Sundance 2026 Review: Seized

When the small town of Marion, Kansas, is thrust into the international spotlight after a police raid on the Marion County Record and the death of its 98-year-old co-owner, a fierce debate ignites about the abuse of power, journalistic ethics, local journalism, and the United States Constitution.

Police show up unexpectantly at home of editor and publisher Eric Meyer and his local newspaper the Marion County Record with a search warrant which involves seizing hard drives, files and cellphones.  Raising the profile of the raid to the national media level is the death of Meyer’s mother occurring the day afterwards.  Police body cameras as security camera footage show what actually happened inside the home and at the offices of the newspaper intercut with court proceedings, a variety of interviews with the various individuals involved with the incident, and the arrival of a new reporter.

Things are rather murky as to what actually led to the raid as the explanation does not get revealed well into the documentary which is an unfortunate decision.  The other confusing element is the constant shifting back and forth in time which breaks the narrative flow.  The interesting addition was having a new reporter coming to town and trying to work in the post-raid environment with the most rewarding moment comes from the current mayor asking him a question about community journalism and resulting answer deals with the heart of the story which is individuals attempting to control the narrative to benefit their own interests.

Where documentarian Sharon Liese excels is casting the interview net wide to ensure that both sides are represented and in demonstrating how polarizing life in a small town can be.  There is an innate conflict of interest between the press and those in power with each questioning whether the other’s position is being abused or serving the best interests of the community.  The other smart move was to allow the interviewees and actual footage drive the story and for the production crew to take a supporting role.  Though it is admirable to make sure that everyone gets affair opportunity to speak throughout, a shortened runtime would have made Seized more impactful.

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival takes place January 22 to Feb. 1  2026, in person and online, and for more information visit sundance.org.

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.