DEPARTMENT OF ANARCHY: Short Cinema Assault · 2026 (in LA)

THE DEPARTMENT OF ANARCHY returns to Los Angeles for one night only with a selection of 16 brand new short form screen provocations from around the globe. Supported by Slamdance; this 2026 curation marks 14 years of platforming cinematic disobedience that is not for the faint of heart.

Department of Anarchy’s Short Cinema Assaults are curated short film selections from all genres that provoke, disturb, and intoxicate. Cultivated at Slamdance film festival for over a decade by underground filmmakers Burke Roberts and Noel Lawrence, this bold program became notorious as the true fringe of the fringe in Park City, Utah during Sundance.

Having branched out over the last 5 years to tour their unique curations to fans domestically and abroad, Department of Anarchy has begun to bring their rare cinema experiences to all kinds of venues; ranging from traditional art house movie theaters to PopUps at large music, open air cinemas, multi-media exhibitions and art galleries in cities around the world.

In 2025, Burke and Noel added a new talented treasure hunter to the curation team by the name of Meryem Lalou. A brilliant young visual artist from Morocco, whom the Department of Anarchy was fortunate enough to have discovered her sick and wonderful animation by back in 2021.

Anarchy Filmmakers are the black sheep of the cinematic herd. Their films are not
produced for the entertainment industry. They are produced in spite of the entertainment
industry. This ongoing curation gives a platform to cutting edge works
that subvert the status quo -subconsciously, politically, sexually, stylistically, and commercially. Though diverse in every respect, these films all scream a simple message from the rooftops: F*CK THE SYSTEM!

In this increasingly unpredictable era for cinema and beyond ~ The Department of Anarchy stands firmly in the belief that nothing is shocking … sO WeLcOmE
tO ThE NeW WoRLd DiSsOrDeR!

“People crave increasingly novel stimulation, always looking for a new form of media contraband.”

– David Cronenberg, Videodrome

“To me some of the most exciting curatorial spaces are those where anything seems possible. Spaces where creative work can be celebrated and the filmmaker’s imagination can follow its own unique paths. Department of Anarchy is one such place, with its curators
functioning as a combination of guides and showmen, taking the audience on a trip through the weird, challenging and oddball limits of cinema…”

– Jack Sargeant