Reporting From Sundance: The Buzzy Talent and Films to Have on Your Radar This Year
Alexa, play "Last Dance" by Donna Summer.
For over four decades, Park City has been home to the Sundance Film Festival, where Hollywood descends upon the quaint Utah mountain town every January to debut their chicest winterwear (think Auter coats, cozy headwear, and not-safe-for-ice boots) and the year's best in indie filmmaking. Alas, it's time to move on to a new charming snowy enclave, Boulder, Colorado. But first, one last dance with some serious star power.
Charli XCX, Jenna Ortega, Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde, Alexander Skarsgård, and more arrived at Sundance with some of the year's buzziest projects in tow. The film on everyone's lips this year was definitely The Moment, the mockumentary from Aidan Zamiri that follows a fictional version of Charli as a rising pop star navigating the complexities of fame while preparing for an arena tour, but other notable standouts include Gregg Araki's quick-witted comedy I Want Your Sex, the heartwarming Girl Scouts documentary Cookie Queens, and the emotionally charged Josephine.
For the festival's last hurrah in Park City,Best Knockoff Luxury Clothing teamed up with Free People at its store off Main Street to create a chill oasis for talent complete with fun, social-first interviews, Polaroids shot by Emily Soto, and, of course, some shopping. At the studio, we caught up with some of Sundance 2026's most buzzy talent to talk about their projects, fashion, and exciting run-ins.
WHO: Macon Blair (Director), Dave Franco, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Kiernan Shipka, and Nicholas Braun
WHAT: The Shitheads
Writer-director Macon Blair describes his Sundance comedy The Shitheads as "a fun, rock 'n' roll party, road movie about two guys taking a young kid from point A to point B, and everything goes disastrously along the way." Count us in! Starring Dave Franco, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Mason Thames, Kiernan Shipka, and Nicholas Braun, the buddy movie is a goofy romp with plenty of absurdist moments and some surprising musical numbers too.
On their wildest scene to film together.
Dave Franco: What can we give away at this point?
O'Shea Jackson Jr.: The hotel scene, the way that we finish our time at the motel seemed to be a big—
DF: How do you describe it without giving anything away?
OJJ: Crazy circumstances lead our heroes to finally all be in the same shot at the same time.
DF: I was going to say drugs and fluids.
On preparing for their musical numbers in the film.
Nicholas Braun: It's like an hour-long vocal warm-up. It's really intense and a lot of stretching and praying too. What did you do?
Kiernan Shipka: I want to feel like I am a vessel when it comes to the musical stuff. It was that and my vocal warm-up. Eric Vetro is an incredible vocal coach, and I do have a really good warm-up from him. I'll send it to you. It's pretty good. Not that you need it because you're fantastic. Whatever you're doing is working.
NB: See the movie, and you'll know what we're talking about.
On whether or not emojis are cool.
DF: I use too many emojis I think. Can we not use emojis anymore?
KS: No, they're cool.
NB: They're still cool.
OJJ: It depends on who you're using them with. My frequently used emojis are treacherous. I'm not telling you what they are during an interview though. I be wilin out.
KS: There's a slight irony in using emojis now.
DF: No, I'm going so earnestly.
KS: See, I feel like it's the intent behind the emoji that really seals whether or not it's cool but regardless you have to live your truth.
WHO: Chase Sui Wonders
WHAT: I Want Your Sex
Together, director Gregg Araki and writer Karley Sciortino have written a masterful, quick-witted film about the current state of sex with their latest offering I Want Your Sex. The story follows innocent Elliot (Cooper Hoffman), who lands a job at a sex-forward Los Angeles art gallery with artist and provocateur Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde). As he becomes her sexual muse, Elliot finds himself way out of his depth as she takes him deep into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal, and murder.
On reading the I Want Your Sex script for the first time.
I read [the script] in maybe an hour and a half. It read so fast, and the way it was formatted felt so contemporary. Remember the Zola Tweet storm? That's how it felt reading the script. It was so salacious, so topical, and so conversational, and instantly, I was like "I'm in." I'm a longtime Gregg Araki fan, and there are not many scripts that read just like water.
