To celebrate the Sundance Film Festival‘s 40th edition Jan. 18-28, film lovers can peruse a rich program culled from more than 17,000 submissions.

“That is awesome and daunting, and ultimately super exciting,” said Eugene Hernandez, Sundance Film Festival’s director and public programming leader. “This is the moment our programming team, led by Kim Yutani, is what they work for. It’s like training for the marathon.”

The films are made by filmmakers from 153 countries and territories from around the world, according to Hernandez.

“The festival is the arbiter of international discovery,” he said. “It’s the place for international discovery, and I think that’s what distinguishes the Sundance Film Festival. The audience has this passport to all of that every year. And as we go through the lineup, we’re counting on the Park City audience to be there with us throughout the entire festival, especially as we get later into the festival.”

The later part of the festival will feature special 40th edition programming.

“It’s the 40th edition of the festival, so we’re honoring that long relationship with Utah and the community and that will especially manifest in the second half of the festival,” he said. “Once the premiers are done, the artists can let their shoulders down a little bit, and Utah audiences will get the first crack to get to know the artists and their films.”

Audiences will be able to do that through special screenings and other events that feature screenings of films that have premiered throughout the ear at the Sundance Film Festival, Yutani said.

“We will revisit some of the films from Sundance Festivals past,” she said. “I think there will be a lot of energy around these films.” 

Those films include Rob Epstein’s “The Times of Harvey Milk” (1985), Mira Nair’s “Mississippi Masala” (1992), Rose Troche’s “Go Fish” (1994), Tony Bui’s “Three Seasons” (1999), Jared Hess’s “Napoleon Dynamite” (2004), Dee Rees’ “Pariah” (2011), Jennifer Kent’s “The Babadook” (2014) and Ondi Timoner’s “Dig! XX” (2024). 

“Dig! XX” is a new cut of the original 2004 documentary “Dig!” and features 40 minutes of additional footage and new narration. (See story on page B-1). 

The screening schedule:

  • “Dig! XX,” 8:30 pm., Jan. 23 at Library Center Theatre, 1255 Park Ave.
  • “Napoleon Dynamite,” 7 p.m., Jan. 24, at the Ray Theatre, 1768 Park Ave.
  • “Go Fish,” 11:45 a.m. at the Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main St.
  • “Mississippi Masala,” 2:45 p.m. at the Egyptian Theatre
  • “The Times of Harvey Milk,” 12:15 p.m., Jan. 25, at the Egyptian Theatre
  • “Three Seasons,” 7 p.m., Jan. 25 at the Egyptian Theatre
  • “The Babadook,” 10:30 p.m., Jan. 25 at the Ray Theatre
  • “Pariah,” 6:45 p.m., Jan. 26 at the Egyptian Theatre

The screenings will be followed by discussions with filmmakers, actors and producers.

In addition to the film screenings, Sundance will celebrate its 40th edition with “Power of Story: Four Decades of Taking Chances,” a discussion at 3 p.m., Jan. 23, at the Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main St., and “The 40th Edition Short Film Show with Mark & Jay Duplass” at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 23, also at the Egyptian Theatre.

“Power of Story,” will feature filmmakers Miguel Arteta (“Chuck & Buck”), Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”) and Dawn Porter (“Gideon’s Army”), and producer Christine Vachon (“Past Lives”), who will look back at the legacy of independent storytelling at the Sundance Film Festival’s 40 years, as well as look toward the future. 

“The 40th Edition Short Film Show” will comprise a mixtape of short films that screened at Sundance throughout its four-decade history, and the films were curated by Sundance programmers and hosted by short film alums Mark and Jay Duplass, Yutani said.

“These are opportunities for us to gather alumnus and celebrate,” she said. “We welcome filmmakers back to celebrate their shorts as part of this surprise screening.”

For more information, visit festival.sundace.org.