By Gina McIntyre
Writing, acting, filmmaking — the act of creativity itself helped inspire 10 of the outstanding projects premiering in Park City, Utah, as part of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. An eclectic mix of short-form productions and narrative and nonfiction features spanning multiple genres, these stories about storytelling and performance explore the ways in which the need for artistic expression can manifest and the surprising places to which creative endeavors can lead.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem captures an intimate evening with the greatest talents of the Harlem Renaissance, while The Story of Documentary Film studies the history and impact of an entire filmmaking discipline. Both BAIT and The Screener incisively satirize the mania that can spring up (online and elsewhere) around anticipated new film and TV projects.
For more highlights, check out the list below, and remember: Single Film Tickets for in-person and online screenings are now on sale.
SHORT FILMS AND EPISODIC PROJECTS
BAIT (Episodic) — Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) offers up an inventive, semi-meta take on his rumored casting as James Bond with BAIT, a new six episode series from Amazon created by and starring the Academy Award–nominated actor. Ahmed plays struggling actor Shah Latif, who after years of professional floundering, is on the verge of landing a star-making role that would forever change the trajectory of his life. But rather than artistic satisfaction, he instead finds himself in the grips of an existential crisis, spiraling out over the course of four wild days. The first three episodes of Bait will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival before arriving on Amazon later this year. Available in person
Callback (Short Film Program 5) — Feelings of jealousy, bitterness, and betrayal emerge over one chaotic evening after aspiring actor Max discovers that his partner received a callback for a new role. Justin H. Min and Michael Hsu Rosen star in this compulsively watchable short from writer-director Matthew Puccini, whose earlier shorts Dirty and Lavender screened at the Festival. Available in person and online
FreeLance (Episodic Pilot Showcase) — Lance (Spence Moore II) and his four friends are ambitious Gen Z creatives looking to build careers through hard work, hustle, and maybe some good luck — all while trying to pay the rent on the apartment they share. Aspiring filmmaker Lance chronicles their journey in this comedy from directing duo the Turner Brothers (Julian and Justen Turner), which draws from the siblings’ own experiences. Available in person and online
The Screener (Episodic) — Concerned about digital piracy, a filmmaker opts to present her latest project to a talent agency in their private office. After it somehow leaks anyway, chaos ensues, and the agency is eventually prosecuted as a white-color crime syndicate. Sundance Film Festival veterans Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe’s latest is a razor-sharp satire of corporate entertainment culture that is both darkly comic and emotionally gripping. The first three installments of the five-episode series will screen. Available in person
FEATURES
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez (U.S. Documentary Competition) — Playwright and director Luis Valdez is a living icon whose pioneering achievements helped reshape American culture. With his illuminating documentary, writer-director David Alvarado explores the legacy and impact of the “Shakespeare of Chicano theater,” with insightful commentary provided by Valdez himself and his closest collaborators, including Oscar nominee Edward James Olmos, who rose to prominence in Valdez’s groundbreaking play (and subsequent film) Zoot Suit. Available in person and online
Barbara Forever (U.S. Documentary Competition) — Before her death at age 79 in 2019, prolific queer artist Barbara Hammer made some 80 films — all of them honest and raw, capturing the astonishing depth of her personal experience and the starting originality of her vision. With Barbara Forever, director Brydie O’Connor pays tribute to Hammer’s incomparable life by weaving together archival footage and audio records that effectively allow Hammer to narrate her own story. In her words, we hear how this singular woman used the medium of film to celebrate the lesbian experience and the incomparable joys of living as one’s authentic self. Available in person and online
Nouvelle Vague (Beyond Film) — With his 2025 black-and-white love letter to independent cinema Nouvelle Vague, writer-director Richard Linklater reimagined the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s classic of the French New Wave, Breathless. In an event presented by the Sundance Institute, the Academy Award–winning filmmaker (and longtime Sundance Film Festival alum) provides a live commentary for the drama, offering behind-the-scenes details and his thoughts on Godard’s original. Available in person
Once Upon a Time in Harlem (Premieres) — In 1972, filmmaker William Greaves assembled the brightest lights of the Harlem Renaissance for a party at Duke Ellington’s home and filmed the fascinating interactions that unfolded among the old friends. Taken together, the conversations and reminiscences captured here make for an astonishing historical document chronicling one of the most important movements in 20th century arts. Following Greaves’ death in 2014, his son (and co-director) David completed the project, helping to further cement his father’s towering cinematic legacy and to establish his own impressive credentials. Available in person
Public Access (U.S. Documentary Competition) — In 1971 New York, a media revolution took place at the offices of Manhattan Cable TV, the first public access channel to offer community members a chance to reach a broad audience with DIY content. Archival footage, some of it provocative, daring and explicit, and interviews with the free-speech pioneers who championed MCTV’s groundbreaking programming capture the heady early days of the boundary-pushing broadcasts. Executive produced by Wren Arthur, Steve Buscemi, and Benny Safdie, director David Shadrack Smith’s film also explores the national fervor sparked by radical acts of free expression. Available in person and online
The Story of Documentary Film (Special Screenings) — Over the course of a 16-hour series, filmmaker Mark Cousins (The Story of Film: An Odyssey) examines the illustrious history of nonfiction cinematic storytelling, tracing its origins and exploring the impact of both widely known favorites and more obscure landmarks. The first episode will be presented followed by a conversation with invited guests. Available in person
