By Gina McIntyre
From rock stars, artists, and authors to athletes, political luminaries, and youthful chess grandmasters — some of the most colorful, innovative, and fascinating individuals in modern history share their stories on screen in a raft of compelling documentaries at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. These 16 films — both feature-length and shorts — portray individuals determined to live as their authentic selves, overcoming tremendous obstacles even while grappling with intense personal struggles. To learn more about these imperfect, inspiring people, check out the list below and make sure to add these films to your must-watch list. Single Film Tickets for in-person and online screenings are on sale now.
SHORT FILMS
The Baddest Speechwriter of All (Documentary Short Film Program) — When Dr. Clarence B. Jones speaks, history comes alive. In this fascinating portrait directed by basketball legend Stephen Curry and two-time Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Ben Proudfoot, the 93-year-old former lawyer and speechwriter for Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. offers an intimate insider’s view of the civil rights movement through clear, first-hand accounts. Available in person and online
The Chimney Sweeper (Documentary Short Film Program) — In the 1870s, Markus Füchtner’s great-great-great-grandfather invented the nutcracker doll, and in the decades since, his descendants passed down the family business. Determined to keep the legacy alive, good-natured Markus handcrafts the wooden totems from a modest home in rural Germany. Director Jack Raese visits the workshop, where Markus reflects on his livelihood and life decisions. Available in person and online
Living with a Visionary (Short Film Program 1) — Poet and professor John Matthias’ memoir is the inspiration for this breathtaking hand-animated short, which chronicles John’s efforts to care for his wife as she suffers from hallucinations brought on by her medication for Parkinson’s disease. Hand-drawn on layers of vellum and paper with watercolor crayons, every frame in director, writer, and producer Stephen P. Neary’s film exudes a magical, melancholy beauty as John, voiced by James Cromwell, describes the rhythms of day-to-day life caring for his soulmate as her reality gives way to something complex and intangible. Available in person and online
FEATURES
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez (U.S. Documentary Competition) — Filmmaker David Alvarado offers an exceptional study of the man whom photographer Luis Garza described as the “Shakespeare of Chicano theater” — Luis Valdez, the playwright and film director whose pioneering achievements in both the arts and social justice helped reshape American culture. Valdez candidly reflects on the experiences that led him to found the scrappy El Teatro Campesino in 1965 — the groundbreaking troupe performed and picketed alongside civil rights crusader Cesar Chavez. The film covers Valdez’s Hollywood triumphs, too, interviewing key collaborators to get a true sense of the man himself as a stylish pachuco narrator offers additional cultural context. Available in person and online
Antiheroine (Premieres) — Brash and bold musician and actor Courtney Love bares her soul in this warts-and-all examination of an extraordinary life lived to the extreme in the public eye. As she heads back into the studio to record new music for the first time in years, Love expounds on the unapologetic ambition that drove her to pursue rock stardom, the creative fulfillment she found on stage, and the emotional devastation she often experienced behind the scenes, particularly in the wake of late husband Kurt Cobain’s suicide. Taking control of her own narrative, Love relates her story on her terms in directors Edward Lovelace and James Hall’s captivating study of a pop culture icon. Available in person
Barbara Forever (U.S. Documentary Competition) — “I was born when I became a lesbian,” notes iconic feminist filmmaker Barbara Hammer in Barbara Forever, the breathtaking cinematic study of her incomparable life. Weaving together an enthralling portrait largely from archival footage and audio recordings, director Brydie O’Connor crafts a poignant, poetic celebration of the prolific queer artist who made some 80 films before her death at age 79 in 2019. In voice-over, Hammer narrates the story of how she found herself through art and how she used her work to draw attention to the beauty and joys of the lesbian experience. Available in person and online
The Brittney Griner Story (Premieres) — On February 17, 2022, Brittney Griner’s life was turned upside down when Russian authorities discovered vape cartridges containing THC oil in her luggage. The 6’9” WNBA All-Star and U.S. Olympic gold medalist — who had played basketball in Russia for years — found herself facing a harsh prison sentence halfway around the world, while her family and close friends watched her situation become embroiled in ugly politics. Speaking to Griner and her loved ones, filmmaker Alexandria Stapleton recounts how the ordeal unfolded and the Herculean effort required to bring BG back home. Available in person
Broken English (Spotlight) — Co-directors Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth, previously at the Sundance Film Festival with their Nick Cave docu-fiction hybrid, 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), return with an exploration of the life and work of Marianne Faithfull that is as singular as the musical iconoclast herself. The film is framed as a research project undertaken by officials at the Ministry of Not Forgetting (played by Tilda Swinton and George MacKay). Reviewing archival photographs and footage unearthed by the organization, Faithfull weighs in on milestone moments from her inimitable past, while musicians including Beth Orton and Cave pay tribute with renditions of her classics. Available in person
