The Sundance Film Festival has always been the epicenter for independent cinema, where rising filmmakers and those who have long operated in the underground can make their voices heard. As this is the last year the festival will be held in Park City, Utah, Sundance 2026 will be a bittersweet ending. The late Robert Redford, Sundance’s founder, moved the festival to Park City in 1981, where it has since grown into a staple event for both the film industry and Utah’s residents. That latter half will change in 2027, when Sundance makes its official debut in its new home: Boulder, Colorado.
Nonetheless, the Sundance Institute is sending Park City out in style, with a stacked lineup of premieres to look forward to. After a diligent search through the Sundance 2026 lineup, we at DiscussingFilm have compiled the top 18 movies to look out for at the fest. Whether you’re attending in person, virtually, or just an avid cinephile excited for what 2026 has to offer, here is a list of Sundance films that you should definitely have on your radar this year.
18 Most Anticipated Movies from Sundance 2026
1. Buddy
Directed by Casper Kelly.
Written by Casper Kelly & Jamie King.
Produced by Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, & Tracy Rosenblum.
Main Cast: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, & Patton Oswalt.
As part of Sundance’s legendary “Midnight” section of programming that spotlights genre films and has brought audiences smash hits like Hereditary and Talk to Me, Casper Kelly’s Buddy boasts one heck of a hook. The longline is as follows: A brave girl and her friends must escape a kids’ television show. That premise suggests a world of aesthetic opportunities, as the latent creepiness of children’s television is a rich playground for horror. Round that out with a stacked cast led by recent Emmy-winner Cristin Miloti (The Penguin), and Buddy is one of the most exciting midnighters from the 2026 edition of Sundance.
2. Carousel
Directed by Rachel Lambert.
Written by Rachel Lambert.
Produced by Alex Saks, David Lipper, Robert A. Daly Jr., Ian Gotler, & Chris Pine.
Main Cast: Chris Pine, Jenny Slate, Abby Ryder Fortson, Sam Waterston, & Katey Sagal.
Rachel Lambert, the writer-director behind the acclaimed 2023 Sundance gem Sometimes I Think About Dying, returns with Carousel. This movie fits firmly within the wheelhouse of the humanist dramas the festival is known for debuting each year. Carousel follows a divorced doctor who is forced to confront the messiness of life when his daughter (Abby Ryder Fortson, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret) takes an interest in debating and an old flame (comedian Jenny Slate) returns to their hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Though not the flashiest of entries from Sundance 2026, Carousel nonetheless presents ample opportunity for its lead, blockbuster star Chris Pine, to flex his dramatic muscles.
3. Chasing Summer
Directed by Josephine Decker.
Written by Iliza Shlesinger.
Produced by Iliza Shlesinger, Rob Guillermo, Ray Maiello, Nihaar Sinha, Houston King, & Sam Pressman.
Main Cast: Iliza Shlesinger, Garrett Wareing, Lola Tung, Cassidy Freeman, & Tom Welling, & Megan Mullally.
Sundance darling Josephine Decker (Madeleine’s Madeleine, Shirley) is back with an unexpected new project, Chasing Summer. A collaboration with comedian Iliza Shlesinger — who writes, produces, and stars in the movie — Chasing Summer focuses on the recently unemployed and single Jamie (Shlesinger) as she returns to her small Texas hometown, “where friends and flings from a fateful high school summer turn her life upside down.” A filmmaker known for breaking boundaries and surprising audiences, all eyes are on what Decker does with Chasing Summer. Plus, rising stars Lola Tung (The Summer I Turned Pretty) and Garrett Wareing (The Long Walk), as well as Smallville‘s own Tom Welling, join Shlesinger for the fun on-screen.
4. Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass
Directed by David Wain.
Written by David Wain & Ken Marino.
Produced by David Wain, Anthony Bregman, Peter Cron, Ken Marino, Crystine Zhang, & Charles Zhong.
Main Cast: Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, & Ben Wang.
