The 2026 Sundance Film Festival is shaping up to be a great edition of their last season in Park City, Utah. Admittedly, I’m not happy about the move out of Utah, as it’s my Home State and there is an ease of attending the festival in person each year. I’ve been attending in person for over a decade, and I’m really bummed it’s coming to an end. Best of luck to the Sundance team as they begin their new adventures for the 2027 edition in Boulder, Colorado.
Reminder if you are reading this list and feel you have other films that measure higher in your most-anticipated list, then please share. I would love to possibly add them to my list over the 10 full days of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Without further ado, here are my Top 10 most anticipated picks–in alphabetical order– for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
BUDDY
Midnight Section – In Person Screenings Only
United States | 2026 | 95 min | English
Casper Kelly will premiere his all-new feature-length horror-sci-fi film, “Buddy.” Kelly is best known for directing Adult Swim’s “Too Many Cooks” short, “Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell” series, the “Adult Swim Yule Log,” “Yule Log 2: Branchin’ Out,” and the recently directed “Fun Size” segment from “V/H/S: Halloween.” Oh, and he wrote that awesome “Cheddar Goblin” commercial for “Mandy!” With Kelly’s track record, we can expect a fair amount of dark humor and unpredictable moments that are sure to make it an unforgettable time at the movies.
While details on “Buddy” remain limited, the synopsis alone is worthy of intrigue: a group of kids who must escape a children’s television show that tests their courage and friendship. Even with the little that is revealed, the combination of Casper Kelly at the helm, the amazing cast, and the colorfully fun still image from the film, I can honestly say that I am doing all I can to see this on the big screen with a lively audience at the festival. How can one not be excited for this film?
DIRECTED BY: Casper Kelly
WRITTEN BY: Casper Kelly, Jamie King
CAST: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, and Patton Oswalt
FING!
Family Matinee Section – In-Person Screening Only!
Australia/United Kingdom | 2025 | 96 min | English
Every year there’s at least one Sundance title that reminds me the festival can still deliver pure, cross-generational joy, and “FING!” feels poised to be that pick. Adapted from a beloved children’s book and leaning into puppetry, heightened British humor, and a gleefully villainous turn from Taika Waititi, this looks like a rare family-friendly film with real personality. It’s exactly the kind of unexpected crowd-pleaser I love championing early.
DIRECTED BY: Jeffrey Walker
WRITTEN BY: David Williams, Kevin Cecil
CAST: Taika Waititi, Mia Wasikowska, Penelope Wilton, Blake Harrison, and Iona Bell
THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE
Premieres Section – In-Person Screening Only!
United States | 2026 | 100 min | English
Anything John Wilson makes instantly lands on my radar, and a documentary about concrete filtered through his particular brand of curiosity and humor feels impossible to resist. The premise alone, using a Hallmark-style formula to pitch a documentary, suggests something deeply odd, funny, and observational. This is high on my list because it promises to turn the mundane into something insightful and surprisingly warm, which is where Wilson does his best work.
DIRECTED BY: John Wilson
JOSEPHINE
U.S. Dramatic Section – Available in person. Also available online for the public (January 29–February 1)
United States | 2025 | 120 min | English
Told through the eyes of an eight-year-old who witnesses a crime, “Josephine” sounds tense, intimate, and emotionally risky. Its focus on fear, anger, and a child’s inability to process trauma makes it one of the most compelling dramas on the lineup.
DIRECTED BY: Beth de Araújo
WRITTEN BY: Beth de Araújo
CAST: Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Philip Ettinger, Syra McCarthy, and Eleanore Pienta
SACCHARINE
Midnight Section – In Person Screenings Only
Australia | 2025 | 112 min | English
Natalie Erika James tackling body horror through the lens of modern weight culture instantly makes “Saccharine” one of my most anticipated films. The premise is of a young woman haunted after participating in an extreme weight-loss trend. The whole thing feels provocative, timely, and unafraid to go to uncomfortable places. I’m excited to see how the film uses genre to interrogate obsession, control, and self-destruction in a way that feels uniquely contemporary.
