As many in the entertainment industry navigate the devastating effects of the California wildfires, some will soon be decamping to cleaner air in the mountains. The annual Sundance Film Festival begins Thursday in Park City, Utah.

The 41st edition of Robert Redford's brainchild will, as always, be a year of discovery and discussion. There are timely films:

— "Free Leonard Peltier," which will premiere just days after former President Joe Biden commuted the sentence of the Indigenous activist nearly half a century after he was imprisoned for the 1975 killings of two FBI agents.
— Oscar-winner Mstyslav Chernov's"2000 Meters to Andriivka," a joint production between The Associated Press and Frontline about an attempt to liberate an occupied territory in Ukraine
— Several films about trans rights including "Heightened Scrutiny," about civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio. It's a topic even more pressing after President Donald Trump signed executive orders Monday rolling back protections for transgender people.

There are even some controversies brewing: "The Stringer," from documentary filmmaker Bao Nguyen, calls into question who took the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Napalm Girl" photograph. Retired AP photographer Nick Ut and the AP, which conducted a six-month investigation into the allegation, are contesting it vigorously and lawyers have asked for it to be pulled from the program.

"The film is an investigation," said Eugene Hernandez, the director of the festival, who is moving forward with plans to screen it. "I think it will be a really important conversation that will come out over the next few days after the film is seen by more people."

Don't worry, it's not all heavy. There's drama of course, even a film about... Read More