The 2026 Sundance Film Festival revealed the winning films, with Grand Jury Prizes going to Josephine for U.S. Dramatic Competition, Nuisance Bear for the U.S. Documentary Competition, Shame and Money for World Cinema Dramatic Competition, and To Hold a Mountain for World Cinema Documentary Competition.
The NEXT Innovator Award presented by Adobe was given to The Incomer, and the NEXT Special Jury Award presented by Adobe was given to TheyDream.
Audience awards were presented to Josephine for U.S. Dramatic Competition; American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez for U.S. Documentary Competition, HOLD ONTO ME (Κράτα Με) for World Cinema Dramatic Competition; and One In A Million for World Cinema Documentary Competition. Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] won the audience award for NEXT presented by Adobe.
“As we conclude this memorable edition of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, we’re thrilled to celebrate our award-winning films and all the artists who participated in this year’s wonderful Festival,” said Eugene Hernandez, Director, Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming. “Thank you to all of the artists and audiences who made this Festival one we’ll remember for a long time, and we’re deeply grateful to our friends and partners in Park City, Salt Lake City, and all across Utah, home to so many cherished Festivals. We salute and thank Utah’s moviegoers who have embraced this Festival and our founder Robert Redford’s vision. As this 2026 edition draws to a close, we’re remembering all of these times spent together.”
This year’s Sundance Film Festival has introduced audiences to 97 feature-length and episodic works and 54 short films — curated from a total 16,201 submissions — screening to audiences in Park City, Salt Lake City, and online nationwide.
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will be the final gathering in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, and starting in 2027, the Sundance Film Festival will move to Boulder, Colorado.
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival awards are:
GRAND JURY PRIZES
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Josephine / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Beth de Araújo, Producers: David Kaplan, Josh Peters, Marina Stabile, Mark H. Rapaport, Crystine Zhang) — After 8-year-old Josephine accidentally witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park, she acts out in search of a way to regain control of her safety while adults are helpless to console her. Cast: Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Philip Ettinger, Syra McCarthy, Eleanore Pienta. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Nuisance Bear / U.S.A., Canada (Directors: Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman, Producers: Michael Code, Will N. Miller, Teddy Leifer) — A polar bear is forced to navigate a human world of tourists, wildlife officers, and hunters as its ancient migration collides with modern life. When a sacred predator is branded a nuisance, it becomes unclear who truly belongs in this shared landscape. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Shame and Money / Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, Belgium (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Visar Morina, Screenwriter: Doruntina Basha, Producers: Fabian Altenried, Sophie Ahrens, Kristof Gerega, Pia Hellenthal) — After losing their livelihood in a village, a Kosovar family is forced to move to the capital in pursuit of a place in a hypercapitalist society. Cast: Astrit Kabashi, Flonja Kodheli, Kumrije Hoxha, Fiona Gllavica, Alban Ukaj. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to To Hold a Mountain / Serbia, France, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić, Producers: Quentin Laurent, Rok Biček) — In the remote highlands of Montenegro, a shepherd mother and daughter proudly defend their ancestral mountain from the threat of becoming a NATO military training ground, stirring memories of the violence that shattered their family. World Premiere. Available online for public.
NEXT INNOVATOR AWARD PRESENTED BY Adobe
The NEXT Innovator Award Presented by Adobe was awarded to The Incomer / U.K. (Director and Screenwriter: Louis Paxton, Producers: Shirley O’Connor, Emily Gotto) — On a remote Scottish isle, siblings Isla and Sandy hunt birds and talk to mythical beings while fighting off outsiders. Their lives change when Daniel, an awkward official, arrives to relocate them. Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O’Rourke, Emun Elliott, Michelle Gomez, John Hannah. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for public.
