Film

In Documentary ‘To Hold a Mountain,’ Motherhood Becomes a Form of Resistance, and Love of Land Becomes Political

PUBLISHED 2/27/2026 by

In the remote mountains of Montenegro, a small community of herders tend their sheep and cattle, making cheese, harvesting wool, and maintaining traditions that have persisted for generations. But they also must passionately defend their rural life against the incursions of NATO, which wants to use their land as a military training ground because of its isolation and rugged terrain. A documentary premiering at Sundance, To Hold a Mountain follows the leader of the protest movement, a staunchly loving and protective woman named Gara, and her young charge, Nada.

The documentary film won this year’s World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for documentary film at Sundance. By remaining focused with meditative intensity on the quiet day-to-day of its subjects, the film presents an argument both deeply affecting and more effective than if its message were emblazoned across every frame. As the festival jury aptly put it, To Hold a Mountain, directed by Bijana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić, represents “the truest example of the power of cinema to make the personal political.”

(This is one in a series of film reviews from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, focused on films by women, trans or nonbinary directors that tell compelling stories about the lives of women and girls.)

Sundance 2026: ‘Extra Geography’ Puts a Quirky, Tender Spin on a Familiar Boarding-School Tale

PUBLISHED 2/24/2026 by

Extra Geography, the United Kingdom’s entry in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at Sundance this year, is a funny, sweet and quirky coming-of-age story about two best friends in an all-girls English boarding school. Directed by Molly Manners and written by Miriam Battye, the film offers a wholly unique angle on a well-worn subgenre, reimagining the contours of youthful exuberance and teen ambition, as well as the conflicting feelings and confusing choices we make when we’re learning what it means to grow up.   

(This is one in a series of film reviews from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, focused on films by women, trans or nonbinary directors that tell compelling stories about the lives of women and girls.)

Sundance 2026: ‘Barbara Forever’ Chronicles the Life and Work of Experimental Lesbian Filmmaker Barbara Hammer

PUBLISHED 2/17/2026 by

Prolific lesbian feminist filmmaker Barbara Hammer’s refusal to be written out of history paid off, and Barbara Forever is full of evidence of the impact Hammer, both herself and her work, made on those around her. Beyond just telling the story of the life of a trailblazing lesbian filmmaker, the documentary is an intimate portrait of a fascinating and indomitable woman who treated life as the ultimate adventure.

Barbara Forever received Sundance’s Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award for U.S. Documentary (the film’s editor is Matt Hixon), with its whirling, dynamic and comprehensive array of film and archival footage from an artist who voraciously documented her own life and the lives of others.

(This is one in a series of film reviews from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, focused on films by women, trans or nonbinary directors that tell compelling stories about the lives of women and girls.)

Sundance 2026: The Masculinist and Eugenicist Origins of AI Are Writ Large in Documentary ‘Ghost in the Machine’

PUBLISHED 2/12/2026 by

A fast-paced Sundance documentary, Ghost in the Machine traces how modern AI’s obsession with “intelligence” and innovation is rooted in the eugenicist, sexist and racial hierarchies that have long shaped Silicon Valley and its technologies.

(This is one in a series of film reviews from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, focused on films by women, trans or nonbinary directors that tell compelling stories about the lives of women and girls.)

Ms. Global: Iranian Women’s Resistance, Gaza’s Reproductive Care Crisis and More

PUBLISHED 2/11/2026 by

The U.S. ranks as the 19th most dangerous country for women, 11th in maternal mortality, 30th in closing the gender pay gap, 75th in women’s political representation, and painfully lacks paid family leave and equal access to health care. But Ms. has always understood: Feminist movements around the world hold answers to some of the U.S.’s most intractable problems. Ms. Global is taking note of feminists worldwide.

This week: stories from Iran, Gaza, the International Olympic Committee, and more.

Sundance 2026: A Film About Revolution and Hope in Iran, ‘The Friend’s House Is Here’ Shows How Art and Friendship Sustain Resistance

PUBLISHED 2/11/2026 by

Even when it’s created at great personal risk, nothing can negate the power of art. So, too, the importance of friendship, which impacts our choices, shapes our ideas about the past, present and future, and changes lives.

These are central themes of The Friend’s House Is Here, a U.S.-Iranian co-production that won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast at Sundance this year. In their presentation of the award, the jury praised the film’s ensemble cast “for delivering performances that each of us could find ourselves in, revealing a story that is frighteningly universal. The ensemble injects the world with gravity, love, and humor, and shows us the way community and connection are often our key to survival.”

In a case of life imitating art, the film circulates through its own act of defiance: It had to be smuggled out of Tehran for it to be shown at Sundance.

(This is one in a series of film reviews from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, focused on films by women, trans or nonbinary directors that tell compelling stories about the lives of women and girls.)

Olympians on Olympians: Women Athletes Honor the Trailblazers Who Made Today’s Games Possible

PUBLISHED 2/10/2026 by

Organizers of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics are touting “the most gender-balanced Olympic Winter Games in history,” reflecting years of pressure from athletes who have questioned why women and men do not always have the same number of events or chances to participate.

These gains did not happen on their own—they are the result of sustained advocacy by women athletes who have pushed the International Olympic Committee to expand women’s participation, add events, and commit to gender equity in both athlete quotas and medal opportunities. Even as parity edges closer, competitors and supporters continue to call out the remaining gaps—keeping the pressure on Olympic leadership to deliver full equality across all sports.

Sundance 2026: Based on a True Story, ‘The Huntress’ Film Mythologizes a Vigilante Born of Juárez’s Violence

PUBLISHED 2/8/2026 by

A gripping portrait of a Juárez factory worker who becomes an avenger after systemic violence against women goes unpunished, The Huntress (or La Cazadora) explores how myth, motherhood and desperation collide in a city where justice is scarce.

(This is one in a series of film reviews from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, focused on films by women, trans or nonbinary directors that tell compelling stories about the lives of women and girls.)

Sundance 2026: Documentary ‘Silenced’ Exposes How Defamation Suits Muzzle Survivors and Journalists

PUBLISHED 2/6/2026 by

Featuring the cases of Amber Heard, Gisèle Pelicot, Brittany Higgins, Colombian journalists at Volcánicas and others, Silenced traces a global pattern of defamation suits used to punish survivors and the reporters who amplify their stories.

It’s a fitting but frustrating coda that Silenced itself faced legal threats right after its festival premiere.

(This is one in a series of film reviews from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, focused on films by women, trans or nonbinary directors that tell compelling stories about the lives of women and girls.)