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The Sundance Film Festival may be a little bittersweet this year. It will be familiar in some ways as it kicks off on Thursday in Park City, Utah. There will be stars, from Natalie Portman to Charli XCX, and breakout discoveries, tearjerkers, comedies, thrillers, oddities that defy categorization and maybe even a few future Oscar nominees. The pop ups and sponsors will be out in full force on Main Street. The lines to get into the 90 movies premiering across 10 days will be long and the volunteers will be endlessly helpful and cheery in subfreezing temperatures.But the country’s premier showcase for independent film is also in a time of profound transition after decades of relative stability. The festival is bidding farewell to its longtime home and forging forward without its founder, Robert Redford, who died in September. Next year, it must find its footing in another mountain town, Boulder, Colorado. Celebrating the legacy of Robert Redford and his creation It’s no surprise that legacy will be a through-line at this year’s final edition in Park City. There will be screenings of restored Sundance gems like “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Mysterious Skin,” “House Party” and “Humpday” as well as Redford’s first truly independent film, the 1969 sports drama “Downhill Racer.” Many will also pay tribute to Redford at the institute’s fundraising event, where honorees include Chloé Zhao, Ed Harris and Nia DaCosta.“Sundance has always been about showcasing and fostering independent movies in America. Without that, so many filmmakers wouldn’t have had the careers they have,” said “Mysterious Skin” filmmaker Gregg Araki. He first attended the festival in 1992 and has been back many times, including at the labs where Zhao was one of his students.Quite a few festival veterans are planning to make the trip, including “Navalny” filmmaker Daniel Roher. His first Sundance in 2022 might have been a bit unconventional (made fully remote at the last minute due to the pandemic) but ended on a high note with an Oscar. This year he’s back with two films, his narrative debut “Tuner,” and the world premiere of “The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist,” which he co-directed with Charlie Tyrell.“We’re going through a weird moment in the world There’s something that strikes me about an institution that has been evergreen, that seems so entrenched going through its own transition and rebirth,” Roher told The Associated Press. “I’m choosing to frame this year as a celebration of Sundance and the institute and a future that will ensure the festival goes on forever and ever and ever and stays the vital conduit for so many filmmakers that it has been.”Over the past four decades, countless careers have been shaped and boosted by the festival and the Institute. Three of this year’s presumed Oscar nominees Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler and Zhao are among those the Institute supported early in their careers.Jay Duplass, who first came to Sundance in 2003 with his brother, Mark, with what he calls a “$3 film” said it was the place where his career was made.“I’d probably be a psychologist right now if it wasn’t for Sundance,” Duplass said.While he’s been to “probably 15 Sundances” since, it hasn’t lost its luster. In fact, when a programmer called him to tell him that his new film “See You When I See You” was selected, he cried. The film is based on a memoir in which a young comedy writer (Cooper Raiff) attempts to process the death of his sister (Kaitlyn Dever). It’s one of many films that finds humor amid grim subjects. Bold swings, comedies and Hollywood stars As always, the lineup is full of starry films as well, including Cathy Yan’s art world satire, “The Gallerist,” starring Portman, Jenna Ortega, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis and Da’Vine Joy Randolph. The romantic drama “Carousel,” from Rachel Lambert, features Chris Pine and Jenny Slate as high school exes who rekindle their romance later in life. Araki is also bringing a new film, “I Want Your Sex,” in which Olivia Wilde plays a provocative artist (Araki described as a cross between Madonna and Robert Mapplethorpe) who takes on Cooper Hoffman as her younger muse.“It’s kind of a sex-positive love letter to Gen Z,” Araki said. “It’s a comedy. It has elements of mystery, thriller, murder a little bit of ‘Sunset Boulevard’ it’s fun, it’s colorful, it’s sexy. It’s a ride.”Wilde also steps behind the camera for “The Invite,” in which she stars alongside Seth Rogen as a couple whose marriage disintegrates over the course of an evening. Olivia Colman is a fisherwoman looking to make the perfect husband in “Wicker,” co-starring Alexander Skarsgrd. Zoey Deutch plays a Midwestern bride-to-be seeking out her celebrity “free pass” (Jon Hamm) in the screwball comedy “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass.” And Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe lead the Depression-era crime drama “The Weight.”Pop star and noted cinephile Charli XCX will also be out and about, starring in the self-referential mockumentary “The Moment,” and appearing in “The Gallerist” and “I Want Your Sex” as well. Documentaries about celebrities and urgent subjects The 2026 festival features a robust lineup of documentaries too, which have a good track record of snagging eventual Oscar nominations and wins. There are a handful of films about famous faces, including basketball star Brittney Griner, Courtney Love, Salman Rushdie, Billie Jean King, Nelson