At the Sundance Film Festival, support of films that focus on music dates back to the ’80s. The 2026 slate continues that legacy with projects about the fast, messy, and influential lives of musicians.
By Gina McIntyre From rock stars, artists, and authors to athletes, political luminaries, and youthful chess grandmasters — some of the most colorful, innovative, and
Eleven Projects to Be Developed at Annual January Screenwriters Lab; Nine Projects to Be Supported at Screenwriters Intensive in March PARK CITY, UTAH, January 16,
Across feature films, episodic works, and short films, more than 70 new projects by women are premiering and screening this year, each offering a distinct lens on love, identity, power, and more.
In “Ha-chan, Shake Your Booty!,” writer-director Josef Kubota Wladyka tackles grief with motion, crafting a deeply felt story about what it means to keep moving when life threatens to bring you down.
Top Row L–R: Ana Katz, Natalia Almada, Bao Nguyen, Tatiana Maslany, A.V. Rockwell, Dr. Heather BerlinSecond Row L–R: Sophie Barthes, Azazel Jacobs, Janicza Bravo, Martin
Given the number of features, short films, and episodic works playing the Festival in 2026, it’d be impossible to catalog every comedy, dramedy, or comedy-adjacent project in the lineup. But if you’re looking to watch something laugh-out-loud funny in person or at home, you can’t go wrong with any of the following.
“This film is about expansion and pleasure and living to your absolute fullest. It’s about being sensual and sexual and hilarious and lost.”
The slate of films by Black artists, across documentaries, narrative features, episodic storytelling, and short films, asks audiences to recognize and understand Black life as multifaceted.
By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent
Top L–R: William David Caballero, Nicole Holofcener, Salman Rushdie, Billie Jean King, Antoine FuquaSecond Row L–R: James Wan, Ava DuVernay, John Turturro, Olivia Wilde, Richard
“I think the biggest inspiration is teenage female friendship,” says Manners about her new film. “I drew a lot from my own experiences at an all-girls school growing up and how huge and exciting and painful and exhilarating and kind of everything these friendships felt.”