Your Guide to the Indigenous Works at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival
When Robert Redford founded the Sundance Institute, he ensured that support for Indigenous voices would be a pillar of the organization. From iconic Indigenous artists like Sydney Freeland, Sterlin Harjo,
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Brydie O’Connor, the Director Behind “Barbara Forever”
As the documentary “Barbara Forever” opens, iconic filmmaker Barbara Hammer, the subject of the film, can be heard saying, “I’m creating a lesbian history in a world where we’re invisible.”
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know the Turner Brothers, the Filmmakers Behind “FreeLance”
“We built this from our lives, two Midwest kids figuring it out with a crew of friends who were doing the same,” say Julien and Justen Turner.
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Wregas Bhanuteja, the Director of “Levitating (Para Perasuk)”
Set in a town where trance dance hypnosis is a common pastime, “Levitating (Para Perasuk),” invites audiences into a world where pleasure, belief, and survival intertwine.
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know David Greaves, the Co-Director of “Once Upon A Time in Harlem”
“Once Upon a Time in Harlem” transports us back to 1972, when William Greaves orchestrated an afternoon gathering of the architects of the Harlem Renaissance at Duke Ellington’s apartment.
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know J.M. Harper, the Director of “Soul Patrol”
Using archival footage and reenactments interspersed with film and photos shot in Vietnam by the young men comprising the “soul patrol,” J.M. Harper crafts a backdrop of a country that was readily sending Black men to risk their lives in the jungle even as their civil rights were being disputed back home.
Inside the Evolution of the Sundance Film Festival’s Visual Style With Creative Director Kristina Mueller
By Jessica Herndon
Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival have always had a look and energy that signal something new is about to break through. From the modest yet integral
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Padraic McKinley, the Director of “The Weight”
Even though The Weight is a period piece, don’t be surprised if the echoes of history start to get louder and more familiar as you watch the film.
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak, the Co-Directors of “Birds of War”
For documentary storytellers Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak, the sweet message behind their film, “Birds of War,” set amid the perils of the Syrian civil war, is that against all odds, love wins.
Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know William David Caballero, the Filmmaker Behind “TheyDream”
“I’ve always needed to tell my stories,” says filmmaker William David Caballero. “Growing up, American media sent a clear message that the lives of low-income people of color didn’t matter.”