Mandela and comedian Maria Bamford.Others delve into newsy subjects past and present, like “When A Witness Recants,” in which author Ta-Nehisi Coates revisits the case of the 1983 murder of a boy in his Baltimore middle school and learns the truth. “American Doctor” follows three professionals trying to help in Gaza. “Who Killed Alex Odeh” examines the 1985 assassination of a Palestinian American activist in Southern California. “Everybody To Kenmure Street” is about civil resistance to deportations in Glasgow in 2021. And “Silenced” tracks international human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson in her fight against the weaponization of defamation laws against victims of gender violence.And some don’t fit into any easy category, like “The History of Concrete” in which filmmaker John Wilson takes what he learned at a “how to sell a Hallmark movie” seminar and tries to apply it to a documentary on concrete. Saying goodbye to Main Street There might be a bit of wistfulness in the air too, as everyone takes stock of the last Sundance in Park City and tries to imagine what Boulder might hold.“It feels very special to be part of the last ne in Park City,” Duplass said. “It’s just a super special place where, you know there are going to be movies there with giant stars and there’s also going to be some kids there who made movies for a few thousand dollars. And they’re all going to mix.”Araki, like Redford, knew long ago that the festival had outgrown Park City. It will be strange to no longer have its iconic locations like Egyptian Theatre and Eccles and The Ray anymore, but it’s also just a place.“The legacy and the tradition of Sundance will continue no matter where it is,” Araki said. For more coverage of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival Lindsey Bahr, AP Film Writer
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E-Commerce
This month, American shopping malls received another nail in the coffin. Francescas, the women’s fashion and accessories chain, has reportedly quietly begun shutting down all its stores. Heres what you need to know. Whats happened? The women’s fashion and accessories chain Francescas has reportedly begun the process of going out of business, which will involve shutting down all of its stores. The news of the closures was first reported by Womens Wear Daily. Per that report, a customer service representative confirmed it is currently closing all its stores, with liquidation sales underway. However, the chain has not broadly announced the news. Fast Company has reached out to Francescas for comment. An automated recording on the company’s customer service line said all associates were busy. Emails to Francescas went unreturned. We’ll update this post if we hear back. The womans fashion chain was once ubiquitous in shopping malls across the country. Founded in 1999, the retailer rose to prominence during the early 2000s as malls were at the height of their cultural relevance just before online competitors began to reshape the shopping landscape. In 2011, Francescas debuted as a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq, but by 2020, the retailer was facing severe financial struggles, not helped by the onset of Covid-19 lockdowns and the decline in mall foot traffic. That year, the company filed for bankruptcy and was delisted from the Nasdaq. After exiting bankruptcy, the chain attempted a comeback, and even now its website lists 457 boutique stores in 45 states that employ more than 3,400 individuals. But Francescas has struggled over the past few years, incurring significant debt. One vendor told Womens Wear Daily that Francescas owes approximately $250 million in unpaid invoices. What has Francescas said about its shutdown? As of the time of this writing, Francescas hasnt made public comments about its going out of business. Currently, its website continues to operate as normal, with no mention of store closings. The only information on the website that even implies its stores are closing is its updated Return Policy page, which now states that As of January 14, 2026, all sales are final. It also says that gift card sales are final and gift cards won’t be returned. Employees were also reportedly blindsided by the shutdown, with a source telling Womens Wear Daily that merchants were laid off last week with no warning. Which Francescas stores are closing? Reportedly, all of them. When stores close, they usually only keep their doors open until all their remaining inventory has been liquidated. Francescas shoppers looking for good deals in liquidation sales are advised to contact the store directly before heading there to confirm it is still open. When are Francescas stores closing? It was not immediately clear when all this will happen. As of Monday, Francesca’s was still posting on Instagram as if everything were normal, although it is being inundated with questions from users about the reported closures. Mall retailers have had a bad year Unfortunately, Francescas is not the only mall retailer to have faced financial struggles over the last 12 months. In the first half of 2025, fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 closed hundreds of locations in America. And in August, teen and tween fashion and accessory chain Claires also decided to shutter hundreds of stores. The story behind such closures is the same for many retailers involved: rising costs, consumers who are increasingly more choosy about where and what they spend their money on, and foot traffic that never fully recovered after the Covid-19 pandemic.
