This page is home to our coverage of the Sundance Film Festival.
The Sundance Film Festival is the largest independent film festival in the United States, taking place every year in January in Park City, Utah. It was founded in 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival and re-named the Sundance Film Festival in 1991, after Robert Redford’s character from the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Film School Reject has had the honor of covering Sundance since 2008, two years after our site was founded. Over the years, we’ve discovered a number of amazing films in Park City — from our first review of 2008’s In Bruges to our listing of the 25 Best Sundance Movies of All-Time in 2015 to our 2019 list of the 50 Best Sundance Horror Movie Premieres to our discoveries of Swiss Army Man and Hunt for the Wilderpeople and The Witch at Sundance 2016 — we’ve spent over a decade reviewing hundreds of wonderful independent films.
We have also covered (on numerous occasions) what it’s like to cover Sundance for those who aren’t lucky enough to make the trip. And for those interested in filling their yearly watchlists, we’ve also recapped our favorites with a festival-closing list (in almost every year). Check out our archive of Sundance favorites via the links below:
Explore the entire archives of our annual Sundance Film Festival coverage below:
By Neil Miller
Since our arrival in the snowy mountains of Utah I, along with many other temporary transplants from around the world, have been puzzled about one thing: the weather. It has been uncharacteristically warm and sunny in Park City, almost to the point of robbing us of that frigidity that makes it feel like Sundance. No one has been able to explain it, not even the weatherman. At least, not until now.
By Neil Miller
If there is one thing that we can take away from director Lynn Shelton’s awkward sex comedy Humpday, it is that there is nothing more uncomfortable to watch yet strikingly hilarious than two straight men who set out to have sex on camera.
By Neil Miller
In general, I have a rule about walking out of movies. I just don’t do it. And while writer/director Emily Abt’s melodramatic soap opera Toe to Toe didn’t have me reaching for acid to pour on my face, it will go down as the first film of Sundance 2009 that had me eying both my watch and the exit door.
By Neil Miller
Heading into Moon, the Sam Rockwell led low-budget science fiction film from first time director Duncan Jones, I was both excited and skeptical. It is easy after all, to be skeptical of any low-budget, ambitious science fiction film. Thankfully, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
By Neil Miller
The idea behind arriving to Park City two days prior to the start of the ’09 Sundance Film Festival was to rest up and get comfortable. Unfortunately, that didn’t exactly happen as planned. However, the movies have begun and Sundance is off to a wonderful start.
By Neil Miller
It seems fitting that the 2009 Sundance Film Festival would open with a film like Adam Elliot’s Mary and Max. It is a film festival built on the celebration of unique and innovative films, and in that regard this year’s opening night selection is right at home.
By Neil Miller
Sure, the 2009 Sundance Film Festival doesn’t start until Thursday night. I decided to get into town on Tuesday. And while there are no films, that doesn’t mean there aren’t stories to tell.
By Neil Miller
As you’ve probably already figured by now, I am whisking my way off to the snowy, majestic mountain town of Park City, Utah for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. And just like last year, I will be bringing you updates from the ground all week long, including reviews, news and spotlights on the festival’s hottest tickets and events.
