2026 Sundance Film Festival’s Beyond Film talks and events

Sundance Institute has revealed the schedule for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival’s Beyond Film talks and events, a series of artist conversations and expert discussions taking place from Friday, January 23 to Friday, January 30. Additionally, the Sundance Institute will introduce the Story Forum: Exploring Art and Innovation, presented by Adobe, on Monday, January 26. This event will gather creators, educators, and industry leaders to explore new ideas and technologies in storytelling. The Festival will occur from January 22 to February 1, 2026, in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with an online program from January 29 to February 1, 2026, available nationwide. Single Film Tickets for both in-person and online screenings will be available starting January 14 at 10 a.m. MT. For more details, visit the Sundance Film Festival website: festival.sundance.org.

The 2026 Festival will honor Robert Redford and his vision, which has inspired countless artists and transformed global cinema. In the latter part of the Festival, the Park City Legacy program will celebrate the Festival’s rich history and shared experiences in Utah with archival screenings of classic films, artist talks with notable alumni, and a special community event.

Beyond Film offers a free community experience for Festival attendees, featuring artist discussions, filmmaker talks, and expert panels across various fields, along with exciting audience engagement opportunities. This year’s lineup, from Friday, January 23 to Friday, January 30, includes Cinema Café presented by Audible and The Big Conversation | From Fire to Flight: Humans, Technology and Time. Beyond Film will feature conversations with participants like Olivia Wilde (Director and Cast, The Invite and Cast, I Want Your Sex), Ava DuVernay, Salman Rushdie (Subject, Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie), Richard Linklater (Director, Nouvelle Vague), Nicole Holofcener (Director, Worried), John Turturro (Cast, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York), Billie Jean King (Subject, Give Me the Ball!), Antoine Fuqua (Director, Troublemaker), Gregg Araki (Director, I Want Your Sex and Mysterious Skin), and Barbara Kopple (Director, American Dream). This year’s program will also include a live podcast recording of Visitations with James Wan (Writer-director, Saw) hosted by Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah. See the schedule below for the full lineup. 

To mark this significant year, special talks and events will be part of the Park City Legacy program during the second half of the Festival. Also included in the Beyond Film program, Power of Story: On Legacy will feature Ta-Nehisi Coates (Executive Producer and Subject, When A Witness Recants), Alex Gibney (Director, Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie), John Turturro (Cast, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York), Olivia Wilde (Director and Cast, The Invite and Cast, I Want Your Sex), and moderator Jia Tolentino (Staff Writer, The New Yorker). As a longtime Sundance Film Festival alum, Richard Linklater will participate in a live commentary of Nouvelle Vague on Wednesday, January 28. A unique culmination event, Everyone Has a Story: Four Decades of the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, will be a special free gathering for the public on Friday, January 30, celebrating the cherished memories of the Festival’s over 40-year history and expressing gratitude to the local Utah community. 

“We are thrilled to unveil this year’s Beyond Film programming, highlighting how special this year is for the Sundance Film Festival,” said Kim Yutani, Director of Programming. “We eagerly anticipate bringing together bold and inspiring voices to explore the themes in this year’s film program while celebrating our shared history with Utah through our Park City Legacy program talks and our signature Power of Story conversation at the iconic Egyptian Theatre.”

“Our 2026 Beyond Film program continues to be a space for broadening perspectives and celebrating the resilient creative spirit at the heart of the Festival,” said Ania Trzebiatowska, Beyond Film Program Curator. “As we gather in Park City, we recognize the privilege of sharing this space — looking beyond the screens, honoring our legacy, and connecting with the artists and audiences shaping how we view the world.”

All Beyond Film talks and events are free to the public, except for Power of Story, which requires a paid ticket. Events will be held in person from January 23–30, 2026, with most Beyond Film offerings available online the day after the in-person event at festival.sundance.org throughout the Festival. For entry to Cinema Café and The Big Conversation events, arrive at least 30 minutes early, as seating is limited and first-come, first-served. Present your Festival ID QR code on your mobile device upon arrival. Access your Festival ID by logging into your free Festival account and going to “My Schedule.” (Note: Festival tickets and Festival IDs serve different functions. Both can be retrieved as QR codes using the mobile app.) Note: Power of Story is a paid ticketed event requiring a digital ticket for entry. For more information on accessing online Beyond Film offerings, visit the How to Fest page on our website.

Sundance Institute’s Story Forum: Exploring Art and Innovation will bring together creators, educators, and industry leaders to discuss the latest ideas and technologies in storytelling. Events are free to attend with registration and will occur at the Sheraton Park City on Monday, January 26, from 8:30 a.m.–10 p.m. MT. A free online program will also be held on Thursday, January 29, and Friday, January 30. Secure your free in-person and online registration at collab.sundance.org/catalog/Story-Forum.

