Preparing To Say Goodbye To Sundance In Park City — Robert Redford’s Death Underscores All the Change Coming

With the sad passing of Robert Redford, I can’t help but think about how much he shaped not only independent film but also the snowy  town of Park City, Utah that became Sundance’s spiritual home. Until 2027 when this celebration of movies is set to move to Boulder, Colorado. The upcoming 2026 Sundance will be the last of its remarkable 41-year run in Park City.

January’s Sundance will be a celebration like no other, honoring Redford’s vision, revisiting some of the breakout movies that first put the festival on the map, and looking ahead to its next chapter. For those of us who have walked up and down Main Street in the snow, squeezed into Eccles Theater screenings and stayed up late for Q&As with emerging directors, 2026 will feel like a love letter to all that Sundance has been.

Sundance is driven by documentaries in part. Three docs have stayed with me from last year’s festival and movie lovers can stream them all now.

Marlee Matlin’s Pioneering Legacy

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore takes its title from the fact that Matlin was the only deaf actor ever to win an Oscar — for Children of a Lesser God at age 21 — until CODA’s Troy Kotsur won one in 2022. Directed by Shoshannah Stern, herself deaf, the documentary is as intimate as it is groundbreaking. Much of it is simply Stern and Matlin sitting together on a sofa, talking candidly, with stylized captions that draw you into Matlin’s world.

There is delightful never-before-seen footage from Matlin’s childhood and we relive the shock and thrill of her Oscar win. The documentary doesn’t shy away from difficult moments — including her physically abusive relationship with William Hurt, then one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. And we get some wonderful surprises too.

Henry Winkler (yes, the Fonz) was Matlin’s early champion, taking her into his home for two years, and her activism helped push through legislation requiring TV networks to provide closed captioning.

Where to Watch It: Available now for digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TV and other platforms. It premieres on PBS American Masters on October 14.

A Politician To Actually Root For

Prime Minister offers an unexpectedly intimate portrait of Jacinda Ardern. A week after she was elected Prime Minister of New Zealand at age 37, she told her cabinet she was pregnant — and unmarried. She became the first world leader in nearly 30 years to give birth in office. She famously brought her baby to work and even breastfed while reviewing government documents.

What makes the film especially intimate is the footage Ardern’s eventual husband shot from the very beginning. A former newscaster, he picked up a camera when they were still just living together, long before she became prime minister. And he kept filming through her years in office. Those home videos, combined with news footage, give the documentary a lived-in, personal feel rather than being a distant political profile.

The doc is deeply sympathetic to its main subject (sometimes arguably too much so), portraying Ardern as highly likable and rarely challenging her decisions even as her popularity waned. Still, she emerges as a person of conviction and warmth. At last January’s Sundance, she appeared after the screening for a Q&A and was greeted with a standing ovation.

Since resigning in January 2023 — declaring that she no longer had “enough in the tank” for another term — Ardern has taken up fellowships at Harvard, where she has been teaching and reflecting on leadership. Her memoir, A Different Kind of Power, was published in June 2025 and expands on many of the themes the documentary touches on.

Where to Watch It: It is streaming on HBO Max.

Sly Lives is directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, best known as the bandleader of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the Oscar-winning director of Summer of Soul. His new doc chronicles the genius and pain of Sly Stone and Sly & the Family Stone. The first half is pure joy — thrilling performance clips of “Everyday People,” “Family Affair” and “Hot Fun in the Summertime” that make you want to stand up and dance.

The second half covers the familiar rock-doc territory of drugs, missed concerts and money troubles, which felt a bit repetitive and slowed the doc’s momentum. But the music is so fabulous and the interviews so insightful that it more than makes up for the darker middle section. If you love funk, soul, or just watching pure musical talent at its peak, this one is for you.

Where to Watch It: It is now streaming on Hulu.

As I get ready for my 17th Sundance next January, Robert Redford’s enduring impact, the filmmakers he championed and the last snowy Park City chapter is sure to take centerstage.

Jane Howze is managing director of The Alexander Group, a national executive search firm. She has covered  every Sundance Film Festival since 2011.