Sundance Film Festival: London

Overview

Sundance Film Festival: London was a satellite event of the Sundance Film Festival, held at Picturehouse Central in London's West End. Founded in 2012 as a partnership between the Sundance Institute and the Picturehouse cinema chain, it presented a curated selection of 11 to 12 feature films from the Park City program to UK audiences over a four-day weekend, typically in June. The event ran for 11 editions, with the last held June 6 to 9, 2024.

The 2025 edition was cancelled. Sundance Institute and Picturehouse jointly decided not to bring the event back, and no future dates have been announced as of July 2026. Picturehouse launched a replacement event called Picturehouse Create in April 2025, screening independent films with masterclasses and panel discussions, though without the Sundance brand or curated Park City lineup.

For UK filmmakers and audiences, the cancellation means there is no longer a direct Sundance-branded pathway to see Park City premieres in a UK theatrical setting. Films that debuted at Sundance in January 2026 will reach UK audiences through standard distribution channels rather than a curated festival weekend.

Key Sections (2024 Edition, Final Program)

• Feature Films - 11 features curated from the 2024 Park City program, including UK premieres of Kneecap (dir. Rich Peppiatt, opening night), Dìdi (dir. Sean Wang, closing night), Sasquatch Sunset, Rob Peace, I Saw the TV Glow, My Old Ass, Your Monster, Girls Will Be Girls, Handling the Undead, Skywalkers: A Love Story, and Never Look Away
• UK Shorts Programme - 7 UK-produced or UK-based short films, including Good Boy, Alo, Essex Girls, Mamu, Salone Love, and She (Snake)
• Surprise Film - an unannounced title not yet seen in the UK, a tradition running through multiple editions
• Repertory Strand - retrospective screenings celebrating the 40th edition of the US Sundance Film Festival
• Filmmaker Q&As - post-screening conversations with directors and cast members

What Filmmakers Should Know

Sundance London was never an open-submission festival. Films were selected by Sundance Institute programmers from the Park City lineup. If your film premiered at Sundance in January, the Institute would invite you to bring it to London in June. There was no separate application process, no submission fee, and no separate jury.

For filmmakers whose films did screen at Sundance London, the benefit was a UK theatrical premiere at a single venue (Picturehouse Central, approximately 500 seats) with press coverage from UK outlets including Screen Daily, Sight and Sound, and The Guardian. The event also included a UK festival tour component in some years, with select films screening at 30+ Picturehouse cinemas across the country.

Current status: With no 2025 or 2026 edition confirmed, filmmakers should not plan for a Sundance London screening as part of their festival strategy. UK premieres of Sundance films now happen through individual distributor releases or at other UK festivals such as the BFI London Film Festival (October).

Major Awards

Sundance London did not present competitive awards. Films that won awards in Park City were identified as such in the program. The event was a curated showcase, not a competition.

Festival History

Sundance Film Festival: London was founded in 2012 as the first international satellite event of the Sundance Film Festival. The inaugural edition ran June 9 to 12 at Picturehouse Central, presented in association with Adobe, with 12 feature films selected from the 2012 Park City program. The event opened with the UK premiere of Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (dir. Sophie Hyde) and closed with Brian and Charles (dir. Jim Archer).

The 2022 edition included a UK festival tour component, with select films screening at 30+ cinemas across the UK. The 2023 edition (July 6 to 9) included a Gregg Araki retrospective with the director in attendance. The 2024 edition (June 6 to 9) was the 11th and final edition, opening with Kneecap and closing with Dìdi.

The cancellation of the 2025 edition coincided with broader transitions at Sundance, including the festival's move from Park City to Boulder, Colorado beginning in 2027 and the death of founder Robert Redford in September 2025. Picturehouse Create, launched in April 2025, partially fills the gap with a focus on independent filmmaking but without the Sundance brand or curated Park City selection.

See Also

For the main Sundance Film Festival, see Sundance Film Festival. For UK festival options, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate whether festival submission fees are worth it for your budget, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator.