Sydne Horton is a queer writer-director from the Midwest whose bold, genre-fluid films explore identity, belonging, and the messy magic of self discovery. Her work, known for blending horror, heart, and humor, has screened at leading festivals including Palm Springs ShortFest, Outfest LA, Aesthetica, and NewFest.

Her latest coming-of-age comedy Saturday Ritual won the Best Teen Film Audience Award at NewFest, was a jury contender at Palm Springs, and screened at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival as part of the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase. Her acclaimed coming-of-age horror short META was featured in I Spit on Your Celluloid: The History of Women Directing Horror Movies and exhibited at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture for 3 months.

An alum of the Women in Film Directing Mentorship and the Emmys Television Academy Internship, Sydne is committed to telling unapologetically honest stories through her queer lens and hopes to create a library of films she wishes she had growing up.