Danielle Brooks and Bodhi Jordan Dell appear in If I Go Will They Miss Me by Walter Thompson-Hernandez, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Michael Fernandez.
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This year’s Sundance was special as it marked the first without its founder, Oscar-winning actor, director, producer, and activist, Robert Redford, who passed away last September. Following his death, the festival decided to take a new direction, choosing Boulder, Colorado, as its new home in 2027 after a 45-year run. The Sundance Institute’s decision to relocate is driven by the need for more space, given that the festival typically draws about 85,000 attendees.
Aside from the thoughtful tributes, buzzy premieres and parties, and packed press lines to see films, another aspect of the festival that stood out for many attendees, film enthusiasts, and critics, including me, was the emphasis on women-led films, whether starring in, directing, creative conception, or executive producing. Knowing that the 2026 Sundance Film Festival featured 63.6% of the women-directed films across various competition sections comes as a surprise, given Hollywood has traditionally shut out women directors. The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at USC reported that women directed only 8.1% of the top 100 box office films last year.
The 2026 Sundance Festival featured a diverse mix of women’s perspectives in filmmaking from genre, style, and production, with spotlighted directors across notable films like ‘When A Witness Recants,’ directed by prolific Dawn Porter, ‘Josephine’ directed by Beth de Araújo, ‘The Huntress- La Cazadora’ directed by Suzanne Andrews Correa, ‘Saccharine’ written and directed by Natalie Erika James, ‘The Brittney Griner Story,’ directed by Alexandria Stapleton.
Additionally, some women contributed heavily to the creation of some of the most-anticipated films at the festival, like ‘Antiherione,’ the gripping documentary about Courtney Love’s redemption and hopeful future, or ‘If I Go Will They Miss Me,’ and Charli XCX’s dystopian pop mockumentary, ‘The Moment.’ Although it was my first Sundance Festival, I was fortunate enough to review seven films, including three world premieres: ‘The Brittney Griner Story,’ ‘When A Witness Recants’ and ‘Antiheroine.’
Here are the films you should look out for and watch when they become available to the public.
Charlie XCX’s The Moment:
Charli xcx appears in The Moment by Aidan Zamiri, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
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Grammy Award-winning and bona fide pop star Charli XCX conceptualized and co-created a dystopian yet thrilling mockumentary about her life as an international sensation with director Aidan Zamiri. In the film, Charli XCX plays herself, but she is riddled with anxiety, doubt, and confusion about where her career should go next. And if she should end the “brat era,” once and for all. With cameos from Alexander Skarsgård, Rachel Sennot, and Kylie Jenner (she did do a good job in the movie), the film has garnered attention ahead of A24’s Friday, January 30th, release. I was pleasantly surprised by Charli XCX’s vulnerability, self-awareness of how the pressures of fame can swallow up one’s life, and fear of becoming irrelevant, as we all know how fickle show business can be.
The Brittney Griner Story:
WNBA superstar Brittney Griner is no stranger to controversy. The ESPN documentary, directed by Alexandria Stapleton, who previously directed Sean Combs: The Reckoning, not only explored the media frenzy surrounding Griner’s detention but also gave an inside look at her personal life, beginning with her childhood and her partnership with her supportive and dutiful wife, Cherelle Griner. I appreciated how much of Griner’s voice we heard throughout the documentary, as well as videos of her environment while at the Russian penal colony. Notable cameos include former President Biden, journalist Jemele Hill, and Griner’s loved ones. The documentary was a testament to how love, community support, and advocacy can change your life.
Antiheroine:
Courtney Love appears in Antiheroine by Edward Lovelace and James Hall, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Edward Lovelace
Sundance
For starters, I am a Courtney Love apologist. The zainy, free-spirited, self-actualized, and destructive singer has had difficult cultural and public moments. But with her newest documentary, she seems to be turning over a fresh, sober leaf. Love, choosing to be away from the spotlight to heal in London, is set to release new music for the first time in over a decade, and the documentary showed that progress with ample reflection of her past traumas and successes. When watching Antiherione, I felt like a fly on the wall, fixated on Love and her stories, reflections, and realizations of the past and present. She was vulnerable about her relevance in a fast-moving industry and her desire not to be judged by her age. Just as Love is unapologetic and complex, so is this unflinching documentary.
When A Witness Recants:
‘When A Witness Recants’ cast
Sundance
Director Dawn Porter wins big with this harrowing documentary, produced by noted author Ta-Nehisi Coates, about a case centering three innocent teenagers who were convicted and sentenced to life for the murder of a 14-year-old boy at a Baltimore middle school. After 36 years in prison, it was revealed that false testimony led to their imprisonment. The documentary explores the systemic racism that many communities are experiencing today and the power of redemption, accountability, and healing for an entire community of disenfranchised people. During its world premiere, the three men who were wrongly convicted were there, along with the lawyer and Marilyn Mosby, the former State’s Attorney for Baltimore, Maryland. The cast and crew urged prison reform and hoped their story would help future generations. “I’ve been making films about the criminal legal system for more than a decade now, but nothing has moved me more than the story of the Harlem Park 3. Collectively, the HP3 spent more than 108 years in violent prisons, the longest combined wrongful conviction in American history. Their experience illustrates an ongoing national crisis — the racially charged reality of police misconduct. This case demonstrates just how fragile justice can be,” said Porter.
If I Go Will They Miss Me?
Danielle Brooks and Bodhi Jordan Dell appear in If I Go Will They Miss Me by Walter Thompson-Hernandez, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Michael Fernandez.
All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute pro
In ‘If I Go Will They Miss Me,’ 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.
Walter Thompson-Hernández’s stunning feature film is loaded with symbolism and vivid imagery, while highlighting the challenging themes of abandonment, longing, arrested development, and heartbreak against the backdrop of working-class Watts, Los Angeles. Executive producer and star of the film, Danielle Brooks, stuns with her performance as a mother trying to juggle it all and offers an honest portrayal of what happens when extenuating circumstances prevent closeness and warmth within a household. I loved the mythical Greek elements integrated within the film and appreciated the magical realism that grounded the storyline – it didn’t lose sight of the broader message: it’s perfectly fine to take flight, but remember and cherish the ones who matter in your life.