On her character Apple.
Apple is a sexually-repressed, confused, hybrid incel virgin cuck. Every negative sex implication possible but wrapped up in this very lovable, sweet, really good friend. She's just really confused, but she's trying. Her and Cooper Hoffman's character Elliot have a very sweet platonic-but-charged best friendship, which I feel you don't see a lot. You don't see heterosexual best friendship that often.
On her project-picking philosophy.
There's an X factor that's hard to verbalize, but I think if it moves you in any way, if it makes you laugh or if it makes you cry. There are some people who you just are instantly primed for, like I know I'm getting a script from Gregg Araki. I'm already primed. I know I'm getting a script from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. I'm pretty primed. This is set up for success. … Recently, my characters have all been women who are a little freaky, and I'm into that. I'm into stretching and am not concerned about being a likable character or relatable. Apple in I Want Your Sex specifically, she's a freak.
On Kylie Jenner's performance in The Moment.
Aside from I Want Your Sex, I saw The Moment right after, which was quite a good double feature. But that movie was insane. Kylie Jenner is a star, and her acting career, I cannot wait to see it explode. She was very good—stunned. Also Alexander Skarsgård and the guy from Fleabag and Hailey Benton Gates, the cast is stacked. And Charli, my god! Legend.
WHO: Trew Mullen
WHAT: The Moment
Easily the most talked-about film at Sundance this year, The Moment is a flashy, tongue-in-cheek mockumentary from Aidan Zamiri that follows a fictional version of Charli XCX as a rising pop star navigating the complexities of fame and industry pressure while preparing for an arena tour.
On her role in the film.
I play Ana, who is Charli's personal assistant, and she thrives on control. She is very risk averse. I think she is the only one in the film that sort of has her stuff together, but to an extent.
On meeting Charli XCX for the first time.
The first time I met Charli was at the table read. They pushed all these tables together to make one long table. It was intimidating in this giant warehouse with so many people. There's something grounding about sitting next to someone physically and feeling their energy, so I just got this very grounding feeling from her. She was very sweet to message me before we flew out to say that she was excited to work together.
On her favorite Brat song.
My favorite Brat song is "Girl, So Confusing." It feels really honest and unresolved. I like the original, but it is nice to hear Lorde's voice so you can really hear that conversation.
On an indie film that changed her life.
Secret Sunshine. The actress has such a deep emotional life, and I haven't bawled my eyes like that in a while watching a film. The questions that it asks you to face are really interesting.
WHO: Gemma Chan and Beth de Araújo (Director)
WHAT: Josephine
In this tense and devastating drama from writer-director Beth de Araújo, Josephine explores innocence lost as an 8-year-old girl witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park. As she wrestles to understand what she has encountered, fear and anger take over Josephine (Mason Reeves) as her ill-equipped yet fiercely protective parents (Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan) try helplessly to console her.
On watching Josephine with an audience for the first time.
Gemma Chan: It was an amazing experience watching it with an audience. I had seen a previous cut, but honestly, I was amazed by how much they reacted, how much laughter there was. You could really feel the emotion of the audience. They really seemed to be willing to come along for the ride, so it was really special.
Beth de Araújo: Oh yeah, I was so happy to finally watch with an audience. I was surprised by the laughter in some moments because you just never know. It was really wonderful to have a collective experience with it.
GC: I mean I cried.
BA: I think I cried once, but I've seen this film like 220 times.
On writing the film through a child's eyes.
BA: I think if it's possible to deconstruct how you remember. Before you understood society in its fullest form, how did you come to learn it? And I wanted to do that through the eyes of a child learning what sexual assault was. It had instilled a lot of fear within myself, so it was an exploration of memory and the things that we've come to accept about how we keep ourselves safe in the world and delearning that. Even learning the legal system through a child's eyes, too, was something I was going for.
On what excited her about the project.
