Programmers' Picks: Andy Spletzer on SIFF 2026

Maintenance Artist

Mierle Ukeles found art in the most mundane and overlooked tasks, and as the (unpaid) artist in residence at the NY Department of Sanitation she makes installations and performance pieces on a truly grand scale. It’s the type of documentary that inspires you to see the art in your everyday life.

Late Fame

Willem Dafoe plays a post office employee whose early book of poetry is “rediscovered” by a group of aspiring artists who adopt him as an elder statesman, which gives him mixed feelings. Another great performance by Dafoe.

Bucks Harbor

This slice-of-life look at a small fishing village in Maine is actually a stealth doc about masculinity in rural towns, including one married man who performs on the internet in drag. This one sneaks up on you.

EIGHT BRIDGES

There is something hypnotically alluring about James Benning’s work, like when you stand in front of a painting for more than a cursory look and notice the brush strokes, shadows, and details in the background. Like the title implies, the movie shows eight bridges in eight shots, from the Golden Gate to the Astoria-Megler bridges.

Alt Shorts 2026

From the visually poetic to found footage mash-ups, this year’s Alt Shorts package ranges from somber to surreal to hilarious.

Ghost in the Machine

Is AI racist? There is a strong case to believe it is, seeing as it’s based on so many texts from the time when racism was commonplace, not to mention the ingestion of posts and rants from the wild west of social media. Another great doc with a point of view.

Barbara Forever

Back when the American avant-garde film scene was mostly men, Barbara Hammer created iconoclastic films full of lesbian desire. She believes she should get more credit for being an avant-garde pioneer, and after watching this you’ll agree.

The Invite

Everything I read about this movie after its Sundance premiere made me want to see it. I look forward to getting an invite to this, our closing night feature.