Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibilityJoybubbles | 2026 Sundance Film Festival
Accessibility

U.S. Documentary Competition

Joybubbles

sd_star_fav_icon
United States202679 minEnglish
Joybubbles

Joybubbles discovers he can manipulate the telephone system by whistling a magic tone. Born blind and yearning for connection, his early obsession unwittingly lays the groundwork for a subculture that shapes the future of hacking and technology.

+ More

Joybubbles discovers he can manipulate the telephone system by whistling a magic tone. Born blind and yearning for connection, his early obsession unwittingly lays the groundwork for a subculture that shapes the future of hacking and technology.

A film as uplifting as its protagonist’s chosen name, Joybubbles recounts the story of Joe Engressia, a lonely boy who turned his love for the telephone into a way to connect with the world. One of the first “phone phreaks,” protohackers who used technology to subvert the monopoly of the global telecom network, he defied a paternalistic, ableist society to fulfill his dreams of living an independent life — and insisted on having fun along the way. From operating the Zzzzyzzerrific Funline and adopting the name Joybubbles, to renouncing adulthood’s responsibilities and declaring himself a perpetual 5-year-old, he reclaimed a childhood haunted by trauma to spread joyful wonder to anyone willing to listen. Rachael J. Morrison brings that same sense of delight to her feature debut, creatively employing playful archival material to illustrate Joybubbles’ unforgettable story, told in his own voice. — BT

Available in person. Also available online for the public (January 29–February 1) and credentialed press and industry (January 28–February 1).

U.S. Documentary CompetitionAll FeaturesBiographyDisabled StoriesFirst-Time FeaturesScience & TechnologyNonfictionAudio DescriptionClosed CaptionOpen Audio DescriptionOpen CaptionU.S. Only- less

Screenings

in persononline
  • Jan 26, 6:00 PM MST
    Premiere

    The Yarrow Theatre

    Park City

    Closed CaptionClosed Caption

    Audio DescriptionAudio Description

  • Jan 27, 9:00 AM MST
    Screening

    Megaplex Redstone - 1

    Park City

    Closed CaptionClosed Caption

    Audio DescriptionAudio Description

  • Jan 29, 12:30 PM MST
    Screening

    Holiday Village Cinemas - 1

    Park City

    Open CaptionOpen Caption

    ASL (Q&A only)ASL (Q&A only)

    Open Audio DescriptionOpen Audio Description

  • Jan 30, 9:30 PM MST
    Screening

    Broadway Centre Cinemas - 6

    Salt Lake City

    Open CaptionOpen Caption

    ASL (Q&A only)ASL (Q&A only)

    Open Audio DescriptionOpen Audio Description

  • Jan 31, 2:45 PM MST
    Screening

    Library Center Theatre

    Park City

    Closed CaptionClosed Caption

    Audio DescriptionAudio Description

  • Jan 29, 3:00 PM GMT -
    Feb 2, 6:55 AM GMT
    Online Screening

    Closed CaptionClosed Caption

    Audio DescriptionAudio Description

Credits

  • Director(s)

    Rachael J. Morrison

  • Producers

    Sarah Winshall

    Will Butler

    Annie Marr

  • Editors

    Bradford Thomason

    Patrick Lawrence

  • Executive Producers

    Cameo Wood

    Rhianon Jones

    Tristan Scott-Behrends

    Adora Cheung

    Roman Nesis

    Kyra Rogers

    Todd Remis

    George Rush

  • Music Supervisor

    Taylor Rowley

  • Composer

    Will Epstein

  • Cinematography

    Michael Belcher

    Ashley Connor

    Helki Frantzen

    James P. Gannon

    Hiroshi Hara

  • Audio Description Writer

    Cheryl Green

  • Audio Description Narrator

    Thomas Reid

  • Motion Graphics & Animation

    Ali Clark

    Arthur Jones

  • Company

    Smudge Films, Neon Heart Productions

  • Contact

    Matt Burke

    matt@submarine.com

Meet the Artist

Panelist Name

Rachael J. Morrison

  • Instagram

Rachael J. Morrison is a documentary filmmaker and archival producer. Her short documentary Elvers premiered at the 2019 Camden International Film Festival and is featured online as part of The Atlantic Selects. She has worked as an archival producer on documentary series and feature films for over a decade.

You May Also Like

U.S. Documentary Competition
sd_banner_img

American Doctor

FilmUnFillFavIcon

When three American doctors — Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian — enter Gaza to save lives, they find themselves caught between medicine and politics, risking everything to expose the truth.

(1hr 33mins)
U.S. Documentary Competition
sd_banner_img

Soul Patrol

FilmUnFillFavIcon

From deep behind enemy lines, a hidden chapter of American military history is uncovered, prompting the question of whether reckoning with the past can bring peace to those who lived it. The Vietnam War’s first Black special operations team reunites to tell their story.

(1hr 40mins)
U.S. Documentary Competition
sd_banner_img

Who Killed Alex Odeh?

FilmUnFillFavIcon

The assassination of a beloved Palestinian American activist in Southern California ignites a 40-year quest for justice, revealing the roots of a dangerous political movement that thrives today.

(1hr 23mins)
U.S. Documentary Competition
sd_banner_img

Public Access

FilmUnFillFavIcon

An unprecedented look inside one of the greatest media experiments to hijack American screens. Rare archives from New York’s underground capture a world of creators who shattered rules, defied censors, and transformed our televisions into a free-speech battleground where anyone could be a star.

(1hr 47mins)

FESTIVAL HOST STATE

Sponsor

FESTIVAL HOST STATE

FESTIVAL HOST STATE

FESTIVAL HOST STATE