GC: The first time I read the script, which was quite a few years ago now, I was struck by how much truth emanated from every page, and the character of Claire just really resonated with me. To be honest, I had been yearning to play a part like this that demands a lot of vulnerability, and there's so much complexity to what is going on. It was an honor to be a part of this project, and I'm so grateful to be able to work with such amazing, talented people.
On her exciting Sundance run-ins.
GC: Well, I've met quite a few of my heroes. Charli XCX yesterday, which was very exciting! And I met Salman Rushdie today as well."
WHO: Moon Choi
WHAT: Bedford Park
From writer-director Stephanie Ahn, Bedford Park is a heartfelt, modern love story following Audrey and Eli, two young people haunted by their pasts and the difficulty of being children of immigrant parents. When Audrey's mother is involved in a car accident, it brings her back to her parents' home, where she meets the man responsible for the accident, and soon, a passionate love connection between the two forms. As Audrey and Eli's relationship builds, the couple are forced to work through the confusion of how to care for family and themselves.
On how she could relate to her character Audrey's experience.
It goes way back seven years ago when I got the part. When I got the part, I was younger than her, and now, I'm older than her, but it's great because this luxury of time made me grow with her. I could totally resonate with her because she's a Korean American, and I've spent some time in the U.S. I am based in Seoul, South Korea, but I can imagine growing up here as a Korean American child. It wasn't hard to imagine being her, but it was challenging to really have her all these years, but I really appreciated it.
On what she learned from Audrey.
Our movie is a love story between Audrey and Eli, but it's also a love story about learning to love yourself, so at the end of the movie, she comes to accept herself as who she is. I think that journey made me think about that as well—about self-reflection as a woman in my 30s. … Who am I? How am I present in this life? I want to be truthful to people, and I want to be truthful to myself, so that's the lesson she taught me.
On the person she's most excited to see at Sundance.
I am a big fan of Natalie Portman, and I was invited to The Gallerist after-party, so I really look forward to seeing her and telling her that I have been a big fan of hers for 15 years.
WHO: Bronwyn Newport
WHAT: The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
With season 6 of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City in the books, Bronwyn Newport continues to solidify herself as the franchise's formidable fashion queen, serving some of the show's most memorable, outrageous, and iconic looks. Her inflatable, nautical-inspired Moschino number from this season will certainly go down in Housewives history. A Sundance regular, Newport took to the snowy streets of Park City Canadian-tuxedo style in 2015 Tom Ford topped with a Libertine coat.
On her Sundance fashion tips.
I always think you should lean into a theme. I know that's not surprising coming out of my mouth. For me, Sundance is always, of course, cozy and winterwear, but I always want a Western or an old-school Ralph Lauren vibe. I went Canadian tuxedo today, but heavy on all the animal prints, and I love a statement coat always for Sundance because it is cold.
On her awkward RHOSLC run-in.
I have seen a castmate of mine running around Sundance. We did not speak. I waved from afar, but I didn't get a wave back, so we'll see what happens next season.
On her favorite look from RHOSLC season 6.
I'm always partial to the Moschino inflatable, but I do feel like I say that one a lot because it was such a moment arriving at the boat dressed as my own boat, basically my own life preserver. I think another underrated moment this season… It does come off a little costume, but Renacio Reyes made me my Constitution dress with the cape that was over it. I love RuPaul's Drag Race, so it felt like my own version of a wig reveal. I took the cape off and had a whole Constitution underneath. He did that all by hand-wrapping it around the dress.
On the current season of The Traitors.
I can't talk about Traitors enough. I was obsessed with Castle Daddy a few seasons ago, but now, it's Snake Daddy for me. Also [Lisa] Rinna and Candiace [Dillard Bassett]. I'm dying to be on Traitors, but thank god they are on this season and I'm not. I don't know if I'm ever going to be on Traitors, but can you imagine if I was on with Rinna and Candiace? What formidable opponents, I could never.
WHO: Luciane Buchanan
WHAT: Two years after her Sundance debut premiering her short film Mother Tongue, Chief of War actress Luciane Buchanan returned to the indie film fest to speak on a topic close to her heart: the rise of Indigenous language and culture onscreen and how it's shaping authentic performances in Hollywood.
