The Sundance Film Festival 2026 is shaping up to be one for the history books.
Taking place from 22 January to 1 February 2026 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, this edition will mark the festival’s last run in the Beehive State before it relocates to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027.
For over 40 years, the Sundance Film Festival — founded by the late actor and filmmaker Robert Redford — has been the beating heart of independent cinema.
Each year, it gives filmmakers from around the world a platform to share daring and original stories, launching careers and shifting the course of global storytelling.
This year’s festival will be particularly special, with organisers calling it a “celebration full of gratitude and joy.”
According to the Sundance Institute, the 2026 event will feature more than 90 feature films and over 50 short films, along with episodic projects and the Beyond Film series — a collection of talks and discussions with artists and industry leaders.
One of the main highlights will be a tribute to Robert Redford, honouring his decades-long commitment to nurturing new voices through Sundance’s artist labs and the festival itself.
The celebration will take place on Friday, 23 January (around 03:00 SAST) at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley. The evening will also serve as a fundraiser to support year-round programs that help emerging filmmakers around the world.
Redford’s belief that “everyone has a story” continues to guide the festival’s ethos. His influence can still be felt in the kind of films that make it to Sundance — often intimate, daring, and deeply human.
A farewell to Park City and Salt Lake City
After decades of snowy premieres and late-night screenings, the festival will say goodbye to its Utah roots.
“Park City has been an integral part of our festival,” said the Sundance team in a recent statement.
“This year, we want to take a moment to honour all the milestones and memories that began here.”
The festival’s main screenings will once again be held at Park City’s iconic Eccles Theatre, Library Centre Theatre, and The Ray Theatre, with additional screenings in Salt Lake City’s Broadway Centre Cinemas and Rose Wagner Performing Arts Centre.
From 28 January (around 18:00 SAST), online screenings will also open to audiences worldwide — part of Sundance’s continued effort to make independent cinema accessible to everyone, even those who can’t travel to Utah.
African representation and South African prospects
Last year, three powerful African films were showcased at Sundance 2025 — including B(l)ind The Sacrifice, a South African short film directed by Nakhane, which reimagined the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac through themes of patriarchy and post-colonial identity .
For 2026, the official lineup has not yet been announced, but early rumours suggest another strong showing from the continent, with possible entries from South African and Kenyan filmmakers in the World Cinema Dramatic Competitionand Short Film categories.
The Sundance Institute’s labs have supported several African creatives over the past year, hinting at more representation from the Global South.
What to expect next
The festival will culminate on Friday, 30 January (around 05:00 SAST) with the awards ceremony at The Ray Theatre, where jury and audience prizes will be presented.
For those planning to attend, travel and accommodation bookings are already open — and with it being the final Utah festival, demand is expected to soar.
This year’s edition is both an ending and a beginning — a closing chapter for Sundance’s Utah era and the dawn of a new phase in Boulder.
As Redford once said:
“Everyone has a story.”
The Sundance Film Festival 2026 promises to remind the world just how powerful those stories can be.
