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Jan 18, 2026 By Kaveh Jalinous Web Exclusive

For cinephiles, January is an unusual month. In terms of new releases, blockbusters are few and far between; the month is mostly reserved for movies studios have little faith in (often reflected, quite brutally, in their reviews). For many, it’s a time to catch up on some of the previous year’s best films, as most award-contender titles continue to expand into new markets. As the month progresses, things can begin to feel a little hopeless, as people long for good, new movies to return to the silver screen.

It’s for this reason that the Sundance Film Festival, now in its 46th edition, feels like such an oasis. The start of the 2026 film festival season, Sundance often platforms the most exciting offerings of independent cinema, freed (slightly) from the glitz and glamor of the fall film festival circuit. Sundance operating in its own slice of the calendar means the lineup is often more exciting and fun to explore, featuring an increased number of new voices, unique stories, and more daring works.

This year’s Sundance feels even grander and more pivotal than ever before. For starters, this is the first edition of the festival since its founder, the iconic Robert Redford, passed away in September 2025. The festival will feature a tribute to the acting and filmmaking pioneer, as well as a showcase of some of his pivotal works. It’s also the festival’s final year in Park City, Utah, before setting up shop in Boulder, Colorado. It’s certainly a bittersweet farewell, but for a festival that prides itself on accessibility (Sundance is one of the only festivals to continue hosting online screenings for a significant number of its titles), the move to a slightly more accessible destination feels like a step in the right direction.

As always, Sundance’s lineup absolutely delivers, featuring much of what makes the festival great in the first place. Narrowing this list of independent gems and anticipated mainstream features was a grand task, but here are some of the movies we’re most excited to see (as selected by UTR critic Kaveh Jalinous).

1. zi (NEXT, available online for U.S. audiences)

Who: Kogonada, acclaimed video essayist and director of Columbus and After Yang; White Lotus actress Haley Lu Richardson.

What: “In Hong Kong, a young woman haunted by visions of her future self meets a stranger who changes the course of her night—and possibly her life.”

Why: Last year’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey was a rare misstep for Kogonada, who has carried over his skills as a video essayist to filmmaking in stunning and thoughtful fashion. It’s exciting to see the filmmaker return to independent cinema, working from his own script and with key collaborators again (especially Haley Lu Richardson, who was great in both Columbus and After Yang). The story itself seems unique and engaging, and the film’s inclusion in the “NEXT” program, aimed at spotlighting “pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling”, makes us even more excited.

2. I Want Your Sex (Premieres)

Who: New Queer Cinema icon Gregg Araki, director of works like The Doom Generation and Nowhere; an all-star cast featuring Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, and Charli xcx.

What: “When fresh-faced Elliot lands a job with artist and provocateur Erika Tracy, his fantasies come true as she taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal, and murder.”

Why: Araki hasn’t made a film in 12 years (though he has worked on a few television series in the interim), so seeing his name on the Sundance lineup is more than exciting. This film, in particular, has been hyped for quite a while, boosted by an i-D Magazine interview in September 2025 in which Araki commented on how “Gen Z doesn’t have sex anymore.” It’s always a risk when a director returns after such a long hiatus, especially given Araki’s penchant for provocative works that spur conversation (after all, he directed the NC-17 Mysterious Skin), but we can’t wait to see where he takes this story.

3. Hot Water (U.S. Dramatic Competition, available online for U.S. audiences)

Who: Syrian-American filmmaker Ramzi Bashour; Daniel Zolghadri, star of films like Funny Pages and Eighth Grade.

What: “After he’s kicked out of his Indiana high school, an American kid and his Lebanese mom hit the road west.”

Why: It wouldn’t really be Sundance without a coming-of-age story to get excited about, and Hot Water certainly feels like a worthy candidate. The logline is intentionally simple, and the lack of detail is part of what makes us eager to see Bashour’s film for ourselves. The festival’s programmers often excel at selecting films that present a hard exterior while delivering thoughtfully layered themes just beneath the surface. Hopefully, Hot Water lives up to that tradition.

4. If I Go Will They Miss Me (NEXT, available online for U.S. audiences)

Who: Writer-director Walter Thompson-Hernández; Academy Award nominee Danielle Brooks.

What: “Twelve-year-old Lil Ant struggles to connect with his father when he begins to see surreal, almost spectral visions of boys drifting around his neighborhood. Their presence reveals a link between father and son, laying bare the threads that bind family, legacy, and place.”

