On February 1, the latest edition of the independent film festival Sundance came to a close. Film critic Oleg Tundra writes that in the 2026 lineup, private stories almost always become stories about power, exclusion, and inequality, while the films themselves offer less and less comfort or compromise.
Among the standout works he names “All on Kenmure Street”, about an attempt to deport two migrants in Glasgow that triggered a spontaneous protest by local residents. In his view, the film shows how the language of law and procedure collides with everyday solidarity.
He also points to “Problem Bear”, where the story of a polar bear in Manitoba becomes a reflection on who gets to define a threat, and “Kikuyu Land”, about residents being pushed off tea and coffee plantations through courts, paperwork, and years of pressure.
“Lake” follows residents in the U.S. state of Usha as they spend years trying to force officials to respond to the decline of a lake, while “Hold the Mountain” centers on Montenegrins resisting the transfer of a mountain region for a NATO training camp and military base.
Tundra also singles out “All About Money”, about James “Fergie” Cox Chambers Jr., heir to a wealthy American family who publicly calls himself a communist, and “Birds of War”, the story of two war correspondents whose personal relationship unfolds against events in Lebanon and Syria.
The roundup further includes “Public Access”, about New York public-access television in the 1970s and 1980s, “Forced to Be Silent”, on how defamation suits are used against women who speak about abuse, and “Under Siege”, about the police raid on a family newspaper in Marion, Kansas, in August 2023.
The critic describes “The American Doctor” as one of the festival’s most consequential screenings. It follows three U.S. doctors who worked in Gaza in 2023-2025. Based on their testimony, Israeli forces deliberately attack hospitals, journalists, and children. The author also notes that two days before publication, the Israeli government barred Doctors Without Borders from operating in Gaza under its control. The article ends by stating that the author’s opinion may not coincide with the editorial board’s position.