Brat Summer lives on at Sundance Film Festival, where Aidan Zamiri's The Moment starring Charli XCX will make its premiere. Following “a rising pop star [that] navigates the complexities of fame and industry pressure while preparing for her arena tour debut,” it imagines how Charli's blockbuster album era might have played out had she made different decisions. Directed by Edward Lovelace and James Hall, a logline for the film reads, “Now sober and set to release new music for the first time in over a decade, Courtney is ready to reveal her story.” More music history will be captured through the world premiere of Tamra Davis' documentary The Best Summer, an “all-access view inside an era-defining moment in music” with behind-the-scenes footage featuring Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Pavement, Rancid, Beck, The Amps, and Bikini Kill. Davis previously helmed 2010's Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, and directed Britney Spears in Crossroads. The singer and songwriter Marianne Faithfull, who died earlier this year at age 78, will see her story captured in Broken English. The film from Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth premiered at the Venice International Film Festival this summer, but will make its U.S. debut at Sundance. Broken English takes its title from Faithfull's 1979 New Wave comeback album. “Made with her full involvement, Broken English is an intimate and unflinching exploration of a fractured yet unbreakable life shaped by fame, creativity and relentless public scrutiny,” a description of the film reads. Broken English stars Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Sophia Di Martino, Zawe Ashton, and Calvin Demba. Sundance 2026 will see director Joanna Natasegara make her documentary feature debut with The Disciple, which provides a look inside the making of Wu-Tang Clan's supposedly one-of-a-kind album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. The film, which as of this September was still incomplete, according to The New Yorker, surfaces footage from a 1972 reunion of figures from the Harlem Renaissance, which gathered passionate and creative minds with nuanced and critical insights into race, politics, art, and more. Taylor Swift's Last Album Sparked Bizarre Accusations of Nazism. Stephen Colbert Urges Paramount to 'Uncancel One of Their Best Shows' Amid Warner Bidding War His wife, Louise Archambault Greaves, chipped away at the project until her death in 2023. Figures that appeared at Greaves's party, and made it into the film, include Eubie Blake, James Van Der Zee, Gerri Major, Jean Blackwell Hutson, Richard Bruce Nugent, and others. Also premiering at Sundance 2026 is Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story. “Blurring the line between performance and personal crisis, comedian Maria Bamford turns her mental health journey into material that's riotously funny and ultimately inspiring,” a description of the film reads. “What emerges is a portrait of an artist transforming vulnerability into creative strength through honesty.”

Depp shared the news in an appearance to promote the project at Saudia Arabia's Red Sea Film Festival on Wednesday. Depp will produce alongside Stephen Deuters and Stephen Malit under his IN.2 Film banner, alongside Svetlana Dali, Grace Loh, Natalia Rogal, and Robert MacLean for Tribune Pictures. Exec producers include the late Michael Lang, Nevin Shalit, Andrew Fourman World Visions' Konstantin Elkin and Tribune Pictures' Michael Paletta. Awards Season Fires Up With Jennifer Lawrence, Sydney Sweeney, Russell Crowe & Cannes Grand Prix Winner 'Sentimental Value' - Specialty Preview 'Severance's Tramell Tillman & Ian McKellen Join Johnny Depp In 'Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol' The project reunites Depp with Dali, who exec produced the Depp-led, World Vision and Red Sea Film Foundation-backed Jeanne du Barry and Modì: Three Days on the Wing of Madness. Set between 1930s Moscow, where the devil returns with his talking cat to cause havoc amongst its corrupt citizens, and Jerusalem during the time of Pontius Pilate, the book tells a fantastical, satirical tale of love, artistic freedom and the eternal battle of good versus evil. A third intertwined story follows a struggling writer and his lover, Margarita, who is willing to do anything to save him from the totalitarian system. Depp was one of Hollywood's biggest and most in-demand stars until his extended legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard, leading to a period in which he wasn't seen in studio movies. Most recently seen in international titles like Minamata and Jeanne du Barry, he's spoken about feeling “boycotted” by Hollywood in the wake of the saga with Heard and indicated that he might be done with the town. First, he wrapped production on Day Drinker, a Lionsgate action-thriller from Marc Webb that reteamed him with frequent co-star Penélope Cruz. More recently, he's signed on to star in Paramount's Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, a retelling of the classic Charles Dickens story from director Ti West, on which we were first to report. Depp is represented by Jack Whigham at Range Media. Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks Send us a tip using our annonymous form. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.

With the Sundance Film Festival heading to Boulder, CO, in 2027, it's leaving its Park City, Utah home of 44 years with nothing less than a bang and a lot of heart. But there will be a lot of laugh for next year's edition, the lineup for which was revealed Wednesday morning. The selection features a big footprint from comedy films including Olivia Wilde's The Invite, David Wain's Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer's Wicker, Cathy Yan's The Gallerist, the John Wilson documentary The History of Concrete, Josephine Decker's Chasing Summer, Macon Blair's The Shitheads, Casper Kelly's Buddy, and a Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley documentary about stand-up Maria Bamford. Major studios can't pump out comedies for the big screen, hence it's left to the independent filmmakers to fill the void. Tammie Rosen Dies: Sundance And Tribeca Communications Chief Was 49 Max Walker-Silverman's Sundance 2025 Breakout 'Rebuilding' Sells To Canada Ahead Of U.S. “Independent filmmakers are exploring comedy as a way to explore personal stories,” Eugene Hernandez, Director, Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming tells Deadline. Part of Sundance's goodbye to Park City include several restored festival classics and reunions (which are still being assembled), i.e. the ultimate 2x Oscar winner Little Miss Sunshine, Gregg Araki's Mysterious Skin, New Line comedy House Party, Lionsgate's original Saw, Ryan Fleck's Ryan Gosling-Anthony Mackie movie Half Nelson, and the late Lynn Shelton's Humpday to name a few. Coincidentally, there's a small nod to Utah itself before Sundance leaves town: the Abby Ellis directed documentary The Lake which has a logline that reads “an environmental nuclear bomb looms in Utah.” And, of course, it wouldn't be Sundance without hot political topics melting the snow, i.e. the Focus Features docu The A.I. Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist from Navalny filmmaker Daniel Roher; the American Doctor about three American medics — Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian– and their work in Gaza; the Mexican border female drama The Huntress, and the docu Everybody to Kenmure Street which follows the dilemma of immigrant deportations in a small Scottish neighborhood. In addition to the huge 105 projects selected for their 2026 lineup, Sundance 2026 will pay homage not only to its longtime snowy mountain home, but also to its late founder Robert Redford who passed on Sept. 16 at 89 years old. As previously announced, Redford will be remembered on night 2 of the festival during its Gala Celebration. In addition, there's a screening of the 1969 Robert Redford movie Downhill Racer from director Michael Ritchie; a movie in which the former played a cocky U.S. team skier. It was a title close to Redford's indie soul. “Downhill Racer was a film he would talk about often at the Director's Brunch when he'd gather all the filmmakers from that year's festival, and talk to them about his difficulties in obtaining an independent vision and protecting the integrity of a project, which he produced in addition to starring in. It connected him with the filmmakers at each year's festival. We felt in all his extraordinary body of work, that was the film that was most connected to Sundance,” said John Nein, Sundance Film Festival Senior Programmer and Director of Strategic Initiatives. “The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will be a truly pivotal and memorable moment as we celebrate artists and their visionary works, honor our Sundance Institute founder, Robert Redford, and his transformative vision, and show our gratitude to Utah by commemorating our collective journey,” said Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute Acting CEO. “We are eager to once again foster connection and creativity as we champion and share independent storytelling with audiences. This marks an especially defining year of coming together as a community to uplift independent film and the legacy of the Festival.” Added Hernandez, “The program broadly so perfectly embodies the spirit, the history and the vitality of what this festival has tried to bring to Park City and Salt Lake City and the state of Utah for the last 40-plus years. You see in the program some familiar names and faces, but also that 40% of the films are coming from first-time feature directors.” “The program for the 2026 Festival invites audiences to experience intimate character journeys, deeply human stories, and compelling explorations of stories from around the globe,” said Kim Yutani, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. “Each year, we have the privilege of introducing distinctive storytellers to audiences, and we are grateful to the artists who entrust us with their films at the start of the journey. The upcoming edition will be especially profound in introducing brand-new works while concurrently marking the significance of the many films we have been fortunate to present and gone on to have a long-lasting impact on independent film and culture.” Despite film festival markets being in a bit of funk lately, with sales occurring slower and closing outside events, more than 65% of the Sundance line-up is for up for sale. Hernandez says that figure is “consistent” with previous years. Two of the big sales last year included NEON's pick-up of the Dave Franco-Alison Brie horror movie Together and Netflix's high teens acquisition of the Joel Edgerton period drama Train Dreams, which is a buzzy title in this year's awards season mix. Aside from Focus Features' The A.I. Doc, those titles arriving to the festival with distribution attached include ESPN's Give Me the Ball! and The Brittney Griner Story in Premieres, Netflix's Queen of Chess in Premieres, Searchlight's In the Blink of an Eye in Premieres, NatGeo's Time and Water in Premieres, HBO Doc's When a Witness Recants in Premieres, A24's Nuisance Bear in U.S. Doc Competition, PBS American Masters' American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez in U.S. docs, A24's undertone in Next, ITVS' Jaripeo in Next, Black Bear's Tuner (which played TIFF) in Spotlight, and Amazon MGM Studios' Bait in episodic. The 2026 Sundance Film Festival program was curated from 16,201 submissions from 164 countries/territories, including 4,255 feature-length films. From these feature film submissions, 1,676 were from the U.S. and 2,579 were international. The seven episodic projects were selected from 470 submissions. Bedford Park / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Stephanie Ahn, Producers: Gary Foster, Chris S. Lee, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Theresa Kang, Son Sukku) — Haunted by an abusive childhood, Audrey, a Korean American woman in her 30s, faces her emotional past. When her mother's car accident brings her back to her parents' home, she meets the man responsible for the accident. Their relationship builds, passions ignite, and they form a loving connection. Cast: Moon Choi, Son Sukku, Won Mi Kyung, Kim Eung Soo, Jefferson White. Carousel / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Rachel Lambert, Producers: Alex Saks, David Lipper, Robert A. Daly Jr., Ian Gotler, Chris Pine) — A divorced doctor's carefully constructed life in Cleveland is upended when his daughter's debate aspirations and the unexpected return of a past love force him to confront his own choices and embrace a second chance. Cast: Chris Pine, Jenny Slate, Abby Ryder Fortson, Sam Waterston, Katey Sagal. Available online for public. The Friend's House Is Here / U.S.A., Iran (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Hossein Keshavarz, Maryam Ataei) — 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. Cast: Mahshad Bahram, Hana Mana, Farzad Karen, Zohreh Pirnia. Available online for public. Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Josef Kubota Wladyka, Screenwriter: Nicholas Huynh, Producers: Kimberly Parker Zox, Mao Nagakura) — 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. Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, YOU, Yoh Yoshida, Damián Alcázar. Available online for public. Hot Water / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Ramzi Bashour, Producers: Jesse Hope, Max Walker-Silverman, Josh Peters) — After he's kicked out of his Indiana high school, an American kid and his Lebanese mom hit the road west. Cast: Lubna Azabal, Daniel Zolghadri. Available online for public. Josephine / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Beth de Araújo, Producers: David Kaplan, Josh Peters, Marina Stabile, Mark H. Rapaport, Crystine Zhang) –– After 8-year-old Josephine accidentally witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park, she acts out in search of a way to regain control of her safety while adults are helpless to console her. Cast: Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Philip Ettinger, Syra McCarthy, Eleanore Pienta. Available online for public. The Musical / U.S.A. (Director: Giselle Bonilla, Screenwriter and Producer: Alexander Heller, Producers: Rob Lowe, Greg Lauritano, Findlay Brown, Jordan Backhus) — When a frustrated playwright and middle school theater teacher finds out his ex-girlfriend has started dating his nemesis, the school's principal, he decides to ruin the principal's chances of winning the Blue Ribbon of Academic Excellence. Cast: Will Brill, Gillian Jacobs, Rob Lowe. Available online for public. Run Amok / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: NB Mager, Producers: Julie Christeas, Frank Hall Green) — A teenage girl stages an elaborate musical about the one day her high school wishes it could forget. Cast: Alyssa Marvin, Patrick Wilson, Margaret Cho, Sophia Torres, Elizabeth Marvel, Molly Ringwald. Available online for public. Take Me Home / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Liz Sargent, Producers: Apoorva Guru Charan, Minos Papas) — Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting one another's needs. When a Florida heat wave shatters their family and Anna's routine, her future is uncertain until she creates a world where she can thrive. Cast: Anna Sargent, Victor Slezak, Ali Ahn, Marceline Hugot, Shane Harper. Available online for public. Union County / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Adam Meeks, Producers: Brad Becker-Parton, Stephanie Roush, Sean Weiner, Faye Tsakas, Martha Gregory) — Assigned to a county-mandated drug court program, Cody Parsons embarks on the tenuous journey toward recovery amid the opioid epidemic in rural Ohio. Cast: Will Poulter, Noah Centineo, Elise Kibler, Emily Meade, Annette Deao. Available online for public. American Doctor / U.S.A., State of Palestine, Malaysia, Qatar (Director and Producer: Poh Si Teng, Producers: Kirstine Barfod, Reem Haddad) –– When three American doctors — Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian — enter Gaza to save lives, they find themselves caught between medicine and politics, risking everything to expose the truth. Available online for public. American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: David Alvarado, Producers: Lauren DeFilippo, Everett Katigbak, Amanda Pollak) –– Against political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushes Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with Zoot Suit and La Bamba, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America's story. Available online for public. Barbara Forever / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Brydie O'Connor, Producer: Elijah Stevens) –– An archive-driven exploration of the life, work, and legacy of iconic, pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer. Available online for public. Joybubbles / U.S.A. (Director: Rachael J. Morrison, Producer: Sarah Winshall) –– Joybubbles discovers he can manipulate the telephone system by whistling a magic tone. Born blind and yearning for connection, his early obsession unwittingly lays the groundwork for a subculture that shapes the future of hacking and technology. Available online for public. The Lake / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Abby Ellis, Producer: Fletcher Keyes) –– An environmental nuclear bomb looms in Utah. Two intrepid scientists and a political insider race the clock to save their home from unprecedented catastrophe. Available online for public. Nuisance Bear / U.S.A., Canada (Directors: Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman, Producers: Michael Code, Will N. Miller, Teddy Leifer) –– 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. Available online for public. Public Access / U.S.A. (Director: David Shadrack Smith, Producers: Sara Crow, Anne-Marcelle Ngabirano) –– An unprecedented look inside one of the greatest media experiments to hijack American screens. Rare archives from New York's underground capture a world of creators who shattered rules, defied censors, and transformed our televisions into a free-speech battleground where anyone could be a star. Available online for public. Seized / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Sharon Liese, Producers: Sasha Alpert, Paul Matyasovsky) –– When the small town of Marion, Kansas, is thrust into the international spotlight after a police raid on the Marion County Record and the death of its 98-year-old co-owner, a fierce debate ignites about the abuse of power, journalistic ethics, local journalism, and the United States Constitution. Available online for public. Soul Patrol / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: J.M. Harper, Producers: Sam Bisbee, Danielle Massie, Nasir Jones, Peter Bittenbender) –– From deep behind enemy lines, a hidden chapter of American military history is uncovered, prompting the question of whether reckoning with the past can bring peace to those who lived it. The Vietnam War's first Black special operations team reunites to tell their story. Available online for public. Who Killed Alex Odeh? / U.S.A. (Directors: Jason Osder, William Lafi Youmans, Producer: Dawne Langford, William Lafi Youmans, Jason Osder, Daniel J. Chalfen) –– The assassination of a beloved Palestinian American activist in Southern California ignites a 40-year quest for justice, revealing the roots of a dangerous political movement that thrives today. Available online for public. Big Girls Don't Cry / New Zealand (Director and Screenwriter: Paloma Schneideman, Producers: Vicky Pope, Thomas Coppell) — Over one transformative summer in rural New Zealand in 2006, 14-year-old Sid Bookman discovers desire, identity, and the internet as she imitates the people she longs to be loved by. Cast: Ani Palmer, Rain Spencer, Noah Taylor. Available online for public. How to Divorce During the War /Lithuania, Luxembourg, Ireland, Czech Republic (Director and Screenwriter: Andrius Blaževičius, Producer: Marija Razgutė) — In Vilnius in 2022, Marija has a revelation that she wants to divorce her husband, Vytas, right before Russia invades Ukraine. Forced to confront their crumbling relationship, they navigate the process of divorce as it collides with the ongoing war. Cast: Marius Repšys, Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė, Amelija Adomaitytė, Indrė Patkauskaitė, Gintarė Parulytė. Available online for public. (Director: Molly Manners, Screenwriter: Miriam Battye, Producer: Sarah Brocklehurst) — In an English girls boarding school, two teenage best friends grapple with the challenges of girlhood — friendship, boys, studies, and growing up — and embark on their school project, falling in love. Cast: Marni Duggan, Galaxie Clear, Alice Englert. Available online for public. Filipiñana /Singapore, U.K., Philippines, France, Netherlands (Director and Screenwriter: Rafael Manuel, Producers: Jeremy Chua, Alex Polunin, Bianca Balbuena, Bradley Liew, Nadia Turincev, Omar El Kadi) — Tee girl Isabel feels strangely drawn to Dr. Palanca, the president of the country club where she works. However, after piecing together a violent picture of what lies beneath the club's pristine surface, she realizes that what began as an innocent infatuation is actually rooted in a sinister shared history. Cast: Jorrybell Agoto, Carmen Castellanos, Teroy Guzman, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, Isabel Sicat, Nour Houshmand. Available online for public. HOLD ONTO ME (Κράτα Με) /Cyprus, Denmark, Greece (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Myrsini Aristidou, Producer: Monica Nicolaidou) — 11-year-old Iris learns her estranged father, Aris, is back in town for his own father's funeral. Determined to know him, Iris tracks him down to a dilapidated shipyard, where he's been keeping to himself. What begins as a stubborn attempt to reconnect slowly unfolds into a fragile bond. Cast: Christos Passalis, Maria Petrova. Available online for public. The Huntress (La Cazadora) /Mexico, U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Suzanne Andrews Correa, Producers: Gabriela Maire, Edher Campos, Mynette Louie) — In the border city of Juárez, Mexico, where violence against women is perpetrated with impunity, an unlikely defender emerges with a desperate call for change. Inspired by true events. Cast: Adriana Paz, Teresa Sánchez, Jennifer Trejo, Eme Malafe, Guillermo Alonso. Available online for public. LADY /U.K., Nigeria (Director and Screenwriter: Olive Nwosu, Producer: Alex Polunin) — In the sprawling African metropolis of Lagos, a fiercely independent young cab driver meets a band of radiantly reckless sex workers whose sisterhood pulls her into danger and joy, setting her on a journey toward her own transformation. Cast: Jessica Gabriel's Ujah, Amanda Oruh, Tinuade Jemiseye, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Seun Kuti, Bucci Franklin. Available online for public. Levitating /Indonesia, Singapore, France (Director and Screenwriter: Wregas Bhanuteja, Screenwriters: Defi Mahendra, Alicia Angelina, Producers: Siera Tamihardja, Iman Usman, Amalia Rusdi) — In a town where pleasure equals being possessed by spiritual beings, Bayu aspires to be the shaman of a trance party so he can fundraise enough money to prevent an impending eviction. Cast: Angga Yunanda, Anggun C Sasmi, Maudy Ayunda, Bryan Domani, Chicco Kurniawan. Available online for public. Shame and Money /Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, Belgium (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Visar Morina, Screenwriter: Doruntina Basha, Producers: Fabian Altenried, Sophie Ahrens, Kristof Gerega, Pia Hellenthal) — After losing their livelihood in a village, a Kosovar family is forced to move to the capital in pursuit of a place in a hypercapitalist society. Cast: Astrit Kabashi, Flonja Kodheli, Kumrije Hoxha, Fiona Gllavica, Alban Ukaj. Available online for public. Tell Me Everything /Israel, France (Director and Screenwriter: Moshe Rosenthal, Producers: Alona Refua, Maya Fischer, Roi Kurland, Ben Giladi, Emilie Georges, Naima Abed) — Amid the late '80s pop craze and rising HIV epidemic, 12-year-old Boaz uncovers a devastating secret about the father he idolizes that threatens to tear his family apart. Across a yearslong journey, Boaz seeks to heal the wound and reclaim the father-son bond he never stopped yearning for. Cast: Yair Mazor, Ido Tako, Assi Cohen, Keren Tzur, Mor Dimri, Neta Orbach. Available online for public. All About the Money / Ireland (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Sinéad O'Shea, Producers: Claire McCabe, Harry Vaughn, Katie Holly, Sigrid Dyekjær) –– A son of one of America's wealthiest families creates a communist revolutionary base in rural Massachusetts as a means of disrupting the capitalist system he grew up in but has now come to despise. It's the starting point of an astonishing journey. Available online for public. Birds of War / U.K., Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak, Producer: Sonja Henrici) –– The love story of a London-based Lebanese journalist and a Syrian activist and cameraman as told through 13 years of personal archives across revolutions, war, and exile. Closure / Poland (Director and Producer: Michał Marczak, Producers: Monika Braid, Rémi Grellety, Katarzyna Szczerba, Karolina Marczak) –– After his teenage son goes missing, Daniel scours the depths of the Vistula River, torn between the dread of a fatal leap and the hope that his son may still be alive. Everybody To Kenmure Street / U.K. (Director and Producer: Felipe Bustos Sierra, Producer: Ciara Barry) –– In May 2021, a U.K. Home Office dawn raid triggers one of the most spontaneous and successful acts of civil resistance in recent memory. In Scotland's most diverse neighborhood, hundreds of residents rush to the streets to stop the deportation of their neighbors. Hanging by a Wire / U.S.A., U.K., Pakistan (Director and Producer: Mohammed Ali Naqvi, Producer: Bilal Sami) –– 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. Kikuyu Land / Kenya (Directors and Producers: Andrew H. Brown, Bea Wangondu, Producers: Moses Bwayo, Mike Morrisroe, Joseph Njenga) –– As a Nairobi journalist probes a land battle entangling the local government and a powerful multinational corporation, covered wounds are revealed and family secrets are exposed. One In A Million / U.K. (Directors: Itab Azzam, Jack MacInnes, Producers: Raney Aronson-Rath, Will Anderson, James Bluemel, Andrew Palmer) –– Filmed over 10 years, one girl's epic journey from Syria to Germany and back again. She and her family navigate war, exile, and heartbreak in a foreign land, illuminating the complexities of the refugee experience. Sentient / Australia (Director and Screenwriter: Tony Jones, Screenwriter: Rachel Grierson-Johns, Producer: Ivan O'Mahoney) –– An investigation into laboratory research on animals exposes a hidden world in which it's not just the animals getting hurt. The story of Dr. Lisa Jones Engel, a primatologist turned animal welfare advocate, asks whether harming animals and ourselves in science's name is justified. Silenced / Australia (Director: Selina Miles, Producer: Blayke Hoffman) –– After #MeToo broke the cultural silence on gender violence, international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson fights against the weaponization of defamation laws to silence survivors. To Hold a Mountain / Serbia, France, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić, Producers: Quentin Laurent, Rok Biček) ––In the remote highlands of Montenegro, a shepherd mother and daughter proudly defend their ancestral mountain from the threat of becoming a NATO military training ground, stirring memories of the violence that shattered their family. Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] / U.S.A., Denmark (Directors and Producers: Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil, Producers: Steve Holmgren, Grace Remington, Jacque Clark, Franny Alfano) — Trapped in museum archives, Ancestors bend time and space to find their way home. History, spirituality, and the law collide as tribal repatriation specialists fight to return and rebury Indigenous human remains, offering a revealing look at the still-pervasive worldviews that justified collecting them in the first place. BURN / Japan (Director and Screenwriter: Makoto Nagahisa, Producers: Yasuo Suzuki, Kazunori Seki, Takeyasu Koganezawa) — When runaway teen Ju-Ju is embraced by a tribe of misfit youths in Kabukicho, she finds belonging for the first time — until betrayal and despair twist her haven into a prison, and she's left with one way to take back control. Ghost in the Machine / U.S.A.(Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Valerie Veatch) — The untold origins of artificial intelligence lie not in machines but in power, revealing the fantasies behind the hype that got us here and where we go next. If I Go Will They Miss Me /U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Walter Thompson-Hernández, Producers: Josh Peters, Saba Zerehi, Ben Stillman) — 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. Cast: Danielle Brooks, J. Alphonse Nicholson. (Director and Screenwriter: Louis Paxton, Producers: Shirley O'Connor, Emily Gotto) — On a remote Scottish isle, siblings Isla and Sandy hunt birds and talk to mythical beings while fighting off outsiders. Their lives change when Daniel, an awkward official, arrives to relocate them. Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O'Rourke, Emun Elliott, Michelle Gomez, John Hannah. Jaripeo /Mexico, U.S.A., France (Directors: Efraín Mojica, Rebecca Zweig, Producer: Sarah Strunin) — A journey to Michoacán's hypermasculine rodeos descends into the subconscious of memory, queer desire, and longing, leading to a reckoning with the wounds and beauty of a home left behind. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Georgia Bernstein, Producers: Edwin Linker, Liane Cunje, Veronica Barbosa, Lucy Rogers) — As a series of perverse scam calls unsettles an idyllic retirement community, a starry-eyed nurse becomes entangled with her mysterious patient. Cast: Cemre Paksoy, Bruce McKenzie, Eléonore Hendricks, Colleen Rose Trundy, Mimi Rogers. