Sundance Film Festival 2026 Announced
Here's All of The Black And Diverse Films Premiering Next Year
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival is January 22, 2026 through February 1, 2026. The in-person screenings will be held for the final time in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah.
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Soul Patrol
From deep behind enemy lines, a hidden chapter of American military history comes to light as the Vietnam War’s first Black special operations team reunites to tell their story. World Premiere.
Director/Producer: J.M. Harper
Producers: Sam Bisbee, Danielle Massie, Nasir Jones, Peter Bittenbender
WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Lady
In Lagos, a fiercely independent cab driver crosses paths with a group of vibrant sex workers whose sisterhood pulls her into danger, joy, and ultimately transformation. World Premiere. Available online for public.
Director/Screenwriter: Olive Nwosu
Producer: Alex Polunin
Cast: Jessica Gabriel’s Ujah, Amanda Oruh, Tinuade Jemiseye, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Seun Kuti, Bucci Franklin
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Kikuyu Land
A Nairobi journalist’s investigation into a land dispute involving local government and a multinational corporation unravels buried wounds and family secrets. World Premiere. Available online for public.
Directors/Producers: Andrew H. Brown, Bea Wangondu
Producers: Moses Bwayo, Mike Morrisroe, Joseph Njenga
NEXT
If I Go Will They Miss Me
Twelve-year-old Lil Ant struggles to connect with his father while seeing surreal, spectral visions of boys drifting through his neighborhood — visions that reveal the threads tying father, son, family, and place. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for public.
Director/Screenwriter: Walter Thompson-Hernández
Producers: Josh Peters, Saba Zerehi, Ben Stillman
Cast: Danielle Brooks, J. Alphonse Nicholson
EPISODIC Pilot Showcase
FreeLance
A young filmmaker documents his journey to make his first movie while navigating life with a crew of ambitious twenty-something creatives who support each other’s dreams while juggling side hustles and rent. World Premiere. Fiction.
Directors: The Turner Brothers
Executive Producers: Cynthia Turner, Stephen Love Jr., Spence Moore II, Kevin Fredericks
Cast: Spence Moore II, Lou Young, KevOnStage, Mel Mitchell, Lou Ratchett, Bernard “B Nard” Clark, René Vaca, Elijah Cooper
EPISODIC
The Screener
An independent film screener leaks from a talent agency, triggering chaos. World Premiere. Fiction. First three episodes screen in person.
Director: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe
Screenwriter: Esther Bernstorff
Producers: Michael J. McGarry, Thomas Cross
Cast: Shereen Lani Younes, Jon Rudnitsky, B.K. Cannon, Boni Mata, Shaun Brown, Nicolette Doke
BAIT
Struggling actor Shah Latif gets the chance of a lifetime — and his world unravels in four frantic days. World Premiere. Fiction. First three episodes screen in person.
Executive Producers: Riz Ahmed, Allie Moore, Ben Karlin
Cast: Riz Ahmed, Guz Khan, Sheeba Chaddha, Sajid Hasan, Aasiya Sha
PREMIERES
Frank & Louis
Serving a life sentence, Frank takes a job caring for aging inmates and develops a life-changing bond with Louis, offering him a glimpse of redemption. World Premiere. Fiction.
Director/Screenwriter: Petra Biondina Volpe
Screenwriter: Esther Bernstorff
Producers: Reto Schaerli, Lukas Hobi
Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rob Morgan, René Pérez Joglar, Rosalind Eleazar, Indira Varma
The Brittney Griner Story
A look into the circumstances that pushed Brittney Griner to play overseas, her harrowing detainment, the fight for her freedom, and her continued advocacy for other wrongfully detained individuals. World Premiere. Documentary.
Director/Producer: Alexandria Stapleton
Producers: Stacy Scripter, Funmi Akinyode, Megan Goedewaagen, Carolyn Hepburn
The Disciple
An outsider fueled by relentless determination works his way into the inner circle of the Wu-Tang Clan, where his ambition and creativity converge in the making of an album poised to ignite global controversy. World Premiere. Documentary.
Director/Producer: Joanna Natasegara
Producers: Joanna Natasegara, Abigail Anketell-Jones, Lauren Dark, Vanessa Kirby
Once Upon A Time In Harlem
A decade after filmmaker William Greaves’ death, his final work surfaces — focused on a legendary 1972 gathering of Harlem Renaissance greats. World Premiere. Documentary.
Directors: William Greaves, David Greaves
Producers: Liani Greaves, Anne de Mare
The Shitheads
Two unqualified messes get hired to escort a rich teen to rehab — and everything goes downhill. World Premiere. Fiction.
Director/Screenwriter: Macon Blair
Producers: Alex Orr, Brandon James, Nathan Klingher, Mark Fasano, Josh Harris, Ford Corbett
Cast: Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Mason Thames, Kiernan Shipka, Nicholas Braun, Peter Dinklage
The Gallerist
A desperate art dealer hatches an outrageous plan involving a dead body during Art Basel Miami. World Premiere. Fiction.
Director/Screenwriter: Cathy Yan
Screenwriter: James Pedersen
Producers: Ash Sarohia, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Jonathan King, Tom McCarthy, Rae Baron
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Catherine Zeta-Jones
I Want Your Sex
Fresh-faced Elliot becomes a sexual muse for the provocative artist Erika Tracy, only to be pulled into a world of obsession, power, and murder. World Premiere. Fiction.
Director/Screenwriter/Producer: Gregg Araki
Screenwriter/Producer: Karley Sciortino
Producers: Seth Caplan, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler, Courtney L. Cunniff
Cast: Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, Charli XCX
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York
A veteran pickpocket races across New York to retrieve stolen goods after a job goes sideways. World Premiere. Fiction.
Director/Screenwriter: Noah Segan
Producers: Katie McNeill, Leopold Hughes, Ben LeClair
Cast: John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, Steve Buscemi
In The Blink of An Eye
Three storylines spanning thousands of years intersect, exploring hope, connection, and the cycles of life. World Premiere. Fiction. 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize Winner.
Director: Andrew Stanton
Screenwriter: Colby Day
Producer: Jared Ian Goldman
Cast: Rashida Jones, Kate McKinnon, Daveed Diggs, Jorge Vargas, Tanaya Beatty
Troublemaker
Nelson Mandela’s own voice guides this recounting of the struggle against apartheid, using archival recordings he made while writing Long Walk to Freedom. World Premiere. Documentary.
Director/Producer: Antoine Fuqua
Screenwriter: Michael Toomey Mann
Producers: Mac Maharaj, Arthur Landon, Kevin Mann, Mark Bauch, Thabang Lehobye
When A Witness Recants
Ta-Nehisi Coates revisits the 1983 murder of a 14-year-old boy in his middle school and uncovers the truth about three teens wrongfully convicted — and the decades-long ripple effects. World Premiere. Documentary.
Director/Producer: Dawn Porter
Producers: Miriam Weintraub, Jennifer Oko
Buddy
A brave girl and her friends must escape a twisted kids’ TV show. World Premiere. Fiction.
Director/Screenwriter: Casper Kelly
Screenwriter: Jamie King
Producers: Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, Tracy Rosenblum
Cast: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt
