Haymaker 2026: MARY MAGNUM: JIU-JITSU NUN And SUPERCOURIER Headline The Salt Lake City Event In September
I’ve been waiting to hear from the good folks over in Utah since partaking in the freshman festivities of the Haymaker Film Festival last year with our press coverage. They’re coming back this year with their two-day event in Salt Lake City and with two feature premieres and shortfilm blocks to help put some butts in seats. Certainly on the feature front is Mary Magnum: Jiu-Jitsu Nun which comes as the latest independent action effort from director Jose Montesinos, and Olzhas Ibraev’s Kazakh action comedy, SuperCourier which returns action star local Timur Baktybayev following 2024’s Jackie Chan-stylized fanservice, Kung Fu Rookie.
The festival, now in its sophomore year, will also present eighteen shortfilms to its audience including some of my own favorites of late like Eric Jacobus’s Bag Lady, Kevin Barile’s The Mime, Davidson Corona’s Mind, Body, & Soul, and James Newman’s We Are All Monsters; Full disclosure: I’ve already interviewed Newman as his project gets ready to screen for the fourth edition of Big Bad Film Fest out in Los Angeles, so I undoubtedly love that this project’s inclusion here is adding to his momentum as a director of late. Come back here tomorrow for that bit of coverage.
As for all things Haymaker, their newest venue this year will be at the Brewvies Cinema Pub, following the festival’s debut last year at The Beehive. A teaser is also up and running as well as the official Haymaker Film Festival with links available to purchase either a daily pass or a weekend pass, so read the announcement below and get yours for an early start!
HAYMAKER FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LINEUP: 2 FEATURE PREMIERES, 18 INDEPENDENT SHORT FILMS, AND A SPECIAL UTAH FILMMAKER SPOTLIGHT BLOCK
Tuesday, August 18, 2026 — Haymaker Film Festival will return to Salt Lake City, UT for its second edition with a special selection of local and international films. With two feature film premieres, two short film blocks, a Utah Filmmaker Spotlight, and the Haymaker Mixer, the festival maintains its dedication to celebrating action cinema, filmmakers, and stunt performers while increasing its focus on connecting independent action filmmakers and reinvesting in the local filmmaking community. Haymaker Film Festival will take place September 25-26, at Brewvies Cinema Pub (a new venue for 2026).
OPENING NIGHT: SHORTS BLOCK AND MARY MAGNUM: JIU-JITSU NUN
Haymaker Film Festival will kick things off on Friday, September 25. The opening night shorts block sets the tone for the weekend, subverting expectations and offering plenty of surprises for even the most experienced movie-goers. Following the Shorts Block is the World Theatrical Premiere of Mary Magnum: Jiu-Jitsu Nun, from director Jose Montesinos. Pulling inspiration from campy, gritty, grindhouse-era B-movies, Mary Magnum: Jiu-Jitsu Nun is at once both an outrageous action-comedy and a unique passion project dedicated to the late Dennis Ruel. Starring Paula Rae Taylor as Mary Magnum, a nun driven to the edge when someone she loves is trapped in the clutches of a powerful and abusive politician, Mary Magnum: Jiu-Jitsu Nun balances unhinged, irreverent comedy with a barrage of gunshots, grapples, and throws.
COMMUNITY BUILDING
Continuing into Saturday is an increased focus on community building. Beginning with a Utah Filmmaker Spotlight + Q&A, the festival will highlight local action short films with an extended Q&A session. Details on the film selections and Q&A moderators will be revealed in the coming weeks. Immediately following the Spotlight block is the Haymaker Mixer which will give audiences and filmmakers alike the opportunity to connect and continue building on the independent action cinema scene.
CLOSING OUT: SHORTS BLOCK AND SUPERCOURIER
Capping the festival off is another shorts block and the North American premiere of SuperCourier. The Saturday Shorts Block will showcase the sweeping range of the genre, from the horror-tinged We Are All Monsters, the experimental Use Your Words, and the sci-fi / They Live-inspired Bag Lady, the latest featurette from Eric Jacobus (most widely known as the motion capture actor for Kratos in 2018’s God of War), followed by a Q&A with attending filmmakers. Closing the festivities out is the North American premiere of SuperCourier, a Kazakh homage to Jackie Chan-style martial arts screwball comedies following well-meaning-but-irresponsible Timur, a food delivery courier who gets hired as the bodyguard for the daughter of a judge when a powerful, dangerous criminal begins seeking retaliation.
2026 OFFICIAL SELECTION LINEUP
Features
Mary Magnum: Jiu-Jitsu Nun | dir. Jose Montesinos
SuperCourier | dir. Olzhas Ibraev
Shorts
One More Opening Sequence | dir. Vlad Klimchuk
BAD | dir. Toni James Dickens
Killer Academy | dir. Christopher Sheffield
One Last Job | dir. Spencer Schwendiman
The Ticket | dir. Jayla Hodge, Jaylin Hodge, Jerah Milligan
Shaolin Office | dir. Alexis Bouillé
The Mime | dir. Kevin Barile
BOX | dir. Stephen Reedy
It Was Always This Way | dir. Michał Wojciechowski
TIME | dir. Bulent Ozlarusso
THE PILL | dir. George Chuang
We Are All Monsters | dir. James Newman
PROSAIC | dir. Zac Sultzer
Use Your Words | dir. Kent Lloyd
Contagious | dir. David Lavallee, Jr.
Mind, Body, & Soul | dir. Davidson Corona
Bag Lady | dir. Eric Jacobus
Dangerous Delivery | dir. Etienne Laurendeau
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!