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E-Commerce
The CEO job description has remained remarkably stable for decadesbut the times they are achangin. That stability persisted through wave after wave of technological change. The internet, mobile, cloud computingeach transformed business operations, but none fundamentally altered the CEO’s core responsibilities. Strategy, culture, resource allocation, organizational designthe essential functions remained constant even as the tools improved. AI is different. It isnt just a tool that executes; it is also a system that makes choices. It makes judgments about customers, employees, and strategy. And this means that when you deploy AI, youre not just installing software. You are importing a decision-maker with its own values into your organization. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/creator-faisalhoque.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/faisal-hoque.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"Ready to thrive at the intersection of business, technology, and humanity? ","dek":"Faisal Hoques books, podcast, and his companies give leaders the frameworks and platforms to align purpose, people, process, and techturning disruption into meaningful, lasting progress.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Learn More","ctaUrl":"https:\/\/faisalhoque.com","theme":{"bg":"#02263c","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#ffffff","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#000000"},"imageDesktopId":91420512,"imageMobileId":91420514,"shareable":false,"slug":""}} That changes what it means to be the CEOthe person who is ultimately responsible for how the organization thinks and acts. Four competencies will be central to CEOs who want to thrive in this new reality. 1. Chief AI Orchestrator Effective CEOs do not simply delegate AI to the CTO and then just forget about it. They actively orchestrate their organizations innovation portfolioa curated collection of initiatives that balances transformational ambition with incremental wins. This means excelling in three areas. Vision setting: articulating how AI aligns with organizational purpose. When employees understand why AI matters beyond cost savings, adoption accelerates and resistance diminishes. Boundary setting: defining where AI should and shouldnt operate. Which decisions require human judgment? Which processes can be automated? If a CEO wants to remain in control of the organizations actions and culture, they must draw these lines deliberately rather than allowing them to emerge by default, depending on what kind of product the AI labs ship. Cultural transformation: personally modeling the mindset shift AI requires. When the CEO publicly shares their own AI learning journeyincluding their mistakesit fosters an organizational culture that legitimates the kind of experimentation needed to adopt and adapt this new technology to the companys needs. Organizations stumble when they become intoxicated by grand visions while neglecting smaller victoriesand they also fail when they ignore the big picture and get lost in the weeds. The key, as always, is balance. CEOs must operate on both macro and micro levels simultaneously. They need to be just as comfortable asking how AI might reshape their entire industry as they are asking how AI helps a product team ship improvements next month. 2. Business Philosopher AI systems make choices about what is true, what matters, and what is allowed. When you deploy AI, you are importing an entire philosophy into your organizational decision-making. This creates three types of misalignment risk. Ethical misalignment occurs when AI absorbs values that are at odds with your organizations stated principles. Amazon developed a hiring algorithm trained on years of historical data. The system mirrored those years of data perfectlyand systematically discriminated against women. It translated past discrimination into automated future decisions. Epistemic misalignment emerges when AI systems apply different standards for determining truth than your organization would under other circumstances. A healthcare AI that privileges peer-reviewed studies over clinical experience embodies a specific stance about formal knowledge versus practitioner wisdom. These architectural decisions, made by engineers who may never meet your team, become constraints your organization lives with. Strategic misalignment happens when algorithmic tactics undermine broader organizational goals. An algorithm designed to maximize ad views might place advertisements alongside any high-engagement contentincluding content that damages brand safety. The AI-ready CEO must develop philosophical literacythe ability to recognize when AI outputs reflect built-in value systems and to evaluate how those value systems align with organizational purpose and culture. 