The 42nd Sundance Film Festival took place from January 22 to February 1, 2026 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, marking the last time the festival will be held in its longtime home before moving to Boulder, Colorado next year. Founded in 1978 and long a vital platform for independent cinema, this edition featured around 90 feature premieres, panels, events, and screenings that brought filmmakers and audiences together to celebrate fresh voices and bold cinematic visions.
Main Prize Winners
The 2026 Sundance awards highlighted a wide range of stories — from deeply personal narratives to urgent global concerns — underscoring the festival’s role as an incubator for films that push boundaries.
- U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize: Josephine (dir. Beth de Araújo) — a powerful drama about trauma and resilience that also won the Audience Award.
- Directing Award – U.S. Dramatic: Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! (dir. Josef Kubota Wladyka) — recognised for its inventive style and emotional depth.
- Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award – U.S. Dramatic: Take Me Home (written by Liz Sargent).
- Special Jury Awards – U.S. Dramatic: Bedford Park (Debut Feature) and The Friend’s House Is Here (Ensemble Cast).
In the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, Shame and Money (dir. Visar Morina) received the Grand Jury Prize, while films like Filipiñana and LADY earned Special Jury Awards for creative vision and ensemble acting, reflecting a strong international presence.
Documentary and Audience Highlights
The documentary awards also showcased diverse perspectives:
- U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize: Nuisance Bear (dir. Gabriela Osio Vanden & Jack Weisman), a unique look at human-animal coexistence.
- World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize: To Hold a Mountain, recognised for its environmental resistance themes.
- Audience Award – World Cinema Documentary: One in a Million, an intimate decade-long portrait of war, exile, and heartbreak.
Short films also received attention, with The Baddest Speechwriter of All (directed by Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry) winning the Short Film Grand Jury Prize, among other category winners.
Beyond winning titles, Sundance 2026 was shaped by the festival’s evolution and legacy. It was the first edition after the passing of founder Robert Redford and the last in Utah, closing a chapter in its history while continuing to champion diverse, independent voices from around the world.
For more details on the films, awards, and complete programme from this year’s festival, you can visit the official Sundance Film Festival website: https://festival.sundance.org
