Sundance 2026: A Complete Wrap Up of the Last Year in Park City

And just like that, the Sundance Film Festival closes the books on an iconic chapter in its history. For those of you who may not know, ever since its inception in 1978 (when it was called the U.S. Film Festival), Sundance has taken place in snowy Park City, Utah — the place the festival’s founder, Robert Redford, called home. Now, with the Sundance Kid himself having passed away, a chapter ends as the festival is set to begin in Boulder, Colorado for its 2027 edition. As such, this was a bittersweet edition of the festival, marking its last in Park City.

The vibe was low-key, as I think all involved had a sense that no matter how long the fest continues in Colorado, the vibe will be different. There was always something collegial about film professionals congregating in this small ski town, with crowded shuttle buses and long, cold treks up Main Street. While there are certain things about Utah that I won’t miss (as a 44-year-old Canadian, I resent having to show my passport every time I want to buy a drink in a bar or restaurant), overall Park City will always hold a special place in my heart, as I’ve been going there annually since 2010.

So, how was this last Sundance in Park City? I’d wager it was good — if not quite up to the best editions of the fest. No huge talents exploded at the festival the way people like Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh, Damien Chazelle, or Ryan Coogler did back in the day, but I did see some great movies. Here are five to keep an eye out for:

The Weight:

By far my favorite movie of the festival, this stars Ethan Hawke as a convict during the Great Depression who is offered his freedom if he’ll do a deadly job for his crooked warden (Russell Crowe): transport over 100 gold bars by hand through the deadly Oregon wilderness in five days, with only two other cons and some untrustworthy guards to help.

The Invite:

Olivia Wilde got the richest deal of the festival (so far) for her refreshingly adult comedy, The Invite, in which she stars alongside Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penélope Cruz. This story of two couples having a rather eventful dinner together should make a lot of waves once A24 puts it out.

I Want Your Sex:

Sundance 2026 was a huge comeback for Olivia Wilde, who also starred in this hilarious Gregg Araki comedy about an artist who recruits a young man (a lucky Cooper Hoffman) to be her sexual muse. Araki has a good time sending up the preciousness of Gen Z, poking fun at woke culture and how desexualized young people are becoming — as well as the pretentiousness of the contemporary art scene.

Leviticus:

This Midnight entry hails from Australia, the same place that gave us The Babadook and Talk to Me. The star of the latter, Joe Bird, appears in this LGBTQ-flavored twist on the It Follows formula, where a demented conversion therapy sees gay kids literally being haunted and tortured by the people they love the most.

Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass:

I’ve bemoaned the lack of good comedies in theaters, so I had a blast with David Wain’s silly Hollywood satire, where a very lucky Jon Hamm (playing himself) is pursued by Zoey Deutch’s titular character, who needs to have sex with him to even the scales when her fiancé sleeps with his celebrity crush. John Slattery co-stars as (what else) himself.

Of course, they weren’t all gems, with Cathy Yan’s star-studded The Gallerist a chore to sit through, as was A24’s horror flick Undertone. Still, I enjoyed most of the movies I saw, and you can catch up with all my reviews HERE!

Which one of these movies are you most excited to see?

The post Sundance 2026: A Complete Wrap Up of the Last Year in Park City appeared first on JoBlo.