Sundance 2026: Lindsey Normington on Role in Short “Together Forever”
The logline, “A Mormon couple ties the knot,” already had me invested but reading the synopsis sealed the deal: “It’s wedding day at the Mormon Temple. For wide-eyed Sydney, it’s a dream come true to marry her best friend. But for the cherub-faced groom, Caleb, his life has never been more of a lie. In […]
The Last Dance: A Sundance of Solidarity and Truth
Every Sundance leaves an impression on me — no, more than that. It feels like a permanent mark etched into my soul. Of course, there’s the snow, the crowded Main Street cafés, the films and conversations that linger long after you leave Park City. But there’s always something more — something that awakens me to […]
Sundance 2026: Hannah Schierbeek on Survival, Isolation, and Unexpected Friendship in her Short Film “Radiant Frost”
Chicago-based writer-director Hannah Schierbeek continues her exploration of intimate human stories set against vast socioecological backdrops with her latest short film. Written, directed, and produced by Schierbeek, the film follows a lone drifter whose isolated existence is disrupted when he discovers a young escapee from a survivalist cult hiding in his truck. What unfolds is […]
The Magic of Sundance: Stories from my last dance in Park City
Yes, you can just go to Sundance. Yes, you will definitely have fun. Yes, you will see celebrities. Yes, you will see movies that may win Oscars or launch the career of your favorite new filmmaker. No, it’s not easy to get there or get around. No, you won’t feel your healthiest while you are […]
Sundance 2026: Xiye Bastida and Franco Campos-Lopez Benyunes on Hope, Whales, and Resistance
“The Way of the Whale” tells the untold story of an extraordinary interspecies bond — a connection so profound it feels like love — between humans and gray whales in a remote lagoon along the Pacific coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. Each year, after completing a 5,000-mile migration — the longest of any marine […]
Sundance 2026: Walking Through the In-Between — Malin Barr on “Sauna Sickness” and the Quiet Violence of Emotional Manipulation
My discussion with Swedish-native Malin Barr at Sundance quickly evolved beyond a standard interview. By the time we secured coffee amidst the festival’s intensity, the conversation felt like a continuation of an already established, deeply considered thought. Rather than a conventional, seated Q&A, this piece is a dynamic, walking dialogue. We moved through Park City’s […]
Sundance 2026: Gabriela Ortega Explores Motherhood and Becoming in “Marga en el DF”
Cinema Femme is thrilled to reconnect with director, writer, and actress Gabriela Ortega on the occasion of her latest short film, “Marga en el DF”, which makes its World Premiere in Sundance’s International Fiction Short Films program. Ortega returns to the festival following the acclaimed run of her 2022 short “HUELLA.” The film has also […]
Sundance 2026: “The Moment,” “The Gallerist,” and “Run Amok”
Whether a creator or observer, one’s relationship with art dictates a host of qualities: values, ambitions, fantasies, etc. That umbrella term – art – can be composed of so many practices, each with their own idiosyncrasies and standards. The three films outlined in this dispatch dissect the arts (music, fine art, and theater) as mirrors […]
Sundance 2026: Holding the Line — Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić on “To Hold a Mountain”
Gara, the guiding force at the center of “To Hold a Mountain,” is living proof that not all heroes wear capes. Her days begin before sunrise — herding sheep across vast alpine pastures, making cheese by hand, and protecting the land she calls home. Alongside this relentless labor, she is raising young Nada to be […]
Sundance 2026: “The Musical,” “Extra Geography.” and “Carousel”
For my final dispatch of Sundance 2026, I talk about three films I screened virtually from home (though I originally saw “The Musical” in Park City, but I enjoyed it so much I watched it a second time at home). Coming of age was a popular recurring theme in many of the films I screened […]
Sundance 2026: Writing Herself Into the Frame —Stephanie Ahn on her debut feature “Bedford Park”
At the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, Stephanie Ahn’s “Bedford Park” arrived with quiet force — and left with one of the festival’s top honors, the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Debut Feature. It’s a fitting recognition for a film that feels at once intimate and expansive: a deeply personal exploration of intergenerational trauma, immigrant […]
Sundance 2026: “Josephine,” “LADY,” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry”
For many women, sexual discovery is a kind of reckoning. It comes in waves. Answering the question of “what was your first sexual experience?” can be immensely complex when bearing witness can be as impactful as direct participation. Having to brace against sexualization, consent, and confusion often occurs long before we’ve taken an active role […]