Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Alysa Nahmias, Director of Cookie Queens
Filmmaker Alysa Nahmias brings her feature documentary Cookie Queens to the Premieres section of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, offering an intimate look at competitive Girl Scout cookie sales across the United States. Prompted by a challenge from her tween children to make a documentary they would want to watch with friends, Nahmias tracked four ambitious scouts—Nikki, Ara, Olive, and Shannon Elizabeth—throughout a grueling, cross-country season.
The project marks another milestone in Nahmias’s career at Sundance. According to historical festival archives and biographical notes from the Sundance Institute, Nahmias first gained recognition at the festival with her 2011 documentary Unfinished Spaces, which was programmed in the 2012 Sundance Film Forward global initiative. Her subsequent directing work received support from the 2019 Sundance Momentum Fellowship and Women at Sundance. She has also produced or executive produced several projects featured at the festival, including Unrest and I Didn’t See You There, while serving as a mentor for various labs and workshops, such as the Documentary Producing Fellowship, the Women’s Financing Intensive, and Catalyst.
Navigating Production Logistics Across the Country
Capturing the intense environment of modern youth commercialism required an endurance-testing production strategy. According to production notes provided by the filmmakers, Nahmias maintained a strict creative vision for Cookie Queens, filming entirely in the present tense from the perspective of the young participants without relying on traditional talking-head interviews.
Maintaining visual consistency meant deploying a fixed four-person crew across multiple states. Cinematographer Antonio Cisneros kept the camera at the eye-level of the scouts as they navigated environments ranging from a low-rider car show in Texas and an etiquette class in North Carolina to a farmers market in San Diego. Editors Jeanne Applegate and Kim Roberts shaped the collected footage during post-production. The initial financing for the independent feature originated within the Sundance Catalyst community, where Nahmias originally connected with fellow producers Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw.
Examining Contemporary Girlhood and Economic Realities
Beyond capturing the high-stakes logistics of regional cookie sales, Cookie Queens addresses cultural pressures placed on young women. Nahmias noted that the film examines growing up within a commercialized culture where children are introduced early to the concept that self-worth is tied to quantifiable achievements. By observing troops and their families, the documentary documents how young girls question existing social structures, including sexism and ableism, while relying on community support and peer mentorship.
The film targets a broad family demographic, aiming to resonate with the more than 50 million Girl Scout alumnae globally.
Cookie Queens continues its festival run as part of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival lineup, connecting contemporary independent documentary traditions with the lived realities of today’s youth culture.
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