Fans of off-the-wall comedy should be well familiar with the work of David Wain. The comedy auteur responsible for cult classics like Wet Hot American Summer, They Came Together, Role Models, and Wanderlust is back with what sounds like another winner for his particular audience. Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass says it all in its title. Zoey Deutch (Nouvelle Vague) stars as Gail, a woman about to be married who finds out her fiancé has already used their agreed-upon “celebrity sex pass,” so she goes to Hollywood to get even. Every Sundance festival needs a stellar comedy, and Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass seems like it’s up to the challenge.
5. The Gallerist
Directed by Cathy Yan.
Written by Cathy Yan & James Pedersen.
Produced by Ash Sarohia, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Jonathan King, Tom McCarthy, & Rae Baron.
Main Cast: Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, & Catherine Zeta-Jones.
The long-awaited return of Cathy Yan is finally here. Bursting onto the scene with 2018’s Dead Pigs and following that up with the under-appreciated superhero blockbuster Birds of Prey, Yan’s return, The Gallerist, has a logline that speaks for itself. A desperate gallerist conspires to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami. What else should be said? Led by movie icon Natalie Portman, with the one and only Jenna Ortega at her side, The Gallerist is an automatic must-see. The star-studded supporting cast is also worth noting, including British pop star Charli xcx, who will make two more appearances on this list.
6. I Want Your Sex
Directed by Gregg Araki.
Written by Gregg Araki & Karley Sciortino.
Produced by Gregg Araki, Karley Sciortino, Seth Caplan, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler, & Courtney L. Cunniff.
Main Cast: Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, & Charli xcx.
Speaking of comebacks, prolific New Queer Cinema filmmaker Gregg Araki returns with his first movie in 12 years, and it sounds like a doozy. I Want Your Sex stars Cooper Hoffman as Elliot, a young man who lands a job with provocateur Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde). He quickly becomes her sexual muse, getting thrust into a hurricane of power and fame. A provocative artist making a film about a provocative artist is a hand-in-glove fit, and considering the amount of buzz around this one, including, for the second time on this list, the involvement of Charli xcx, I Want Your Sex will easily be one of the most coveted Sundance 2026 films.
7. In the Blink of An Eye
Directed by Andrew Stanton.
Written by Colby Day.
Produced by Jared Ian Goldman.
Main Cast: Rashida Jones, Kate McKinnon, Daveed Diggs, Jorge Vargas, & Tanaya Beatty.
Pixar luminary Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E, and the upcoming Toy Story 5) steps into the live-action space for the first time since 2012’s John Carter for an anthology movie that sounds truly ambitious. Spanning thousands of years and following three storylines that focus on themes of hope and connection, In the Blink of an Eye will draw immediate comparisons to films like The Fountain or Cloud Atlas. This mysterious project is the winner of the festival’s Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize. Sundance awards the prestigious title each year to an innovative feature that heavily draws on science or technology in its themes. Additionally, it’s already scheduled to release on Hulu on February 27, 2026.
8. Josephine
Directed by Beth de Araújo.
Written by Beth de Araújo.
Produced by Beth de Araújo, David Kaplan, Josh Peters, Marina Stabile, Mark H. Rapaport, & Crystine Zhang.
Main Cast: Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Philip Ettinger, Syra McCarthy, & Eleanore Pienta.
Following her 2022 psychological thriller Soft & Quiet, writer-director Beth de Araújo is bringing her second feature, Josephine, to Sundance 2026. Boasting the star power of Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan, the film’s plot centers on 8-year-old Josephine (Mason Reeves). After accidentally witnessing a crime in Golden Gate Park, she disobeys her helpless parents in a desperate attempt to regain control of her safety. The less viewers know about this peculiar story before walking in, the better. With such a talented cast and fascinating plot, Josephine could be a surprise hit from the fest.
9. The Invite
Directed by Olivia Wilde.
Written by Rashida Jones & Will McCormack.
Produced by David Permut, Ben Browning, & Megan Ellison.
Main Cast: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, & Edward Norton.
