2026 Sundance Film Festival Announces Award Winners

sundance-2026The 2026 Sundance Film Festival revealed its award winners during a ceremony at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah, honoring standout films across U.S., international, documentary, and NEXT categories ahead of the festival’s final weekend.

Top Grand Jury Prizes went to Josephine (U.S. Dramatic Competition), Nuisance Bear (U.S. Documentary Competition), Shame and Money (World Cinema Dramatic Competition), and To Hold a Mountain (World Cinema Documentary Competition). The festival’s NEXT Innovator Award, presented by Adobe, was awarded to The Incomer, while TheyDream received the NEXT Special Jury Award.

Audience Awards reflected strong viewer engagement across categories. Josephine also claimed the Audience Award for U.S. Dramatic, alongside American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez for U.S. Documentary. International audience honors went to HOLD ONTO ME (Κράτα Με) and One In A Million, with Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] taking the NEXT Audience Award.

This year’s festival showcased 97 feature-length projects and 54 short films, selected from more than 16,000 submissions, underscoring Sundance’s continued role as a launchpad for emerging voices and bold storytelling. Award-winning films remain available online nationwide through February 1, with select titles screening in person for passholders.

The 2026 edition also marks one of the final Sundance gatherings in Utah, ahead of the festival’s planned move to Boulder, Colorado in 2027.
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Brandy, Kirk Franklin, and Pharrell Williams Honored at Recording Academy Honors

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Brandy, Kirk Franklin, and Pharrell Williams were honored Thursday night at the fourth annual Recording Academy Honors presented by the Black Music Collective, held January 29 in Santa Monica ahead of the Grammy Awards.Brandy and Franklin each received the Black Music Icon Award, recognizing their lasting artistic influence and cultural impact, while Williams was presented with the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award for his contributions to music, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy.

The ceremony featured tribute performances from Coco Jones, Kehlani, FLO, John Legend, Lecrae, PJ Morton, Tamela Mann, and others, with appearances by Dr. Dre, Tyler the Creator, and Justin Timberlake. Both Brandy and Franklin also performed during the evening. In a notable moment, Eve was formally awarded a Grammy for her performance on The Roots’ “You Got Me,” correcting a long-standing credit oversight from the song’s original win in 2000.

The Black Music Collective event continues to spotlight Black artists and industry leaders while supporting future generations through scholarship initiatives and mentorship.

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Guillermo del Toro Returns to Sundance With Cronos Restoration

Director Guillermo del Toro at Sundance 2026

Guillermo del Toro made a low-key appearance Tuesday night at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival for a Park City Legacy screening of Cronos, his 1994 debut feature, at The Ray Theatre in Park City. The screening coincided with the presentation of a newly restored 4K version of the film, more than 30 years after it first premiered at Sundance.

The Academy Award winning director, appeared in good spirits and posed for photographers during a press line ahead of the screening.

Originally released in the early 1990s, Cronos follows an antique dealer who discovers an ancient device promising eternal life, setting off a quiet but unsettling chain of consequences.

The film has long been viewed as an early blueprint for del Toro’s recurring themes: mortality, monstrosity, and tenderness existing side by side.

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Blades of the Guardians Heads to North American Theaters in February

blades-of-the-guardiansWell Go USA Entertainment has acquired North American distribution rights to Blades of the Guardians, the large-scale historical action film directed by legendary martial arts filmmaker Yuen Woo-ping. The film is set for a theatrical release on February 17, 2026, timed to the Chinese New Year.

Based on the popular comic by Xianzhe Xu, Blades of the Guardians stars Wu Jing, who also serves as producer, alongside Jet Li, Nicholas Tse, Yosh Yu, and K-pop idols JUN (Seventeen) and Winwin (NCT).

Set during China’s Sui Dynasty, the film follows a mercenary tasked with escorting a mysterious mission across the Western Regions, only to find himself pulled into a dangerous political scheme.

With Yuen Woo-ping at the helm, the film leans heavily into classical martial arts spectacle, blending large-scale action choreography with historical intrigue. The release continues Well Go USA’s long-standing focus on bringing international action cinema to North American audiences.

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Pinnacle Peak Pictures has acquired North Am theatrical rights to sci-fi dramedy Matter of Time

matter-of-timePinnacle Peak Pictures has acquired North American theatrical rights to Matter of Time, a sci-fi dramedy from filmmaker Jeremy Snead, with an exclusive theatrical release set for February 27, 2026.

The film follows Charlie Fleck, a 29-year-old aspiring video game designer who stumbles upon a device that can stop time, giving him the chance to chase the ambitions he has always put off. What starts as a dream scenario slowly turns more complicated, as the ability to pause life forces Charlie to confront the cost of control, ambition, and the people caught in between.

Matter of Time stars Myles Erlick alongside Sean Astin, with Ali Astin and Jamie Alexander appearing in supporting roles. The film marks a rare on-screen reunion for Sean Astin and his daughter Ali Astin, their first shared appearance since The Lord of the Rings era. Directed by Snead, the film blends emotional character drama with genre-forward sci-fi elements, pulling from themes of creativity, grief, friendship, and gaming culture.