AUDIENCE AWARDS
The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, Presented by Acura was awarded to Josephine / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Beth de Araújo, Producers: David Kaplan, Josh Peters, Marina Stabile, Mark H. Rapaport, Crystine Zhang) — After 8-year-old Josephine accidentally witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park, she acts out in search of a way to regain control of her safety while adults are helpless to console her. Cast: Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Philip Ettinger, Syra McCarthy, Eleanore Pienta. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary, Presented by Acura was awarded to American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: David Alvarado, Producers: Lauren DeFilippo, Everett Katigbak, Amanda Pollak) — Against political resistance and industry skepticism, Luis Valdez pushes Chicano storytelling from the fields to the film screen with Zoot Suit and La Bamba, crafting iconic works that challenge, celebrate, and expand America’s story. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic, Presented by United Airlines was awarded to HOLD ONTO ME (Κράτα Με) / Cyprus, Denmark, Greece (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Myrsini Aristidou, Producer: Monica Nicolaidou) — 11-year-old Iris learns her estranged father, Aris, is back in town for his own father’s funeral. Determined to know him, Iris tracks him down to a dilapidated shipyard, where he’s been keeping to himself. What begins as a stubborn attempt to reconnect slowly unfolds into a fragile bond. Cast: Christos Passalis, Maria Petrova. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary, Presented by United Airlines was awarded to One In A Million / U.K. (Directors: Itab Azzam, Jack MacInnes, Producers: Raney Aronson-Rath, Will Anderson, James Bluemel, Andrew Palmer) — Filmed over 10 years, one girl’s epic journey from Syria to Germany and back again. She and her family navigate war, exile, and heartbreak in a foreign land, illuminating the complexities of the refugee experience. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Audience Award: NEXT, Presented by Adobe was awarded to Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] / U.S.A., Denmark (Directors and Producers: Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil, Producers: Steve Holmgren, Grace Remington, Jacque Clark, Franny Alfano) — Trapped in museum archives, Ancestors bend time and space to find their way home. History, spirituality, and the law collide as tribal repatriation specialists fight to return and rebury Indigenous human remains, offering a revealing look at the still-pervasive worldviews that justified collecting them in the first place. World Premiere. Documentary. Available online for public.
JURY AWARDS FOR DIRECTING, SCREENWRITING, and EDITING
The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Josef Kubota Wladyka for Ha-chan, Shake Your Booty! / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Josef Kubota Wladyka, Screenwriter: Nicholas Huynh, Producers: Kimberly Parker Zox, Mao Nagakura) — Haru and Luis love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back to the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor. She must face what comes next as sparks fly. Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Alberto Guerra, Alejandro Edda, YOU, Yoh Yoshida, Damián Alcázar. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to J.M. Harper for Soul Patrol / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: J.M. Harper, Producers: Sam Bisbee, Danielle Massie, Nasir Jones, Peter Bittenbender) — From deep behind enemy lines, a hidden chapter of American military history is uncovered, prompting the question of whether reckoning with the past can bring peace to those who lived it. The Vietnam War’s first Black special operations team reunites to tell their story. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented to Andrius Blaževičius for How to Divorce During the War / Lithuania, Luxembourg, Ireland, Czech Republic (Director and Screenwriter: Andrius Blaževičius, Producer: Marija Razgutė) — In Vilnius in 2022, Marija has a revelation that she wants to divorce her husband, Vytas, right before Russia invades Ukraine. Forced to confront their crumbling relationship, they navigate the process of divorce as it collides with the ongoing war. Cast: Marius Repšys, Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė, Amelija Adomaitytė, Indrė Patkauskaitė, Gintarė Parulytė. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented to Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes for One In A Million / U.K. (Directors: Itab Azzam, Jack MacInnes, Producers: Raney Aronson-Rath, Will Anderson, James Bluemel, Andrew Palmer) — Filmed over 10 years, one girl’s epic journey from Syria to Germany and back again. She and her family navigate war, exile, and heartbreak in a foreign land, illuminating the complexities of the refugee experience. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Liz Sargent for Take Me Home / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Liz Sargent, Producers: Apoorva Guru Charan, Minos Papas) — Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting one another’s needs. When a Florida heat wave shatters their family and Anna’s routine, her future is uncertain until she creates a world where she can thrive. Cast: Anna Sargent, Victor Slezak, Ali Ahn, Marceline Hugot, Shane Harper. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Matt Hixon for Barbara Forever / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Brydie O’Connor, Producer: Elijah Stevens) — An archive-driven exploration of the life, work, and legacy of iconic, pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer. World Premiere. Available online for public.