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: William David Caballero, Screenwriters and Producers: Erin Ploss-Campoamor, Elaine del Valle, Producer: Brad Jones) — After 20 years of chronicling his Puerto Rican family, a director and his mother face devastating losses. Through tears and laughter, they craft animations that bring their loved ones back to life, discovering that every act of creation is also an act of letting go. (Director and Screenwriter: Kogonada, Producers: Chung An, Christopher Radcliff, Benjamin Loeb, Haley Lu Richardson, Michelle Mao, Jin Ha) — 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. Cast: Michelle Mao, Haley Lu Richardson, Jin Ha. The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist / U.S.A. (Directors: Daniel Roher, Charlie Tyrell, Producers: Daniel Kwan, Jonathan Wang, Shane Boris, Diane Becker, Ted Tremper)— A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with the AI insanity, exploring the existential dangers and stunning promise of this technology that humanity has created. Antiheroine / U.K., U.S.A. (Directors: Edward Lovelace, James Hall, Producers: Julia Nottingham, Melanie Archer, Hattie Bridges Webb, Jon Lullo)— Singer, songwriter, and actor Courtney Love has long had an impact on rock and pop culture. Now sober and set to release new music for the first time in over a decade, Courtney is ready to reveal her story, unfiltered and unapologetic. The Brittney Griner Story / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Alexandria Stapleton, Producers: Stacy Scripter, Funmi Akinyode, Megan Goedewaagen, Carolyn Hepburn)— Explores the circumstances that led to Brittney Griner playing basketball outside the U.S. despite being one of the best players in the sport, including her harrowing detainment, unwavering determination to secure her freedom, and her advocacy for the release of other wrongful detainees. Chasing Summer / U.S.A. (Director: Josephine Decker, Screenwriter and Producer: Iliza Shlesinger, Producers: Rob Guillermo, Ray Maiello, Nihaar Sinha, Houston King, Sam Pressman)— After losing both her job and boyfriend, Jamie retreats to her small Texas hometown, where friends and flings from a fateful high school summer turn her life upside down. Cast: Iliza Shlesinger, Garrett Wareing, Lola Tung, Cassidy Freeman, Tom Welling, Megan Mullally. THE DISCIPLE / U.S.A, U.K. (Director and Producer: Joanna Natasegara, Producers: Abigail Anketell-Jones, Lauren Dark, Vanessa Kirby)— An outsider fueled by relentless determination works his way into the inner circle of the Wu-Tang Clan, where his ambition and creativity converge in the making of an album poised to ignite global controversy. Frank & Louis / Switzerland, U.K. (Director and Screenwriter: Petra Biondina Volpe, Screenwriter: Esther Bernstorff, Producers: Reto Schaerli, Lukas Hobi)— Frank, serving a life sentence, takes a prison job caring for aging inmates with Alzheimer's and dementia. What begins as a self-interested bid for parole becomes a profound, transformative bond with fellow inmate Louis, offering Frank a glimpse of redemption in an unforgiving place. Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rob Morgan, René Pérez Joglar, Rosalind Eleazar, Indira Varma. Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: David Wain, Screenwriter: Ken Marino, Producers: Anthony Bregman, Peter Cron, Ken Marino, Crystine Zhang, Charles Zhong)— Midwestern bride-to-be Gail Daughtry has a “free celebrity pass” agreement with her fiancé — who uses it. With her relationship in crisis, Gail sets out on an epic journey through Hollywood to even the scales. Cast: Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Ben Wang. The Gallerist / U.S.A., France (Director and Screenwriter: Cathy Yan, Screenwriter: James Pedersen, Producers: Ash Sarohia, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Jonathan King, Tom McCarthy, Rae Baron)—A desperate gallerist conspires to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami. Cast: Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Catherine Zeta-Jones. / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff, Producers: Dominic Crossley-Holland, Dan Cogan, Chris James, Gentry Kirby)— World champion tennis trailblazer Billie Jean King has had a game-changing impact on culture and sports. Rare archive and candid interviews with Billie Jean and those closest to her reveal how one woman put changing the world ahead of saving herself. The History of Concrete / U.S.A. (Director: John Wilson, Producers: Clark Filio, Shirel Kozak, Allie Viti) — After attending a workshop on how to write and sell a Hallmark movie, filmmaker John Wilson tries to use the same formula to sell a documentary about concrete. I Want Your Sex / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Gregg Araki, Screenwriter and Producer: Karley Sciortino, Producers: Seth Caplan, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler, Courtney L. Cunniff)—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. Cast: Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, Charli xcx. In The Blink of An Eye / U.S.A. (Director: Andrew Stanton, Screenwriter: Colby Day, Producer: Jared Ian Goldman)— Three storylines, spanning thousands of years, intersect and reflect on hope, connection, and the circle of life. Cast: Rashida Jones, Kate McKinnon, Daveed Diggs, Jorge Vargas, Tanaya Beatty. 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize Winner. The Invite / U.S.A. (Director: Olivia Wilde, Screenwriters: Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, Producers: David Permut, Ben Browning, Megan Ellison) — 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. Cast: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton. Jane Elliott Against the World / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Judd Ehrlich, Producers: Max Powers, Elena Gaby)— A rural Iowa schoolteacher becomes a national voice against racism after leading a controversial 1968 lesson in discrimination with her all-white third-grade class. Now nearly 90, she refuses to hold back amid today's fights about race, history, and power after a lifetime of speaking out. Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Alex Gibney, Producers: Erin Edeiken, Sruthi Pinnamaneni)— Previously unseen footage captured by Salman Rushdie's wife, Rachel Elizabeth Griffiths, documents his journey. Following not just his physical rehabilitation, but also the restoration of his spirit and optimism. Inspired by Rushdie's memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder. The Last First: Winter K2 / U.S.A., U.K. (Director: Amir Bar-Lev, Producers: John Battsek, Sean Richard, Sarah Thomson, Howard T. Owens, Ben Silverman)— The race to grab the last great prize in mountaineering, K2 in winter, left five dead. It exposed deep fault lines in alpinism today: pressures from commercialization, toxic effects of social media, and long-brewing tensions between those who've been marginalized and those who've always basked in the sport's glory. The Moment / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Aidan Zamiri, Screenwriter: Bertie Brandes, Producers: Charli xcx, David Hinojosa)— A rising pop star navigates the complexities of fame and industry pressure while preparing for her arena tour debut. Cast: Charli xcx, Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Hailey Benton Gates, Alexander Skarsgård. The Oldest Person in the World / U.S.A. (Director: Sam Green, Producers: Alison Byrne Fields, Josh Penn)— A decade-long global journey chronicles the ever-changing record holders of the title of oldest person alive. What begins as a portrait of longevity becomes a meditation on the passage of time, the randomness of fate, and the joy and profound human experience of being alive. Once Upon A Time In Harlem / U.S.A. (Directors: William Greaves, David Greaves, Producers: Liani Greaves, Anne de Mare) — A decade after his death, genre-defying filmmaker William Greaves has one last trick up his sleeve with what he considered the most important event he captured on film: a 1972 party he engineered with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Noah Segan, Producers: Katie McNeill, Leopold Hughes, Ben LeClair)— When a theft goes awry, a veteran pickpocket is sent on a mission through New York to reclaim the stolen goods. Cast: John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, Steve Buscemi. Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Judd Apatow, Neil Berkeley, Producers: Amanda Rohlke, David Heiman)— Blurring the line between performance and personal crisis, comedian Maria Bamford turns her mental health journey into material that's riotously funny and ultimately inspiring. What emerges is a portrait of an artist transforming vulnerability into creative strength through honesty. Queen of Chess / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Rory Kennedy, Screenwriters and Producers: Mark Bailey, Keven McAlester) —A Hungarian girl dreams of conquering international men's chess. After a 15-year battle against world champion Garry Kasparov and her domineering father, Judit Polgár revolutionizes the sport's patriarchal culture to become one of the greatest chess prodigies in history and the greatest woman chess player of all time. See You When I See You / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Jay Duplass, Screenwriter and Producer: Adam Cayton-Holland, Producers: Fred Bernstein, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon)— With the help of his family, a comedy writer battles PTSD after the tragic death of his sister. Cast: Cooper Raiff, David Duchovny, Kaitlyn Dever, Hope Davis, Lucy Boynton, Ariela Barer. The Shitheads / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Macon Blair, Producers: Alex Orr, Brandon James, Dave Franco, Nathan Klingher, Mark Fasano, Josh Harris, Ford Corbett)—When two unqualified bozos are hired to transfer a rich teen to rehab, their straightforward gig quickly spirals into dangerous mayhem. Cast: Dave Franco, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Mason Thames, Kiernan Shipka, Nicholas Braun, Peter Dinklage. Time and Water / U.S.A., Iceland (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Sara Dosa, Screenwriters: Jocelyne Chaput, Erin Casper, Andri Snær Magnason, Producers: Shane Boris, Elijah Stevens, Jameka Autry) — Facing the death of his country's glaciers and the loss of his beloved grandparents, Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason turns his archives into a time capsule to hold what is slipping away — family, memory, time, and water. Troublemaker / South Africa, U.S.A., U.K. (Director and Producer: Antoine Fuqua, Screenwriter: Michael Toomey Mann, Producers: Mac Maharaj, Arthur Landon, Kevin Mann, Mark Bauch, Thabang Lehobye)— The struggle against apartheid is recounted through Nelson Mandela's own voice, drawn from recordings he made while writing his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. The Weight / U.S.A. (Director: Padraic McKinley, Screenwriters: Matthew Booi, Matthew Chapman, Shelby Gaines, Producers: Simon Fields, Nathan Fields, Ryan Hawke, Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo) —In Oregon in 1933, Samuel Murphy is torn from his daughter and sent to a brutal work camp. Warden Clancy tempts him with early release if he smuggles gold through deadly wilderness, but betrayal festers within the crew, and Murphy questions how far he'll go to see his child again. Cast: Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Sam Hazeldine. When A Witness Recants / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Dawn Porter, Producers: Miriam Weintraub, Jennifer Oko)— In 1983, author Ta-Nehisi Coates learned that a 14-year-old boy was murdered in his Baltimore middle school. Upon revisiting the case, he uncovers the truth: Three innocent teenagers were wrongfully convicted and spent 36 years in prison — creating a lasting impact on the accused, the witnesses, and their community. Wicker / U.S.A. (Directors and Screenwriters: Eleanor Wilson, Alex Huston Fischer, Producers: Ed Sinclair, Tom Carver, Justin Lothrop, Brad Zimmerman, Ryan Heller, Lia Buman)— A fisherwoman asks a basketmaker to weave her a husband. Cast: Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage, Elizabeth Debicki, Marli Siu, Nabhaan Rizwan. The Best Summer /U.S.A, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand (Director and Producer: Tamra Davis, Producer: Shelby Meade) — Immersive POV camera footage reveals electric performances, candid interviews, and intimate backstage life with the Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Pavement, Rancid, Beck, The Amps, and Bikini Kill — an all-access view inside an era-defining moment in music. (Director and Screenwriter: Casper Kelly, Screenwriter: Jamie King, Producers: Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, Tracy Rosenblum) — A brave girl and her friends must escape a kids television show. Cast: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt. Leviticus /Australia (Director and Screenwriter: Adrian Chiarella, Producers: Samantha Jennings, Kristina Ceyton, Hannah Ngo) — Two star-crossed teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other. Cast: Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska, Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie, Davida McKenzie. Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant /New Zealand (Director and Screenwriter: THUNDERLIPS, Producers: Alix Whittaker, Morgan Leigh Stewart, Ilai Amar — When a messy millennial underachiever accidentally gets alien-pregnant, she must overcome skeptical doctors, a useless baby daddy, and her oversharing mum in order to survive and reclaim her life. Cast: Hannah Lynch, Yvette Parsons, Arlo Green, Jackie van Beek. Rock Springs / U.S.A., Canada (Director and Screenwriter: Vera Miao, Producers: Stephen Feder, Kiri Hart, Poppy Hanks, Greta Talia Fuentes, Jason Michael Berman, Jordan Moldo) — 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. Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Benedict Wong, Jimmy O. Yang, Aria Kim, Fiona Fu. Saccharine /Australia (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Natalie Erika James, Producers: Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw) — Hana, a lovelorn medical student, becomes terrorized by a hungry ghost after taking part in an obscure weight loss craze: eating human ashes. Cast: Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, Madeleine Madden. undertone /Canada (Director and Screenwriter: Ian Tuason, Producers: Dan Slater, Cody Calahan) — The host of a popular paranormal podcast becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way. Cast: Nina Kiri, Adam DiMarco, Michèle Duquet, Keana Lyn Bastidas, Jeff Yung. BAIT /U.K., U.S.A. (Executive Producers: Riz Ahmed, Allie Moore, Ben Karlin) — Struggling actor Shah Latif auditions for the role of a lifetime, only to see his life spiral out of control over four frenetic days. Cast: Riz Ahmed, Guz Khan, Sheeba Chaddha, Sajid Hasan, Aasiya Sha. Six-episode season, screening first three episodes in person. The Screener / U.S.A. (Directors: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe, Producers: Michael J. McGarry, Thomas Cross) –– An independent film screener leaks from a talent agency. Cast: Shereen Lani Younes, Jon Rudnitsky, B.K. Cannon, Boni Mata, Shaun Brown, Nicolette Doke. Five-episode series, screening first three episodes in person. FreeLance / U.S.A. (Directors: The Turner Brothers, Executive Producers: Cynthia Turner, Stephen Love Jr., Spence Moore II, Kevin Fredericks) — A young filmmaker documents his journey toward his first movie as he moves in with a friend group of ambitious creatives, all trying to support one another's dreams in an oversaturated market. This inexperienced crew of 20-somethings takes on unorthodox jobs to build their brand and pay rent. Cast: Spence Moore II, Lou Young, Lou Ratchett, Bernard “B Nard” Clark, René Vaca, Elijah Cooper. Soft Boil / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Alec Goldberg, Producers: Camille Wormser, Hannah Connery, Clay Susick, Vivian Kerr, Don Ohmer) –– Lulu takes a job as a nanny only to discover that her new boss isn't who she expected. Cast: Camille Wormser, John Gemberling, Madison Shamoun, Vivian Kerr, Patrick Tabari. (Director: Nicole Holofcener; Executive Producers: Tim Foley, Michael B. Clark, Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins) –– No one is more worried about Jules and Poppy than Jules and Poppy. Cast: Gideon Adlon, Rachel Kaly, Devon Bostick, Cora Kirk. (Director: Stacey Lee, Executive Producers: Stephanie Lydecker, Dianne McGunigle, Jon Watts) — A case that haunted Tennessee's best detectives for decades is cracked wide open by the most unlikely of investigators: a high school sociology class. The Oligarch and the Art Dealer /Denmark, France, U.S.A. (Director: Andreas Dalsgaard, Producers: Christoph Jörg, Miriam Norgaard) — Yves Bouvier brokers masterpieces, from da Vinci to Rothko, into the private collection of Dmitry Rybolovlev until Bouvier is accused of a billion-dollar betrayal. Rising ambitions, frayed relationships, and bruised egos fuel a decade-long all-out war between the Swiss art dealer and the elusive Russian oligarch. (Directors and Screenwriters: Jane Pollard, Iain Forsyth, Screenwriter: Ian Martin, Producer: Beth Earl) — A portrait of the inimitable singer, songwriter, and icon Marianne Faithfull. Tuner / Canada, U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Daniel Roher, Screenwriter: Robert Ramsey, Producers: JoAnne Sellar, Lila Yacoub, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler) — A gifted piano tuner with a unique auditory condition discovers an unexpected aptitude for cracking safes, turning his life upside down. Cast: Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman, Havana Rose Liu, Lior Raz, Tovah Feldshuh, Jean Reno. (Director and Producer: Alysa Nahmias, Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, Jennifer Sims) — It's Girl Scout Cookie season, and four tenacious girls strive to be a top-selling “Cookie Queen,” navigating an $800 million business in which childhood and ambition collide. Salt Lake City Celebration Film. /Australia, U.K. (Director: Jeffrey Walker, Screenwriters: David Walliams, Kevin Cecil, Producers: Jo Sargent, Todd Fellman) — A demanding little girl and her parents, the Meeks, battle an outrageously entitled viscount to protect their rare, furry, one-eyed Fing from those fixated on exploiting this wondrous creature. Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Blake Harrison, David Walliams, Iona Bell, Penelope Wilton, Taika Waititi. The Story of Documentary Film / U.K. (Director: Mark Cousins, Producer: John Archer) –– Tracing the evolution of documentary film across time, examining landmark works and hidden treasures, while revealing how the form has helped us see and make sense of our world. Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy. Comments On Deadline Hollywood are monitored. So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong. 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By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Farewell, Utah: The Sundance Film Festival will make its final bow in Park City and Salt Lake this January ahead of a 2027 move to Boulder. Announced on Wednesday, the 11-day program of films and episodic series includes new narrative projects by filmmakers like Gregg Araki (“I Want Your Sex”), Macon Blair (“The Shitheads”), Josephine Decker (“Chasing Summer”), Jay Duplass (“See You When I See You”), and Cathy Yan (“The Gallerist”), many of whom got their start at Sundance. Documentary projects include new films by Alex Gibney (“Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie”), Rory Kennedy (“Queen of Chess”), Sam Green (“The Oldest Person in the World”), Liz Garbus (“Give Me the Ball!”), Judd Apatow (“Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story”), and John Wilson (“The History of Concrete”). Related Stories Sundance Programmers Break Down a 2026 Lineup Filled with Comedies and Lots of Charli XCX ‘Ella McCay' Review: James L. Brooks Returns with an Old-Fashioned Dramedy Inspired by Screwball Films of Yore Episodic projects include new work from Nicole Holofcener (“Worried”), Riz Ahmed (“BAIT”), and Jim Cummings (“The Screener”). Featuring a total of 105 projects announced so far, Sundance runs 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 nationwide. Premieres will be held from Thursday, January 22, to Tuesday, January 27, in Park City, with Legacy programming kicking off the second half of the festival in tribute to Sundance's longtime home, and late leader Robert Redford, who died this year. From January 29–February 1, all competition titles (U.S. Documentary, World Cinema Dramatic, World Cinema Documentary, and NEXT) plus additional selections from the feature and episodic programs will be available via the online platform. “As we prepare to gather for this landmark edition of our Festival in a cherished locale, we're also honoring the enduring impact of our beloved founder, Robert Redford, and celebrating what he created: a dynamic home for independent, global storytelling,” said Eugene Hernandez, director, Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming. “In announcing this year's selection, we've hit a major milestone on the road to the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. With 44 days to go, we're proud to conclude our survey of submissions from artists around the world, curating a bold selection of new voices and renowned artists alike that we invite audiences to discover next month.” The lineup announced today includes 90 feature-length films representing 28 countries and territories. The 2026 program comprises 36 of 90 (40%) feature film directors who are also first-time filmmakers. 14 of the feature films and projects selected were supported by the Sundance Institute in development through direct granting or residency labs. This year, the film and episodic slate includes 94 (or 97%) world premieres. The 2026 Sundance Film Festival jury and audience awards will be presented on Friday, January 30, at a ceremony at The Ray Theatre in Park City. The Short Film Program will be shared on December 15, with Beyond Film talks and more announcements unveiled through January. The festival also announced the winner of the 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, a juried award granted annually to an artist with the most outstanding depiction of science and technology in a feature-length film. The prize goes to “In the Blink of an Eye,” directed by Andrew Stanton, screening in the Premieres section. The 2026 Sundance Film Festival program started with 16,201 submissions from 164 countries or territories, including 4,255 feature-length films. From these feature film submissions, 1,676 came from the U.S. and 2,579 internationally. The seven episodic projects were selected from 470 submissions. The 2026 Sundance Film Festival Feature Films and Episodics lineup is below, with language courtesy of the festival. See Sundance's previously announced Park City legacy programming here. Dramatic Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at the world premieres of groundbreaking new voices in American independent film. Bedford Park / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Stephanie Ahn, Producers: Gary Foster, Chris S. Lee, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Theresa Kang, Son Sukku) — Haunted by an abusive childhood, Audrey, a Korean American woman in her 30s, faces her emotional past. When her mother's car accident brings her back to her parents' home, she meets the man responsible for the accident. Their relationship builds, passions ignite, and they form a loving connection. Cast: Moon Choi, Son Sukku, Won Mi Kyung, Kim Eung Soo, Jefferson White. Available online for public. Carousel / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Rachel Lambert, Producers: Alex Saks, David Lipper, Robert A. Daly Jr., Ian Gotler, Chris Pine) — A divorced doctor's carefully constructed life in Cleveland is upended when his daughter's debate aspirations and the unexpected return of a past love force him to confront his own choices and embrace a second chance. Cast: Chris Pine, Jenny Slate, Abby Ryder Fortson, Sam Waterston, Katey Sagal. Available online for public. The Friend's House Is Here / U.S.A., Iran (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Hossein Keshavarz, Maryam Ataei) — 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. Cast: Mahshad Bahram, Hana Mana, Farzad Karen, Zohreh Pirnia. Available online for public. Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Josef Kubota Wladyka, Screenwriter: Nicholas Huynh, Producers: Kimberly Parker Zox, Mao Nagakura) — 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. Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, YOU, Yoh Yoshida, Damián Alcázar. Available online for public. Hot Water / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Ramzi Bashour, Producers: Jesse Hope, Max Walker-Silverman, Josh Peters) — After he's kicked out of his Indiana high school, an American kid and his Lebanese mom hit the road west. Cast: Lubna Azabal, Daniel Zolghadri. Available online for public. Josephine / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Beth de Araújo, Producers: David Kaplan, Josh Peters, Marina Stabile, Mark H. Rapaport, Crystine Zhang) –– After 8-year-old Josephine accidentally witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park, she acts out in search of a way to regain control of her safety while adults are helpless to console her. Cast: Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Philip Ettinger, Syra McCarthy, Eleanore Pienta. Available online for public. The Musical / U.S.A. (Director: Giselle Bonilla, Screenwriter and Producer: Alexander Heller, Producers: Rob Lowe, Greg Lauritano, Findlay Brown, Jordan Backhus) — When a frustrated playwright and middle school theater teacher finds out his ex-girlfriend has started dating his nemesis, the school's principal, he decides to ruin the principal's chances of winning the Blue Ribbon of Academic Excellence. Cast: Will Brill, Gillian Jacobs, Rob Lowe. Available online for public. Run Amok / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: NB Mager, Producers: Julie Christeas, Frank Hall Green) — A teenage girl stages an elaborate musical about the one day her high school wishes it could forget. Cast: Alyssa Marvin, Patrick Wilson, Margaret Cho, Sophia Torres, Elizabeth Marvel, Molly Ringwald. Available online for public. Take Me Home / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Liz Sargent, Producers: Apoorva Guru Charan, Minos Papas) — Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting one another's needs. When a Florida heat wave shatters their family and Anna's routine, her future is uncertain until she creates a world where she can thrive. Cast: Anna Sargent, Victor Slezak, Ali Ahn, Marceline Hugot, Shane Harper. Available online for public. Union County / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Adam Meeks, Producers: Brad Becker-Parton, Stephanie Roush, Sean Weiner, Faye Tsakas, Martha Gregory) — Assigned to a county-mandated drug court program, Cody Parsons embarks on the tenuous journey toward recovery amid the opioid epidemic in rural Ohio. Cast: Will Poulter, Noah Centineo, Elise Kibler, Emily Meade, Annette Deao. Available online for public. Documentary Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at world premieres of nonfiction American films illuminating the ideas, people, and events that shape the present day. American Doctor / U.S.A., State of Palestine, Malaysia, Qatar (Director and Producer: Poh Si Teng, Producers: Kirstine Barfod, Reem Haddad) –– When three American doctors — Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian — enter Gaza to save lives, they find themselves caught between medicine and politics, risking everything to expose the truth. Available online for public. American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: David Alvarado, Producers: Lauren DeFilippo, Everett Katigbak, Amanda Pollak) –– Against political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushes Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with Zoot Suit and La Bamba, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America's story. Available online for public. Barbara Forever / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Brydie O'Connor, Producer: Elijah Stevens) –– An archive-driven exploration of the life, work, and legacy of iconic, pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer. Available online for public. Joybubbles / U.S.A. (Director: Rachael J. Morrison, Producer: Sarah Winshall) –– Joybubbles discovers he can manipulate the telephone system by whistling a magic tone. Born blind and yearning for connection, his early obsession unwittingly lays the groundwork for a subculture that shapes the future of hacking and technology. Available online for public. The Lake / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Abby Ellis, Producer: Fletcher Keyes) –– An environmental nuclear bomb looms in Utah. Two intrepid scientists and a political insider race the clock to save their home from unprecedented catastrophe. Available online for public. Nuisance Bear / U.S.A., Canada (Directors: Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman, Producers: Michael Code, Will N. Miller, Teddy Leifer) –– 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. Available online for public. Public Access / U.S.A. (Director: David Shadrack Smith, Producers: Sara Crow, Anne-Marcelle Ngabirano) –– An unprecedented look inside one of the greatest media experiments to hijack American screens. Rare archives from New York's underground capture a world of creators who shattered rules, defied censors, and transformed our televisions into a free-speech battleground where anyone could be a star. Available online for public. Seized / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Sharon Liese, Producers: Sasha Alpert, Paul Matyasovsky) –– When the small town of Marion, Kansas, is thrust into the international spotlight after a police raid on the Marion County Record