Sundance 2026: Rinko Kikuchi plays a dancing widow in “Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!”

by Cláudio Alves

Two weeks ago, the 2026 Sundance Film Festival came to a close, marking its first edition after founder Robert Redford’s death and the last time it was held in Park City. Next year, the festivities will take place in Boulder, Colorado, the start of a new chapter in its history. For me, it was also a first, as, after years of trying, I finally got press credentials to cover Sundance online – fifth time’s the charm. Sadly, the limited number of days of the online program meant I had little time to post anything during the fest itself. And then came the storms, a weather calamity that’s ravaged Portugal and has left me various days without power and only intermittent wi-fi. 

My apologies that it took so long for this coverage to kickstart, but better late than never. And to get things going in style, let’s look at one of the films Nathaniel has already spotlighted in the “We Can’t Wait” series, about his most-anticipated 2026 releases – Ha Chan, Shake Your Booty!…

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Sundance Review: “Sukkwan Island” is a Father-Son Story with Strong Performances

by Abe Friedtanzer

Unconventional father-son relationships are a hallmark of film and television. A poor or nonexistent early dynamic transforms into something much more intimate and still potentially complicated as the son comes into adulthood and sees the father in a considerably different light. Sukkwan Island finds its father-son duo living life far from anyone else, alone in a cabin on an island for a year to make up for lost time and catch up on the chance to get to know each other after missing out for so many years…

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Sundance Review: “Heightened Scrutiny” is an All-Too Timely Doc about the Fight for Transgender Rights

by Abe Friedtanzer

It’s a troubling time to be transgender in America, to say the least. Within just days of his return to the White House, Donald Trump has already taken massive steps to roll back protections against transgender people and to limit recognition of their existence in every way possible. The documentary Heightened Scrutiny carries an important message of perseverance and hope, following one lawyer arguing an important case about gender-affirming care in the delicate period between Trump’s election and inauguration while the Department of Justice is still on his side...

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Sundance Review: “Middletown” Celebrates Student Journalism

by Abe Friedtanzer

Married filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine are no strangers to the Sundance Film Festival, premiering both Boys State and Girls State in Park City. They also made the documentary The Mission, about missionary John Allen Chau, who is the subject of a narrative film, Last Days, screening this year at Sundance. Moss and McBaine return to a field they know well - education - with a look back at a group of trailblazing student journalists and environmental advocates prepared to take on government systems and the mafia before they even graduated high school...

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Sundance Review: "Sunfish (and Other Stories on Green Lake)" is an Anthology Whose Parts Don’t Quite Make a Whole

by Abe Friedtanzer

Anthologies can be very appealing, probing a number of shorter tales within the span of a feature film. There are no set rules for how they have to connect or whether they really need to, but one particular place is a frequent commonality. Sometimes, however, the uniting force just isn’t all that compelling on its own, and the stories told around it don’t do much to help. There’s nothing inherently wrong with Sundance entry Sunfish (and Other Stories on Green Lake), but none of its four separate segments make much of an impression…

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