The Gallerist Premieres At Sundance With Natalie Portman, Jenna Ortega And Charli XCX

Sundance 2026 got a dose of star power, and a dash of dark humour, as Natalie Portman arrived with an eclectic cast to present The Gallerist, a film that blends art, ambition and moral chaos. The Cathy

Yan-directed project made its world premiere at the festival, drawing attention not just for its unusual premise but also for its stacked ensemble.

The Gallerist premiered on January 24 at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Portman, who both produces and stars in the film, leads the cast as Polina Polinski, a platinum-blonde, eccentric art dealer navigating desperation and excess. According to Sundance’s official synopsis, the character is “a desperate gallerist [who] conspires to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami.”

During a post-screening Q&A, Portman addressed how much of herself she brought into the role — with a quick, self-aware punchline. “I’ve never tried to sell a dead body before,” she joked, adding, “It’s not a one-to-one relationship.”

While the premise leans toward the absurd, Portman said the script by Yan and co-writer James Pedersen resonated on a deeper level. Reflecting on the themes explored in the film, she explained, “It’s literal alchemy, what we do as artists. We’re taking something from our souls, and it becomes a commodity. And there’s a magic to tha,t and there’s a horror to that.”

Portman went on to describe the film as a reflection of the tension creatives face between passion and survival. “The Gallerist speaks to ‘those of us who make art, but also obviously depend on the market to keep getting to do what we love to do.'” She also recalled an early conversation with Yan that shaped her understanding of the character’s moral journey. “Also, what Cathy talked about in our first meeting, which was so resonant, was just the slippery slope of compromise,” she said. “Being like, ‘Okay, I could do that.’ And then you take one step and then, ‘Okay, I guess I could do that.’ And then before you know it, you’re washing blood off your hands.”

Portman was joined onstage for the discussion by Jenna Ortega, 23, Charli xcx, 33, director Cathy Yan and co-writer James Pedersen. Ortega and Charli both feature prominently in the film, which also stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sterling K. Brown, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Daniel Brühl and Zach Galifianakis. Zeta-Jones, however, was unable to attend the premiere due to travel issues.

For Charli xcx, The Gallerist marks one of three acting projects premiering at Sundance this year. The musician is also appearing in Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex and Aidan Zamiri’s mockumentary The Moment.

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival is being held from January 22 to February 1 across Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. This edition also carries historical weight, as it is the final festival to be hosted in Utah before the event relocates to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027. It will also be the first Sundance to take place following the death of founder Robert Redford.