Sundance 2026 slate revealed for final Utah festival
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The Sundance Film Festival on Wednesday unveiled its 2026 lineup, marking a pivotal moment as the storied event readies for its final run in Utah after more than four decades.
Why it matters: The final Park City edition is expected to honor both the Beehive State's four-decade run and the legacy of co-founder Robert Redford, who died in September, before the festival moves to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027.
State of play: The festival's slate, from Jan. 11 to Feb. 1, 2026, includes 90 feature-length films, 54 of which will stream online.
- Roughly 40% of the directors involved in the programming are first-time filmmakers.
- As part of its goodbye to Utah, the second half of the event will screen movies from previous festivals, feature "notable" alumni and hold a special event for locals.
The intrigue: A documentary from director Abby Ellis spotlights the shrinking Great Salt Lake, following "two intrepid scientists and a political insider" racing against the clock to halt the ecological crisis.
- "We thought, of course, this is something we need to bring to the festival this year," festival programmer Basil Tsiokos told Axios.
Other films expected to generate buzz include:
- "The Gallerist," a satire starring Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Sterling K. Brown and Charli XCX, which follows a gallerist plotting to sell a dead body.
- "The Invite," a comedy directed by and starring Olivia Wilde, along with Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, is a remake of the 2020 Spanish film "Sentimental."
- Charli XCX also stars in two other films: "I Want Your Sex" and "The Moment," a mockumentary about a pop star navigating fame and pressure ahead of her first arena tour.
- "Ghost in the Machine" and "The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist," are two documentaries exploring AI.
What we're watching: How Sundance manages a goodbye to Park City while mapping out its future.
Single-film tickets go on sale Jan. 14.