Actress-turned-director Olivia Wilde’s first two movies, the coming-of-age comedy Booksmart and the polarizing mindbender Don’t Worry Darling, couldn’t be more different. Therefore, it’s difficult to know what to expect from her latest, The Invite. The concept, a couple on the verge of a break-up having their relationship exacerbated by the arrival of their upstairs neighbors, suggests a multitude of fascinating possibilities. For now, it sounds like an enticing possibility for the talented Wilde to work in the chamber-piece format, suggested by the sparse yet notable cast, including Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penélope Cruz.
10. The Moment
Directed by Aidan Zamiri.
Written by Aidan Zamiri & Bertie Brandes.
Produced by Charli xcx & David Hinojosa
Main Cast: Charli xcx, Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Hailey Benton Gates, & Alexander Skarsgård.
In an iteration of Sundance where Charli xcx is very prominent, The Moment is the most Charli xcx film at the festival. The feature directorial debut of music video/commercial director Aidan Zamiri, all that’s truly known about The Moment from its high-energy marketing is that it’s a sort of meta-mockumentary about the recent BRAT tour that aims to comment on the price of fame. Given its proximity to another musician’s vanity project, the ill-fated Hurry Up Tomorrow from The Weeknd, there’s some trepidation going into The Moment from certain audiences. Still, given Charli’s effusive talent and eclectic taste, it’s destined to stir interesting conversations out of Sundance this year.
11. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York
Directed by Noah Segan.
Written by Noah Segan.
Produced by Katie McNeill, Leopold Hughes, & Ben LeClair.
Main Cast: John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, & Steve Buscemi.
Frequent Rian Johnson collaborator and character actor Noah Segan is stepping into the director’s chair again. Following up his 2022 vampire dramedy Blood Relatives, his next film sports an immediately great title: The Only Living Pickpocket in New York. The premise, involving a veteran pickpocket who must traverse NYC to reclaim stolen goods, obviously matches that intrigue. Given a dream cast led by the renowned John Turturro and the energy Segan brings on both sides of the camera, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is one Sundance 2026 movie that should not be missed.
12. Rock Springs
Directed by Vera Miao.
Written by Vera Miao.
Produced by Stephen Feder, Kiri Hart, Poppy Hanks, Greta Talia Fuentes, Jason Michael Berman, & Jordan Moldo.
Main Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Benedict Wong, Jimmy O. Yang, Aria Kim, & Fiona Fu.
Kelly Marie Tran made quite the splash at Sundance 2025 with her lead performance in The Wedding Banquet remake, and this year looks to continue that trend. As part of the “Midnight” programming block, Rock Springs could be a standout horror film at the fest. The story involves a daughter grieving her father’s loss. She, along with her mother and grandmother, decides to move houses, only to discover something “monstrous hidden in the town’s history and the woods behind their new home.” What mysteries lie ahead are kept under wraps, which makes Rock Springs one of the more appealing genre options at Sundance 2026.
13. Run Amok
Directed by NB Mager.
Written by NB Mager.
Produced by Julie Christeas & Frank Hall Green.
Main Cast: Alyssa Marvin, Patrick Wilson, Margaret Cho, Sophia Torres, Elizabeth Marvel, & Molly Ringwald.
“A teenage girl stages an elaborate musical about the one day her high school wishes it could forget.” What’s not to like about that pitch? Writer-director NB Mager‘s feature debut, Run Amok, promises a coming-of-age narrative with pinches of dark humor and heartbreak, all while offering a fresh perspective on today’s thorny youth culture. Furthermore, the young cast is backed by veteran entertainers like Patrick Wilson, Margaret Cho, and coming-of-age royalty Molly Ringwald. Run Amok seems poised to stand out at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival if it sticks the landing.
14. See You When I See You
Directed by Jay Duplass.
Written by Adam Cayton-Holland.
Produced by Jay Duplass, Adam Cayton-Holland, Fred Bernstein, Kumail Nanjiani, & Emily V. Gordon.