Why: Thompson-Hernández adapts this feature from his short of the same title, which played at Sundance in 2022. Though we haven’t seen the short yet, the evocative logline suggests the story could benefit from the expanded scope of a feature-length runtime. It’ll also be interesting to see how the story translates with professional actors at the helm, given that the short primarily featured—and was praised for—Thompson-Hernández’s spotlighting of non-actors.

5. The Friend’s House Is Here (U.S. Dramatic Competition, available online for U.S. audiences)

Who: Writer-directors Maryam Ataei and Hossein Keshavarz.

What: “In Tehran’s underground art scene, two young women build a blissful world of freedom and sisterhood. But when their creative circle is exposed, they must fight to save each other.”

Why: Iranian-American cinema has become increasingly difficult to find, which is one of many reasons we’re eager to see Ataei’s and Keshavarz’s film. The project also promises a glimpse into a corner of Iranian culture rarely depicted on screen, presenting a politically resistant side of Persian society in a unique, thought-provoking, and less conventional way.

6. The Invite (Premieres)

Who: Actor-director Olivia Wilde; co-screenwriters Will McCormack and Rashida Jones; an all-star cast featuring Seth Rogen, Wilde, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton; music composed by Devonté Hynes (a.k.a. Blood Orange).

What: “Joe and Angela are on thin ice, and tonight might be when it all falls apart. Unfortunately, their upstairs neighbors are about to arrive for dinner, and everything that can go wrong goes worse.”

Why: If this list communicates anything, it’s that this is a big Sundance—and a big return to cinema—for Wilde, who hasn’t been especially active in filmmaking since 2022’s Don’t Worry Darling and the gossipy scandal that surrounded it. Her return to more independent cinema is exciting, and we’re hoping this film more closely resembles her feature debut, the raucously funny Booksmart. The cast and crew are top-notch; let’s just hope it all comes together smoothly.

7. Hanging by a Wire (World Cinema Documentary Competition, available online for U.S. audiences)

Who: Pakistani filmmaker Mohammed Ali Naqvi.

What: “A routine school commute turns terrifying when a cable car’s wire snaps, leaving eight passengers—including six schoolboys—dangling 900 feet above a ravine in the remote Himalayan foothills. With 10 hours before the remaining cable is expected to fail, a group of rescuers races to save them.”

Why: Sometimes, a festival website’s cover image alone is enough to draw you in. That’s certainly the case with Hanging by a Wire, whose jaw-dropping image features a group of men trapped in a rickety, hollowed-out cable car frame. Covering a story we weren’t previously familiar with, the 98-minute documentary looks to be an intensely gripping experience, using real-life drone footage to keep viewers on edge.

8. Rock Springs (Midnight, available online for U.S. audiences)

Who: A major cast featuring Kelly Marie Tran, Benedict Wong, and Jimmy O. Yang.

What: “After the death of her father, a grieving young girl moves to an isolated house in a new town with her mother and grandmother, only to discover there is something monstrous hidden in the town’s history and the woods behind their new home.”

Why: Sundance’s “Midnight” section is often overlooked, despite featuring horror films that are frequently more thoughtful and genre-bending than what typically screens at your local AMC. The only Midnight title available online for U.S. audiences this year, we’re eager to see how director Vera Miao weaves themes of generational trauma and cultural legacy into a film that, based on its logline alone, sounds genuinely frightening. The cast also has our attention, especially following Wong’s excellent performance in last year’s Weapons.

9. Nuisance Bear (U.S. Documentary Competition, available online for U.S. audiences)

Who: Documentarians Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman.

What: “A polar bear is forced to navigate a human world of tourists, wildlife officers, and hunters as its ancient migration collides with modern life. When a sacred predator is branded a nuisance, it becomes unclear who truly belongs in this shared landscape.”

Why: Videos of polar bears struggling to survive are becoming increasingly common, offering stark evidence of the damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Vanden’s and Weisman’s film uses these shifting habitats and behaviors to examine environmental destruction and the evolving relationship between humans and animals. The documentary expands on their 2022 short of the same name, and we’re excited to see how the story unfolds over a feature-length runtime.

10. Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! (U.S. Dramatic Competition, available online for U.S. audiences)

Who: American filmmaker Josef Kubota Wladyka; Pacific Rim and 47 Ronin actress Rinko Kikuchi.

What: “Haru and Luis love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly.”

Why: Maybe it’s because the restoration of Shall We Dance? (1996) was released last year. Maybe it’s because ballroom dance–themed films are few and far between. If we’re being honest, it’s probably a bit of both. Romantic comedies have also had a rough stretch lately, with many entries feeling uninspired or designed purely as background viewing. Hopefully, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! breaks the trend, using its uncommon setting to offer a charming look at a budding relationship.