On speaking at the Impact Lounge at Sundance.
It's so beautiful because our short film Mother Tongue premiered here two years ago, so it's good to be back. It was more stressful last time, but it's just going back to the same old topic of representation and how we want to make things more authentic. There's all these amazing shows in all these different languages—there's K-dramas and Squid Game. We are trying to push the envelope a little bit more, and it's so cool that Sundance really values that and really pushes that forward.
On what she loves most about the festival.
I know everyone is going to say this, but the snow. I am from New Zealand, Auckland specifically, and we don't get snow. But also, there's a spirit here at Sundance that is really unique. I think they really prioritize story, and that's really special. Everything that I've seen so far has been really beautiful. I have a friend, Paloma [Schneideman], who has her debut feature film Big Girls Don't Cry, which had its premiere last night. It's really cool to see women from back home out here doing their thing. We've also got another New Zealand film, Mum, I'm Alien Pregnant. I just think it's so cool to return to the festival and see other Kiwis out here.
WHO: Natalie Erika James (Director), Madeleine Madden, Midori Francis, and Danielle Macdonald
WHAT: Saccharine
A modern take on body horror, director Natalie Erika James's Saccharine follows a lovelorn medical student who takes part in an obscure weight-loss craze and is terrorized by a hungry ghost. Starring Midori Fancis as Hana, a young woman suffering from body dysmorphia, the film takes audiences on a tense and revolting journey as the toxic nature of diet culture in our society is brought to the forefront.
On a standout moment filming Saccharine.
Madeleine Madden: A standout moment was stepping onto a set that was so intentionally stylized. I loved the production design of high gloss and different textures of cake and skin. It was really fun and exciting to be around all of that beauty.
Natalie Erika James: A standout for me was shooting the finale of the film, the garbage chute sequence. It was logistically a really tricky set and the scene combined. There are so many elements, prosthetics, stunts, and that's always challenging but really fun at the same time and clearly anchored by Midori's performance and Anna as well, who places the cadaver.
Midori Francis: A standout moment for me was I had to drink a freezing-cold Slurpee straight from the machine. As Hana is going through her issues, she really needs to keep her blood sugar up, and the Slurpee machine is the first thing she can find. So IRL, I went in and put my mouth to a freezing-cold Slurpee machine. I drank probably a medium-sized Slurpee faster than I'm talking now, and I actually experienced brain freeze in my stomach. I got a round of applause from the crew.
Danielle Macdonald: There's a med-student class where we're working on cadavers, and we had live people playing cadavers, and that is a state of vulnerability, and a lot of them were elderly. We had a lot of background actors that were college age that were working on their bodies in the scene. I was so impressed by how respectful and courteous everyone was, the different generations chatting and making each other comfortable and feel safe. Whenever I see that on a set, it just makes me really happy, and I think I was crying—like, "Wow, I just have so much hope for the new generation because this was so beautiful," and it was a set that cultivated that.
On what they hope audiences feel and take away from watching the film.
NEJ: I hope that audiences look at the messaging that is within our culture and prompts them to unpick some of that, the weight stigma and fatphobia that is prevalent in our culture. And I hope that it invites them to turn to compassion instead.
DM: It really highlights how toxic diet culture is in society, and I really hope that people understand that the downfall of Hana is really highlighting that, and that's the whole point. We are seeing someone in their worst moment, and I think that a lot of people will be able to relate, but hopefully, they also understand that we don't have to go down that road.
On their favorite final girls in horror cinema.
MM: At the moment, my favorite final girl is Mia Goth in Maxxxine. "I'm a star!!" So iconic.
DM: Look, I'm going to be really real. I really wanted to film a horror movie, but I'm terrified of horror, so it's not that I've seen every horror movie, but I'm going to say a really embarrassing answer, which is Sandra Bullock in Bird Box. She killed it.
MF: I'm going to say Sarah Paulson in everything. She's been the final girl so many times.
