The Popcorn List wraps its Fresh Hot Summer in-person screening series, with a grand finale in two days at The Gotham Week on October 1st, with screenings of SEEDS and The Fisherman, just in time for four more fresh, hot titles to drop on Kinema as part of the fall digital series. The titles were recommended to the List by programmers from Austin Film Festival, Cinequest, ReelAbilities and SIFF, spanning a variety of genres from a coming-of-age queer romance, to a spooky-season horror-thriller, to an uplifting family drama, and a music-rich road trip comedy.
Check out the exclusive trailer drop below!
The four titles who opted into the digital series are all from writer-directors, and include 2026 films Crystal Cross (Dir. Richie James Follin), Paper Bag Plan (Dir. Anthony Lucero), The Other People (Dir. Chad McLarnon) and Summer’s Camera (Dir. Divine Sung).
Get your individual tickets or a full access Popcorn Pass here – use discount code HOPEFORFILM for 25% off the Popcorn Pass. All films will be available nationwide through the end of October and include Q&A’s where the filmmakers interview each other. Crystal Cross and Summer’s Camera are available exclusively on Kinema.
“It’s a dream come true to see a small independent film from Korea reach audiences across the United States through the Pop Up Series after its journey through film festivals around the world,” said Summer’s Camera Director Divine Sung, which also played in cinemas this summer as part of the in-person series.
In case you missed it, The Popcorn List (TPL) is an annual survey of feature films without wide release, as recommended by film festival programmers from across the U.S. As the independent distribution landscape remains in flux, TPL’s Pop Up Series was founded in 2025 as an innovative solution to deliver an additional window of visibility and audience-building for a number of films on the List. Seven films, curated by cinema programmers, participated in July’s one-night only, in-person screenings at 20 cinemas across the U.S.
Like the other iterations of the series, all filmmakers retain the rights to their films, and its signature elements remain: a collective financial model (a portion of every ticket sold is pooled and split equally among participating films at the culmination of the series), a collaborative marketing strategy led by Product of Culture, and an emphasis on supporting early-career filmmakers.
“We are thrilled to be a part of The Popcorn List’s Digital Pop Up Series. Indie films need champions, and the amazing people at TPL are on the front lines beating the drum,” said Trey McLarnon, Producer of The Other People.
Indie films are brought to market one at a time, competing for the same audiences, marketing dollars and attention. “By approaching these films as a slate, with every film contributing to the collective marketing effort, we can build audiences across titles, extend the reach of every campaign and make each marketing dollar work harder,” said Archana Jain, CEO/Co-Founder of Product of Culture. Filmmakers are also gaining strategies and tools they can use to strengthen the marketing of their films beyond this release, and their next films as well.
The TPL team, and are excited about Kinema’s dedication to fair and transparent distribution – and filmmaker education – making them a perfect partner for the digital series. “Though many ‘virtual’ windows have gone to the wayside post-pandemic, maintaining a digital window is key for audiences to engage with independent cinema when they can’t access an art house theater.”
Full circle! Kinema CEO/Founder with Richie James Follin (Crystal Cross) and Chad McClarnon, at the 2026 Nashville Film Festival last weekend.
“Thousands of films spend years getting made, premiere at great festivals and then hit a distribution wall,” said Christie Marchese, founder and CEO of Kinema. “The Popcorn List is building another route to market, where filmmakers can pool audiences and marketing power while keeping ownership of their films. That’s the kind of distribution infrastructure we want Kinema to power.”
First announced in August 2025, The Popcorn List: Pop Up Series is the first to focus on ‘un-distributed’ festival films (though organizers prefer to say “without wide release”). As indie films continue to struggle in the current marketplace, TPL is encouraged that the concept is catching on industry wide, with similarly-themed projects subsequently popping up from Letterboxd, Nonfiction Hot List, Future of Film is Female and NEON, Alamo Drafthouse, and AMC. With a commitment to community building and a filmmaker-forward ethos, TPL continues in its third year as a visibility project and second year as a Pop Up Series to empower and educate filmmakers while helping their projects maintain momentum as they bridge the gap between festivals and wider distribution.
The all female-led initiative is organized by mamafilm and The Film Collaborative, presented by Kinema, and made possible with generous support from Product of Culture, and Facet. Check out all of The Popcorn List films from 2024-2026 here.
2026 THE POPCORN LIST: DIGITAL POP UP SERIES FILMS
CRYSTAL CROSS, Dir. Richie James Follin (Recommended to TPL by Barbara Morgan, Austin Film Festival, World Premiere: Austin Film Festival 2025)
A quirky Christian singer and a suicidal dad drive cross-country, forging an unlikely bond through bad decisions, bizarre roadside attractions, and an all-original soundtrack. “Crystal Cross” is a hilarious, bittersweet road trip about two lost souls finding comfort (but not salvation) in each other’s messes.
PAPER BAG PLAN, Dir. Anthony Lucero (Recommended to TPL by Isaac Zablocki, ReelAbilities, World Premiere: Heartland Film Festival 2024)
Winner of 13 festival awards including six Jury Awards and four Audience Awards, Paper Bag Plan tells the story of a devoted father who devises a plan to train his disabled son the intricacies of bagging groceries—determined to help Billy land his first job and begin a life of independence.
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.
THE OTHER PEOPLE, Dir. Chad McClarnon (Recommended to TPL by Michael Rabehl, Cinequest, World Premiere: Cinequest 2025)
In a town plagued with sudden deaths and missing persons, a troubled eight-year-old girl befriends a boy that lives in the shadows, and her new stepmom learns why things that live in the dark don’t want to be seen.
The Pop Up Series is presented by mamafilm and The Film Collaborative, and made possible with generous support from Product of Culture and Simple DCP and our sustaining supporters Hope For Film and FACET. 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.
🍿 The Popcorn List is a discovery and visibility project that amplifies independent films that deserve to be seen more widely; highlights the discovery nature of film festivals and the craft of film curation; and satisfies audience’s desire for story-driven movies.
TPL provides an opportunity for Films & Filmmakers, Distributors & Sales Agents, Film Festivals & Independent Exhibitors & Audiences. Through our various initiatives – including the Annual Lists and The Pop Up Series, we’re out to disrupt the outdated model, establish a new set of best practices and create a regenerative professional network within the independent film ecosystem. Learn more >
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