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:

Zola — Still

Janicza Bravo Resurrects Viral Tweet Thread Through the Ever-Innovative ‘Zola’

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An early frontrunner in the Sundance fold.

The Assistant

‘The Assistant’ Highlights the People Behind the Monsters and Finds Accountability Lacking

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Even the worst villains have support.

Sundance Titles

The Movies We Can’t Wait to Watch at Sundance 2020

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Sundance 2020 once again has something for everyone, and these are the 15 films we’re looking forward to the most.

Slacker

‘Slacker’ on the Cusp of the Independent Cinema Revolution

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When Independent Cinema still meant Independent Cinema, Richard Linklater willed his way into creation.

A Collage

Can A24 Turn Summer Into Awards Season?

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Another year means another chance at award season glory for the entertainment company, A24.

Covering Sundance

What Covering Sundance Is Like

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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to go to Sundance? Now you don’t have to.

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

Chiwetel Ejiofor and William Kamkwamba on Seizing Global Attention with ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’ at Sundance

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We chat with the director and his subject about using cinema to effect change across the globe.

Sundance Best

The Best Movies of Sundance 2019

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Four of us went to Sundance. We saw dozens of movies. These are our eighteen favorites.

Alien

‘Memory: The Origins of Alien’ Review: A Welcome Excavation of a Sci-Fi Classic

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In space, no one can hear the Greek Furies scream…