Sundance Institute announced the lineup for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival’s annual Beyond Film talks and events, a series featuring artist conversations and experts from various fields being held Friday, January 23–Friday, January 30.
In addition, a first time event, Sundance Institute’s Story Forum: Exploring Art and Innovation presented by Adobe, will take place Monday, January 26, bringing creators, educators, and industry leaders together to discuss the latest ideas and technologies in storytelling.
The Festival will be held from January 22–February 1, 2026, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with the at-home program available online from January 29–February 1, 2026, for audiences across the country. Single Film Tickets for in-person and online screenings go on sale January 14 at 10 a.m. MT. Visit the Sundance Film Festival website for more information: festival.sundance.org.
The 2026 Festival will serve as a meaningful tribute to Robert Redford and his vision that has inspired generations of artists and redefined cinema around the world. During the second half of the Festival, the Park City Legacy program will celebrate the Festival’s rich history and shared experiences in Utah through archival screenings of iconic films from previous editions, artist talks with notable Festival alumni, and a special event for the community.
Beyond Film provides a free community experience to Festival attendees through artist discussions, talks with filmmakers and experts across various disciplines, and exciting opportunities for audience engagement. This year’s lineup, taking place Friday, January 23–Friday, January 30, includes Cinema Café presented by Audible and The Big Conversation | From Fire to Flight: Humans, Technology and Time. Beyond Film will feature conversations from various participants, such as Olivia Wilde (Director and Cast, The Invite and Cast, I Want Your Sex), Ava DuVernay, Salman Rushdie (Subject, Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie), Richard Linklater (Director, Nouvelle Vague), Nicole Holofcener (Director, Worried), John Turturro (Cast, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York), Billie Jean King (Subject, Give Me the Ball!), Antoine Fuqua (Director, Troublemaker), Gregg Araki (Director, I Want Your Sex and Mysterious Skin), and Barbara Kopple (Director, American Dream). This year’s programming will include a live podcast recording of Visitations featuring James Wan (Writer-director, Saw) with hosts Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah. See the schedule below for the full lineup.
To commemorate this poignant year, there will also be special talks and events as part of the Park City Legacy program, taking place during the second half of the Festival. Also part of the Beyond Film program, Power of Story: On Legacy will feature Ta-Nehisi Coates (Executive Producer and Subject, When A Witness Recants), Alex Gibney (Director, Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie), John Turturro (Cast, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York), Olivia Wilde (Director and Cast, The Invite and Cast, I Want Your Sex), and moderator Jia Tolentino (Staff Writer, The New Yorker). As a longtime Sundance Film Festival alum, Richard Linklater will be participating in a noteworthy live commentary of Nouvelle Vague on Wednesday, January 28. A one-of-a-kind culmination event, Everyone Has a Story: Four Decades of the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, will be a special free gathering for the public on Friday, January 30, to celebrate the many cherished memories of the over 40-year history of the annual Festival and share gratitude with the local Utah community.
