Out Of Africa: Titles From Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa Selected For 2026 Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival has unveiled its lineup of feature films and episodic projects participating in its 2026 edition, with three African features selected to screen at the showcase. The films that made the cut for next year’s festival programme were selected out of a pool that included 16,201 submissions from 164 countries or territories, […]
Black News 
The Sundance Film Festival has unveiled its lineup of feature films and episodic projects participating in its 2026 edition, with three African features selected to screen at the showcase.
The films that made the cut for next year’s festival programme were selected out of a pool that included 16,201 submissions from 164 countries or territories, including 4,255 feature-length films. From these feature film submissions, 1,676 were from the U.S. and 2,579 were international.
The 2026 edition of Sundance is set to hold from 22nd January to 1st February, 2026. Throughout the full duration of the festival, audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy daily screenings, talks, and events.
“The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will be a truly pivotal and memorable moment as we celebrate artists and their visionary works, honour our Sundance Institute founder, Robert Redford, and his transformative vision, and show our gratitude to Utah by commemorating our collective journey,” said Amanda Kelso, Acting CEO of the Sundance Institute. “We are eager to once again foster connection and creativity as we champion and share independent storytelling with audiences. This marks an especially defining year of coming together as a community to uplift independent film and the legacy of the Festival.”
Kim Yutani, the festival’s Director of Programming, added: “The program for the 2026 Festival invites audiences to experience intimate character journeys, deeply human stories, and compelling explorations of stories from around the globe. Each year, we have the privilege of introducing distinctive storytellers to audiences, and we are grateful to the artists who entrust us with their films at the start of the journey. The upcoming edition will be especially profound in introducing brand-new works while concurrently marking the significance of the many films we have been fortunate to present and gone on to have a long-lasting impact on independent film and culture.”
The African films that will be screening include:
Lady (Fiction, Nigeria) – In the sprawling African metropolis of Lagos, a fiercely independent young cab driver meets a band of radiantly reckless sex workers whose sisterhood pulls her into danger and joy, setting her on a journey toward her own transformation. Directed by Olive Nwosu. Starring Jessica Gabriel’s Ujah, Amanda Oruh, Tinuade Jemiseye, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Seun Kuti and Bucci Franklin.
Kikuyu Land (Documentary, Kenya) – As a Nairobi journalist probes a land battle entangling the local government and a powerful multinational corporation, covered wounds are revealed and family secrets are exposed. Co-directed by Andrew H. Brown and Bea Wangondu.
Troublemaker (Documentary, South Africa) – 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. Directed by Antoine Fuqua.
The Sundance Film Festival, a programme of the nonprofit Sundance Institute, is the preeminent gathering of original storytellers and audiences seeking new voices and fresh perspectives. Since 1985, hundreds of films launched at the Festival have gone on to gain critical acclaim and reach new audiences worldwide.
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will take place in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. An online screening program will also be available to US audiences from 29th January to 1st February, 2026, featuring films in the five competition sections, including the NEXT category.
Visit the festival website for more information.