SPECIAL JURY AWARDS
A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Debut Feature was presented to Bedford Park / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Stephanie Ahn, Producers: Gary Foster, Chris S. Lee, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Theresa Kang, Son Sukku) — Haunted by an abusive childhood, Audrey, a Korean American woman in her 30s, faces her emotional past. When her mother’s car accident brings her back to her parents’ home, she meets the man responsible for the accident. Their relationship builds, passions ignite, and they form a loving connection. Cast: Moon Choi, Son Sukku, Won Mi Kyung, Kim Eung Soo, Jefferson White. World Premiere. Available online for public.
A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast was presented to The Friend’s House is Here / U.S.A., Iran (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Hossein Keshavarz, Maryam Ataei) — In Tehran’s underground art scene, two young women build a blissful world of freedom and sisterhood. But when their creative circle is exposed, they must fight to save each other. Cast: Mahshad Bahram, Hana Mana, Farzad Karen, Zohreh Pirnia. World Premiere. Available online for public.
A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Excellence was presented to Who Killed Alex Odeh? / U.S.A. (Directors: Jason Osder, William Lafi Youmans, Producer: Dawne Langford, William Lafi Youmans, Jason Osder, Daniel J. Chalfen) — The assassination of a beloved Palestinian American activist in Southern California ignites a 40-year quest for justice, revealing the roots of a dangerous political movement that thrives today. World Premiere. Available online for public.
A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact for Change was presented to The Lake / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Abby Ellis, Producer: Fletcher Keyes) –— An environmental nuclear bomb looms in Utah. Two intrepid scientists and a political insider race the clock to save their home from unprecedented catastrophe. World Premiere. Available online for public.
A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision was presented to Filipiñana / Singapore, U.K., Philippines, France, Netherlands (Director and Screenwriter: Rafael Manuel, Producers: Jeremy Chua, Alex Polunin, Bianca Balbuena, Bradley Liew, Nadia Turincev, Omar El Kadi) — Tee girl Isabel feels strangely drawn to Dr. Palanca, the president of the country club where she works. However, after piecing together a violent picture of what lies beneath the club’s pristine surface, she realizes that what began as an innocent infatuation is actually rooted in a sinister shared history. Cast: Jorrybell Agoto, Carmen Castellanos, Teroy Guzman, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, Isabel Sicat, Nour Houshmand. World Premiere. Available online for public.
A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting Ensemble was presented to LADY / U.K., Nigeria (Director and Screenwriter: Olive Nwosu, Producer: Alex Polunin) — In the sprawling African metropolis of Lagos, a fiercely independent young cab driver meets a band of radiantly reckless sex workers whose sisterhood pulls her into danger and joy, setting her on a journey toward her own transformation. Cast: Jessica Gabriel’s Ujah, Amanda Oruh, Tinuade Jemiseye, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Seun Kuti, Bucci Franklin. World Premiere. Available online for public.
A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Journalistic Impact was presented to Birds of War / U.K., Syrian Arab Republic, Lebanon (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak, Producer: Sonja Henrici) — The love story of a London-based Lebanese journalist and a Syrian activist and cameraman as told through 13 years of personal archives across revolutions, war, and exile. World Premiere. Available online for public.
A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance was presented to Everybody To Kenmure Street / U.K. (Director and Producer: Felipe Bustos Sierra, Producer: Ciara Barry) — In May 2021, a U.K. Home Office dawn raid triggers one of the most spontaneous and successful acts of civil resistance in recent memory. In Scotland’s most diverse neighborhood, hundreds of residents rush to the streets to stop the deportation of their neighbors. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The NEXT Special Jury Award for Creative Expression was awarded to TheyDream / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: William David Caballero, Screenwriters and Producers: Erin Ploss-Campoamor, Elaine del Valle, Producer: Brad Jones) — After 20 years of chronicling his Puerto Rican family, a director and his mother face devastating losses. Through tears and laughter, they craft animations that bring their loved ones back to life, discovering that every act of creation is also an act of letting go. World Premiere. Documentary. Available online for public.