WHO: Alysa Nahmias (Director)
WHAT: Cookie Queens
Acclaimed documentarian Alysa Nahmias ventures into lighter fare with Cookie Queens, a deep dive into the beloved Girl Scout Cookie season, a near-billion-dollar business in which childhood and ambition collide.
On her decision to document the Girl Scouts Cookie season.
I came to make Cookie Queens because the last two films I [made], one I directed and one I produced, were a little bit heavier subject matter—Art Krimes by Krimes about art and mass incarceration and Wildcat about mental health and conservation. I came home to my kids one night, and at dinner, they said, "Mom, could you please make a film that we actually want to watch and tell our friends about?" I thought about it, and I was like, "That's a really fabulous challenge as a filmmaker, artist, and as a mom to make a film that had heart and also had a message."
And then I was talking to my friends Michael [Dweck] and Gregory [Kershaw], who ended up producing Cookie Queens with me, and Michael ended up being sold an ungodly amount of Girl Scout Cookies. We all thought, "Wow, that's an incredible visual world to explore cinematically and the characters and all of that," but also for me, it felt personal. I thought, "I can relate to those girls who are ambitious and creatively working toward their goals but also facing some pressures." So I wanted to explore it as a way of thinking about how young girls and women learn about our values, about how society sees us, and things like sisterhood and life skills."
On having Meghan Markle and Prince Harry come on as executive producers.
We are very fortunate on Cookie Queens to have an extraordinary executive-producing team. We actually started the project through Sundance Catalyst and have a lot of investors and donors through that community, and then more recently, we partnered with Archewell Productions and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and they have been so supportive of the project. It's personal, in that Meghan was a Girl Scout herself in L.A., and her mom was her troop leader. The genuine passion that she and the Archewell team have shown this film is really extraordinary. It's not always something you can find in an executive producer that they really get it and are supportive of a creative vision. Their trust in me as an artist and their belief in the power of this film to speak not only to Girl Scouts but to kids and families around the world is really exciting.
WHO: Anooya Swamy
WHAT: Pankaja
Competing in the Short Film 1 category is Anooya Swamy's film Pankaja, which is about a mother and daughter on a desperate quest to find her missing husband in the slums of Bangalore. Making her Sundance debut, Swamy—an Ang Lee and BAFTA scholar and current NYU grad student—delivers a darkly funny film that questions whether these two women can get answers in a system actively working against them.
On premiering her short film at Sundance.
I go to NYU grad film school, and this is my second-year project. I made it in 2024, and I spent a year and some months editing it, because my hard drive broke, which is why it took so long. The origin of the film is I was in New York, and I wanted to make a film about home, which made me think about my years growing up in Bangalore. I was born and raised in Bangalore, which is in the south of India. I grew up around a lot of bureaucracy and a lot of corruption, and I experienced that with a lot of humor, so the film is this journey of these two girls growing up in a bureaucracy that is against them, and it's this quest of truth and hoping that what the mother believes to be true is actually true, and we as an audience believe her.
On the female artists who inspire her.
Of course, Mira Nair is a big one for me. She is so phenomenal. She has a new film coming out, which I'm very excited about. I also really love musicians. I feel like I grew up dancing before I could walk. My mom would put on MTV, and that was the only way I would eat lunch or dinner. So every female musician and really every woman in the arts is a big inspiration.
On her biggest learnings assisting Spike Lee.
He is a force to be reckoned with. He has taught me so much, and I'm still learning from him. What he's taught me really is to stand my ground. I've written a lot of scripts, and I've asked for a lot of feedback from a lot of people, and sometimes, you hear things that you don't want to hear. He has this Yoda saying that when people say the word "try," you're not allowed to say "try." The Yoda quote goes, "Do or do not. There is no try." I take that with me every day.
On her most memorable Sundance run-in.
I have a crazy one. I watched The Moment yesterday. I loved it. It was campy, and it talks about how every piece of art has to get branded, and I love Aiden [Zamiri]'s work. His photography is amazing. Yesterday, I had a breakdown right before I walked into The Moment, and I locked eyes with Olivia Colman just looking at me crying. And then we spoke for a minute. It was a great night.
