By Jessica Herndon
There’s a particular charge to films by Black artists that capture what it feels like to be Black. Not as an abstract idea, but as a lived experience shaped by resilience, ambition, and joy. These stories don’t just reflect culture; they shape it, push it forward, and sometimes unsettle it.
At the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, the slate of films by artists who identify as Black or of African descent across documentaries, narrative features, episodic storytelling, and short films, asks audiences to recognize and understand Black life as multifaceted.
Once Upon A Time In Harlem revisits an unforgettable soiree thrown by filmmaker William Greaves, who captured a 1972 gathering of Harlem Renaissance icons. Alexandra Stapleton, makes her Fest debut with The Brittney Griner Story, which follows the basketball player through her detainment in Russia. Both films will debut in the Premieres section.
Debuting in the Episodic Pilot Showcase, FreeLance follows a young filmmaker and his tight-knit crew of creatives hustling toward their first big break. In the Documentary Short Film Program, the Stephen Curry and Ben Proudfoot’s co-directed The Baddest Speechwriter of All offers a look at the man behind some of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most enduring words, unpacking the personal toll of shaping history. And Reginald Hudlin’s classic House Party, the hilarious comedy about Black teens navigating a wild night, returns as part of the Festival’s Park City Legacy program.
Below, check out 17 titles premiering and screening at the 2026 Festival by Black artists on the Black experience. Then head to the Festival Program Guide to add these projects to your Favorites list ahead of our ticket selection and sales dates.
FEATURES
Director: Reginald Hudlin
Section: Park City Legacy
Available in person only
Kid decides to go to his friend Play’s house party, but neither of them can predict what’s in store for them on what could be the wildest night of their lives.
Director: Walter Thompson-Hernández
Section: NEXT
Available to watch in person and online
Twelve-year-old Lil Ant struggles to connect with his father when he begins to see surreal, almost spectral visions of boys drifting around his neighborhood. Their presence reveals a link between father and son, laying bare the threads that bind family, legacy, and place.
Directors: Andrew H. Brown, Bea Wangondu
Section: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Available to watch in person and online
As a Nairobi journalist probes a land battle entangling the local government and a powerful multinational corporation, covered wounds are revealed and family secrets are exposed.
Director: Alexandria Stapleton
Section: Premieres
Available in person only
Explores the circumstances that led to Brittney Griner playing basketball outside the U.S. despite being one of the best players in the sport, including her harrowing detainment, unwavering determination to secure her freedom, and her advocacy for the release of other wrongful detainees.
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Section: Premieres
Available in person only
The struggle against apartheid is recounted through Nelson Mandela’s own voice, drawn from recordings he made while writing his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.
Director: Dawn Porter
Section: Premieres
Available in person only
In 1983, author Ta-Nehisi Coates learned that a 14-year-old boy was murdered in his Baltimore middle school. Upon revisiting the case, he uncovers the truth: Three innocent teenagers were wrongfully convicted and spent 36 years in prison — creating a lasting impact on the accused, the witnesses, and their community.
EPISODIC
Directors: Julien Turner, Justen Turner
Section: Episodic
Available to watch in person and online
A young filmmaker documents his journey toward his first movie as he moves in with a friend group of ambitious creatives, all trying to support one another’s dreams in an oversaturated market. This inexperienced crew of 20-somethings takes on unorthodox jobs to build their brand and pay rent.
SHORT FILMS
Director: Praise Odigie Paige
Section: Short Film Program 5
Available to watch in person and online
In 1970, a 16-year-old Nigerian refugee in Virginia tries to keep her family together when a newcomer draws her sister away.
Director: Samuel Suffren
Section: Short Film Program 2
Available to watch in person and online
Marianne and Pétion, living in Haiti, await a call from their son who has left in pursuit of the American dream.
Director: Chloe Leigh King
Section: Short Film Program 5
Available to watch in person and online
A Montenegrin father takes his teenage daughter on an unforgettable dinner date.
Director: Will Niava
Section: Short Film Program 5
Available to watch in person and online
Koffi, a young Ivorian trumpeter, arrives in Montréal with nothing but the legacy of his father to guide him. Lost between the city’s noise and the silence of his past, he must confront his roots to finally find his voice.
The Baddest Speechwriter of All
Director: Ben Proudfoot, Stephen Curry
Section: Documentary Short Film Program
Available to watch in person and online
Now 93, Martin Luther King Jr.’s lawyer and speechwriter reflects on the personal cost and surprising truths of making history, offering an intimate insider’s view of the Civil Rights Movement.
Director: Arielle Knight
Section: Documentary Short Film Program
Available to watch in person and online
On an idyllic farm in rural Georgia, Black beekeeping parents tenderly share their knowledge of life, love, and nature with their young sons while restoring their homestead.
Directors: Lisa Malloy, Ray Whitaker
Section: Short Film Program 4
Available to watch in person and online
Darkness settles over Little Egypt. Brielle, Karri, and Nunu wander among the limestone outcrops and sandstone spires. In a cave that hid freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad, their uncle shares a story of a creature that stirs at night.
