“This is a festival of new beginnings and endings," his daughter said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I’m going to look around and drink it up and enjoy it and just not take anything for granted.”
Robert Redford’s legacy and Sundance’s decades-long history in Utah are key themes of the 2026 festival, which officially begins Thursday morning with over a dozen films premiering throughout the day.
By the time the dust has settled from Oscar nominations, the festival will already be in full swing with the world premieres of Amir Bar-Lev’s documentary “The Last First: Winter K2” about the changing culture of extreme mountain climbing, Rachel Lambert’s tender drama “Carousel,” starring Chris Pine and Jenny Slate, and Judd Apatow’s portrait of comedian Maria Bamford’s mental health journey on the opening day list.
Also upcoming is David Alvarado's “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez" about the legacy of the playwright and director, and Joanna Natasegara's “The Disciple,” which delves into the stranger-than-fiction story of how Dutch-Moroccan record producer Cilvaringz found his way into the inner circle of the Wu-Tang Clan. “Too Many Cooks” creator Casper Kelly will also debut his midnight movie “Buddy,” starring Cristin Milioti, about escaping a children’s television show.
The Sundance Film Festival runs through Feb. 1.
___
For more coverage of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival