The Sundance Institute has announced the jurors granting awards for artistic and cinematic excellence at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
The festival will be held 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 1 February for audiences across the US.
The 17-member jury is composed of influential voices across film, art and culture, “united by a deep commitment to artist-driven storytelling and informed by decades of creating, championing, and engaging with independent work”, Sundance said.
Complementing this group are the five jury members who award the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, “each of whom brings a specialised expertise to the intersection of science and story”.
The jury will select the winners to be announced during the Awards Ceremony held at The Ray Theatre on Friday 30 January.
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival jury includes: Janicza Bravo, Nisha Ganatra, and Azazel Jacobs for the US Dramatic Competition; Natalia Almada, Justin Chang, and Jennie Livingston for the US Documentary Competition; Ana Katz, So Yong Kim, and Tatiana Maslany for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition; Toni Kamau, Bao Nguyen, and Kirsten Schaffer for the World Cinema Documentary Competition; Liv Constable-Maxwell, A.V. Rockwell, and Martin Starr for the Short Film Program Competition; and John Cooper and Trevor Groth for the NEXT section.
The jury for the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize deliberated ahead of the festival and awarded the prize to In The Blink of An Eye director Andrew Stanton and screenwriter Colby Day.
The jury, which includes both film and science professionals, presents the award to an outstanding feature film focusing on science or technology as a theme or depicting a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character.
This jury includes Sophie Barthes, Dr. Heather Berlin, Dr. Andrea Ghez, Ari Handel, and Nicole Perlman.
“This year’s jury represents a rare depth of creative conviction and exceptional range, made up of artists and thinkers who know what it means to take risks,” said Eugene Hernandez, director, Sundance Film Festival and public programming.
“They bring curiosity, rigour, and a deep respect for bold storytelling, qualities that are essential to discovering the films that will define the future of independent cinema.”
“Planning this special year, it felt especially meaningful to invite a slate of jurors who have a rich history with the festival, all deeply rooted in the creative community they will now help champion,” said Kim Yutani, the festival’s director of programming.
“It’s a full-circle way to honour many of the artists, partners and industry members who have played such a pivotal role in shaping the Sundance Film Festival’s legacy for more than 40 years.”
In-person audiences will participate in selecting the 2026 Audience Awards, which are available to films in the US Competition, World Competition and NEXT.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to vote for the Festival Favorite, chosen from all in-person eligible feature film screenings.
The Audience Awards will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on Friday 30 January.
