After making headlines for the 50 Cent-produced Netflix docuseries she directed on the life and crimes of Sean “Diddy” Combs, Emmy winner Alex Stapleton is now focusing on her documentary about the politics surrounding WNBA star Brittney Griner’s incarceration in a Russian penal colony.
Stapleton’s upcoming film, The Brittney Griner Story, is among 97 titles set to screen in January, at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah.
The festival announced its lineup on Wednesday, Dec. 10, which includes several projects from or featuring Black creatives.
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The Brittney Griner Story will make its world premiere at the festival, along with the documentary Troublemaker from Emmy winner Antoine Fuqua about the struggle against apartheid as recounted through Nelson Mandela’s own voice via historic recordings.
This is the last year the festival will take place in Utah, before it moves to a new home in Boulder, Colorado in 2027.
The 2026 gathering will include a tribute to late founder Robert Redford, a U.S. Dramatic Competition, and an at-home portion for online viewing.
“As we prepare to gather for this landmark edition of our Festival in a cherished locale, we’re also honoring the enduring impact of our beloved founder, Robert Redford, and celebrating what he created: a dynamic home for independent, global storytelling,” festival director Eugene Hernandez said in a statement.
Added Amanda Kelso, acting Sundance Institute CEO, “This marks an especially defining year of coming together as a community to uplift independent film and the legacy of the Festival.”
The festival takes place from Jan. 22 – Feb. 1, 2026. The at-home portion runs Jan. 29–Feb. 1, 2026, for audiences across the country.
Below are descriptions on Black films that will debut at Sundance 2026. Additional details on the gathering and at-home viewing can be found at festival.sundance.org.
The Brittney Griner Story – Explores the circumstances that led to Brittney Griner playing basketball outside the U.S. despite being one of the best players in the sport, including her harrowing detainment, unwavering determination to secure her freedom, and her advocacy for the release of other wrongful detainees. World Premiere. Documentary from filmmaker Alex Stapleton.
The Disciple – An outsider fueled by relentless determination works his way into the inner circle of the Wu-Tang Clan, where his ambition and creativity converge in the making of an album poised to ignite global controversy. World Premiere. Documentary.
Frank & Louis – Frank, serving a life sentence, takes a prison job caring for aging inmates with Alzheimer’s and dementia. What begins as a self-interested bid for parole becomes a profound, transformative bond with fellow inmate Louis, offering Frank a glimpse of redemption in an unforgiving place. Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rob Morgan, René Pérez Joglar, Rosalind Eleazar, Indira Varma. World Premiere. Fiction, from filmmaker Petra Biondina Volpe.
If I Go Will They Miss Me – Twelve-year-old Lil Ant struggles to connect with his father when he begins to see surreal, almost spectral visions of boys drifting around his neighborhood. Their presence reveals a link between father and son, laying bare the threads that bind family, legacy, and place. Cast: Danielle Brooks, J. Alphonse Nicholson. World Premiere filmmaker Walter Thompson-Hernández. Fiction, Available online for public.
Kikuyu Land – 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. World Premiere from filmmaker Bea Wangondu. Available online for public.
Lady – 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. Cast: Jessica Gabriel’s Ujah, Amanda Oruh, Tinuade Jemiseye, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Seun Kuti, Bucci Franklin. World Premiere from filmmaker Olive Nwosu. Available online for public.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem – A decade after his death, genre-defying filmmaker William Greaves has one last trick up his sleeve with what he considered the most important event he captured on film: a 1972 party he engineered with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance. World Premiere. Documentary from filmmakers William Greaves and David Greaves.
Soul Patrol – From deep behind enemy lines, a hidden chapter of American military history is uncovered, prompting the question of whether reckoning with the past can bring peace to those who lived it. The Vietnam War’s first Black special operations team reunites to tell their story. World Premiere from filmmaker J.M. Harper. Available online for public.
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. World Premiere. Documentary from filmmaker Antoine Fuqua.
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. World Premiere. Documentary from director and producer Dawn Porter.
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