10 Films to Watch at Sundance 2026

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival runs live and in-person from January 22 to February 1 (with some films available online starting January 29). This year, there are 90 features, plus additional episodic premieres and short films. You can check out the full program on the festival website. Hannah Tran will again be in Park City on the ground, joined this time by Billy Ray Brewton, while Film Festival Today editor Christopher Llewellyn Reed (that’s me) will once more watch films remotely. This is a particularly momentous Sundance, as it is the last year in Park City (it moves to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027), and the first edition since founder Robert Redford died. Below, you will find 3 choices each from both Hannah and Billy Ray, and 4 from yours truly (all of which I have watched via advance screeners), making for 10 recommendations total of what to see, listed in alphabetical order. Each title is hyperlinked to the movie’s Sundance page.

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Birds of War (Janay Boulos/Abd Alkader Habak) 

Before I begin, a note: former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is a butcher, as is current Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The two conspired to rain misery upon the Syrian people as they waged rebellion against Assad’s brutal regime. Into that horror show come two bright lights of hope by the name of Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak. She is Lebanese; he is Syrian. While she researches stories to run for her employer, the BBC (she lives in London), he fights for his life and that of his compatriots as he photographs and videos atrocities. They fall in love remotely and later consummate the relationship through in-person marriage. It’s a lovely story of how humanity can shine even in the worst of circumstances, though it loses narrative energy once Habak leaves his home country. That caveat notwithstanding, the documentary most definitely deserves a watch. (Christopher Llewellyn Reed)

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Chasing Summer (Josephine Decker)

From Sundance alum Josephine Decker, Chasing Summer promises to be yet another exploration of burgeoning sensuality and the messiness of finding yourself. Written by, and starring, comedian Iliza Shlesinger, joined by indie vets like Megan Mullally and Smallville’s Tom Welling, this picture seems destined to cement itself in the canon of new classics alongside films like Eighth Grade and Booksmart. If you’ve seen any of Decker’s previous films, from her early mumblecore days to recent gems like Shirley, you know you’re in for a visual treat that challenges as much as it inspires. (Billy Ray Brewton)

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Cookie Queens (Alysa Nahmias)

Every year, the Girl Scouts of America sells over $800 million worth of cookies over the course of six weeks. After watching this documentary, from Alysa Nahmias (The New Bauhaus), I contributed to that annual take by ordering six boxes from the daughter of a colleague, though Cookie Queens is not always an endorsement of the parent organization’s fundraising practices. We follow four young girls—Olive (age 12), Nikki (9), Shannon Elizabeth (8), and Ara (5)—as they each (with different levels of motivation from their parents) set different goals for themselves, from Olive’s initial 5000 boxes (all the way to more than 10,000) to Ara’s 55 (which goes up to 60 so she can win the bandana she wants). The film asks big questions about agency and exploitation but leaves the answers mostly up to us and our individual feelings. It’s possible to enjoy some Thin Mints while appraising the process with a critical eye. (CLR)

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The History of Concrete (John Wilson)

Director John Wilson’s HBO docuseries, How to with John Wilson, is one of the most special and singular series I have ever seen. Wilson has a totally unique way of seeing daily life, and his curiosity leads him to some of the most strange, unimaginable, and wonderful places and people. I can’t wait to revisit the world through his eyes in this documentary where a workshop about how to write and sell a Hallmark movie inspires Wilson to use the same formula to sell a documentary about concrete. (Hannah Tran)

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I Want Your Sex (Gregg Araki)

Ladies and Gentlemen: the king of indie kink is back. With I Want Your Sex, filmmaker Gregg Araki (White Bird in a Blizzard) takes Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) and Olivia Wilde (Don’t Worry Darling) on an insane ride into the depths of sadomasochism and sexual freedom. Araki has long been fascinated by the sexuality that binds us all together. Throughout his career he has presented us with flawed but lovable characters searching for their places in a constantly confusing world. I Want Your Sex seems to continue this trend while also adding a layer of maturity that can only come with decades in the indie world. Here’s hoping this film brings Araki another moment in the limelight, inspiring audiences to discover some of his hidden gems for the first time. (BRB)

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Leviticus (Adrian Chiarella)

I’ve been saying it for years: we don’t get enough queer horror. Enter first-time Aussie filmmaker Adrian Chiarella who is taking coming-of-age queer terror to a whole new level with Leviticus, blending a classic curse story with queer romance, religious fanaticism, and that typical Australian sensitivity to small-town life. It’s like the filmmaker invaded my brain and created something uniquely for me. Oh, and did I mention Mia Wasikowska (Blueback) is an Executive Producer on the project? If her tastes as a producer echo her tastes as an actress, I can only imagine what we have in store for us when we take this trip down under. (BRB)

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The Moment (Aidan Zamiri)

Charli XCX describes The Moment as a “2024 period piece,” and even though “Brat Summer” was only a year and a half ago, I am more than happy to revisit it. This mockumentary take on the year that forever changed the British singer’s life, as well as the trajectory of aesthetics, music, and memes, will hopefully be a worthy tribute to the messy, confident attitude that made Brat so appealing in the first place. With Mrs. XCX portraying a chaotic version of herself, Alexander Skarsgård (Infinity Pool) allegedly cast as a villain, and A.G. Cook providing the score, The Moment promises to be, at the very least, entertaining. (HT)

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Public Access (David Shadrack Smith)

The 1970s and early 1980s were a golden age for public-access channels, especially in New York City, where state law mandated that big media companies provide the public with the ability to create their own content on the airwaves. Whether they liked what folks did or not, Time Warner was more or less forced to subsidize a startup entitled Manhattan Cable, which from 1971 onward broadcast everything from call-in programs, talk shows, variety shows, LGBTQ-oriented news, and porn. That’s right, sex and nudity were available for all to see until eventually the big bosses were able to gum up the works (even if the Supreme Court ruled against them). In David Shadrack Smith’s lively documentary Public Access, we look back, through copious archival footage, at the artistic highs and seedy lows (and vice versa) of this once-great expression of the people’s television. (CLR)

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Queen of Chess (Rory Kennedy)

Currently in the midst of one of my most devoted chess phases, I was ecstatic to see this documentary about Hungarian chess legend Judit Polgár on this year’s lineup. Polgár is known as the greatest female chess player in history, having made her mark early on when she beat Bobby Fisher’s record as the youngest grandmaster of all time at only 15. While I know of Polgár’s unsung genius, I’m incredibly curious to learn more about her history and the person behind the icon. (HT)

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Sentient (Tony Jones)

Are animals conscious? Do they understand the concept of identity? More importantly, and irrespective of the answers to those questions, do we humans have the right to exploit them for our own benefit? As pioneering research veterinarian Jim Mahoney is quoted as saying in Sentient, Tony Jones’ debut feature documentary, we may not have the right, but we have the need. And so it goes in the film, with people on all sides of the issues rationalizing what they do, or articulating sharp arguments why we shouldn’t do it. Even more urgently, the movie points out the many flaws in the animal-testing industry (and it is an industry), shining a light on how it both abuses (mostly) monkeys and achieves limited results. If Sentient slightly confuses all its topics at the end in its discussion of public-policy changes under Trump and RFK Jr., it nevertheless remains a fascinating examination of the profound manner in which our species fails the planet each and every day. (CLR)