The Sundance Film Festival is closing a chapter. After the 2026 edition, scheduled for January 22 to February 1, it will depart its longtime home of Park City, Utah, where it has been held for over 30 years, and move to Boulder, Colorado. This also marks the first festival since the passing of its founder, Robert Redford, who died last September at 89. In response, a series of screenings will celebrate classic Sundance films like Little Miss Sunshine, Saw, and Half Nelson, with special events reflecting on the festival’s legacy.

Yet Sundance is also focused on the future. Its latest lineup remains as wildly diverse and buzzy as ever, featuring star-studded absurdist comedies, boundary-pushing erotic thrillers, thoughtful dramas, and potential awards contenders for 2027. Here are 12 films to watch.

The Moment
Brat winter has arrived. Charli XCX’s frenetic A24 mockumentary—a fictionalized take on her culture-defining summer of 2024—debuts in all its retina-searing glory. Directed by Aidan Zamiri (who also helmed the videos for “360” and “Guess”) and featuring a cast including Kylie Jenner, Rachel Sennott, Alexander Skarsgård, and Shygirl, it promises a whirlwind of strobe lights, chain-smoking, and explosive meltdowns.

I Want Your Sex
Following in the footsteps of recent May-December romances like The Idea of You and Babygirl, Gregg Araki (Mysterious Skin) offers a darkly sexy twist on the genre. Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) stars as an eager young man who lands a dream job with a provocative artist (Olivia Wilde). She enlists him as her sexual muse, drawing him into a world of sadomasochism, depravity, complex power dynamics, obsession, betrayal, and murder. With former Vogue sex columnist Karley Sciortino as a co-writer, and a supporting cast including Charli XCX, Daveed Diggs, and Chase Sui Wonders, this promises a playful, no-holds-barred romp.

The Gallerist
In her first major film role since May December, Natalie Portman stars as Polina Polinski, an ambitious gallerist preparing for her Art Basel premiere in this acerbic art-world satire from Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs). When Polina hosts a preview for an art influencer (Zach Galifianakis), he is unimpressed—until he spots one intriguing piece: a corpse, which Polina then becomes determined to sell. It doesn’t get more Sundance than that. The cast also includes Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Sterling K. Brown, Daniel Brühl, and Charli XCX (making her Sundance debut with three projects this year).

Wicker
Oscar winner Olivia Colman stars as a sardonic fisherwoman who commissions a basketmaker to weave her a handsome husband (Alexander Skarsgård) in Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer’s whimsical follow-up to their surreal comedy Save Yourselves!. Adapted from Ursula Wills’ short story The Wicker Husband, the film expands on the writer’s madcap vision, blending a witty script, a formidable supporting cast (Elizabeth Debicki, Nabhaan Rizwan, Peter Dinklage), and plenty of surprises into a fable about letting go of expectations in the search for true love.

The Weight
Fresh off his awards-tipped performance in Blue Moon, Ethan Hawke stars in another weighty period piece. Set in 1930s Oregon, he plays a grizzled widower laboring at a brutal work camp under the supervision of a cruel warden (Russell Crowe). The warden tempts him with an early release—whichHe sets off on a perilous mission with a crew of fellow convicts, smuggling gold through the wilderness in exchange for a chance to reunite with his long-lost daughter. Directed by Padraic McKinley, a longtime editor making his big-screen debut, this atmospheric and richly detailed Depression-era crime saga features enchanting landscapes, pulse-racing set pieces, and the constant threat of mutiny.

The Invite
Olivia Wilde’s third directorial effort—following Booksmart and Don’t Worry Darling—is a single-location chamber piece starring Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton. The quartet play two couples whose dinner party goes off the rails, as awkward small talk gives way to a flood of marital grievances, insecurities, abandoned aspirations, and sexual frustrations. Rashida Jones and Will McCormack (Celeste and Jesse Forever) provide a raw, revelatory, and surprisingly funny screenplay, while Wilde and her cast let rip with reckless abandon.

Frank & Louis
Swiss director Petra Biondina Volpe, who recently helmed the engrossing hospital drama Late Shift starring Leonie Benesch, makes her English-language debut with another intimate story about caring for others. Kingsley Ben-Adir stars as an inmate serving a life sentence for murder who, hoping to win parole, takes a job looking after a fellow prisoner: a once-fearsome but now frail and paranoid older man (Rob Morgan) struggling with early-onset dementia. An unexpectedly tender friendship forms, breaking both men open and prompting them to reflect on their memories, regrets, and the possibility of redemption. An understated charmer.

