Sundance Film Festival 2026: Best movies and biggest moments
The last Sundance Film Festival in Utah is drawing to a close this weekend
The Sundance Film Festival concluded its final edition in Utah this weekend, marking a poignant farewell to Park City, its home for over four decades.
While Robert Redford's brainchild is set to relocate to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027, the event was steeped in nostalgia for many, from seasoned filmmakers to first-time volunteers, reflecting on careers launched and memories made since 1992 or even 2022.
A highlight of the closing days was an emotional 20th-anniversary screening of Little Miss Sunshine, one of the festival's enduring successes. Filmmakers Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, alongside actors Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, and Abigail Breslin, reunited at the Eccles Theatre, prompting a rapturous response from an audience that included both original premiere-goers and new viewers.
Festival director Eugene Hernandez remarked, "Who would have imagined that a single film could deliver two electric nights at a Sundance Film Festival?" Yet, the festival was not solely focused on its past. Discovery remained central to its programme, with first-time feature filmmakers accounting for approximately 40 per cent of the slate.
Sundance programming director Kim Yutani affirmed, "I feel like we achieved that based on what we’ve seen this week. The enthusiasm for the artists that we have now shared with the world is significant. It’s profound."
The festival also reflected broader global concerns, with political tensions surfacing when a Florida Congressman was assaulted at a party by a man who threatened deportation. "ICE OUT" pins were visibly worn by stars like Natalie Portman on the red carpet, while films such as Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell’s The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (due in cinemas March 27) prompted discussions on existential threats.
Despite these serious undertones, the spirit of celebration thrived. An all-night DJ party for Charli xcx’s film The Moment (in cinemas this weekend) saw attendees dancing into the early hours.
The Billie Jean King documentary Give Me the Ball! earned spontaneous applause, with King herself later hitting tennis balls into the balcony.
Rufus Wainwright and Norah Jones performed Marianne Faithfull songs after a screening of Broken English. The documentary Cookie Queens, about Girl Scout Cookie season, garnered an unexpected appearance from Prince Harry and Meghan, who served as executive producers.
Olivia Wilde commanded significant attention, not only starring in Gregg Araki’s comedic and erotic thriller I Want Your Sex as the provocative artist Erika Tracy, but also directing The Invite. This sharp chamber dramedy, featuring Wilde and Seth Rogen as an unhappy, sexless San Francisco couple hosting their upstairs neighbours Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, became a festival sensation.
It sparked a fierce 72-hour bidding war, with A24 securing distribution rights for a reported $12 million – the festival’s largest acquisition to date. A release date for "The Invite" has not yet been announced, while I Want Your Sex is still seeking distribution.
Among the most impactful films was Josephine, Beth De Araújo’s raw drama exploring the aftermath of an 8-year-old girl (Mason Reeves) witnessing a sexual assault in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan portray the parents grappling with how to support their daughter through her trauma and new fears. This film has not yet been acquired for distribution.
Adrian Chiarella’s queer horror breakout, Leviticus, was swiftly acquired by indie distributor Neon (known for "Parasite" and "Anora") in a reported seven-figure deal. This Australian coming-of-age thriller depicts two teenage boys (Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen) trapped in the horrors of conversion therapy, drawing comparisons from IndieWire to Heated Rivalry and the psychological horror It Follows. A release date has not yet been announced.
A documentary over 50 years in the making, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, presented footage shot in 1972 by the late William Greaves (who died in 2014). It captures a gathering of Harlem Renaissance luminaries – poets, authors, librarians, photographers, critics, and actors – at Duke Ellington’s home, reflecting on their legacy. Greaves’s son, David, who did camera work at the original party, co-directed and completed this striking and essential historical artefact. It has not yet been acquired for distribution.
Other notable films included John Turturro’s acclaimed performance in Noah Segan’s nostalgic crime thriller The Only Living Pickpocket in New York and Wicker, a quirky fantasy starring Olivia Colman as a sardonic fisherwoman who commissions a basket weaver (Alexander Skarsgård) to weave her a husband.
David Wain’s Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, an earnestly horny and surprisingly gory take on The Wizard of Oz, also proved a starry, easy crowd-pleaser with Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, and John Slattery. Rinko Kikuchi garnered raves for her turn in Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty, set in Tokyo’s ballroom scene.
While many titles are still seeking distribution, the festival’s close does not signify the end of these discussions. As Kim Yutani concluded, "There are many more deals happening. The fact that these films are going to have these robust lives after their Sundance premieres is exactly what we want for these films. For them to reach wider audiences is definitely the goal."
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