Three must-see documentaries from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival
A view from Main Street at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. © 2026 Sundance Institute | photo by Jason Peters
2026 marks the final Sundance Film Festival in Utah before the festival moves to its new home in Boulder, Colorado. While it is sad to see the festival go, Sundance continues to give a platform to some of the most unique films that independent and international cinema has to offer. Here are three of the best documentaries coming out of this year's Sundance Film Festival.
“The Disciple”
Shabazz the Disciple, Joanna Natasegara, Cyrus Bozorgmehr, MJ Cole, Chloe Lambourne, Franklin Dow, Abigail Anketell-Jones and Lauren Dark attend the Q&A for THE DISCIPLE by Joanna Natasegara, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. © 2026 Sundance Institute | photo by Jemal Countess
I will admit that I do not know a whole lot about Wu-Tang Clan other than the fact that they are an influential hip-hop group from the 90s. So, coming into Joanna Natasegara’s “The Disciple,” a documentary centered around Tarik Azzougarh, was a bit daunting.
Through the first half of the documentary, Natasegara is most interested in the evolution of Azzougarh, who is best known as Civalringz, an affiliate of Wu-Tang Clan and he operates the hip-hop group. The documentary always remains entertaining and charming through its interviews, but the first half is a pretty standard story you have seen before. We follow the story of Azzougarh as he becomes a fan of Wu-Tang Clan, develops his own identity as Civlaringz, then moves onto becoming an affiliate of the group. It feels standard, as if to say, “Follow your dreams, work hard and network with the right people and you will succeed.”
It is the second half of the story where the documentary takes a bit of a turn. We delve into the parts of Civalringz 'career that he is most known for at this point in time, a Wu-Tang album called “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” a record he produced and was a major player in. This half of the story opens up conversations about the value of art, as only one copy of “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin” exists, with no digital copies available to listen to. To say the least, everything starts to take a difficult turn for Civalringz, his relationship with the Clan and this mysterious new record.
As a bit of an outsider, “The Disciple” is an interesting watch with a lot of personality. It is hard to speak for how fans of Wu-Tang Clan will feel about Civalringz and his story, but there is no denying the charm that the documentary holds in its filmmaking.
“Queen of Chess”
Rory Kennedy and Judit Polgár attend the Q&A for Queen of Chess by Rory Kennedy, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
© 2026 Sundance Institute | photo by Jemal Countess
The game of Chess might not seem like the most cinematic sport to watch, but one of the strongest parts of “Queen of Chess” is just how epic the rounds of chess can feel. “Queen of Chess” follows the life and Chess career of Hungarian child prodigy, Judit Polgár.
“Queen of Chess” is an entertaining watch and an interesting look into the world of competitive chess, a world that is mostly dominated a male presence. This makes the underdog story of Polgár a compelling story. She beats the odds when it seems the entire chess world is against her, becoming one of the most notable female chess players in the world. “Queen of Chess” utilizes archival footage and recreations of chess games to tell its story. The film is smart in how it edits the game sequences, it creates a tense feeling and makes the documentary feel like a thrilling sports movie.
“Queen of Chess” is by no means a documentary that is reinventing the form or way that documentaries are told, but it is serviceable at allowing insight into the world of competitive chess and the life of Polgár. “Queen of Chess” will be streaming on the Netflix Service on Feb. 6.
“Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story”
Judd Apatow and Maria Bamford attend the Q&A for Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story by Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. © 2026 Sundance Institute | photo by Stephanie Dunn.
Mental health and comedians are a conversation that seems to have become more and more prevalent in the past decade. The idea that maybe people whose professional job is to spread laughter are secretly unwell is an idea that “Paralyzed by Hope” is more than interested in.
Comedian Maria Bamford makes for an interesting subject to tell a story on. She had a somewhat prolific comedy career in her 20s and 30s, was a part of viral Target ads and had her own Netflix show that lasted two seasons. That said, she has never quite made it as a mainstream voice in comedy. On top of all this, Bamford has spent most of her career dealing with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Directors Judd Apatow and Neil Berkley open very honest conversations about Bamford's career, family life and struggles as both a comic voice and human being.
While Bamford’s style of comedy might not be for everyone, she is always charming, especially when talking about the more uncomfortable parts of her life. “Paralyzed by Hope” works well as a reel of some of Bamford's best moments and lowest moments, but succeeds most at being a conversation about mental health.