and the death of its 98-year-old co-owner, a fierce debate ignites about the abuse of power, journalistic ethics, local journalism, and the United States Constitution. Available online for public. Soul Patrol / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: J.M. Harper, Producers: Sam Bisbee, Danielle Massie, Nasir Jones, Peter Bittenbender) –– From deep behind enemy lines, a hidden chapter of American military history is uncovered, prompting the question of whether reckoning with the past can bring peace to those who lived it. The Vietnam War's first Black special operations team reunites to tell their story. Available online for public. Who Killed Alex Odeh? / U.S.A. (Directors: Jason Osder, William Lafi Youmans, Producer: Dawne Langford, William Lafi Youmans, Jason Osder, Daniel J. Chalfen) –– The assassination of a beloved Palestinian American activist in Southern California ignites a 40-year quest for justice, revealing the roots of a dangerous political movement that thrives today. Available online for public. These narrative feature films from emerging talent around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles. Big Girls Don't Cry / New Zealand (Director and Screenwriter: Paloma Schneideman, Producers: Vicky Pope, Thomas Coppell) — Over one transformative summer in rural New Zealand in 2006, 14-year-old Sid Bookman discovers desire, identity, and the internet as she imitates the people she longs to be loved by. Cast: Ani Palmer, Rain Spencer, Noah Taylor. Available online for public. How to Divorce During the War / Lithuania, Luxembourg, Ireland, Czech Republic (Director and Screenwriter: Andrius Blaževičius, Producer: Marija Razgutė) — In Vilnius in 2022, Marija has a revelation that she wants to divorce her husband, Vytas, right before Russia invades Ukraine. Forced to confront their crumbling relationship, they navigate the process of divorce as it collides with the ongoing war. Cast: Marius Repšys, Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė, Amelija Adomaitytė, Indrė Patkauskaitė, Gintarė Parulytė. Available online for public. Extra Geography / U.K. (Director: Molly Manners, Screenwriter: Miriam Battye, Producer: Sarah Brocklehurst) — In an English girls boarding school, two teenage best friends grapple with the challenges of girlhood — friendship, boys, studies, and growing up — and embark on their school project, falling in love. Cast: Marni Duggan, Galaxie Clear, Alice Englert. Available online for public. Filipiñana / Singapore, U.K., Philippines, France, Netherlands (Director and Screenwriter: Rafael Manuel, Producers: Jeremy Chua, Alex Polunin, Bianca Balbuena, Bradley Liew, Nadia Turincev, Omar El Kadi) — Tee girl Isabel feels strangely drawn to Dr. Palanca, the president of the country club where she works. However, after piecing together a violent picture of what lies beneath the club's pristine surface, she realizes that what began as an innocent infatuation is actually rooted in a sinister shared history. Cast: Jorrybell Agoto, Carmen Castellanos, Teroy Guzman, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, Isabel Sicat, Nour Houshmand. Available online for public. HOLD ONTO ME (Κράτα Με) / Cyprus, Denmark, Greece (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Myrsini Aristidou, Producer: Monica Nicolaidou) — 11-year-old Iris learns her estranged father, Aris, is back in town for his own father's funeral. Determined to know him, Iris tracks him down to a dilapidated shipyard, where he's been keeping to himself. What begins as a stubborn attempt to reconnect slowly unfolds into a fragile bond. Cast: Christos Passalis, Maria Petrova. Available online for public. The Huntress (La Cazadora) / Mexico, U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Suzanne Andrews Correa, Producers: Gabriela Maire, Edher Campos, Mynette Louie) — In the border city of Juárez, Mexico, where violence against women is perpetrated with impunity, an unlikely defender emerges with a desperate call for change. Inspired by true events. Cast: Adriana Paz, Teresa Sánchez, Jennifer Trejo, Eme Malafe, Guillermo Alonso. Available online for public. LADY / U.K., Nigeria (Director and Screenwriter: Olive Nwosu, Producer: Alex Polunin) — In the sprawling African metropolis of Lagos, a fiercely independent young cab driver meets a band of radiantly reckless sex workers whose sisterhood pulls her into danger and joy, setting her on a journey toward her own transformation. Cast: Jessica Gabriel's Ujah, Amanda Oruh, Tinuade Jemiseye, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Seun Kuti, Bucci Franklin. Available online for public. Levitating / Indonesia, Singapore, France (Director and Screenwriter: Wregas Bhanuteja, Screenwriters: Defi Mahendra, Alicia Angelina, Producers: Siera Tamihardja, Iman Usman, Amalia Rusdi) — In a town where pleasure equals being possessed by spiritual beings, Bayu aspires to be the shaman of a trance party so he can fundraise enough money to prevent an impending eviction. Cast: Angga Yunanda, Anggun C Sasmi, Maudy Ayunda, Bryan Domani, Chicco Kurniawan. Available online for public. Shame and Money / Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, Belgium (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Visar Morina, Screenwriter: Doruntina Basha, Producers: Fabian Altenried, Sophie Ahrens, Kristof Gerega, Pia Hellenthal) — After losing their livelihood in a village, a Kosovar family is forced to move to the capital in pursuit of a place in a hypercapitalist society. Cast: Astrit Kabashi, Flonja Kodheli, Kumrije Hoxha, Fiona Gllavica, Alban Ukaj. Available online for public. Tell Me Everything / Israel, France (Director and Screenwriter: Moshe Rosenthal, Producers: Alona Refua, Maya Fischer, Roi Kurland, Ben Giladi, Emilie Georges, Naima Abed) — Amid the late '80s pop craze and rising HIV epidemic, 12-year-old Boaz uncovers a devastating secret about the father he idolizes that threatens to tear his family apart. Across a yearslong journey, Boaz seeks to heal the wound and reclaim the father-son bond he never stopped yearning for. Cast: Yair Mazor, Ido Tako, Assi Cohen, Keren Tzur, Mor Dimri, Neta Orbach. Available online for public. These nonfiction feature films from emerging talent around the world showcase some of the most courageous and extraordinary filmmaking today. All About the Money / Ireland (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Sinéad O'Shea, Producers: Claire McCabe, Harry Vaughn, Katie Holly, Sigrid Dyekjær) –– A son of one of America's wealthiest families creates a communist revolutionary base in rural Massachusetts as a means of disrupting the capitalist system he grew up in but has now come to despise. It's the starting point of an astonishing journey. Birds of War / U.K., Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak, Producer: Sonja Henrici) –– The love story of a London-based Lebanese journalist and a Syrian activist and cameraman as told through 13 years of personal archives across revolutions, war, and exile. Closure / Poland (Director and Producer: Michał Marczak, Producers: Monika Braid, Rémi Grellety, Katarzyna Szczerba, Karolina Marczak) –– After his teenage son goes missing, Daniel scours the depths of the Vistula River, torn between the dread of a fatal leap and the hope that his son may still be alive. Everybody To Kenmure Street / U.K. (Director and Producer: Felipe Bustos Sierra, Producer: Ciara Barry) –– In May 2021, a U.K. Home Office dawn raid triggers one of the most spontaneous and successful acts of civil resistance in recent memory. In Scotland's most diverse neighborhood, hundreds of residents rush to the streets to stop the deportation of their neighbors. Hanging by a Wire / U.S.A., U.K., Pakistan (Director and Producer: Mohammed Ali Naqvi, Producer: Bilal Sami) –– 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. Kikuyu Land / Kenya (Directors and Producers: Andrew H. Brown, Bea Wangondu, Producers: Moses Bwayo, Mike Morrisroe, Joseph Njenga) –– As a Nairobi journalist probes a land battle entangling the local government and a powerful multinational corporation, covered wounds are revealed and family secrets are exposed. One In A Million / U.K. (Directors: Itab Azzam, Jack MacInnes, Producers: Raney Aronson-Rath, Will Anderson, James Bluemel, Andrew Palmer) –– Filmed over 10 years, one girl's epic journey from Syria to Germany and back again. She and her family navigate war, exile, and heartbreak in a foreign land, illuminating the complexities of the refugee experience. Sentient / Australia (Director and Screenwriter: Tony Jones, Screenwriter: Rachel Grierson-Johns, Producer: Ivan O'Mahoney) –– An investigation into laboratory research on animals exposes a hidden world in which it's not just the animals getting hurt. The story of Dr. Lisa Jones Engel, a primatologist turned animal welfare advocate, asks whether harming animals and ourselves in science's name is justified. Silenced / Australia (Director: Selina Miles, Producer: Blayke Hoffman) –– After #MeToo broke the cultural silence on gender violence, international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson fights against the weaponization of defamation laws to silence survivors. To Hold a Mountain / Serbia, France, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić, Producers: Quentin Laurent, Rok Biček) –– In the remote highlands of Montenegro, a shepherd mother and daughter proudly defend their ancestral mountain from the threat of becoming a NATO military training ground, stirring memories of the violence that shattered their family. Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape the greater next wave in global cinema.Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] / U.S.A., Denmark (Directors and Producers: Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil, Producers: Steve Holmgren, Grace Remington, Jacque Clark, Franny Alfano) — Trapped in museum archives, Ancestors bend time and space to find their way home. History, spirituality, and the law collide as tribal repatriation specialists fight to return and rebury Indigenous human remains, offering a revealing look at the still-pervasive worldviews that justified collecting them in the first place. BURN / Japan (Director and Screenwriter: Makoto Nagahisa, Producers: Yasuo Suzuki, Kazunori Seki, Takeyasu Koganezawa) — When runaway teen Ju-Ju is embraced by a tribe of misfit youths in Kabukicho, she finds belonging for the first time — until betrayal and despair twist her haven into a prison, and she's left with one way to take back control. Ghost in the Machine / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Valerie Veatch) — The untold origins of artificial intelligence lie not in machines but in power, revealing the fantasies behind the hype that got us here and where we go next. If I Go Will They Miss Me / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Walter Thompson-Hernández, Producers: Josh Peters, Saba Zerehi, Ben Stillman) — 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. Cast: Danielle Brooks, J. Alphonse Nicholson. The Incomer / U.K. (Director and Screenwriter: Louis Paxton, Producers: Shirley O'Connor, Emily Gotto) — On a remote Scottish isle, siblings Isla and Sandy hunt birds and talk to mythical beings while fighting off outsiders. Their lives change when Daniel, an awkward official, arrives to relocate them. Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O'Rourke, Emun Elliott, Michelle Gomez, John Hannah. Jaripeo / Mexico, U.S.A., France (Directors: Efraín Mojica, Rebecca Zweig, Producer: Sarah Strunin) — A journey to Michoacán's hypermasculine rodeos descends into the subconscious of memory, queer desire, and longing, leading to a reckoning with the wounds and beauty of a home left behind. Night Nurse / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Georgia Bernstein, Producers: Edwin Linker, Liane Cunje, Veronica Barbosa, Lucy Rogers) — As a series of perverse scam calls unsettles an idyllic retirement community, a starry-eyed nurse becomes entangled with her mysterious patient. Cast: Cemre Paksoy, Bruce McKenzie, Eléonore Hendricks, Colleen Rose Trundy, Mimi Rogers. TheyDream / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: William David Caballero, Screenwriters and Producers: Erin Ploss-Campoamor, Elaine del Valle, Producer: Brad Jones) — After 20 years of chronicling his Puerto Rican family, a director and his mother face devastating losses. Through tears and laughter, they craft animations that bring their loved ones back to life, discovering that every act of creation is also an act of letting go. zi / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Kogonada, Producers: Chung An, Christopher Radcliff, Benjamin Loeb, Haley Lu Richardson, Michelle Mao, Jin Ha) — 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. Cast: Michelle Mao, Haley Lu Richardson, Jin Ha. This showcase of world premieres presents highly anticipated films on a variety of subjects in both fiction and nonfiction. The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist / U.S.A. (Directors: Daniel Roher, Charlie Tyrell, Producers: Daniel Kwan, Jonathan Wang, Shane Boris, Diane Becker, Ted Tremper) — A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with the AI insanity, exploring the existential dangers and stunning promise of this technology that humanity has created. Antiheroine / U.K., U.S.A. (Directors: Edward Lovelace, James Hall, Producers: Julia Nottingham, Melanie Archer, Hattie Bridges Webb, Jon Lullo) — Singer, songwriter, and actor Courtney Love has long had an impact on rock and pop culture. Now sober and set to release new music for the first time in over a decade, Courtney is ready to reveal her story, unfiltered and unapologetic. The Brittney Griner Story / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Alexandria Stapleton, Producers: Stacy Scripter, Funmi Akinyode, Megan Goedewaagen, Carolyn Hepburn) — Explores the circumstances that led to Brittney Griner playing basketball outside the U.S. despite being one of the best players in the sport, including her harrowing detainment, unwavering determination to secure her freedom, and her advocacy for the release of other wrongful detainees. Chasing Summer / U.S.A. (Director: Josephine Decker, Screenwriter and Producer: Iliza Shlesinger, Producers: Rob Guillermo, Ray Maiello, Nihaar Sinha, Houston King, Sam Pressman) — After losing both her job and boyfriend, Jamie retreats to her small Texas hometown, where friends and flings from a fateful high school summer turn her life upside down. Cast: Iliza Shlesinger, Garrett Wareing, Lola Tung, Cassidy Freeman, Tom Welling, Megan Mullally. THE DISCIPLE / U.S.A, U.K. (Director and Producer: Joanna Natasegara, Producers: Abigail Anketell-Jones, Lauren Dark, Vanessa Kirby) — An outsider fueled by relentless determination works his way into the inner circle of the Wu-Tang Clan, where his ambition and creativity converge in the making of an album poised to ignite global controversy. Frank & Louis / Switzerland, U.K. (Director and Screenwriter: Petra Biondina Volpe, Screenwriter: Esther Bernstorff, Producers: Reto Schaerli, Lukas Hobi) — Frank, serving a life sentence, takes a prison job caring for aging inmates with Alzheimer's and dementia. What begins as a self-interested bid for parole becomes a profound, transformative bond with fellow inmate Louis, offering Frank a glimpse of redemption in an unforgiving place. Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rob Morgan, René Pérez Joglar, Rosalind Eleazar, Indira Varma. Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: David Wain, Screenwriter: Ken Marino, Producers: Anthony Bregman, Peter Cron, Ken Marino, Crystine Zhang, Charles Zhong) — Midwestern bride-to-be Gail Daughtry has a “free celebrity pass” agreement with her fiancé — who uses it. With her relationship in crisis, Gail sets out on an epic journey through Hollywood to even the scales. Cast: Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Ben Wang. The Gallerist / U.S.A., France (Director and Screenwriter: Cathy Yan, Screenwriter: James Pedersen, Producers: Ash Sarohia, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Jonathan King, Tom McCarthy, Rae Baron) — A desperate gallerist conspires to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami. Cast: Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Catherine Zeta-Jones. Give Me the Ball! / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Liz Garbus, Elizabeth Wolff, Producers: Dominic Crossley-Holland, Dan Cogan, Chris James, Gentry Kirby) — World champion tennis trailblazer Billie Jean King has had a game-changing impact on culture and sports. Rare archive and candid interviews with Billie Jean and those closest to her reveal how one woman put changing the world ahead of saving herself. The History of Concrete / U.S.A. (Director: John Wilson, Producers: Clark Filio, Shirel Kozak, Allie Viti) — After attending a workshop on how to write and sell a Hallmark movie, filmmaker John Wilson tries to use the same formula to sell a documentary about concrete. I Want Your Sex / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Gregg Araki, Screenwriter and Producer: Karley Sciortino, Producers: Seth Caplan, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler, Courtney L. Cunniff) — 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. Cast: Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, Charli xcx. In The Blink of an Eye / U.S.A. (Director: Andrew Stanton, Screenwriter: Colby Day, Producer: Jared Ian Goldman) — Three storylines, spanning thousands of years, intersect and reflect on hope, connection, and the circle of life. Cast: Rashida Jones, Kate McKinnon, Daveed Diggs, Jorge Vargas, Tanaya Beatty. 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize Winner. The Invite / U.S.A. (Director: Olivia Wilde, Screenwriters: Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, Producers: David Permut, Ben Browning, Megan Ellison) — 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. Cast: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton. Jane Elliott Against the World / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Judd Ehrlich, Producers: Max Powers, Elena Gaby) — A rural Iowa schoolteacher becomes a national voice against racism after leading a controversial 1968 lesson in discrimination with her all-white third-grade class. Now nearly 90, she refuses to hold back amid today's fights about race, history, and power after a lifetime of speaking out. Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Alex Gibney, Producers: Erin Edeiken, Sruthi Pinnamaneni) — Previously unseen footage captured by Salman Rushdie's wife, Rachel Elizabeth Griffiths, documents his journey. Following not just his physical rehabilitation, but also the restoration of his spirit and optimism. Inspired by Rushdie's memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder. The Last First: Winter K2 / U.S.A., U.K. (Director: Amir Bar-Lev, Producers: John Battsek, Sean Richard, Sarah Thomson, Howard T. Owens, Ben Silverman) — The race to grab the last great prize in mountaineering, K2 in winter, left five dead. It exposed deep fault lines in alpinism today: pressures from commercialization, toxic effects of social media, and long-brewing tensions between those who've been marginalized and those who've always basked in the sport's glory. The Moment / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Aidan Zamiri, Screenwriter: Bertie Brandes, Producers: Charli xcx, David Hinojosa) — A rising pop star navigates the complexities of fame and industry pressure while preparing for her arena tour debut. Cast: Charli xcx, Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Hailey Benton Gates, Alexander Skarsgård, Trew Mullen. The Oldest Person in the World / U.S.A. (Director: Sam Green, Producers: Alison Byrne Fields, Josh Penn) — A decade-long global journey chronicles the ever-changing record holders of the title of oldest person alive. What begins as a portrait of longevity becomes a meditation on the passage of time, the randomness of fate, and the joy and profound human experience of being alive. Once Upon A Time In Harlem / U.S.A. (Directors: William Greaves, David Greaves, Producers: Liani Greaves, Anne de Mare) — A decade after his death, genre-defying filmmaker William Greaves has one last trick up his sleeve with what he considered the most important event he captured on film: a 1972 party he engineered with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Noah Segan, Producers: Katie McNeill, Leopold Hughes, Ben LeClair) — When a theft goes awry, a veteran pickpocket is sent on a mission through New York to reclaim the stolen goods. Cast: John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany, Steve Buscemi. Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Judd Apatow, Neil Berkeley, Producers: Amanda Rohlke, David Heiman) — Blurring the line between performance and personal crisis, comedian Maria Bamford turns her mental health journey into material that's riotously funny and ultimately inspiring. What emerges is a portrait of an artist transforming vulnerability into creative strength through honesty. Queen of Chess / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Rory Kennedy, Screenwriters and Producers: Mark Bailey, Keven McAlester) — A Hungarian girl dreams of conquering international men's chess. After a 15-year battle against world champion Garry Kasparov and her domineering father, Judit Polgár revolutionizes the sport's patriarchal culture to become one of the greatest chess prodigies in history and the greatest woman chess player of all time. See You When I See You / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Jay Duplass, Screenwriter and Producer: Adam Cayton-Holland, Producers: Fred Bernstein, Kumail Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon) — With the help of his family, a comedy writer battles PTSD after the tragic death of his sister. Cast: Cooper Raiff, David Duchovny, Kaitlyn Dever, Hope Davis, Lucy Boynton, Ariela Barer. The Shitheads / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Macon Blair, Producers: Alex Orr, Dave Franco, Brandon James, Nathan Klingher, Mark Fasano, Josh Harris, Ford Corbett) — When two unqualified bozos are hired to transfer a rich teen to rehab, their straightforward gig quickly spirals into dangerous mayhem. Cast: Dave Franco, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Mason Thames, Kiernan Shipka, Nicholas Braun, Peter Dinklage. Time and Water / U.S.A., Iceland (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Sara Dosa, Screenwriters: Jocelyne Chaput, Erin Casper, Andri Snær Magnason, Producers: Shane Boris, Elijah Stevens, Jameka Autry) — Facing the death of his country's glaciers and the loss of his beloved grandparents, Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason turns his archives into a time capsule to hold what is slipping away — family, memory, time, and water. Troublemaker / South Africa, U.S.A., U.K. (Director and Producer: Antoine Fuqua, Screenwriter: Michael Toomey Mann, Producers: Mac Maharaj, Arthur Landon, Kevin Mann, Mark Bauch, Thabang Lehobye) — The struggle against apartheid is recounted through Nelson Mandela's own voice, drawn from recordings he made while writing his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. The Weight / U.S.A. (Director: Padraic McKinley, Screenwriters: Matthew Booi, Matthew Chapman, Shelby Gaines, Producers: Simon Fields, Nathan Fields, Ryan Hawke, Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo) — In Oregon in 1933, Samuel Murphy is torn from his daughter and sent to a brutal work camp. Warden Clancy tempts him with early release if he smuggles gold through deadly wilderness, but betrayal festers within the crew, and Murphy questions how far he'll go to see his child again. Cast: Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Sam Hazeldine. When A Witness Recants / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Dawn Porter, Producers: Miriam Weintraub, Jennifer Oko) — In 1983, author Ta-Nehisi Coates learned that a 14-year-old boy was murdered in his Baltimore middle school. Upon revisiting the case, he uncovers the truth: Three innocent teenagers were wrongfully convicted and spent 36 years in prison — creating a lasting impact on the accused, the witnesses, and their community. Wicker / U.S.A. (Directors and Screenwriters: Eleanor Wilson, Alex Huston Fischer, Producers: Ed Sinclair, Tom Carver, Justin Lothrop, Brad Zimmerman, Ryan Heller, Lia Buman) — A fisherwoman asks a basketmaker to weave her a husband. Cast: Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage, Elizabeth Debicki, Marli Siu, Nabhaan Rizwan. From horror flicks and wild comedies to chilling thrillers and works that defy any genre, these films will keep you wide-awake and on the edge of your seat. The Best Summer / U.S.A, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand (Director and Producer: Tamra Davis, Producer: Shelby Meade) — Immersive POV camera footage reveals electric performances, candid interviews, and intimate backstage life with the Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Pavement, Rancid, Beck, The Amps, and Bikini Kill — an all-access view inside an era-defining moment in music. Buddy / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Casper Kelly, Screenwriter: Jamie King, Producers: Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, Tracy Rosenblum) — A brave girl and her friends must escape a kids television show. Cast: Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt. Leviticus / Australia (Director and Screenwriter: Adrian Chiarella, Producers: Samantha Jennings, Kristina Ceyton, Hannah Ngo) — Two star-crossed teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other. Cast: Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska, Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie, Davida McKenzie. Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant / New Zealand (Director and Screenwriter: THUNDERLIPS, Producers: Alix Whittaker, Morgan Leigh Stewart, Ilai Amar — When a messy millennial underachiever accidentally gets alien-pregnant, she must overcome skeptical doctors, a useless baby daddy, and her oversharing mum in order to survive and reclaim her life. Cast: Hannah Lynch, Yvette Parsons, Arlo Green, Jackie van Beek. Rock Springs / U.S.A., Canada (Director and Screenwriter: Vera Miao, Producers: Stephen Feder, Kiri Hart, Poppy Hanks, Greta Talia Fuentes, Jason Michael Berman, Jordan Moldo) — 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. Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Benedict Wong, Jimmy O. Yang, Aria Kim, Fiona Fu. Saccharine / Australia (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Natalie Erika James, Producers: Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw) — Hana, a lovelorn medical student, becomes terrorized by a hungry ghost after taking part in an obscure weight loss craze: eating human ashes. Cast: Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, Madeleine Madden. undertone / Canada (Director and Screenwriter: Ian Tuason, Producers: Dan Slater, Cody Calahan) — The host of a popular paranormal podcast becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way. Cast: Nina Kiri, Adam DiMarco, Michèle Duquet, Keana Lyn Bastidas, Jeff Yung. Our Episodic section was created specifically for bold stories told in multiple episodes, with an emphasis on independent perspectives and innovative storytelling. BAIT / U.K., U.S.A. (Executive Producers: Riz Ahmed, Allie Moore, Ben Karlin) — Struggling actor Shah Latif auditions for the role of a lifetime, only to see his life spiral out of control over four frenetic days. Cast: Riz Ahmed, Guz Khan, Sheeba Chaddha, Sajid Hasan, Aasiya Sha. Six-episode season, screening first three episodes in person. The Screener / U.S.A. (Directors: Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe, Producers: Michael J. McGarry, Thomas Cross) –– An independent film screener leaks from a talent agency. Cast: Shereen Lani Younes, Jon Rudnitsky, B.K. Cannon, Boni Mata, Shaun Brown, Nicolette Doke. Five-episode series, screening first three episodes in person. Fiction Pilot Showcase: FreeLance / U.S.A. (Directors: The Turner Brothers, Executive Producers: Cynthia Turner, Stephen Love Jr., Spence Moore II, Kevin Fredericks) — A young filmmaker documents his journey toward his first movie as he moves in with a friend group of ambitious creatives, all trying to support one another's dreams in an oversaturated market. This inexperienced crew of 20-somethings takes on unorthodox jobs to build their brand and pay rent. Cast: Spence Moore II, Lou Young, Lou Ratchett, Bernard “B Nard” Clark, René Vaca, Elijah Cooper. Soft Boil / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Alec Goldberg, Producers: Camille Wormser, Hannah Connery, Clay Susick, Vivian Kerr, Don Ohmer) –– Lulu takes a job as a nanny only to discover that her new boss isn't who she expected. Cast: Camille Wormser, John Gemberling, Madison Shamoun, Vivian Kerr, Patrick Tabari. Worried / U.S.A. (Director: Nicole Holofcener; Executive Producers: Tim Foley, Michael B. Clark, Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins) –– No one is more worried about Jules and Poppy than Jules and Poppy. Cast: Gideon Adlon, Rachel Kaly, Devon Bostick, Cora Kirk. Nonfiction Pilot Showcase: Murder 101 / U.S.A. (Director: Stacey Lee, Executive Producers: Stephanie Lydecker, Dianne McGunigle, Jon Watts) — A case that haunted Tennessee's best detectives for decades is cracked wide open by the most unlikely of investigators: a high school sociology class. The Oligarch and the Art Dealer / Denmark, France, U.S.A. (Director: Andreas Dalsgaard, Producers: Christoph Jörg, Miriam Norgaard) — Yves Bouvier brokers masterpieces, from da Vinci to Rothko, into the private collection of Dmitry Rybolovlev until Bouvier is accused of a billion-dollar betrayal. Rising ambitions, frayed relationships, and bruised egos fuel a decade-long all-out war between the Swiss art dealer and the elusive Russian oligarch. The Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love, presenting films that have played throughout the world. Broken English / U.K. (Directors and Screenwriters: Jane Pollard, Iain Forsyth, Screenwriter: Ian Martin, Producer: Beth Earl) — A portrait of the inimitable singer, songwriter, and icon Marianne Faithfull. Tuner / Canada, U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Daniel Roher, Screenwriter: Robert Ramsey, Producers: JoAnne Sellar, Lila Yacoub, Teddy Schwarzman, Michael Heimler) — A gifted piano tuner with a unique auditory condition discovers an unexpected aptitude for cracking safes, turning his life upside down. Cast: Leo Woodall, Dustin Hoffman, Havana Rose Liu, Lior Raz, Tovah Feldshuh, Jean Reno. For over a decade, the Family Matinee section of the Festival (formerly known as KIDS) has been built for audiences of all ages, but especially for our youngest independent film fans. Cookie Queens / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Alysa Nahmias, Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, Jennifer Sims) — It's Girl Scout Cookie season, and four tenacious girls strive to be a top-selling “Cookie Queen,” navigating an $800 million business in which childhood and ambition collide. Salt Lake City Celebration Film. / Australia, U.K. (Director: Jeffrey Walker, Screenwriters: David Walliams, Kevin Cecil, Producers: Jo Sargent, Todd Fellman) — A demanding little girl and her parents, the Meeks, battle an outrageously entitled viscount to protect their rare, furry, one-eyed Fing from those fixated on exploiting this wondrous creature. Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Blake Harrison, David Walliams, Iona Bell, Penelope Wilton, Taika Waititi. One-of-a-kind moments highlight new independent works that add to the unique Festival experience. The Story of Documentary Film / U.K. (Director: Mark Cousins, Producer: John Archer) — Tracing the evolution of documentary film across time, examining landmark works and hidden treasures, while revealing how the form has helped us see and make sense of our world. By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. 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We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. James L. Brooks built a successful film career writing and directing romantic dramedies, the kind of films for adults that Hollywood supposedly doesn't make anymore. Most of his work centers upon headstrong women in crisis — his two classic 1980s films, “Terms of Endearment” and “Broadcast News,” being prime examples — and Brooks takes seriously their struggles in life, work, and love, even when they're sources of humor. Comedy and pathos act as companions in his films; scenes often begin funny and end sad (or vice versa), partly to juice the writing with unpredictable tension, but also because those modes are rarely siloed in real life anyway. Brooks' most beloved films garnered acclaim because people could see themselves in his characters and their dramas. Related Stories Sundance Programmers Break Down a 2026 Lineup Filled with Comedies and Lots of Charli XCX Sundance Film Festival 2026 Lineup Includes New Films from Gregg Araki, Judd Apatow, Josephine Decker, Jay Duplass Of course, Brooks' worlds have better lighting, and an all-seeing author to provide a constant dialogue polish. His films were always stylized, featuring key performances heightened a few notches above naturalism, but Brooks took flight of reality with “How Do You Know,” his 2010 romantic comedy that flopped critically and commercially. I suspect that that film, which chronicles a love triangle between two professional athletes and a businessman indicted for stock fraud, threw people for a loop because its characters behaved less like real people and more like daffy archetypes from classic Hollywood, its milieu felt like an artificial construction instead of a convincing simulacrum of our world. Brooks' films were always influenced by the likes of Preston Sturges, Howard Hawks, and Ernest Lubitsch, but with “How Do You Know,” he embraced the farcicality of it all. Brooks cues the audience with storybook narration, delivered by Julie Kavner in her first on-screen role in nearly 20 years, that explains the film takes place during a time when “we all still liked each other.” Whether that introduction strikes you as impossibly naïve or a requisite leap of faith will determine if Ella McCay, both the film and the plucky protagonist, rings true. In classic Brooksian fashion, this simple succession plan becomes complicated by a potential scandal involving her social climber husband (Jack Lowden), the sudden return of her womanizing father (Woody Harrelson), and, well, Ella McCay's own stubbornly idealistic personality. Various relationships arrive at their endpoint and conflicts reach closure in similarly speedy fashion. (Albert Brooks does considerably better than Spike Fearn, for example.) Mackey does especially skillful work conveying the legibility of Ella's personal anxiety and political passion. The dramatic shorthand Brooks deploys in “Ella McCay” might seem jarring relative to modern Hollywood offerings. But there's an inevitable awkwardness watching present-day actors attempt to do the same. Still, most of them do fairly well with on-paper stock characters, either serviced by Brooks's direction or keen editing. Kumail Nanjiani plays an accommodating driver/sounding board in scenes that feel slightly sitcommy but are designed to recall similar scenes where heroes confide with their put-upon domestic help, e.g., butlers or doormen, from early Hollywood. In a daring, roughly five-minute scene, Ella's brother convinces his ex-girlfriend (Ayo Edibiri) to get back together with him after not seeing each other for 18 months. But Brooks's trust in his actors actually pays off dividends here, even if the writing feels forced. A strain of Frank Capra optimism runs through “Ella McCay” that will either wash as simplistic or charming. The scandal that threatens her career involves carving out time for a personal life. Some of these details would probably seem too Pollyannish for a fantasy like “The West Wing,” but they make sense in the fanciful world Brooks creates, which is one where people win even when they lose, and villains seem down to Earth even when their comeuppance doesn't. Brooks's years honing his craft writing prickly characters and witty repartee ensures that not all of this scans as mindless escapism. It goes without saying that some scenes are misjudged in terms of tone and length. Certain characters, particularly a rough-around-the-edges aunt played by Jamie Lee Curtis, feel like first-draft ideas that nevertheless persisted. However, what smooths out these bumps in the road is Brooks ability to still write an earnest speech or button a scene with a snarky rejoinder. Watching “Ella McCay” can sometimes feel like time travel, particularly for those vested in bygone eras of American filmmaking, but if you're capable of tuning into its wavelength, an old but worthwhile spirit can be found. 20th Century Studios will release “Ella McCay” in theaters on Friday, December 12. Subscribe here to our newly launched newsletter, In Review by David Ehrlich, in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the best new reviews and streaming picks along with some exclusive musings — all only available to subscribers. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.

There is no love lost between Pamela Anderson and Liam Neeson following their whirlwind romance. “He is such a supporter of this new trajectory in my career and kindly tells me he is very proud of me,” Anderson, 58, gushed to People on Tuesday. “I'm sure we will always be in each other's lives.” Anderson and Neeson's undeniable chemistry first made headlines while they were promoting their summer movie, “The Naked Gun.” “If you must know, Liam and I were romantically involved for a short while but only after we finished filming,” the actress admitted to People, revealing that she spent an “intimate week” with him at his home in upstate New York. The “Baywatch” star said she spent her days happily “tend[ing] to a rosebush overgrown with mint,” which “he appreciated.” By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Following their “romantic lost week,” Anderson and Neeson “went [their] separate ways to work on other films” and reconnected to promote “The Naked Gun.” They leaned into the public's interest in their connection by cuddling, holding hands and even sharing a cheeky kiss during interviews and red carpet outings. She admitted she and the “Taken” star — who previously proclaimed he was “madly in love” with her — “had a lot of fun” on the set and that she looked forward to going to work every day.

Taylor Swift is celebrating the end of an era with the people who made it all possible. On Tuesday in New York, the “Life of a Showgirl” songwriter held an intimate advance screening of the first two episodes of her upcoming six-episode Disney+ docuseries, “The End of an Era,” where she described her nearly two-year-long, 149-show Eras Tour as “a lifetime within my lifetime.” Clad in a ribbed black turtleneck, pleated miniskirt and knee-high heeled boots, the woman of the hour addressed her guests before the projectors started rolling. “There's a lot of magic and mystery that happens when something goes as well as this [tour] did,” Swift told the crowd, which included her Eras dancers, backup singers, choreographers, band members and styling team. (Packs of tissues were thoughtfully placed near their seats in anticipation of the doc's more emotional scenes.) The superstar's family (parents Scott and Andrea Swift and brother Austin) were also at the special event, as were a few media friends including Gayle King, Robin Roberts and Hoda Kotb. Swift sat with her dancers during the screening, and stuck around afterward to personally greet everyone who attended. The first two episodes of “The End of an Era,” which documents the making of the musician's record-smashing tour, will begin streaming on Disney+ starting Friday, Dec. 12 at 12 a.m. PT — one day before Swift's 36th birthday. The next two episodes will arrive the following Friday, Dec. 19, and the final two on Dec. 26. Starting Dec. 12 at 12 a.m. PT, fans can also stream “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show,” a concert film recorded at Swift's final Eras performance in Vancouver on Dec. 8, 2024. Unlike “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour,” the movie she released in 2023, this updated cut includes the “Tortured Poets Department” section of the show, which Swift added to her 3.5-hour set midway through her tour.

Beyoncé can give high fashion in a simple white tee and her Levi's jeans, and that's exactly why she's the perfect fit to co-chair fashion's biggest night. (Although she'll probably pull on something a little bit fancier for the 2026 Met Gala.) As announced Wednesday morning (Dec. 10), the pop superstar will helm the 2026 event alongside Oscar winner Nicole Kidman and tennis champion Venus Williams, with Vogue posting a video on Instagram set to Claude DeBussey's “Claire de Lune” displaying their names. The graphic of a white curtain drifting elegantly against a marble wall also spells out next year's Met theme: “Costume Art.” In addition to the chairs and theme, Vogue revealed on its website that Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz will lead the 2026 Met Gala Host Committee, which so far includes members Sabrina Carpenter, LISA of BLACKPINK, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Alex Consani, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Paloma Elsesser, Chloe Malle, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor, Lauren Wasser, Anna Weyant, A'ja Wilson and Yseult. That year, she matched the “Manus x Machina” theme in a beaded peach Givenchy Haute Couture gown. In 2014, Bey wore an elegant black design with netting draped over eyes for the “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” installment, and in 2013, she stunned in an intricate, black-and-gold gown with matching boots for “Punk: Chaos to Couture.” A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation.

But based on the director's previous work (Dream Scenario, Sick Of Myself) it's safe to assume that this surface tension will soon give way to something darker and much more surreal. It seems like they hardly know each other—despite a very funny Zoe Winters insisting otherwise while trying to get them to pose—and uncomfortable around each other. “We had a scene together that was driving me crazy. I was desperately looking for its meaning, writing pages and pages of textual analysis,” Pattinson said earlier this year (via The Independent). I shared my doubts with her, I spoke for two hours, and after a while, very calmly, she made me understand that the line just said what it meant to say, that there was no hidden meaning. And there I was going crazy for three days.” Recommended for You1Medieval Europe was fascinated by this Christian king in Central Asia2Rob Mac and Noah Hawley are loading up a Far Cry TV show3What's on TV this week—Stranger Things' final season, Blossoms Shanghai4Keep Thanksgiving on track this year with these family-perfect multiplayer games5Carol asks the tough questions in a hilarious and heartbreaking Pluribus6Final fight(s): The 25 best beat-'em-up games7Spoiler Space: Was Wicked changed for good?8R.I.P. Jimmy Cliff: Reggae pioneer dead at 819Great Job, Internet! : Pluribus' "Carol Sturka" did a very wink-y Reddit AMA10Everything comes together in The Chair Company's sublime climax11December 2025 TV preview: Fallout, Stranger Things' finale, and Taylor Swift12Screw it, Scarlett Johansson will star in the latest "radical new take" on The Exorcist13Reluctant revolutionary Katniss Everdeen ignited a generation14A Man On The Inside returns looking a bit more like Only Murders In The Building15Great Job, Internet! : Jmail has made reading the Epstein emails easier than ever

The run, which wrapped last month, consisted of 106 shows across four continents beginning in September 2024. “We're using tech that's never been used before,” Cameron says in the trailer. “No one's shot a concert film on this scale before.” Eilish and Cameron co-directed the film, gathering footage from the tour as well as behind-the-scenes content. When she posts a photo from the window above them, alerting her presence, even more fans swarm to wave hello. Taylor Swift's Last Album Sparked Bizarre Accusations of Nazism. Stephen Colbert Urges Paramount to 'Uncancel One of Their Best Shows' Amid Warner Bidding War Raul Malo, Golden-Voiced ‘Maestro' of the Mavericks, Dead at 60 “It's been the joy of my life to travel the world with you three times over and watch you hold every person who comes to your shows in the palm of your hand,” he wrote, bringing Eilish to tears. “Basically, I can't say much about it,” Eilish told the crowd. “But what I can say is that I'm working on something very, very special with somebody named James Cameron, and it's going to be in 3D. So, take that as you will, and these four shows here in Manchester, you and me, are part of a thing that I am making with him. So don't mind that, and also I'll probably be wearing this exact outfit for like four days in a row.” Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation.

