Sundance 2026: Here are 6 films to catch in festival’s Utah swan song

Pop quiz. What is the connection each of these below cinematic endeavors have in common?

• A Berkeley documentary filmmaker‘s latest that addresses the mourning process brought about by of climate change in Iceland.
• A San Francisco native’s sophomore feature that candidly explores the after-effects suffered by an 8-year-old after witnessing an attack in Golden Gate Park.
• A head-tripper from a Marin County-based director — the creative giant who gave us the animated classic “WALL-E” — featuring Oakland actor and filmmaker Daveed Diggs.
• A celebrated Berkeley native’s survival documentary that depicts a tragic mountaineering accident on K2.
• A short documentary from basketball superstar Stephen Curry that finds him co-directing with a two-time Oscar winner.

The answer: All of the films hope to perform a Curry-style splash at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, running Jan. 22 through Feb. 1.

The fest as most know it has been undergoing significant changes of late. Not only will this be the event’s final stand in Park City, Utah, it will be the first time without the presence of its beloved founder and guiding light Robert Redford. The magnetic actor and ardent supporter of indie storytelling and the environment died last year.

In 2027, after more than 40 years, Sundance will no longer call pricey Park City home, as it plants new roots in Boulder, Colorado.

Can’t make it to the Park City finale? No worries, there’s a limited selection of tickets for the fest’s online component, streaming Jan. 29 through Feb. 1. But better get those tickets fast; they get gobbled up. For tickets and a full schedule, visit festival.sundance.org.

The Bay Area again flexes its talent within a jacked-up Sundance program stocked with 90 feature films, 54 shorts and seven episodic projects.

That’s a lot. So we’re helping you by plucking out six of the more enticing Bay Area-tied world premieres we’re looking forward to catching.

“Josephine”: While out with her dad (Channing Tatum) in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, 8-year-old Josephine (Mason Reeves) witnesses a sexual assault taking place, an experience that changes her world forever. San Francisco native Beth de Araújo’s debut explores Josephine’s confusion, anger and fear in what is certain to be one of Sundance’s major conversation starters, from a director who gave us the provocative 2022 release “Soft & Quiet” (which is available to rent online). Gemma Chan costars as Josephine’s protective mom (Available online.)

“The Last First Winter: K2”: Berkeley native Amir Bar-Lev never shies away from challenging projects. From “The Tillman Story” to his nearly four-hour-long 2017 Grateful Dead documentary “Long Strange Trip,” a must for any Deadhead. His latest is a nailbiter about the ill-fated first mountaineering expedition in 2021 that collapses into a dangerous race to be the first to scale the daunting, unwelcoming K2 during its most hostile season, winter. It doesn’t go well for a variety of reasons. Expect this one to garner a lot of attention. (Not available online.)

“In the Blink of an Eye”: Marin County’s Andrew Stanton has directed a number of Pixar classics — “WALL-E” and “Finding Nemo” among them — and now shifts his focus into a live-action features that blends three sci-fi tales that leap through centuries and take us from Neanderthal days to the future. It stars Kate McKinnon, Oakland native Daveed Diggs (who’s also costarring in the buzzy Sundance film “I Want Your Sex”) and Rashida Jones. It was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Prize for its depiction of science. Stanton’s been busy; he’s also directing “Toy Story 5,” out in June. (Not available online; but it will stream on Hulu beginning Feb. 27.)

“Time and Water”: In the follow-up to her Oscar-nominated gem “Fire of Love,” Berkeley’s Sara Dosa returns to Iceland, the setting for her aforementioned wistful documentary. The creative documentary filmmaker culls together photos, home movies, songs and more to relate writer Andri Snær Magnason’s grieving process over the loss of relatives and a once-majestic glacier that is no more due to climate change. Expect a meditative film that ponders big issues with a poet-like touch. (Available online)

“The Baddest Speechwriter of All”: Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry continues to demonstrate he’s got game wherever he goes. After trying his hand at acting on the Peacock series “Mr. Throwback” and producing the upcoming animated feature “Goat” (out Feb. 13), Curry collaborates with two-time Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot (“The Last Repair Shop” and “The Queen of Basketball”) for this enlightening interview with the engaging and affable Clarence B. Jones, the now 93-year-old former lawyer and speechwriter for civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. Curry co-directs one of eight films in this documentary program. (Will be available online in the near future.)

“Carousel”: Chris Pine, a UC Berkeley alum, returns to Sundance for this character-driven drama from writer-director Rachel Lambert (“Sometimes I Think About Dying”). It’s about a Cleveland doctor and father (Pine) whose former high school sweetheart (Jenny Slate) rekindles old flames that both feel but wonder if they should revisit. (Available online.)

If gawking at celebrities is your thing. You’re definitely in luck again this year. Numerous celebrities – Charlie xcx, Natalie Portman, Chris Pine, Wu-Tang Clan, Olivia Wilde, Channing Tatum, Jon Hamm and more – will be flocking to the snowy area.

The festival also gets a bit nostalgic with screenings of a few of its biggest breakout hits — including Berkeley native Ryan Fleck’s 2006 “Half Nelson,” which gave us the much-heralded performance from Ryan Gosling as a teacher with a drug problem; the dysfunctional family dramedy “Little Miss Sunshine,” with Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Oscar winner Alan Arkin, Paul Dano and Abigail Breslin; “Saw,” the gory James Wan horror classic; and one of Greg Araki’s best films, “Mysterious Skin,” with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Numerous high-profile Sundance features are already generating big buzz, include pioneering filmmaker Araki’s kinky “I Want Your Sex” starring Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde with supporting turns from Diggs and Charlie xcx; “The Moment” with Charlie xcx playing a pseudo version of herself; Cathy Yan’s art-world dramedy “The Gallerist” with Natalie Portman, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Zach Galifianakis; Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite,” with Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, Edward Norton and Wilde playing two couples whose get-together goes haywire; a documentary on Courtney Love called “Antiheroine”; the Depression-set thriller “The Weight” with Russell Crowe; and a quirky, hot-ticket  “The History of Concrete,” which follows filmmaker John Wilson who takes the tips he learned at a workshop on writing/selling a Hallmark film and then applies them to his documentary on concrete.

Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.