in the broader cinematic ecosystem. These films provide a proving ground for emerging filmmakers to experiment with style and subject matter while gaining exposure on one of the world’s most influential stages.
From Animation to Festival Screens
For an independent animator like Davis, having a short selected for Sundance is a significant milestone. Festivals like Sundance not only offer visibility to creative filmmakers but also open doors to audiences, industry professionals, and potential collaborators. Audiences at Sundance — both in Utah and through online festival access — get to experience a eclectic mix of cinematic voices that represent the future of film and animation.
Although Homemade Gatorade is a brief piece, its inclusion in the festival reflects both Davis’s distinctive artistic voice and the broader role of short‑form animation in contemporary storytelling. As shorts continue to gain prestige alongside feature films, artists like Davis are instrumental in expanding the creative possibilities of animation on the festival circuit.
Looking Ahead
As Sundance 2026 runs through February 1 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Homemade Gatorade adds to the vibrant showcase of independent storytelling. With its surreal narrative and bold visual language, Carter Amelia Davis’s work exemplifies how short films — particularly animated ones — continue to challenge conventions and captivate audiences on cinema’s biggest stages.
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Staff Report
Staff Report
Staff Report
