Sundance Film Festival 2026
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival was interesting stacked on interesting. It marked an end to the first chapter of a decades-long American movieworld phenomenon, and it did so in the midst of a tumultuous period in American history.
You might expect the energy of such an event to be, well, negative. Tense or manic as we see in other media spaces like the news. This was not the case. For at least for the first few days of the festival (when Stixpicks attended), what one felt in the air was a unique blend of serenity, gratefulness, and excitement.
There was a shared recognition that, in this day and age, it is special for people to take more than 15 seconds to think critically; to leave their homes to celebrate and be challenged and connect. And of course, the past motivated these thoughts. How lucky we were to experience what Sundance has been known for for years. A beginning to the global movie year; a showcase for independent thinkers; a snowy sparkle of energy and expense. Still here, not dead yet.
In the back of the mind questions about the unknown future simmered. How would our country fare? Would this festival, would the Sundance Film Institute, be different in a bad way in 2027? In January 2027 the festival will be held outside of Utah and without its founder Robert Redford for the very first time. What weight. What promise.
As far as the festival goes, the Sundance Film Institute has been sharing several hints about a more inclusive future. For example, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will now give the winners of the festival’s World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, whether Documentary or Dramatic, qualification for Oscar consideration. And discounted and on-campus screenings for University of Colorado Boulder students will be available. That said, nobody knows how the thing will play out until January 21–31, 2027.
Well, as the work of a citizen never ceases, so with the moviewatcher. Although the 2027 festival is not here yet, we can reflect about how the organization decided to end its first chapter. So as always, let’s talk movies.
Stixpicks’ Views
Given this moment in movie and U.S. history, Stixpicks focused the majority of its viewing on documentaries. We were curious: How would the festival approach this moment? Would it seek to engage? Take the easy way out and parrot popular themes? Fold, extend, challenge?
Our sample size of views was small, but the vast majority of what we did watch was stunning. These feature-length movies were original, topical, and inspiring.
Some Documentaries
Joybubbles - Stixpicks’ favorite of the festival. Directed by Rachael J. Morrison, a documentary filmmaker and archival producer who “loves digging in archives and conducting deep research to uncover hidden gems.” One was certainly uncovered here, and thereby, another one formed.
The synopsis is that a boy discovers he can manipulate the 1950s telephone system simply by whistling. This creativity and yearning for connection helped him (and others) in a culture then-ill-equipped to value folks like himself.
Stixpicks’ review is here.
It is a dazzling thing, to see how unexpected and interesting the life of a nobody can be. The movie serves as a reminder that looking to connect in a non-violent way—even if in a way considered transgressive to some people—can be salutary for many. Even when the world contains horror; even when horror has its way with us, for a time.
Ghost in the Machine - This one is an overwhelming flood of information about artificial intelligence, its history and future, culled from over 100 hours of conversation with 35 thinkers. Directed, edited, and produced by Valerie Veatch.
Stixpicks’ review is here.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from Joybubbles, this movie is about all of humanity (and the technological tsunami that currently confronts it). It is a reminder, as the director puts it, of “what gets erased when we pretend [that] technology is apolitical.” This one serves to inform so we can make informed decisions, though it also advises that we as a collective have the power—and the responsibility—to shape the future. We can think; we should think, each day, no outsourcing.
Queen of Chess - This is one is less heavy than Joybubbles and especially Ghost in the Machine. It is a refreshingly uplifting, quite unboring movie, not about chess, but about how mindset can change your life. We hear this from the Queen herself, a former world-champion chess player.
Stixpicks’ review is here.
This one is about an individual, but less about noting their abilities and more about focusing on their mindset. It is a reminder that, in the face of all the things decided for us, we can decide to act with determination—daring to believe that we are enough, even as we work hard to be more, because we know we can be, regardless of what others might say.
Everybody to Kenmure Street - This is a unique one. With on-site re-enactments—and footage from dozens of people’s smartphones, taken as they lived the experience—we relive how a U.K. government office dawn raid triggered a spontaneous, living civil resistance on a street in Glasgow, Scotland. It is an example of individuals in a community acknowledging and then acting peacefully against an unfair government interaction (in this case, a baseless deportation attempt).
For people without experience with peaceful protests, this one illustrates how energizing and exhausting they can be. How important it is to maintain just the right amount of tension, not too little—but critically, not too much. Respectful, indignant, not violent.
Some Fiction
Carousel - With mind-blowingly good direction/writing from Rachel Lambert, and affecting acting from Jenny Slate, Chris Pine, and Abby Ryder Fortson, this one acknowledges the carousel that life feels like. Over and over we try, seemingly to get nowhere. Why are we so drawn to this ride? Stixpicks’ review is here.
Filipiñiana - With direction/writing from Rafael Manuel that is somehow both spartan and pregnant, this slow burn follows two young women on a golf course in Manila. It is a melting. A social commentary both personal and cultural. Stixpicks’ review is here.
The Heading
All of this can sound trite or hollow. There is perhaps some truth to that, though more than anything, that would be a cynical interpretation.
Life is not so simple. We always have a choice to frame our perspectives. And from what Stixpicks has seen, the Sundance Film Festival programmers in 2026 focused on the ways in which we can learn and connect and grow in the face of adversity. This is a framing that fits our times.
With any luck, the story will continue with a new chapter themed similarly in 2027.