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.
BUDDY
Directed by Casper Kelly
A 1990s-style children’s TV show turns sinister when its bright orange unicorn host takes offense at one child who refuses to play along.
A straightforward premise that relies on building an unsettling atmosphere over cheap jumpscares. The deliberate pace of certain sequences and the film’s lack of interest in veering into depth or “elevated” horror may test certain viewers, but an ending that teases a larger world shines due to Casper Kelly’s formal ambition and creativity. With enough gripping moments to capture the zeitgeist, it’s worth a watch for any horror fanatics.
In theaters August 28th, 2026
FILIPIÑANA
Directed by Rafael Manuel
Isabel, a 17-year-old from the rural north of the Philippines, takes a job setting up golf balls for powerful men at an elite country club outside Manila, and becomes strangely drawn to the club’s president, Dr. Palanca.
Ruben Östlund meets Lav Diaz in this sharp black comedy that skewers the upper echelons of Philippine society while brimming with a slowly-increasing resentment. A masterclass of subtly building tension, making the experience feel like you’re uncovering layers of a beautiful gift’s wrapping that reveals itself to be a pressure cooker.
In theaters August 28th, 2026
THE GALLERIST
Directed by Cathy Yan
A desperate gallerist and her assistant scheme to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami.
Playing into the over-the-top nature of The Gallerist’s premise, Cathy Yan delivers a wild swing that mostly pays off, guiding every element of the production to an off-kilter wickedly black tone. The sweeping oners, the canted angles, the zany performances all fit snugly into a portrait of the Miami art world that is far more realistic than audiences might think. Full of thrills and energy, it lets go of subtlety in favor of explosive twists and turns to deliver one of the most entertaining films of Sundance 2026.
In theaters December 4th, 2026
HA-CHAN, SHAKE YOUR BOOTY!
Directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka
After her husband and dance partner Luis dies, Tokyo ballroom dancer Haru withdraws from the world, until friends coax her back to the studio and she falls for the new instructor.
The spiritual love triangle of ETERNITY meets the musical sequences of LA LA LAND with a directorial flair that blends absurdity and heart like The Daniels’ SWISS ARMY MAN & EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. Josef Kubota Wladyka commands a stellar array of spectacular crafts, solid lead performances, and inventive musical sequences peppered in between a heartfelt meditation on love, loss, and moving on that deftly balances romance, comedy, and drama.
In theaters September 25th, 2026
I WANT YOUR SEX
Directed by Gregg Araki
A naive new assistant to a renowned provocateur artist is drawn into a sadomasochistic relationship with her.
I Want Your Sex’s wildly original screenplay is somewhat dulled by overly-polished digital cinematography and occasionally erratic direction. As always, Gregg Araki’s filmmaking is full of quirks that disciples might call features while others label them as distracting bugs. With Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman’s committed turns, though, the film comes to life with an electric energy that lights up the screen.
In theaters July 31st, 2026
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
Directed by Andrew Stanton
Three stories set thousands of years apart intersect in a reflection on hope, connection, and the circle of life.
In The Blink Of An Eye’s sweeping scope often feels undercut by the direct nature of beats that feel telegraphed in advance. With remarkable thematic ambition yet a seemingly overbearing fear of digging too deep into the core of each of its stories, it works well but never lands at the level of greatness the film seemed destined to reach for.
Streaming on Hulu February 27th, 2026
THE INVITE
Directed by Olivia Wilde
Two couples’ evening together takes several unexpected turns.
A triumphant return to form for renaissance woman Olivia Wilde, The Invite is a gripping chamber piece powered by a quartet of what could arguably stand tall as career-best performances. Olivia Wilde’s hilariously unsubtle neurotic tics play off of Seth Rogen’s brimming resentment to set off a firecracker of arguments that a seemingly zen Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz stumble upon… only to find themselves drawn in too deep for comfort. The four personalities’ fiery dynamic from Rashida Jones and Will McCormack’s adaptation is accentuated by Devonté Hynes’ bristling score and Adam Newport-Berra’s gorgeously textured 35mm cinematography. A tour-de-force for everyone involved, it’s one of Sundance 2026’s must-watch entries.
In theaters June 26th, 2026 (wide July 10th)
