Academy Award-winning director Daniel Roher, best known for his 2023 Oscar-winning documentary Navalny, made a bold leap into fiction at Sundance Film Festival’s opening day. His new feature, Tuner, blends romance, thriller, and odd-couple drama, marking a striking departure from his documentary roots.
From Navalny to Narrative Storytelling
Roher admitted he struggled with creative direction after winning Hollywood’s top prize. A chance encounter with a piano tuner sparked the idea for Tuner, a film exploring sound, entropy, and human connection. “They want to pull these strings out of tune, and it’s my job to keep them in tune,” Roher recalled, describing the inspiration behind the story.
Dustin Hoffman and Leo Woodall Lead
Veteran actor Dustin Hoffman shines as an eccentric piano tuner who refuses to wear hearing aids, mentoring Nikki (Leo Woodall), a gifted pianist forced to quit due to hypersensitive hearing. Nikki’s extraordinary ability soon attracts criminals, pulling him into dangerous safe-cracking jobs that threaten his budding romance with a composition student, played by Havana Rose Liu. Roher praised Hoffman’s generosity on set, saying the legendary actor treated him “like it was 1968, I was Mike Nichols, and we were shooting The Graduate.”
A Director’s New Challenge
Transitioning from documentary to fiction, Roher described working with actors as “bizarre but fascinating.” He expressed deep respect for their craft, noting how Hoffman’s presence helped ease his nerves.
Other Sundance Highlights
Opening day also featured gripping premieres beyond Tuner. Mohammed Ali Naqvi’s documentary Hanging By A Wire captivated audiences with its tense retelling of Pakistani schoolboys rescued from a broken cable car high above a Himalayan valley. Using villagers’ cellphone footage and drone shots, the film captured the urgency of the rescue as military, police, and locals joined forces. Debut director Louis Paxton’s The Incomer added dark comedy to the lineup. Starring Domhnall Gleeson, the film draws on Scottish folklore as a council worker sent to evict eccentric islanders becomes entangled in their strange world.
Sundance 2026: A Strong Start
With Roher’s daring fiction debut, Naqvi’s pulse-racing documentary, and Paxton’s folklore-inspired comedy, Sundance’s opening day set a dynamic tone. The festival runs until February 1, promising more bold storytelling and fresh cinematic voices.
