Trending Now: Sundance Film Festival weekend one round-up from ICE protests to Charli XCX takeover – Fans React

The first weekend of the Sundance Film Festival 2026 has come to an end and was full of protests, standing ovations, and Charli XCX, who was there to promote her new mockumentary

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival kicked off in Park City, Utah, on Thursday, January 22.

This is the last time the festival will be held in the snowy mountain town after forty years, before moving to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027. This is also the first Sundance since the passing of founder Robert Redford. The legendary actor and director was honored by the festival with several events and tributes celebrating his legacy and impact on independent film.

Hollywood A-listers flocked to the festival for the premieres of buzzy titles like The Moment, I Want Your Sex, The Gallerist, Josephine, Wicker, and The Weight.

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The Sundance Film Festival has premiered some of the biggest films in the last four decades, including Get Out, Reservoir Dogs, Memento, The Blair Witch Project, and many more.

This year, stars and festival attendees alike have been speaking out against ICE after another person was gunned down by immigration officers in Minneapolis. Natalie Portman, Edward Norton, Zoey Deutch, and many others condemned ICE during panels and Q&As while wearing ‘BE GOOD’ and ‘ICE OUT’ pins.

Festival-goers organized a protest on Sunday, holding up their phone lights to oppose Trump’s immigration crackdown and the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, which was attended by Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood.

On Friday, Florida Democratic Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost was assaulted at a party by a man who screamed racist remarks and told him that Trump was going to deport him.

Charli XCX and Olivia Wilde both had multiple films premiere at the festival, with the British pop star starring as herself in the A24 mockumentary The Moment, which premiered on January 23 before its highly anticipated theatrical release on January 30. Reality star Kylie Jenner made her acting debut in the film, which also starred Alexander Skarsgård and Rosanna Arquette. The beauty mogul and her Oscar-nominated boyfriend, Timothée Chalamet, were no-shows at the film’s premiere.

The Booksmart filmmaker pulled double duty, starring in Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex and starring and directing in her film, The Invite, which stars Seth Rogen, Edward Norton, and Penelope Cruz. The Invite received a standing ovation that left the director emotional after her last film, Don’t Worry Darling, was plagued with on-set drama and received poor reviews from critics.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s moms, Andrea Finlay and Donna Kelce, were spotted at the festival together, as were Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who attended the premiere of the documentary Cookie Queens.

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 22 to February 1, 2026, in Park City, Utah.

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