The Sundance Institute has announced the Park City Legacy programme for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, celebrating the festival’s “rich history and shared experiences in Utah”.
The programme will include archival and restoration screenings of iconic films from previous editions, artists talks with notable Sundance alumni, and a special event for the community.
This will take place from Tuesday 27 January to Friday 30 January, during the second half of the festival.
This year’s line-up represents a cross-section of the stories that reflect the Sundance Film Festival’s tradition of “programming bold narratives”, organisers revealed.
The film screenings will include director appearances and select cast members to be revealed, sparking “fresh dialogue and connection through storytelling”, for brand-new digital restorations of Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris), House Party (Reginald Hudlin), Half Nelson (Ryan Fleck), American Dream (Barbara Kopple) and Mysterious Skin (Gregg Araki), as well as a recent restoration of Saw (James Wan).
The series will also feature an archival screening of Humpday (Lynn Shelton), as well as a retrospective short film programme.
The Park City Legacy programme will additionally include special talks – as part of the Beyond Film series offering artist and filmmaker discussions – bringing alumni artists together for conversations reflecting on the meaning and evolution of legacy, with participants to be announced.
A full line-up of world premieres from emerging and established filmmakers that will run throughout the duration of the event will soon be revealed.
Sundance revealed that this year’s festival will serve as a “meaningful tribute to Robert Redford and his vision that has inspired generations of artists and redefined cinema around the world”.
The full festival will take place from 22 January to 1 February, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with the at-home programme available online from 29 January 29 to 1 February, for audiences across the US.
Select talks will take place at the Egyptian Theatre, which has a long-standing connection to the festival.
In honour of Redford’s memory, a commemorative screening of Downhill Racer (released in 1969) will be presented, his first independent film and a passion project that was his catalyst for the creation of Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival.
There will also be gatherings that “uplift the mission he envisioned”, including the Celebrating Sundance Institute: A Tribute to Founder Robert Redford event, Salt Lake City Celebration event, and the Directors Brunch at Sundance Mountain Resort, where the 2026 filmmakers will convene, among other moments.
“This will be an especially poignant year for us as we reflect on the vision of our late founder, Robert Redford, who redefined cinema and provided a home for generations of artists when he created Sundance Institute,” said Eugene Hernandez, director, Sundance Film Festival and public programming.
“In the coming weeks as we announce the projects premiering at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, we aim to have these compelling new stories in conversation with films from the festival’s first four decades and also share moments that connect our history as a festival with the present and future of independent filmmaking.
“We’re looking forward to honouring the festival’s time in Park City and Robert Redford’s legacy. His fearless support of artistic integrity and risk-taking is at the core of the work we continue to do, and the 2026 Festival will be a celebration of that important mission.”
More information is available on the Sundance Film Festival website.
