The Sundance Institute’s free summer film screenings for locals are returning to Park City and Salt Lake City in July.
The Local Lens program features four 2026 Sundance Film Festival productions before they are released to the public. The 2026 offerings include two narrative fiction and two documentary films, including three award-winners.
The films will screen July 18 and 19 at the Jim Santy Auditorium at the Park City Library and the Utah Film Center in Salt Lake.
Among the films are “Union County,” which follows a young man’s journey to recovery and “The Lake,” which earned the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact for Change. It was directed by Parkite Abby Ellis.
Also screening is “Take Me Home,” winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for U.S. Dramatic feature. It follows a 38-year-old Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability as she cares for her aging parents.
“TheyDream,” the NEXT Special Jury Award for Creative Expression-winner will also be shown. The film brings people back to life through animation, discovering that every act of creation is also an act of letting go.
All screenings are free, but ticket reservations are required.
