Two films with CalArts affiliations have been selected for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, a long-running program of the Sundance Institute, a nonprofit that has played a significant role in introducing new work and shaping contemporary film culture for more than four decades. The 2026 festival takes place Jan. 22–Feb. 1 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with a parallel online program running Jan. 29–Feb. 1. This edition also marks the final year the festival is held in Park City before its planned relocation beginning in 2027.
In the Blink of an Eye, directed by alum Andrew Stanton (Film/Video BFA 87), has its world premiere at the festival on Jan. 26, and has been named the recipient of the 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, a juried award recognizing a feature-length film that engages with themes of science and technology. The live-action science fiction drama follows three intersecting storylines that span thousands of years and stars Rashida Jones, Kate McKinnon, Daveed Diggs, Jorge Vargas, and Tanaya Beatty. Stanton is a two-time Oscar–winning filmmaker whose previous work includes co-writing and directing Finding Nemo and WALL-E, both recipients of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Also selected is Living with a Visionary, an animated short written, directed, and produced by Stephen P. Neary, special faculty in Character Animation. The film centers on John, who after 50 years of marriage must care for his wife while learning to live alongside her vivid hallucinations. The voice cast includes James Cromwell and Katherine LaVictoire. Living with a Visionary will have its world premiere as part of the festival’s Short Film Program, and will also be available online.
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival received more than 16,000 submissions across feature-length, episodic, and short-form categories. The Short Film Program alone was selected from 11,480 submissions representing 22 countries and territories, underscoring the scale and competitiveness of the selection process.
The 2026 edition includes both in-person screenings and an at-home program available nationwide, featuring a curated selection of feature films, episodic projects, and short films from this year’s lineup. More information about the festival, including program details and online screening options, is available at festival.sundance.org.
