As Sundance 2026 winds down, a look at its big moments and buzziest movies

"The last Sundance Film Festival in Utah is drawing to a close this weekend.The Park City gathering was a wistful farewell to the place Robert Redford's brainchild has called home for over 40 years and launched so many careers. Although the festival isn't ending - it will start anew in Boulder, Colorado, in 2027 - it did have many, from filmmakers to volunteers, feeling nostalgic about the change whether their Sundance story began in 2022 or 1992."

"A Wednesday night anniversary screening of "Little Miss Sunshine," still one of the festival's biggest hits, was an especially emotional affair as filmmakers Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, and actors Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano and Abigail Breslin, gathered once more, 20 years later, at the festival's most famous and largest location, the Eccles Theater. Many in the audience had seen the movie and some had even been at the 2006 premiere. But a fair number were experiencing it for the first time and the response was rapturous."

""I feel like we achieved that based on what we've seen this week," said Sundance programming director Kim Yutani. "The enthusiasm for the artists that we have now shared with the world is significant. It's profound.""

The final Park City edition of Sundance concluded with nostalgia for Robert Redford's festival after more than 40 years. The festival will relocate to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027, and attendees across generations expressed longing and celebration. An anniversary screening of Little Miss Sunshine reunited filmmakers and cast, drawing rapturous reactions from longtime followers and first-time viewers. Festival programming prioritized discovery, with roughly 40 percent of the slate from first-time feature filmmakers. Organizers said they honored Park City and broadly showcased artists. Political moments surfaced amid the festivities, including a reported assault and visible immigration-related protest pins on the red carpet.

Read at Fast Company