Top Sundance 2026 Films: IndieWire Critics’ Picks
At the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, critics showcased their favorite films, leading to some exciting results in the Critics Survey conducted by Filmogaz.com. The standout film, “Josephine,” directed by Beth de Araújo, captured significant acclaim, winning both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. It received top honors in every category it was nominated for, emphasizing its impact on the festival.
Top Picks from Sundance 2026
The Critics Survey included diverse opinions from international critics who participated in person and online. Here are the major results:
Best Feature Film
- Josephine
- The Weight
- Once Upon a Time in Harlem
- The Invite
- If I Go Will They Miss Me
- The Friend’s House Is Here
- Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass
- Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!
- Leviticus
- Nuisance Bear
Best Performance
- Mason Reeves, Josephine
- Channing Tatum, Josephine
- Ethan Hawke, The Weight
- Will Poulter, Union Country
- Son Sukku, Bedford Park
- Chris Pine, Carousel
- Astrit Kabashi, Shame and Money
- Rinko Kinkuchi, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!
- Olivia Wilde, I Want Your Sex
- Maria Petrova, Hold Onto Me
Best Documentary
- Once Upon a Time in Harlem
- Give Me the Ball
- Nuisance Bear
- Closure
- The History of Concrete
- When a Witness Recants
- Public Access
- Everybody to Kenmure Street
- Joybubbles
- The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist
Best Directing
- Beth de Araújo, Josephine
- William and David Greaves, Once Upon a Time in Harlem
- Padraic McKinley, The Weight
- Olivia Wilde, The Invite
- Makoto Nagahisa, Burn
- Louis Paxton, The Incomer
- Walter Thompson-Hernández, If I Go Will They Miss Me
- Josef Kubota Wladyka, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!
- Kogonada, Zi
- Adam Meeks, Union County
Best Screenwriting
- Beth de Araújo, Josephine
- Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, The Invite
- Padraic McKinley, The Weight
- Louis Paxton, The Incomer
- Hossein Keshavarz and Maryam Ataei, The Friend’s House Is Here
- Josef Kubota Wladyka, Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!
- Stephanie Ahn, Bedford Park
- Rachel Lambert, Carousel
- Gregg Araki, I Want Your Sex
- Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, Wicker
Best International Feature
- Leviticus
- The Incomer
- How to Divorce During the War
- Burn
- Shame and Money
Best International Documentary
- Closure
- Everybody to Kenmure Street
- To Hold a Mountain
- Birds of War
- Jaripeo
Best First Feature
- The Weight
- The History of Concrete
- Night Nurse
- The Incomer
- Nuisance Bear
As the festival concluded, it became clear that “Josephine” resonated strongly with both critics and audiences alike. The results from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival highlight the evolving landscape of independent cinema.