The film premiered at the Dallas International Film Festival in 2025 and later screened internationally at SCI-FI-LONDON. Pinnacle Peak Pictures plans a targeted theatrical rollout in partnership with IGN Entertainment, aiming to connect the film directly with audiences drawn to narrative-driven games, science fiction, and creator-led storytelling.

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Kid Cudi Announces The Rebel Ragers Tour With M.I.A., Big Boi, and More

rebel-ragersKid Cudi is returning to the road in 2026 with The Rebel Ragers Tour, a North American run featuring a rotating lineup of special guests including M.I.A., Big Boi, A-Trak, me n ü, and Dot Da Genius on select dates.

Produced by Live Nation, the tour kicks off April 28 in Phoenix and spans more than 30 cities, with stops in Atlanta, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, and beyond before wrapping up June 27 in Chula Vista, California.

The tour pulls from across Cudi’s catalog, touching on early breakout tracks like “Day ’N’ Nite” and “Mr. Rager” while also incorporating newer material from recent releases.

The run reflects Cudi’s long-standing connection with his fanbase and his continued evolution across music and culture. Tickets go on sale January 30 via LiveNation.com, with presales beginning earlier in the week.

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One Battle After Another Leads Online Film Critics Society Awards

onebattle-after-anotherPaul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another emerged as a major winner at the 2025 Online Film Critics Society Awards, taking Best Picture and Best Director among five total wins. The film’s strong showing places it firmly among the most critically embraced releases of the year.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners ultimately led the awards overall, collecting 10 wins across major categories including acting, writing, cinematography, score, and multiple technical honors. With more than 38 films recognized across 22 categories, this year’s OFCS awards reflected an unusually broad spread of genres, from studio releases to international and independent titles.

One notable takeaway from this year’s results is how concentrated the wins were at the top: just two films accounted for nearly half of all awards handed out, underscoring a rare level of consensus among the Society’s nearly 300 voting critics worldwide.

The organization also presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to Colleen Atwood, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Vittorio Storaro, and Walter Murch, alongside Special Achievement Awards recognizing sustainability efforts in filmmaking and advocacy within the industry.

Here’s the complete list of Online Film Critics Society Award winners and nominations for 2025.

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The Fray Announce Summer of Light Tour With Dashboard Confessional and More

the-frayThe Fray are heading back on the road this summer with the newly announced Summer of Light Tour, a North American run that brings Dashboard Confessional, Colony House, The Strumbellas, and Brother Elsey along on select dates.

The tour kicks off May 11 in Moncton, New Brunswick, and runs through late August, hitting cities across Canada and the U.S. including Montreal, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, Boston, and more before wrapping up August 29 in Chicago.

The announcement arrives ahead of the band’s upcoming album A Light That Waits, due out March 13. Tickets for the Summer of Light Tour go on sale January 30 via TheFray.com, with presales starting earlier in the week.

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Head Lopper Returns This April With New Story Arc Celebrating 10 Years

Head-LopperAndrew MacLean’s fantasy adventure comic Head Lopper is returning to shelves this April with a brand-new story arc, marking the 10-year anniversary of the series’ original launch. The new chapter begins with an extra-length issue published by Image Comics, arriving April 22.

First released in 2016, Head Lopper follows the warrior Norgal and his sharp-tongued companion Agatha, a severed witch’s head, as they battle mythic creatures across the land of Narschlahn. The upcoming issue continues directly from the end of the original series while also serving as a new entry point for readers discovering the world for the first time.

MacLean, who writes and illustrates the series, recently discussed the return of Head Lopper and the direction of the new arc on the Let’s Talk Comics podcast. The anniversary issue will be available in multiple cover variants at comic shops and on digital platforms including Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

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Broken English Brings Marianne Faithfull Tribute to Sundance Spotlight Premiere

Broken English co-directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard

Broken English co-directors Iain Forsyth and Jane PollardBroken English made its Sundance Film Festival debut on Sunday, January 25, with a Spotlight screening at Eccles Theatre in Park City. The North American premiere was preceded by a red carpet press line, where filmmakers, producers, and performers gathered ahead of the evening’s screening.

Directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, Broken English is a documentary portrait of singer, songwriter, and cultural icon Marianne Faithfull. The film blends archival material, staged sequences, and performance, presenting Faithfull’s life and career through a stylized and unconventional lens rather than a traditional retrospective format.

Forsyth and Pollard attended the red carpet alongside producer Beth Earl and executive producers Victoria Steventon, Julia Xu, Julia Stier, and Miranda Bailey. Performers Norah Jones and Rufus Wainwright were also present ahead of their post-screening tribute performances, which followed the film’s premiere and added a live element to the evening’s celebration.

The Sundance appearance follows the film’s earlier world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival. At Sundance, Broken English screened as part of the festival’s Spotlight section and was presented in person only, drawing a full house and a noticeably attentive crowd.

The night felt less like a standard documentary premiere and more like a shared moment of remembrance, fitting for a film centered on legacy, memory, and artistic refusal to conform.

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