An Epilogue

With the 2023 Sundance Film Festival kicking off tomorrow, in-person in Park City and Salt Lake City, UT, for the first time since 2020, and keeping me busy in my role as Senior Programmer, this is typically the time of the year when w(n)td goes on hiatus for the duration of the Festival.

This year, it also makes for a fitting time to bring this site to a close, more or less. I’ve been posting about all things documentary since the summer of 2010, usually multiple times daily during the work week. While my writing has been less in-depth in recent years, making the site function more like a nonfiction release listing, it’s still been a time commitment. With others providing similar information – I recommend interested readers sign up for DOC NYC’s Weekend Watch newsletter – I feel like it’s time for me to step away from regular posting for the foreseeable future. I may pop in with an occasional post, such as notable Sundance announcements or listings of Sundance alumni releases, but, after 12.5 years and more than 8000 posts, my daily contributions to w(n)td have now wrapped.

Thanks to everyone who has checked out this site over the years, which I’ll continue to maintain as an archive. If you’re headed to Sundance, I hope to see you in person there.

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2026 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: COOKIE QUEENS

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

COOKIE QUEENS
It’s Girl Scout Cookie season, and four tenacious girls strive to be a top-selling “Cookie Queen,” navigating an $800 million business in which childhood and ambition collide.

Director:
Alysa Nahmias

Producers:
Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, Alysa Nahmias, Jennifer Sims

Festival Section:
Family Matinee

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details, including screening info, by clicking on the film title above.

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2026 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: BROKEN ENGLISH

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Joseph Lynn

BROKEN ENGLISH
A portrait of the inimitable singer, songwriter, and icon Marianne Faithfull.

Directors:
Jane Pollard, Iain Forsyth

Producer:
Beth Earl

Country of Origin:
UK

Festival Section:
Spotlight

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details, including screening info, by clicking on the film title above.

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2026 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: THE OLIGARCH AND THE ART DEALER

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

THE OLIGARCH AND THE ART DEALER
Yves Bouvier brokers masterpieces, from da Vinci to Rothko, into the private collection of Dmitry Rybolovlev until Bouvier is accused of a billion-dollar betrayal. Rising ambitions, frayed relationships, and bruised egos fuel a decade-long all-out war between the Swiss art dealer and the elusive Russian oligarch.

Director:
Andreas Dalsgaard

Executive Producers:
Libby Geist, Connor Shell, Brandon Harrison, Justin Lacob, Charles De Lardemelle, Rain Rannu, Ines Bensalem

Producers:
Christoph Jörg, Miriam Norgaard

Country of Origin:
Denmark/France/USA

Festival Section:
Episodic

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details, including screening info, by clicking on the film title above.

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2026 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: MURDER 101

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Jesse Cain

MURDER 101
A case that haunted Tennessee’s best detectives for decades is cracked wide open by the most unlikely of investigators: a high school sociology class.

Director:
Stacey Lee

Executive Producers:
Stephanie Lydecker, Dianne McGunigle, Jon Watts

Producer:
William Crouse

Festival Section:
Episodic

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details, including screening info, by clicking on the film title above.

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2026 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: THE BEST SUMMER

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Tamra Davis

THE BEST SUMMER
Immersive POV camera footage reveals electric performances, candid interviews, and intimate backstage life with the Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Pavement, Rancid, Beck, The Amps, and Bikini Kill — an all-access view inside an era-defining moment in music.

Director:
Tamra Davis

Producers:
Tamra Davis, Shelby Meade

Festival Section:
Midnight

More Info:
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2026 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: WHEN A WITNESS RECANTS

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | artwork by Dawud Anyabwile

WHEN A WITNESS RECANTS
In 1983, author Ta-Nehisi Coates learned that a 14-year-old boy was murdered in his Baltimore middle school. Upon revisiting the case, he uncovers the truth: Three innocent teenagers were wrongfully convicted and spent 36 years in prison — creating a lasting impact on the accused, the witnesses, and their community.

Director:
Dawn Porter

Producers:
Dawn Porter, Miriam Weintraub, Jennifer Oko

Festival Section:
Premieres

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details, including screening info, by clicking on the film title above.

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2026 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: TROUBLEMAKER

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

TROUBLEMAKER
The struggle against apartheid is recounted through Nelson Mandela’s own voice, drawn from recordings he made while writing his autobiography LONG WALK TO FREEDOM.

Director:
Antoine Fuqua

Producers:
Antoine Fuqua, Mac Maharaj, Arthur Landon, Kevin Mann, Mark Bauch, Markus Davies

Country of Origin:
South Africa/USA/UK

Festival Section:
Premieres

More Info:
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2026 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: TIME AND WATER

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Archival Materials Courtesy of Andri Snær Magnason

TIME AND WATER
Facing the death of his country’s glaciers and the loss of his beloved grandparents, Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason turns his archives into a time capsule to hold what is slipping away — family, memory, time, and water.

Director:
Sara Dosa

Producers:
Shane Boris, Elijah Stevens, Jameka Autry, Sara Dosa

Country of Origin:
USA/Iceland

Festival Section:
Premieres

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details, including screening info, by clicking on the film title above.

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2026 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: QUEEN OF CHESS

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Yves Forestier/Sygma via Getty Images

QUEEN OF CHESS
A Hungarian girl dreams of conquering international men’s chess. After a 15-year battle against world champion Garry Kasparov, Judit Polgár revolutionizes the sport’s patriarchal culture to become one of the greatest chess prodigies in history and the greatest woman chess player of all time.

Director:
Rory Kennedy

Producers:
Rory Kennedy, Mark Bailey, Keven McAlester

Festival Section:
Premieres

More Info:
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2026 Sundance Don’t Miss Docs: PARALYZED BY HOPE: THE MARIA BAMFORD STORY

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

PARALYZED BY HOPE: THE MARIA BAMFORD STORY
Blurring the line between performance and personal crisis, comedian Maria Bamford turns her mental health journey into material that’s riotously funny and ultimately inspiring. What emerges is a portrait of an artist transforming vulnerability into creative strength through honesty.

Directors:
Judd Apatow, Neil Berkeley

Producers:
Judd Apatow, Neil Berkeley, Amanda Rohlke, David Heiman

Festival Section:
Premieres

More Info:
Check out the Sundance website for more details, including screening info, by clicking on the film title above.

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