Sundance

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:

Censor

‘Censor’ is Unafraid to Ask Difficult Questions

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Prano Bailey-Bond’s first venture into feature filmmaking isn’t perfect, but it sure does a decent job to bring up some existential topics.

Sundance 2021: Cryptozoo

Dash Shaw’s Sophomore Effort ‘Cryptozoo’ Fascinates on the Surface

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From the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, we review ‘Cryptozoo,’ the latest from Shaw and animation director Jane Samborski.

Sundance Egyptian Marquee

Sundance 2021 Preview: 21 Films We Can’t Wait to Watch

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Sundance 2021 might be virtual, but these 21 films are actually our most-anticipated of the fest.

Possessor

Imposter and ‘Possessor’: A Conversation with Brandon Cronenberg

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Meet Brandon Cronenberg, the writer and director of the jarring, carnal meta-nightmare that gripped Sundance 2020

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Eliza Hittman and Sidney Flanigan Discuss the Experiential Crisis in ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’

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We chat with the director and actor about finding the boundaries between character and performer.

Tesla

Michael Almereyda Crafts Authenticity Through Anachronism in ‘Tesla’

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We chat with the director about why he got fanciful with the legendary inventor.

Sundance Where To Watch

Where to Watch the Movies of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival

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You’ve heard the buzz, now see the movies.

Minari — Still

‘Minari’ is a Rarified Expression of Realism in the Modern Blockbuster Era

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Whether tragic or beautiful or merely mundane, every scene is bursting with beauty.

Shirley

‘Shirley’ Completes The Elisabeth Moss Madness Trilogy

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Elisabeth Moss as Shirley Jackson is the most insanely perfect of pairings.