The 2026 Sundance Film Festival has come to an end, but our excitement over the movies we saw there burns hot even in these frigid times! So, what are the best films of Sundance 2026?
Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko watched a slew of movies through Sundance's online streaming platform. Then, she sat down on our Say More couch to share her five favorites.
5. Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant
This New Zealand comedy from the directing duo THUNDERLIPS (aka Sean Wallace and Jordan Mark Windsor) centers on a surly millennial underachiever (Hannah Lynch) whose hasty hook-up with an awkward neighbor (Arlo Green) leads to — well — getting alien pregnant. See, he's part alien, which explains why his junk is pretty otherworldly. But from this unintended pregnancy spirals a comedy about motherhood that's hilarious, subversive, pretty gross, and surprisingly heartwarming.*
4. Everybody to Kenmure Street
If you're in need of a sign that a single act of solidarity can make a big difference, you'll relish the documentary Everybody to Kenmure Street. Documentarian Felipe Bustos Sierra looks back on at a spontaneous protest that arose in Glasgow, Scotland, in May of 2021. There, the UK Home Office conducted a raid that targeted two Muslim men, whose capture and possible deportation were stopped by the non-violent intervention of their neighbors. How did it go down? And what does Emma Thompson have to do with it? Watch the video above to find out.
Notably, Kenmure Street earned a special prize at Sundance: World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance.
3. Run Amok
Sundance comedies got dark this year. A great example is writer/director NB Mager's Run Amok, which focuses on a group of high schoolers who try to process the trauma of a school shooting through song and dance. The story centers on nerdy harp enthusiast Meg (Alyssa Marvin), whose mother was killed in a school shooting ten years before — at the very high school she's now attending. Offered a chance to perform to create a group catharsis for the tragedy, Meg turns to a motley crew of theater kids to develop the perfect presentation. But as they bounce through acting exercises and problematic uses of pop songs, they get pushback from grown-ups on the appropriate way to process pain. A compelling and oddball coming-of-age comedy, Run Amok is a gem.
2. The Incomer
Winner of the NEXT Innovator Award, The Incomer is a curious tale of folklore, culture conflict, and burgeoning attraction. Written and directed by Louis Paxton, the comedy begins with a grown brother (Grant O’Rourke) and sister (Gayle Rankin), who've spent the past 30 years on a Scottish island alone. Then the "incomer" arrives. He (Domhnall Gleeson) is a timid office drone tasked with serving them an eviction notice and a ride back to mainland Scotland. Little can he predict the dramatic (and hilarious) response such a pronouncement will spark. Comic violence, awkward rituals, and animated stories come into play as these three find shaky common ground, and ultimately a perfectly offbeat happy ending.
1. Josephine
Among critics, Josephine is easily the most buzzed-about title out of Sundance. Written and directed by Beth de Araújo, this drama focuses on an 8-year-old girl named Josephine (Mason Reeves) who witnesses a sexual assault in a local park. From there, de Araújo explores how a child copes with such trauma through showing Josephine recreating what she saw through play, acting out at school, and imagining the rapist casually invading her home. Beyond exploring her experience through cinematography that frequently binds us to the child's visual perspective, the filmmaker also exposes how her parents (Gemma Chan and Channing Tatum) struggle to explain rape culture to their little girl. Not a tear-jerker but a nuanced family drama that's ripe in emotional intelligence and thought-provoking sequences, Josephine is a hard watch and a must-see.
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Topics Film
