This will be the last year the Sundance Film Festival will be held in Park City, Utah — and after four decades, festival organizers are making sure the event closes out its Utah era with a bang.
This year’s program includes 90 feature films and seven episodic projects representing 28 countries and territories. Sundance shared that they received 16,201 submissions from 164 countries or regions, including 4,255 feature-length films. Of those features, 1,676 were submitted by American filmmakers and 2,579 were international. The episodic selection was curated from 470 submissions. Notably, first-time filmmakers make up 40% of the projects in this year’s lineup.
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will run January 22–February 1, 2026, with in-person screenings in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. The at-home program will stream online from January 29–February 1, 2026.
Below is this year’s lineup of projects directed by or starring Black and Brown talent:
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Soul Patrol / U.S.A.
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 / U.K., Nigeria
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 / Kenya
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 / U.S.A.
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
PREMIERES
The Brittney Griner Story / U.S.A.
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
Frank & Louis / Switzerland, U.K.
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 Gallerist / U.S.A., France
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 / U.S.A.
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
In The Blink of An Eye / U.S.A.
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
Once Upon A Time In Harlem / U.S.A.
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 Only Living Pickpocket in New York / U.S.A.
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
The Shitheads / U.S.A.
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
Troublemaker / South Africa, U.S.A., U.K.
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 / U.S.A.
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 / U.S.A.
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
EPISODIC
The Screener / U.S.A.
An independent film screener leaks from a talent agency, triggering chaos. World Premiere. Fiction. First three episodes screen in person.
Directors: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe
Producers: Michael J. McGarry, Thomas Cross
Cast: Shereen Lani Younes, Jon Rudnitsky, B.K. Cannon, Boni Mata, Shaun Brown, Nicolette Doke
BAIT / U.K., U.S.A.
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
EPISODIC: Fiction Pilot Showcase
FreeLance / U.S.A.
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