THE DISCIPLE (Premieres) — In 2015, the only copy of an unreleased Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, sold for $2 million to subsequently disgraced pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli. To discover how the eldest son of an immigrant family came to produce one of the most controversial recordings of all time, director Joanna Natasegara sits down with Dutch Moroccan rapper and producer Cilvaringz (né Tarik Azzougarh) to trace his unlikely trajectory from superfan to inner-circle confidant. Journeying through the streets of the collective’s native Staten Island, Natasegara’s film also touches on the inside story of the revolutionary hip-hop outfit, exploring how a passion project became mired in dissension. Available in person
Give Me the Ball! (Premieres) — From the time she discovered tennis as a preteen in the 1950s, Billie Jean King was determined to become the world’s greatest player — no matter what. Overcoming all manner of hurdles, King perfected her game on the court, then used her platform to advocate for gender parity for herself and women athletes everywhere, while, at the same time, she was privately coming to terms with her sexuality. Directors Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff sit down with the legend to learn how her trailblazing quest to dominate on the court shaped her destiny, and how her defeat of pro Bobby Riggs in 1973’s so-called “Battle of the Sexes” forever changed the sports world and King’s own life. Available in person
Jane Elliott Against the World (Premieres) — In the wake of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Jane Elliott, an elementary educator in small-town Iowa, felt compelled to do everything she could to turn the tide against racism in the United States. Devising the controversial “Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes” social experiment, she created a visceral lesson in the profoundly harmful effects of discrimination and bigotry to encourage empathy among all. Now in her 90s, Elliott remains firmly committed to the cause and equally outspoken, defying detractors as she seeks to end injustice. Director Judd Ehrlich chronicles the successes that hard-charging Elliott has experienced and the sacrifices she’s made in her quest to manifest a better world. Available in person and online
Joybubbles (U.S. Documentary Competition) — As a young blind man, Joe Engressia was hungry for connection — he found it through the landline telephone, discovering ways to manipulate the technology that would pave the way for the modern art of hacking. Director Rachael J. Morrison chronicles the life of Engressia, whose chosen name, Joybubbles, reflects his irrepressibly bright spirit, telling the story of how he became one of the earliest “phone phreaks” after discovering that whistling a specific tone allowed him to make free long-distance calls. Available in person and online
Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie (Premieres) — Academy Award winner and longtime Sundance Film Festival alum Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley) directs this powerful film inspired by writer Salman Rushdie’s memoir about the 2022 stabbing attack that left him blind in one eye and near death. Rushdie himself narrates his memories of the violent encounter and his road to recovery over footage captured in the aftermath of the incident by Rushdie’s wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths. Gibney’s film also uses archival footage to explore the origins of the controversy that erupted with the publication of his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses. Available in person
Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story (Premieres) — Directors Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley profile comedian and actor Maria Bamford, assembling an engrossing portrait of the performer as she shares her experiences with lifelong mental illness. Bamford charts her trajectory from childhood to today, reflecting on the ways in which creativity became a kind of lifeline for her as she channeled her pain into her confessional comic gold. The documentary includes tributes from such industry heavyweights as Conan O’Brien, Stephen Colbert, and Zach Galifianakis, all of whom praise Bamford for the originality of her voice and her resilience in the face of unimaginable challenges. Available in person
Queen of Chess (Premieres) — By the age of 12, Hungarian Judit Polgár was the world’s top female chess player. Within four years, she’d become the youngest grandmaster in history, breaking Bobby Fischer’s record. Her next goal? Defeating world champion Garry Kasparov as a thumb in the eye of the sport’s oppressively patriarchal culture. Filmmaker Rory Kennedy chronicles Polgár’s rise and her unrelenting commitment to the game as she doggedly pursues her goal, crafting a rousing, empowering portrait of a young woman refusing to settle for second best. Available in person
Troublemaker (Premieres) — Between 1992 and 1993, Richard Stengel interviewed the imprisoned Nelson Mandela while collaborating on the South African leader’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. The recordings Stengel made serve as the spine for the riveting new documentary from Training Day director Antoine Fuqua, allowing the late Mandela to tell his own life story supported by archival footage and evocative animation by Thabang Lehobye. The film’s title references Mandela’s birth name, Rolihlahla, which translates from Xhosa as “troublemaker.” Its narrative is a testament to the power of rebellion to foment social change, even as issues of liberation endure in South Africa. Available in person
