By Lucy Spicer

For some of us, the 2010s feel like they were just yesterday. (Granted, the end of that decade was only six years ago, but a lot can happen in six years.) The truth is that film — and the way we watch it — has changed dramatically during the past 15 years. The big screen got bigger, from soaring film budgets to record-breaking box office numbers courtesy of certain superhero stories. At the same time, the rising popularity of streaming services meant that more people than ever were watching films on their smaller screens at home.

The Sundance Film Festival experienced growth, too. Sundance Institute brought the Festival to London and Hong Kong, the annual Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour began showing selections of short films in theaters around the U.S. and beyond, and episodic projects got their chance to shine in their own section at the Festival. Amid all this change, independent films from the Festival continued to resonate with audiences and critics alike, with such titles as Boyhood, Winter’s Bone, Get Out, Whiplash, The Farewell, and many more premiering at the Festival during the 2010s. 

As we count down the days to the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, we’re looking back through our archives and remembering the atmosphere, the premieres, and the artists that have kept audiences coming back to the Festival for the past four decades. Check out some of our favorite images from the 2010s below.