Main Cast: Cooper Raiff, David Duchovny, Kaitlyn Dever, Hope Davis, Lucy Boynton, & Ariela Barer.
A collaboration between stalwart indie darling Jay Duplass and newer indie favorite Cooper Raiff, best known for Cha Cha Real Smooth and Hal & Harper, See You When I See You is as much of a “Sundance movie” as one can get. Centered around a comedian who battles PTSD after his sister’s death, the film portrays family as a source of healing. Expect a dash of dry comedy and plenty of heartstring-pulling in what looks like the kind of “hidden gem” dramedy that always generates buzz at the Sundance Film Festival.
15. The Shitheads
Directed by Macon Blair.
Written by Macon Blair.
Produced by Alex Orr, Brandon James, Nathan Klingher, Mark Fasano, Josh Harris, & Ford Corbett.
Main Cast: Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Mason Thames, Kiernan Shipka, Nicholas Braun, & Peter Dinklage.
Now here’s a fun one! Writer-director of the 2023 The Toxic Avenger remake and frequent Jeremy Saulnier collaborator, Macon Blair, returns with the hilariously titled The Shitheads. When two “unqualified bozos”, as the logline so gleefully describes them, are hired to transport a wealthy teenager to rehab, all hell breaks loose. Given Blair’s unhinged creative voice, audiences can expect a wallop of zaniness, violence, and off-kilter comedy in a film almost destined to please its core cult audience. It also has a fantastic cast led by Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Mason Thames, who is coming off an incredible success streak with the live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake, Black Phone 2, and Regretting You.
16. Union County
Directed by Adam Meeks.
Written by Adam Meeks.
Produced by Brad Becker-Parton, Stephanie Roush, Sean Weiner, Faye Tsakas, & Martha Gregory.
Main Cast: Will Poulter, Noah Centineo, Elise Kibler, Emily Meade, & Annette Deao.
For a more serious take on rehabilitation, Union County has audiences covered. Will Poulter (Warfare, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) once again hones his sly dramatic chops in a story that finds a young man trying to find peace while being ordered to undertake a mandatory drug program. Tackling the opioid epidemic in Rural Ohio, Union County will no doubt be a tough watch. However, it also has the potential to serve as an insightful portrait of a problem facing the United States that hasn’t been addressed with nearly enough urgency. Don’t be surprised if Poulter’s leading performance here ends up generating a lot of praise from the fest.
17. The Weight
Directed by Padraic McKinley.
Written by Matthew Booi, Matthew Chapman, & Shelby Gaines.
Produced by Simon Fields, Nathan Fields, Ryan Hawke, Jonas Katzenstein, & Maximilian Leo.
Main Cast: Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, & Sam Hazeldine.
With two heavy hitters, Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe, The Weight is, by default, one of the most notable film premieres at Sundance 2026. The concept goes even further, centering on a man named Samuel Murphy (Hawke) who is separated from his daughter and sent to a brutal work camp in 1938 Oregon, with the promise of a reduced sentence if he helps the warden smuggle gold through deadly wilderness. The Weight has the intriguing elements of an intimate character drama, a nail-biting thriller, or both. Any of these unique options makes it an excellent addition to this year’s fest.
18. zi
Directed by Kogonada.
Written by Kogonada.
Produced by Kogonada, Chung An, Christopher Radcliff, Benjamin Loeb, Haley Lu Richardson, Michelle Mao, & Jin Ha.
Main Cast: Michelle Mao, Haley Lu Richardson, & Jin Ha.
Sundance mainstay Kogonada returns to the fest for the third time, following 2017’s Columbus and 2021’s After Yang, with his latest feature: zi. Of course, the South Korean filmmaker is coming off the feels of his 2025 studio picture, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, and episodes of Star Wars: The Acolyte as well. His colorful range has been on full display these last few years, and zi is looking to continue that. Set in Hong Kong, a young woman is haunted by visions of her future self. When she meets a stranger, her night takes an unpredictable turn that could change the course of her life. This is the kind of highly imaginative concept that Sundance is all about.