BEYOND FILM LINEUP

POWER OF STORY

The Sundance Film Festival’s Power of Story conversation aims to deepen public engagement with storytelling, delve into cinema culture, and celebrate artists whose work propels and reinvents the form.

Power of Story: On Legacy

Tuesday, January 27, 3–4:30 p.m.

Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main St., Park City, UT

Power of Story: On Legacy will unite artists, thinkers, and cultural influencers to explore the concept of legacy — its meaning, who defines it, and its evolution over time. Speakers will reflect on legacy as a balance between intention and interpretation, control and serendipity, examining how stories outlast their creators and gain new significance through audiences. It’s a conversation about what endures, what remains, and what we hope to pass on.

Featuring: Ta-Nehisi Coates (Executive Producer and Subject, When A Witness Recants), Alex Gibney (Director, Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie), John Turturro (Cast, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York), and Olivia Wilde (Director and Cast, The Invite and Cast, I Want Your Sex)

Moderated by Jia Tolentino (Staff Writer, The New Yorker)

CINEMA CAFÉ

Friday, January 23–Thursday, January 29, 2026

Filmmaker Lodge, 550 Main St., Park City, UT

Cinema Café reopens, revitalizing the culture of conversation. This series of informal chats brings together special guests for engaging encounters and intriguing dialogue. Previous Cinema Café guests have included Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Tessa Thompson, Jane Campion, Eugenio Derbez, Lena Dunham, Norman Lear, Kumail Nanjiani, Saoirse Ronan, Spike Lee, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Radha Blank, Ira Glass, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Charlie Kaufman, Ice-T, Winston Duke, Eva Victor, Mstyslav Chernov, Olivia Colman, Daniel Kaluuya, Marlee Matlin, Chlöe Sevigny, Celine Song, D. Smith, and many others.

Cinema Café is presented by Audible

Cinema Café: Ava DuVernay and Barbara Kopple (American Dream)

Friday, January 23, 11 a.m.–noon

Cinema Café: TBA

Saturday, January 24, TBA

Cinema Café: Salman Rushdie (Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie) 

Hosted by Justin Chang (Film Critic, The New Yorker)

Sunday, January 25, 11 a.m.–noon

Cinema Café: Billie Jean King (Give Me the Ball!) and Antoine Fuqua (Troublemaker)

Tuesday, January 27, 11 a.m.–noon

Cinema Café: The Indie ’90s 

Featuring: Gregg Araki (I Want Your Sex and Mysterious Skin), Nicole Holofcener (Worried), Richard Linklater (Nouvelle Vague), and moderated by John Pierson (Spike, Mike, Slackers, & Dykes)

Wednesday, January 28, 11 a.m.–noon

Cinema Café: Visitations Live Podcast with James Wan (Saw)

Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah of indie production company SpectreVision will host a live taping of their podcast Visitations.

Thursday, January 29, 11 a.m.–noon

THE BIG CONVERSATION

The Big Conversation addresses science, art, culture, and the movements inspiring today’s independent artists.

The Big Conversation | From Fire to Flight: Humans, Technology and Time 

Monday, January 26, 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

Filmmaker Lodge, 550 Main St., Park City, UT

Two leading scientists join filmmaker Andrew Stanton (WALL-E) and screenwriter Colby Day (Spaceman) to explore themes of human connection to science and technology, including their new film In The Blink of An Eye, which spans thousands of years of human history, from a Neanderthal family’s survival struggles to an anthropologist’s work uncovering that past, to a spacecraft mission with its sole human occupant and onboard sentient computer bringing humanity to a distant planet. 

Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Featuring: Andrew Stanton (Director, In The Blink of An Eye) and Colby Day (Executive Producer, In The Blink of An Eye), and moderated by Dr. Heather Berlin

NOUVELLE VAGUE LIVE COMMENTARY WITH RICHARD LINKLATER

Wednesday, January 28, 9:15 p.m.

The Yarrow Theatre, 1800 Park Ave., Park City, UT

Longtime Festival alumnus Richard Linklater will provide a live commentary track during a screening of Nouvelle Vague, offering insights into Linklater’s film, Godard’s film, and the essence of independence in filmmaking.

Nouvelle Vague / France (Director: Richard Linklater, Screenwriters: Holly Gent, Vincent Palmo Jr., Michèle Halberstadt, Laetitia Masson, Producers: Laurent Pétin, Michèle Pétin) — A reimagining of the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless explores the youthful rebellion and creative chaos that shaped the French New Wave. Cast: Guillaume Marbeck, Zoey Deutch, Aubry Dullin.

EVERYONE HAS A STORY: FOUR DECADES OF THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL IN UTAH EVENT

Friday, January 30, 3–4:15 p.m. (doors open at 2 p.m. for cocktail hour with cash bar)

The Marquis, 427 Main St., Unit 1, Park City, UT