DIRECTED BY: Natalie Erika James
WRITTEN BY: Natalie Erika James
CAST: Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, and Madeleine Madden
THE SCREENER
Episodic Section – In Person Screenings Only
United States | 2026 | 92 min | English
Jim Cummings’ feature debut, “Thunder Road,” was my favorite film of that year, so it’s safe to say I’m really excited for this one. A leaked indie film spiraling into a legal nightmare is already a great hook, but “The Screener” earns its spot on my list for how directly it takes aim at the entertainment industry itself. From power dynamics to reputation management, the series sounds primed to skewer the systems that shape who gets heard and who gets silenced. I’m especially excited by its fully independent production and its willingness to bite the hand that feeds.
DIRECTED BY: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe
WRITTEN BY: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe
CAST: Shereen Lani Younes, Jon Rudnitsky, B.K. Cannon, Boni Mata, Shaun J. Brown, and Nicolette Doke
TAKE ME HOME
U.S. Dramatic Section – Available in person. Also available online for the public (January 29–February 1)
United States | 2025 | 99 min | English
I had the great opportunity to see Liz Sargent’s “Take Me Home” at Sundance in 2023. What immediately draws me to the film is how deeply personal and quietly urgent it feels. Centered on a woman with a cognitive disability caring for her aging parents, it offers an intimate exploration of family, responsibility, and independence within a system that often fails its most vulnerable. It’s exactly the kind of humane, character-driven drama Sundance does so well, and the kind of story that doesn’t get enough space on screen. I’m excited to see what Sargent further explores in this feature-length film.
DIRECTED BY: Liz Sargent
WRITTEN BY: Liz Sargent
CAST: Anna Sargent, Victor Slezak, Ali Ahn, Marceline Hugot, and Shane Harper
TUNER
Spotlight Section – In Person Screenings Only
Canada/United States | 2025 | 109 min | English
“Tuner” landed on my must-see list thanks to its offbeat premise and tonal flexibility. A piano tuner whose auditory condition leads him into a world of crime is the kind of setup that can go in a dozen directions, and that unpredictability is part of the appeal. Add in an intergenerational mentorship and hints of romance, and it feels like a film designed to surprise rather than settle.
DIRECTED BY: Daniel Roher
WRITTEN BY: Daniel Roher, Robert Ramsey
CAST: Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman, Havana Rose Liu, Lior Raz, Tovah Feldshuh, and Jean Reno
THE WEIGHT
Premieres Section – In-Person Screening Only!
Germany/USA | 2026 | 112 min | English
A Depression-era survival thriller set in the Oregon wilderness immediately sets “The Weight” apart. The combination of a morally fraught premise, a harsh natural landscape, and a cast anchored by Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe suggests a film driven by tension and character rather than spectacle. It made my top ten because it sounds like a rugged, old-school drama willing to sit with difficult choices.
DIRECTED BY: Padraic McKinley
WRITTEN BY: Matthew Booi, Matthew Chapman, Shelby Gaines
CAST: Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, and Sam Hazeldine
WICKER
A woman commissioning a husband made of wicker is one of the most instantly intriguing premises at the festival. “Wicker” sounds like it uses its fable-like setting to question tradition, marriage, and expectation with humor and bite. I’m excited for something that feels bold, eccentric, and unapologetically strange, the kind of film that reminds you why Sundance is still a place for creative risks.
DIRECTED BY: Eleanor Wilson, Alex Huston Fischer
WRITTEN BY: Eleanor Wilson, Alex Huston Fischer
CAST: Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage, Elizabeth Debicki, Marli Siu, and Nabhaan Rizwan
Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty more films I am excited about, but these are personally my most anticipated. Follow Cinemast Team as we embark at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
