By Lucy Spicer
1985: the first year that the Sundance Film Festival — then called the U.S. Film Festival — took place with Sundance Institute at the helm. More than 30 years later, we can’t help but get a little emotional thinking back to the event’s humble beginnings, complete with permed hair and paper tickets. Despite some outward scrappiness — arguably a hallmark of the independent spirit — the Festival’s ’80s years were already full of iconic titles, including Joel Coen’s Blood Simple, Donna Deitch’s Desert Hearts, and Steven Soderbergh’s sex, lies, and videotape.
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 1980s below.