Previously Announced 2026 Sundance Film Festival Awards:
Jury prizes for the Short Film Program were announced on January 27 at the Short Film Awards Ceremony & Party presented by Ketel One Vodka at The Park in Park City:
The Short Film Grand Jury Prize was awarded to: The Baddest Speechwriter of All / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Ben Proudfoot, Stephen Curry, Producer: Erick Peyton) — Now 93, Martin Luther King Jr.’s lawyer and speechwriter reflects on the personal cost and surprising truths of making history, offering an intimate insider’s view of the Civil Rights Movement. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction was awarded to: Crisis Actor / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Lily Platt, Producers: Sophie Seyd, Alex Bendo, Lexi Preiser) — Fired from her day job, an impulsive actress crashes a support group and spirals into a chaotic night that forces her to face her addiction to drama. Cast: Sarah Steele, Philip Ettinger. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction was awarded to: Jazz Infernal / Canada (Director and Screenwriter: Will Niava, Screenwriter: Kristelle Laroche, Producers: Zion Lipstein-Saffer, Samuel Caron) — Koffi, a young Ivorian trumpeter, arrives in Montréal with nothing but the legacy of his father to guide him. Lost between the city’s noise and the silence of his past, he must confront his roots to finally find his voice. Cast: Ange-Eric N’guessan, Alexis Belhumeur, Kalombo Kasongo. U.S. Premiere. Available online for public.
The Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction was awarded to: The Boys and the Bees / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Arielle C. Knight, Producer: Sean Weiner) — On an idyllic farm in rural Georgia, Black beekeeping parents tenderly share their knowledge of life, love, and nature with their young sons while restoring their homestead. Available online for public.
The Short Film Jury Award: Animation was awarded to:Living with a Visionary / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Stephen P. Neary, Producer: Mireia Vilanova) — After 50 years of marriage, John must care for his wife while learning to live alongside her vivid hallucinations. Cast: James Cromwell, Katherine LaVictoire. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Short Film Special Jury Award for Creative Vision was awarded to: Paper Trail / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Don Hertzfeldt) — A life, seen through paper. World Premiere.
The Short Film Special Jury Award for Acting was awarded to: Noah Roja and Filippo Carrozza for
The Liars / Argentina (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Eduardo Braun Costa, Producers: Manuel Aguer, Natasha Gurfinkel) — Thrown into adulthood, Matías and Jaime try to make sense of the world. One day, Jaime is arrested by a security guard at a mall and Matías must ask a stranger to pretend to be their father to free him. Cast: Noah Roja, Filippo Carrozza, Esteban Bigliardi, Mariana Chaud, Pablo Fusco. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize for an outstanding feature film with science and technology themes or characters was awarded to In The Blink of An Eye directed by Andrew Stanton and written by Colby Day, screening in the Premieres category. The filmmakers received a $25,000 cash award from Sundance Institute with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
The Sundance Institute Producers Award for Nonfiction, presented by Amazon MGM Studios, went to Dawne Langford for Who Killed Alex Odeh? / U.S.A. (Directors: Jason Osder, William Lafi Youmans, Producers: Dawne Langford, William Lafi Youmans, Jason Osder, Daniel J. Chalfen) –– The assassination of a beloved Palestinian American activist in Southern California ignites a 40-year quest for justice, revealing the roots of a dangerous political movement that thrives today. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Sundance Institute Producers Award for Fiction, presented by Amazon MGM Studios, went to Apoorva Guru Charan for Take Me Home / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Liz Sargent, Producers: Apoorva Guru Charan, Minos Papas) — Anna, a 38-year-old Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability, cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting one another’s needs. When a Florida heat wave shatters their family and Anna’s routine, her future is uncertain until she creates a world where she can thrive. Cast: Anna Sargent, Victor Slezak, Ali Ahn, Marceline Hugot, Shane Harper. World Premiere. Available online for public.
The Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Nonfiction went to Flavia de Souza, and the Sundance Institute | Adobe Mentorship Award for Fiction went to Mollie Goldstein.
The Sundance Institute | NHK Award went to Leo Aguirre for Verano (U.S.A.).
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.