“Nothing prepares you for this,” Bublé wrote on December 10 over a social media video of him as a child on the day of his First Communion, and then at the Vatican decades later, speaking to Pope Leo. In the caption of his December 10 post, Bublé wrote, “Trying to put this past weekend into words feels almost impossible. God has quietly remained at the center of everything I do and when I look back on my life and career, I can see his hand in all of it: in my family, my friends, everyone I've worked with, and in all of you.” On December 8, Bublé shared a carousel of photos from the special day, beginning with one of himself with his wife, Luisana Lopilato, and his parents at the Vatican, writing, “Standing before His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, alongside my wife Lu, my parents and my friends was an experience beyond anything we could have dreamed of. To share a few moments with someone whose kindness, humility, and compassion have touched so many was truly unforgettable. Lopilato also posted about the experience on December 8, writing that “it was a moment full of emotion… but also full of pride. After returning to the U.S., Daly shared that Bublé invited him and his wife Siri to accompany his family to the Vatican, writing in an essay for NBC that he and Bublé “share not only the love of music, but also a deep Catholic faith.” It was without a doubt one of the best and most inspiring music events I've ever witnessed.” Daly and Bublé will be back in Los Angeles together on December 15 and 16 for the season 28 finale of “The Voice.” Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

The band's co-founder issued a rare mea culpa after weighing in with his theories about what caused the former KISS guitarist's death at 74 in October. Gene Simmons has offered a mea culpa for his hurtful theory on what caused the death of his beloved late KISS bandmate guitarist Ace Frehley. The rare retraction from the bassist/singer known for his bombastic, no-filter statements came after Simmons, 76, ruffled some feathers by claiming that “bad decisions” caused Frehley's death at 74 in October. Falling down the stairs — I'm not a doctor — doesn't kill you. There may have been other issues, and it breaks my heart,” Simmons reportedly told The New York Post following Frehley's death, which was attributed to injuries suffered during a fall the month prior. Watch Danny Ocean Sing at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony Honoring Venezuela's María Corina Machado In This Season of Giving, Mariah Carey Shares Throwback Clip From 1994 Manifesting a Potential Christmas Classic One Day: 'So Grateful' At the time, Simmons appeared to suggest that Frehley's death was possibly tied to the guitarist's long struggle with alcoholism, despite Ace reportedly being sober for more than 20 years before his death. But, upon reflection, and following some backlash from fans at what they deemed an unkind final gesture from the teetotaling bassist, Simmons respectfully walked back his earlier statements. “My hand to God I didn't intend to hurt Ace or his legacy but upon rereading my words, I see how it hurt everyone,” Simmons wrote. At the time of his death, Frehley's family issued a statement that read: “We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band also remembered their founding guitarist, who they called the “essential and irreplaceable rock solider,” adding, “We are devastated by the passing of Ace Frehley. He was an essential and irreplaceable rock soldier during some of the most formative foundational chapters of the band and its history. He is and will always be a part of KISS's legacy. Simmons issued his own personal post on X as well, writing, “Our hearts are broken. Sadder still, Ace didn't live long enough to be honored at the Kennedy Ctr Honors event in Dec. Frehley co-founded KISS with Simmons, singer/guitarist Paul Stanley and drummer Peter Criss, performing with the band from 1973-1982, before leaving for more than a decade, then returning in 1996 for a reunion tour through 2002. My hand to God i didn't intended to hurt Ace or his legacy but upon rereading my words, I see how it hurt everyone. A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry Send us a tip using our anonymous form. A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation.

Gutman will report for CBS Morning, CBS Evening News, contribute to 60 Minutes and serve as the lead correspondent for 48 Hours. Gutman was most recently chief national correspondent at ABC News. He first joined the division in 2008 as a radio correspondent. CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss Sets Her On-Air Debut: A Town Hall With Erika Kirk He brings the audience along with him to whatever story he is covering, and he approaches his work with the qualities we look for in all our journalists: fearlessness, energy and relentlessness,” Weiss, CBS News editor-in-chief, said in a statement announcing her first big poaching hire. “I cannot wait for him to get started.” “I have worked with Matt for decades and I have seen his innate ability to take viewers into a story,” added Tom Cibrowski, president of CBS News. He has a sharp news sense, an acute ability to deliver immersive storytelling, and a deep appreciation of history that will be an asset to all of us.” “I am thrilled to be joining CBS, a network with TV news' most storied past, and most exciting future. With Bari and Tom at the helm our mission is to tell the most important news stories and bring our audience along with us to places they wouldn't otherwise be able to go, to give a voice to those who might otherwise not be heard, and to tell it straight,” Gutman said.Gutman began his journalism career as a freelance print reporter in the Middle East, covering the war on terror. Gutman is a graduate of Williams College in Massachusetts. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

In fact, he continues to hope that the long-defunct series will be revived for a third season. Like pretty much everything Fuller creates, be it Hannibal, American Gods, or Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies has developed a strong cult following over the years, and speaking directly to them through a medium (in this case, ComicBook.com), Fuller says he “absolutely” wants to do another season. “We have a season three pitch, and the entire cast wants to come back, and we're hoping we get to return to them,” Fuller said. Pushing Daisies starred Pace as Ned, the head baker and proprietor of the Pie Hole. Can Lee Pace resurrect a TV show with the power of his touch? If so, why hasn't he done it for Halt And Catch Fire? Recommended for You1Medieval Europe was fascinated by this Christian king in Central Asia2Rob Mac and Noah Hawley are loading up a Far Cry TV show3What's on TV this week—Stranger Things' final season, Blossoms Shanghai4Keep Thanksgiving on track this year with these family-perfect multiplayer games5Carol asks the tough questions in a hilarious and heartbreaking Pluribus6Final fight(s): The 25 best beat-'em-up games7Spoiler Space: Was Wicked changed for good?8R.I.P. Jimmy Cliff: Reggae pioneer dead at 819Great Job, Internet! : Pluribus' "Carol Sturka" did a very wink-y Reddit AMA10Everything comes together in The Chair Company's sublime climax11December 2025 TV preview: Fallout, Stranger Things' finale, and Taylor Swift12Screw it, Scarlett Johansson will star in the latest "radical new take" on The Exorcist13Reluctant revolutionary Katniss Everdeen ignited a generation14A Man On The Inside returns looking a bit more like Only Murders In The Building15Great Job, Internet! : Jmail has made reading the Epstein emails easier than ever

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter The 28-year-old is about to close a banner year that brought mainstream global success and three Grammy nominations: “It's been the craziest year of my life.” It's a Tuesday morning in November and Yungblud, born Dominic Harrison, is early to this Zoom conversation, strumming on a guitar as he waits. It's a rare moment of rest for a performer who doesn't, by his own admission, know how to not give everything 100 percent. Yungblud's spent much of this last year touring, and he'll spend much of 2026 doing the same. He released a full-length album, Idols, in June and recently teamed up with Aerosmith for a joint EP, One More Time, that was released in November. In between tours and album releases, Yungblud put on his second year of Bludfest, a U.K. music festival aimed at being accessible and inclusive for all fans. Craig Kallman to Leave Atlantic Records For New Role As Chief Music Officer at Warner Music (Exclusive) Diddy's Mom Joins His Lawyers, Biggie Smalls' Estate to Blast "Lies" in Docuseries The grueling schedule is impressive but presumably takes a toll on any performer. Days before this conversation, Yungblud announced to his fans on social media that he was canceling a handful of shows that remained in 2025 at the suggestion of his doctor. The rocker assures that overall he's doing OK. Idols has been a career-defining moment for the Doncaster, U.K., native — one of several throughout 2025. The album brought him two Grammy nominations in the best rock album and best rock song categories. His third Grammy nomination came from a moment that very well might've changed the course of his career: his live performance of Black Sabbath's “Changes” at the Back to the Beginning benefit concert, honoring the late Ozzy Osbourne and serving as his last show. “That was probably the moment — I think it was bubbling — but I think the world started paying attention after that,” Yungblud tells The Hollywood Reporter. The live performance, recorded for the upcoming concert film, Back To The Beginning: Ozzy's Final Bow, earned Yungblud and his fellow collaborators a nomination for best rock performance. It's a special nomination for many reasons; first, due to the fact that a live recording was nominated, and second, due to Yungblud's own personal relationship with his late idol, with whom he'd grown close with in recent years. Below, the British rocker speaks with THR about finally making the album he wanted to make with Idols, wrapping his head around scoring three Grammy nominations and how he's feeling after his health-related show cancellations. At the start of this year, I was filming a [music] video in the Bulgarian snow for “Hello Heaven, [Hello],” and now I'm sat here. It's been the craziest year of my life, so I think I'm just trying to catch it all. It's been wild to end the year with what looks like two No. 1 albums in the U.K. My first number one in America, three Grammy nominations and 400,000 tickets sold has just been like, whoa. What does it mean to get this recognition? What's cool about the Grammys is [it's] from your peers. I think in the past, the internet or music critics have had a lot to say about me. But when you get, I don't know, recognized or even noticed by your peers — the people who write music, produce music, play music — that's a cool thing. Any musician starts as a fan first, don't we? When you're a fan of other people's work, it's cool. This year, a lot of my heroes have kind of hit me up [told me they] really loved what [I] did. As a result of that, I really went away and wanted to make a piece of music and a body of work that would be such an adventure and would be so off the wall and so against the rules of modern music. I just wanted to take a risk, even if it was the end of my career. I think that's how rock music's supposed to be made. It's been amazing to arrive at this destination at the end of the biggest risk of my life. I had an idea, that I thought would be great, and to see people respond to it is really cool. Something has obviously shifted for you in terms of mainstream perception lately. Does it feel almost like a vindication knowing that this is the music you've been wanting to make, and it's working out? I think that's always the case isn't it? You watch any documentary of any great musician that you love and they go, “I finally did what I wanted, and it all worked.” It's so crazy. As artists, we go and do all this shit and experiment and listen to other people because every single great artist in every documentary tells us that they did that. Then they flip the switch, and it all worked. You've got to be running away from something to realize that you're running towards something also. I'm truly myself right now, so people can formulate a decision whether they like me or not. Some kind of mainstream recognition has come across me. I've heard you say in interviews that you don't get to pick how people perceive you, and that's something I ask nearly every artist I speak with. This album, it's been amazing and the music I'm about to make is going to be a continuation of what I just made. I think people have been deterring me from doing rock music for forever because it's not been around for years. It's not been around for 15 years minimum. I've got to make what my fucking soul wants to make, even if it is the end of my professional career, because I can't handle the fact that I am… It's the most frustrating thing in the world when you can't go the full way. You want to run the whole way. I'm sure it helps in terms of authenticity and creativity. If you make a fucking record from your soul and your heart and people hate it, you can't really do much about it. Yeah, man, it's like you fucking explode. He goes in his verse, “Yeah, I am from a fucking trailer and you did fuck my mom.” Then the guy has nothing to burn him on. He's just like, this is who I am. When you can kind of have the courage to do that, then nothing can burn because you've already laid it all on the table. To go back to the Grammys for a second, how are you feeling about the fact that “Changes” got a nomination? I assume that's a pretty special feeling for you at this moment in time. That was probably the moment — I think it was bubbling — but I think the world started paying attention after that. It's so amazing that it got nominated for rock performance, as actually the only live performance in the category. I think it's cool that something has got critically acclaimed for me, just telling the guy who got me into music and started everything for me that I love him. I knew it was magic, and I knew that we came together — it's such a crazy moment. Half of 'em were probably wondering why the fuck I was there, or some of them probably didn't like me. That concert brought six generations of rock fans together, and I think it was the first time people had something in common with me. Like, oh, fuck, man, [he] just likes Sabbath. I just tried to give it everything. It was the first moment that I've ever… I'm fucking riddled with ADHD, so when you're standing on stage with 20,000 people, you're like, oh look, there's a sign there and oh, there's a girl on her shoulders' there. You're seeing a million things in lights. It's like an ADHD person's fucking nightmare. It was the first time I've ever sung a piece of music to one person. In front of such a large audience too. I was like, I'm just going to really reach down to the depths of an incredible song and the depths of my very being and try to make something magic out of it. It was a moment in time that happened, and it could never have been the same again. You've been very open about your own mental health and your struggle with finding your own identity, which can be a bit of a taboo thing in rock. Why was it so important to you? Since the beginning of my career — I'm very bubbly and light, but I'm extremely dark inside my head. That is what captured a generation's imagination. The murmurs of school and the pressures of everything where you can't truly say how you feel, but then someone does it on the internet and another person does it on the internet and then it starts to become a normal thing. I think inevitably art is written about the world that we're living in. I just feel like it was needed. I'd watched Chris Cornell; I'd watched Chester [Bennington]; I'd watched Kurt Cobain and had watched Amy Winehouse, and how sad is it that a time wouldn't allow them to have an outlet to potentially talk about what was going on in their head. It's about 2018, 2019 when it started to be normal to be like, yo, I don't think I'm OK. Or be normal to be like, I need to take a break from touring for a second. I think it's so sad that those artists had to face that and be up against the mood of the world. It's the one thing I know that's real. In the same way that we sing about something that's tangibly so emotionally overwhelming, anxiety, depression and a feeling being overwhelmed and exhaustion is also that kind of thing. You're very busy with touring, and unfortunately, you had to cancel some shows at the end of the year. How do you take care of yourself in that way? I think the fundamentally cool thing about me and my fanbase is I am completely honest with them. I basically just went and had some tests done, and I'm showing early signs of exhaustion in my voice. My doctor, I've known him for a long time, since I've been very young, he's said it's finally to a place where I need to start taking this seriously. [I'm] not just a 17-year-old young punk anymore who can do a shot of whiskey and say fuck it. I want to be the best for my community. I have a big touring year next year, so I just made the decision that we were obviously going to play support to [Limp] Bizkit and [at] festivals. My doctor just [didn't] want [me] on planes and playing shows over two hours right now. He [said] if [I] want to write songs or want to kind of decompress and hit the studio, [he] said he'd have no issue with that. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Send us a tip using our anonymous form.