The 2026 Documentary Fund received applications from filmmakers around the world, with almost 65% of proposals coming from outside the United States, while Jarboui emerged as the sole African representative among the 19 selected projects.
By Joseph Jonathan
Tunisian filmmaker Rami Jarboui has been selected as one of the recipients of the Sundance Institute’s 2026 Documentary Fund grants, becoming the sole African filmmaker represented among the 19 projects receiving more than $1 million in unrestricted support.
Jarboui’s Salt of the South, a Tunisia-France-Denmark-Qatar co-production, is among 12 projects receiving grants for production. The documentary is set on the polluted shores of Gabès, where a chemical complex threatens a coastal community. It follows a clam harvester determined to preserve her family’s way of life as her son embarks on a perilous journey to Europe.
Jarboui’s selection comes after his film The Bird’s Placebo became the sole African animated short film selected for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. The recognition further extends the Tunisian filmmaker’s presence within the festival’s programmes.
The 2026 Documentary Fund received applications from filmmakers around the world, with almost 65% of proposals coming from outside the United States, while Jarboui emerged as the sole African representative among the 19 selected projects.
The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, founded in 2002, will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2027. The programme provides financial, creative, and strategic support to independent nonfiction filmmakers at different stages of their projects and careers.
2026 Sundance Documentary Fund Grantees
Development
- Alcatraz is an Idea — U.S.A. Director: Julian Brave NoiseCat
- Shape of Silence — Canada. Director & Producer: Varun Trikha
- Shooting Stars — Iran, France, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway. Director: Parsa Ansari
- Wahnish Keeps Me Free — U.S.A. Director: Jamil McGinnis
Production
- All Fixed Up — U.S.A., France, South Korea. Director: Hao Zhou
- All Shall Be Saved — U.S.A. Directors: Jason Sussberg, David Alvarado
- Anatomy of Indifference — U.K., Romania. Director & Producer: Ilinca Calugareanu
- Artificial Horizon — U.S.A. Director: Elizabeth M. Webb
- God of the In-Between — India, U.S.A. Director: Archana Phadke
- Matrescence — U.K. Director: Kathryn Ferguson
- None of This Matters — U.S.A. Director: Shaina Feinberg
- Penny & Koko — U.S.A. Director & Producer: Tasha Van Zandt
- Salt of the South — Tunisia, France, Denmark, Qatar. Director: Rami Jarboui
- Speaking For Earth — U.S.A. Director & Producer: Cody Ball
- The People’s Network — U.S.A. Director: Alyse Shorland
- YOSI — U.S.A., Mexico. Director: Jimmy Goldblum
Post-Production
- My Friend the Bear — U.S.A. Director: Drew Xanthopoulos
- Nine — U.S.A. Directors & Producers: Rachael DeCruz, Jeremy S. Levine
- Unfiltered (w/t) — U.S.A. Director: Chelsi Bullard