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Sundance Review: “Public Access”

February 9, 2026

10 Films to Watch at Sundance 2026

January 20, 2026

Sundance Review: “Public Access”
By Hannah Tran
February 9, 2026
Public Access (David Shadrack Smith, 2026) 3 out of 5 stars I believed I had a vague understanding of what public-access television was. Then I saw David Shadrack Smith’s documentary about it, and I realized I had no idea. Created at the beginning of the 1970s, public-access TV was mandated to ensure democratic ideals during the rise of cable. It is essentially just as its name suggests: media created by ordinary people, free from corporate ... >>
Sundance Interview: “Cookie Queens” Director Alysa Nahmias
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
February 9, 2026
Director Alysa Nahmias (Art & Krimes by Krimes) just premiered her newest documentary, Cookie Queens, at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival (out of which I reviewed it). The film follows four girls— Olive (age 12), Nikki (9), Shannon Elizabeth (8), and Ara (5)—as they each do their best to sell Girls Scout cookies according to their preset goals. Some have high expectations, while one only wants to sell 55 (well, maybe 60 so she can earn a ... >>
Sundance Review: “undertone”
By Hannah Tran
February 7, 2026
undertone (Ian Tuason, 2025) 3 out of 5 stars The latest entry in A24’s horror catalog once again proves that genuine terror has very little to do with budget size. undertone, directed by Ian Tuason in his feature debut, is a single-location story that spends the majority of its runtime with a single character. The film follows Evy (Nina Kiri), a lonely podcaster whose days are divided between caring for her dying mother and recording a ... >>
Sundance Review: “Josephine”
By Hannah Tran
February 5, 2026
Josephine (Beth de Araújo, 2026) 4½ out of 5 stars The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic winner from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Beth de Araújo’s Josephine also happened to be my personal favorite. And yet, it is simultaneously the one I am most hesitant to recommend. It opens on Josephine, an ordinary eight-year-old whose life is forever changed when, while out on a run with her father, she witnesses a brutal rape. With Josephine the sole ... >>
Sundance Review: “Filipiñana”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
February 1, 2026
Filipiñana (Rafael Manuel, 2026) 4½ out of 5 stars Between the exquisite cinematography and beautifully restrained performances, it’s hard to choose exactly what makes Filipiñana so special. A deceptively gentle examination of social-class hierarchies and wealth disparities, the film turns into a sharp-edged critique of both by the end, without ever losing its outward calm. If this is how revolution starts, we’ll never see it coming. And that’s ... >>

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