Josephine
In Beth de Araújo’s devastating portrait of childhood trauma, Gemma Chan and Channing Tatum play the helpless parents of a sensitive eight-year-old (Mason Reeves) who is deeply shaken after accidentally witnessing a horrific crime at a local park. When she acts out violently, wrestling with a new and ineffable sense of fear and anger, the adults around her are at a loss. How long will this haunt her? And how might it shape her future?

Rock Springs
After his eye-popping, blood-soaked performance in Weapons, Benedict Wong teams up with Kelly Marie Tran and Jimmy O. Yang for this spine-chiller—a very different kind of supernatural horror from first-time filmmaker Vera Miao. It follows a grieving family that, after moving to a sleepy new town, uncovers something terrifying hidden in the woods behind their home—a clue to the enclave’s poisonous history. Drawing from real-life historical atrocities and Chinese beliefs about the afterlife, this is a visceral exploration of immigration, racism, and the resilience of displaced communities.

Union County
Will Poulter and Noah Centineo star in Adam Meeks’s delicately constructed feature debut, a thoughtful study of addiction and recovery amid the opioid epidemic set in the director’s hometown in rural Ohio. Poulter plays a young man assigned to a county-mandated drug program, trapped in a cycle of hard-won progress and the threat of relapse within a struggling community. With its firm sense of place and a supporting cast of local non-actors, the film achieves a grounded authenticity rare for stories on this subject.

In the Blink of an Eye
Before bringing us Toy Story 5, double Academy Award winner Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E) shifts from buoyant animation to mind-boggling sci-fi. The premise of his hallucinatory triptych is quintessentially Sundance: in one timeline, a Neanderthal family fights for survival; in another…In another story set in the present day, a graduate anthropology student (Rashida Jones) studying ancient remains begins a relationship with a fellow student (Daveed Diggs). In the third narrative, two centuries in the future, a woman (Kate McKinnon) is traveling on a spaceship to a distant planet. Together, these interwoven tales reflect on the human need for connection, our evolving relationship with technology, and our understanding of nature.

Antiheroine
Photo: Edward Lovelace
The most talked-about documentary in Sundance’s impressive lineup is this intimate exploration of the turbulent life and career of the legendary Courtney Love, directed by Edward Lovelace and James Hall. Covering her explosive relationship with Kurt Cobain, her profound impact on music and film, her journey to sobriety, and the upcoming release of her first new music in over a decade, the film offers a raw and nuanced portrait of the pop culture icon. Best of all, it centers Love’s own voice—open, honest, and unapologetic as she confronts the relentless scrutiny and impossible expectations she has faced.

Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about films generating buzz ahead of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival written in a natural conversational tone

General Beginner Questions

Q What does it mean for a film to be generating buzz ahead of Sundance
A It means theres early excitement and talk about certain films from industry insiders critics and film fans This buzz is often based on the filmmakers involved intriguing plot summaries or early screenings for select audiences

Q Why is Sundance such a big deal
A Sundance is the premier festival for independent cinema in the United States Its famous for launching groundbreaking films and careers A successful premiere here can lead to a major distribution deal and awards attention

Q Where can I find this list of buzzy films
A As the festival gets closer youll find these lists on major film industry websites like IndieWire Variety The Hollywood Reporter and Screen Daily Film blogs and critics on social media will also be discussing them

Q Are these films guaranteed to be at the festival
A Not necessarily While these are films that insiders are tracking the official lineup isnt announced until later Some might not be finished in time or the festival programmers might ultimately not select them

Specifics About the Films Festival

Q What kind of films typically get this early buzz
A Buzz often surrounds films from acclaimed indie directors returning to Sundance projects with wellknown actors taking a risk debut features with a unique premise or documentaries on hotbutton issues

Q Can you give examples of the types of films that might be on a 2026 buzz list
A Sure Examples could include a scifi drama from a past Sundance awardwinner a provocative documentary about AI a comingofage story with a breakout cast or a horror film from a firsttime director with a stunning trailer

Q How do films get on these buzz lists before anyone has seen them
A Its based on the package the talent the compelling logline short summary