3. Paradox Navigator The test of a first-rate intelligence, wrote the novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. The hybrid reality of human-AI business demands exactly this. Every significant decision now involves navigating tensions that must be managed: personalization versus privacy, automation versus authenticity, speed versus reflection. Most leaders instinctively try to resolve these tensionspick a side, optimize for one value, move on. Thats a mistake. Fully prioritize efficiency over employment, and you lose the institutional knowledge that drives innovation. Fully prioritize privacy over personalization, and competitors who found the balance take your customers. The tensions dont go away because you chose a side; they resurface as consequences. Traditional leadership resolved contradictions. The new CEO holds them in creative tension, responding not with either/or but both/and. And this creates opportunity. For example, At Moderna, AI helped design the COVID vaccine in just 42 days. AI created mRNA sequences, scientists tested them, AI analyzed the results. Neither could have succeeded alonethe breakthrough emerged from holding human intuition and algorithmic analysis in productive tension. 4. Ecosystem Steward The three competencies above focus on your organization. This one looks beyond it. Every CEO faces pressure to use AI for cost-cutting through automation. The math looks obvious: automate tasks, reduce headcount, boost margins. But theres a collective action problem hiding in plain sight. When every company simultaneously eliminates jobs to boost efficiency, they collectively undermine the purchasing power that sustains their markets. You cant sell products to people your industry laid offor to communities where mass unemployment has cratered demand. Unlike previous technological disruptions, AI can hollow out employment faster than new opportunities emergeover quarters, not decades. Gartner predicts that by 2026, 20% of organizations will use AI to eliminate more than half their middle management roles. And CEOs who think our layoffs wont matter in the grand scheme are making a serious errorindividual rationality creates collective destruction. Companies that resist the race to the bottom gain three competitive advantages: Talent magnetism: Top performers increasingly choose employers who demonstrate responsibility. When your industry races to eliminate humans, being the company that augments rather than replaces becomes a recruiting superpower. Knowledge retention: Institutional memorythe kind that knows why that process exists, which client relationships are fragile, what the last restructuring actually brokelives in people. Fire them and youre training AI on an organization that no longer understands itself. Relationship preservation: Customer relationships that took decades to build cant be replicated by chatbots. Companies keeping humans in the loop preserve connections that their automated competitors are quietly severing. The ecosystem steward sees beyond their own companys efficiency gains to the systemic risk that executives are creating together. Four Moves for Tomorrow Adopt a portfolio approach: Balance quick wins (1-3 months), strategic bets (3-12 months), and moonshots (12+ months). The high pilot failure rate42% of companies scrapped most AI projects this yearpunishes all-in bets. Stress-test for values alignment: Before deployment, ask three questions. What does the data say? How will stakeholders feel? Should we do this? Run red-team exercises to surface hidden philosophical boundaries. Protect human judgment deliberately: Schedule regular no-AI problem-solving sessions. Maintain decision logs documenting AI overrides. Watch for dangerous dependency creeping in. Model the second-order effects: Before announcing automation-driven layoffs, ask: What happens if every company in our industry does this simultaneously? Map the impact on customer purchasing power, talent availability, and supplier stability. The CEO who sees only their own efficiency gains is optimizing for an economy that wont exist. The Stakes Have Changed No board will hire a CEO who cant read a balance sheet. Were approaching the point where they wont hire someone who cant articulate an AI strategynot because AI is fashionable, but because its becoming inseparable from strategy itself. The job description has changed. Orchestrating an AI portfolio, detecting values misalignment, navigating paradoxthese arent optional upgrades for the technically curious. Theyre becoming as fundamental to leadership as financial literacy. But you can master all three and still fail. If you optimize your way into an economy that can no longer sustain your businessif your industry collectively eliminates the customers, talent, and communities it depends onno amount of AI fluency will save you. The companies that thrive wont just be the ones that deploy AI best. Theyll be the ones whose leaders understood that the race means nothing if you destroy the track. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/creator-faisalhoque.png","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/10\/faisal-hoque.png","eyebrow":"","headline":"Ready to thrive at the intersection of business, technology, and humanity? 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Category:
E-Commerce
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