As the first major festival of the year, the 2026 Sundance Film Festival marks the first time some of the year’s best independent films are shown to the industry and the worlds most avid cinephiles. As part of our festival coverage on the ground, Diego Andaluz takes us through the highlights of the festival you won’t want to miss as the year progresses, updating LIVE throughout the festival with additional details added when films are set to come into theaters over the coming months.
JOSEPHINE
Directed by Beth de Araújo
After eight-year-old Josephine witnesses a violent crime in Golden Gate Park, her parents try to help her through the psychological fallout.
Josephine is the best film of Sundance 2026. A gripping, powerful shock to the system that boldly puts you in the shoes of a young child unequipped to process a tragedy and her family’s efforts to protect her. Gemma Chan and Channing Tatum deliver the best performances of their careers while newcomer Mason Reeves makes her mark as a talent to watch. Beth de Araújo delivers a stunning masterclass that cements her as one of the most promising independent directors of her generation.
In theaters November 20th, 2026 (nationwide December 4th)
KNIFE: THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF SALMAN RUSHDIE
Directed by Alex Gibney
Drawing on Rushdie’s memoir and footage shot by his wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, the film traces the author’s physical and spiritual recovery after the 2022 attack.
With Knife, Alex Gibney delivers another straightforward look at a fascinating true story. While one would hope for more depth or involvement of unconventional perspectives, it works as a serviceable chronicle of Salman Rushdie.
In theaters September 18th, 2026
LEVITICUS
Directed by Adrian Chiarella
Two star-crossed teenage boys are hunted by a violent entity that appears as the person each of them desires most: the other.
In a similar vein to Get Out, Leviticus deftly takes a grounded, hard-hitting issue and warps it into a genre-driven premise. Threading the needle between important social commentary, a beautiful love story, and enthrallingly tense horror sequences, Adrian Chiarella delivers a startling debut that stands tall as one of the best of the festival.
In theaters June 19th, 2026
THE MUSICAL
Directed by Giselle Bonilla
A troubled middle-school teacher sets out to use a 9/11 musical to take down the principal who has started dating his ex-girlfriend.
The Musical is a hilarious romp that sustains one note across its runtime, playing it again and again with a fine-tuned chaos that works due to the audacious nature of the premise. Playing like a deranged installment of South Park with the visual language of 1970s thrillers, Giselle Bonilla delivers a crazed character study of Will Brill’s jilted Doug Leibowitz, dropping the audience in the middle of a train wreck you can’t look away from.
In theaters September 18th, 2026
RUN AMOK
Directed by NB Mager
A teenage girl whose mother was killed in a school shooting stages an elaborate musical about the day her school wishes it could forget, putting her at odds with the adults in her community.
As a bold premise that swings for the fences, Run Amok reaches for a level of tonal ambition that is commendable in its own right. Attempting to wrangle musicals, comedies, school shootings, grief, and paranoia in a blender, NB Mager’s execution often borders on saccharine, but ultimately lands as a heartfelt, touching exploration of the fractured state of the world through Gen Z’s eyes.
In theaters early 2027
