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,

Kicking off the new year in cinema, Sundance never fails to inspire, surprise and delight movie lovers in equal measure. There’s a splash of big-name stars in town, of course, for the world premieres of their new indie movies (think Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman and Willem Dafoe, among others).

Moving a week later in the calendar this year, the Sundance Film Festival kicks off this Thursday and runs through February 2, offering a first glimpse at the year in cinema with (once again) a mix of in-person and virtual offerings.