Sundance Film Festival 2026: Most Anticipated Films to Watch
Sundance 2026 is upon us, which means it is time to discuss the films we are the most excited about. Last year had a remarkable lineup, including Train Dreams, Omaha, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and so much more. The 2025 festival also featured groundbreaking documentaries, including The Perfect Neighbor and Life After. It was one of the best years at Sundance, and it led to many Oscar-worthy titles.
This year is no different and might be the most stacked lineup yet. There are so many potentially great titles that it was difficult to fit them all into a list of 10. Some of these titles include a crime thriller starring John Turturro, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, and a horror movie starring Kelly Marie Tran, Rock Springs. That said, here is our list of most anticipated films at Sundance 2026.
Josephine
The first film on our list is by Beth de Araújo, who previously directed the 2022 SXSW breakout thriller Soft & Quiet. Her next project, titled Josephine, stars Gemma Chan and Channing Tatum. The film centers on a young girl who loses her grip after witnessing a crime accidentally.
The premise makes the story sound like a family drama, further explaining that her parents struggle to ease whatever trauma she endured. The film has a remarkably promising director, and with Tatum fresh off Roofman, this is one Sundance offering to keep on one’s radar.
Buddy
Buddy is part of the infamous midnight programming at Sundance. The premise describes the story as about kids trying to escape a nightmarish television show and features a person in a uniform costume carrying an axe.
Adding to the insanity, the film is directed by Casper Kelly, who wrote the Cheddar Goblin sequence in the movie Mandy. The cast is impressive as well, featuring the warm and fuzzy presence of Michael Shannon and the Penguin star, Cristin Milioti.
Carousel
Carousel has the makings of a lighthearted romantic drama with some terrific talent. The film stars Chris Pine and Jenny Slate and centers on a divorcee who reunites with a high school ex after several years.
The film is directed by Rachel Lambert, who made one of the quirkiest of Sundance offerings called Sometimes I Think About Dying. That film was incredibly underrated and featured a Meryl Streep-quality performance from Daisy Ridley. Hopefully Lambert’s latest is another Sundance gem.
Undertone
Undertone’s tasty preview suggests the film will offer two standout attributes: skillful horror and incredible sound design. The film is already being distributed by A24 and marks the first major release for writer-director Ian Tuason.
The film centers on a podcaster who hosts a show about scary stories and begins to lose her sense of reality after a listener sends recordings of a couple being haunted by a strange entity. As the trailer shows, the entity begins repeating the same actions in her home.
Zi
Filmmaker and screenwriter Kogonada is no stranger to the Sundance stage. In one of the first years Sundance went online during the pandemic, Kogonada brought the highly buzzed-about After Yang. While his career has continued with an indie spirit, including the recent release of A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, the filmmaker plans to unveil a sci-fi drama at this year’s festival.
The movie Zi follows a woman tormented by visions of her future, but a romance develops that might change her fate. It’s an intriguing concept with an always intriguing filmmaker.
The Shitheads
Macon Blair is one of the most unflinching filmmakers working today. The actor-turned-filmmaker has a daring track record with I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore and The Toxic Avenger remake under his belt. His movies have a Kurt Cobain energy, as if an artist is crafting work out of love alone. One can feel the middle finger being thrown at the idea of selling out as the work unfolds.
Now, Blair is back at Sundance with the gloriously titled film, The Shitheads, starring O’Shea Jackson Jr., Dave Franco, Kiernan Shipka, Mason Thames, Killer Mike, Peter Dinklage, and more. There’s no need to explain the premise with a title and cast like this one here. It’s a must-see at Sundance.
Take Me Home
Each year at Sundance I make every effort to cover films involving people with disabilities. Given my own condition, raising awareness of that experience feels crucial. And honestly, the choice has been rewarding, with the privilege of discussing compelling documentaries like The Remarkable Life of Ibelin and Life After.
The Sundance entry Take Me Home follows a character with a cognitive disability who struggles to provide care. The film is based on Liz Sargent’s 2023 short film of the same title and could be a heartfelt adaptation.
The Invite
Regardless of how one feels about Don’t Worry Darling, one cannot deny the impressiveness of Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart. The movie was comedically sharp, had great chemistry from its central leads, and oftentimes felt like Superbad from the teenage girl’s perspective.
Wilde is coming to Sundance with another comedic entry, The Invite, featuring a stellar cast including Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penelope Cruz. The script by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack follows a reclusive couple whose lives are chaotically pushed into uncomfortable places by their upstairs neighbors. Given the talent, The Invite has the potential to be a genuinely hilarious Sundance experience.
Public Access
Public Access is one of the Sundance documentaries holding a mainstream name behind its executive producer roster. Filmmaker Benny Safdie (The Smashing Machine, Uncut Gems) serves as executive producer for director David Shadrack Smith’s documentary about the New York Cable Television scene that utilized Public Access to push the boundaries of free expression, resulting in legal squabbles over the First Amendment.
Typically, when one of the Safdies throws their weight behind a project, the material comes with a lot of artistic energy. Here is hoping Public Access maintains the chaotic artistry of the Safdie name.
Joybubbles
Adding to the coverage of disability is another documentary called Joybubbles. The documentary focuses on a blind man who figured out a creative way to manipulate the telephone systems by whistling in a certain way. The description goes on to say that his methodology enabled him to find connections in the most creative ways.
It’s far too early to know, but the description has a lot of flavors that sound similar to The Remarkable Life of Ibelin. Stories about people with disabilities who break boundaries in finding meaning and connection in the most significant ways.
The Huntress
Every now and then, the World Cinema Dramatic Competition will bring a title that sounds like it belongs in the Midnight category. For example, last year, the category had a strange supernatural coming-of-age thriller called The Virgin of Quarry Lake. The Huntress rings true to that spirit.
The film centers on the violence in Juarez, Mexico, towards women and a woman who fought back against the brutal oppression. Most of the public screenings for this one are sold out, but the public online offering is still available.
For more about Sundance Film Festival 2026…
This year’s Sundance Film Festival runs from January 22nd until February 1st out of Park City & Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, visit the official site here.
Follow us on social media @MyCosmicCircus for more coverage of Sundance Film Festival soon. For our past coverage of Sundance and other film festivals, check out the articles in our Film Festival tag.
