Where to Stream 25 Classic Sundance Darlings: ‘Passages,’ ‘The Blair Witch Project,’ and More

Wilson Chapman
·2 min read

January is a transitional time for film, with focus shifting to the Oscars just as new offerings in theaters enter an annual dreaded slump. It’s also, paradoxically, one of the best months for new movies — if you’re lucky enough to head to Park City, Utah for Sundance Film Festival.

The single biggest film festival in the country, with almost 50,000 attendees each year, Sundance Film Festival was founded back in 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival, before rebranding in 1984 to its current name. Operated by the Sundance Institute, the annual fest hosts hundreds of films each year, showcasing the brightest in independent filmmaking, along with a variety of foreign, documentary, and midnight films. Over the years the festival has hosted some of the most beloved indie films ever, and helped launch the careers of major filmmakers like the Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, Damien Chazelle, Ava DuVernay, and many, many more. It is currently helmed by Eugene Hernandez, a co-founder of IndieWire.

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Now, the festival has never been more accessible. Even if you can’t head to the snowy destination, Sundance screens several of its premieres online for those looking to experience some of the buzz from the comfort of their couch. Unfortunately, not all movies get online screenings, with some more highly anticipated titles in particular made exclusively available for those who attend in person. If you can’t find the time or money to check out some of the online premieres, you can also spend your January looking backwards to the buzzy titles of Sundances of yesteryear.

As the Sundance Film Festival kicks off and celebrates its 40th anniversary, IndieWire is spotlighting where you can find the best movies of festivals past. With a few exceptions, only movies that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival were included. Selections were culled from what’s available on major streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Paramount+, and Peacock, along with smaller specialty services like the Criterion Channel. Read on for our guide to 25 Sundance darlings you can stream right now.

With editorial contributions from Aliston Foreman, Jude Dry, Kate Erbland, David Ehrlich, Ryan Lattanzio, Michael Nordine, Eric Kohn, Tambay Obenson, Erin Strecker, and Sarah Shachat.

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