With the depressingly long transition from winter to spring ahead, it’s always nice to have something to look forward to as we’re running to the metro under torrential rains. Luckily, every year we have the legendary Sundance Film Festival to fill that terrible gap with magnificent independent films — this year, from 22 January to 1 February, as 2026 marks a few big changes in Sundance’s historic timeline. One is the death of the festival’s founder and famed actor, Robert Redford. The second is that this is the last year the event will be held in Park City, Utah before moving to Boulder, Colorado. In line with these changes, there will be a Legacy Programme at the festival to pay tribute and celebrate the many accomplishments and iconic moments of the festival.
From documentaries about American doctors in Palestine, to poignant dramas about the fear of being a woman as femicides rise, the selection of films is undoubtedly impressive. Of the ones premiering this year, we are really looking forward to the following ten, packed with emotional moments, stomach-turning spectacles, and belly-laughs.
I Want Your Sex
The one and only Gregg Araki, masterful director, is back for his eleventh premier at Sundance this year with a film about sex, kinks, deception, and murder. But more than that, it is challenging our assumptions about sexual exploration and experimentation. Erika Tracy, played by Olivia Wilde, takes Elliot, played by Cooper Hoffman, to be her muse in the world of art and sexual fantasies, but her world is far too much for Elliot to handle… Also starring singers Charli xcx and Daveed Diggs.
Antiheroine
Directed by Edward Lovelace and James Hall, Antiheroine follows the journey of alternative rock singer and actress, Courtney Love, to sobriety and back to music. Finally telling her own story, the artist wants to show her depth and most vulnerable moments unapologetically. The film will talk about her notorious relationship with Kurt Cobain, substance abuse, her artistic passion, and self-exploration.
In the Blink of an Eye
From the director and writer who brought us our favourite childhood movies like A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, and Wall-E, Andrew Stanton explores themes such as community, relationship to the environment, and technological advancements to breed connection across audiences in his latest film. He follows three storylines set in three distinct time periods – the Neanderthal era, the present day, and centuries later escaping our planet on a spaceship – each grappling with their own circumstantial problems.
The Gallerist
This funny, absurd, and surely-entertaining film from Cathy Yan is sure to make some heads turn as a gallerist (Natalie Portman) attempts to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami. Aside from Portman, the cast is certainly star-studded with our favourite moody girl, Jenna Ortega, thrilling and witty Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Catherine Zeta Jones, and emerging from his ferns is Zach Galifianakis. Is it a dark comedy just here for some laughs? Or does it tell a deeper story about the commodification of the dead? I guess we have to watch to find out!
The Moment
Charli xcx, the girl that’s everywhere, acts in three films at this year’s festival. She’s always a star, but The Moment is truly her time to shine as it follows an exaggerated version of herself during the brat era in this mockumentary directed by her friend and longtime collaborator Aidan Zamiri, produced by A24. Paired with a satirical representation of the pop-star identity, her inflated ego is juxtaposed artfully by the industry pressures, polar opposite influences, and concern for her legacy.
Big Girls Don’t Cry
From New Zealand-based director and screenwriter Paloma Schneideman, this film is sure to bring you back to your fourteen-year-old self — to the discovery of sexuality, queerness, and all-around identity crises. It speaks to the younger generations’ experiences with coming-of-age in a time where your sexuality is in some way tied to or informed by a screen. It will make you remember what those uncertain – and many times, insecure – feelings were and ask us, are we really on the other side of it yet?
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass
We’ve all heard of a ‘celebrity hall pass,’ but for those who don’t know: it’s an exception you make to monogamy if you ever get the opportunity to sleep with your celebrity crush. David Wain’s film, starring Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, and featuring The White Lotus’ Sabrina Impacciatore, puts this extremely unlikely theory into practice, following a fiancé who used his pass and a woman determined to level the field all while a mob follows them in an effort to retrieve lost luggage. Yes, this movie sounds like it’ll give us whiplash, but in a good way.
If I Go Will They Miss Me
Inspired by his own short by the same name which won Sundance’s Short Film Jury Award in 2022, director Walter Thompson-Hernández has expanded on the story to produce a full-length feature film. Set in Watts, Los Angeles, magical visions crowd the mind of a young boy navigating his relationship with his father, who has just been released from prison. Family relationships, social commentary, and immaculate visuals, Thompson-Hernández has hypnotised us once again with a graceful film that will make us feel and think deeply.
Barbara Forever
The late Barbara Hammer’s legacy is exalted in this documentary that preserves and pushes forward queer history. An experimental director herself, Hammer is regarded as one of the pioneers of feminist and lesbian filmmaking. Director Byrdie O’Connor aims to do justice to Hammer’s life, indulging in her archival footage and piecing together her creative process.
Burn
From Japanese director Makoto Nagahisa, Burn continues on his energetic and vibrant path depicting Ju-Ju, played by Nana Mori, as a runaway street youth in search of her own path and personhood. The film highlights the chaos that exists among Tokyo street culture while weaving in a strong character-driven narrative.
