KPCW’s Leslie Thatcher takes a look back at, not just the movies, but the moments and the people who made the Sundance Film Festival what it is today. She sits down with programmers who shaped the screens, the filmmakers who launched their careers and the locals who witnessed the magic through Sundance’s 40-year run in Park City.
1 of
— Sundance Film Festival Egyptian Theater
Sundance Institute
2 of
— 2012 Sundance Film Festival Day 1
A sign welcomes visitors to the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)
Danny Moloshok/AP / R-MOLOSHOK
3 of
— Sundance Park City Main Street
Crowds on Park City's Main Street during the opening weekend of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
Parker Malatesta / KPCW
4 of
— Sundance audience theater
Atmosphere inside the Ace Hotel during a Q&A session for Boots Riley's 'Sorry to Bother You.'
Nick Sammons / Sundance Institute
5 of
— Sundance Film Festival
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will have screenings in both Park City and Salt Lake City.
Jemal Countess / Sundance Institute
