With snow on the bottom and a cloud of uncertainty hanging over its next-to-last version in Park City, the forty first annual Sundance Film Festival returns to its high-altitude Utah dwelling, the place the nation’s most vital showcase for impartial cinema will unspool in individual from Jan. 23-Feb. 2, 2025.
While “discovery” stays the main target of the programming group — to the extent that 36 of the 87 options had been directed by first-time filmmakers, and three of the six episodic alternatives — the upcoming version marks a homecoming for a handful of massive names.
Twenty-seven years after “Gods and Monsters,” director Bill Condon returns together with his starry tackle “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” an adaptation of the stage musical that includes Diego Luna, Tonatiuh and Jennifer Lopez. Festival common Ira Sachs is again, paying homage to an underground artwork hero with “Peter Hujar’s Day,” with Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall.
“Jockey” helmer Clint Bentley welcomes audiences aboard “Train Dreams,” with Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones. Two years after “A Love Song,” Max Walker-Silverman unveils “Rebuilding,” which stars Josh O’Connor. In multi-generational household drama “Jimpa,” Sophie Hyde (“52 Tuesdays”) solid appearing legends Olivia Colman and John Lithgow. And “Spa Night” helmer Andrew Ahn hosts “The Wedding Banquet,” a queer, green-card-marriage state of affairs with Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone.
Elsewhere within the lineup, Alison Brie and Dave Franco discover a codependent relationship in “Together,” which screens in Midnight alongside Dev Pattel thriller “Rabbit Trap.” In “The Thing With Feathers,” Benedict Cumberbatch’s character slowly loses his thoughts. And Juliette Lewis does double obligation, showing in each “Opus” and “By Design” — as does Chloë Sevigny, who stars in “Magic Farm” and “Atropia,” considered one of two initiatives produced by Luca Guadagnino.
Those are the larger names, although Sundance director of programming Kim Yutani stresses that her group is proactively seeking to function new voices, to the extent that all the filmmakers chosen for U.S. and World Dramatic Competition are contemporary to these sections. Yutani and firm shrank the Spotlight slate (beforehand used to convey non-premieres to Park City) so as to make room for half a dozen extra Premieres.
“There shall be these starry moments,” says Yutani, “however I feel it’s actually thrilling when you possibly can have the chance to have any individual like Rose Byrne in ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,’ the brand new Mary Bronstein movie, subsequent to any individual like Eva Victor, who’s having her first time in competitors with ‘Sorry, Baby,’ which she wrote, directs and stars in [produced by Barry Jenkins and Adele Romanski].”
Selected from 4,138 options submitted with a watch towards range and inclusion, the lineup corrects for the truth that lower than a 3rd of the pool had been directed by girls (47% of these chosen establish as girls), whereas fewer than one-fifth of the submissions got here from LGBT filmmakers (whereas 29% of these chosen establish as such).
When it involves curating the lineup, Yutani says, “We’re very acutely aware of the nations which might be being represented and the demographics of our filmmakers. That’s one of many the reason why, once we see movies popping out of nations like North Macedonia or Tunisia, these really feel just like the form of rarity we wish to actually bounce on and embrace in this system.”
Sundance may simply fall again on inviting acquainted names, the best way Cannes and Venice do, placing movies from well-established names in competitors — like “Anora” and “Joker” — however Yutani and competition director Eugene Hernandez stress that uncovering contemporary expertise stays the competition’s core mission. They would slightly launch a Sean Baker or Todd Phillips (each of whom noticed their careers skyrocket after profitable prizes at Sundance for “Tangerine” and “Frat House,” respectively) than cannibalize the restricted area obtainable to introduce audiences to the following up-and-coming indie auteur.
Yutani factors to “Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake),” made by a UCLA grad pupil, as considered one of this 12 months’s “pure discoveries.” This 12 months’s crop options a number of movies from the African continent — together with “Khartoum,” “Where the Wind Comes From” and “How to Build a Library” — and a global slate the programmers contemplate stronger than ever. This 12 months marks the twentieth anniversary of the class, paying off connections their scouts have made at festivals and co-production markets years earlier than.
According to Hernandez, Sundance’s raison d’être is to “invite extra artists to the desk or [generate] extra funds to assist that work and people packages.” Meanwhile, the rising value of internet hosting the occasion in Park City, plus reported points with “accessibility” and attracting again crowds to pre-pandemic numbers (2024 drew 72,840 folks, not fairly two-thirds of its 2020 excessive of 116,800) has the group looking for a brand new location.
“Yes, this sector of festivals and humanities organizations has been met with actually difficult realities in navigating how audiences and establishments are evolving, how funding is altering,” Hernandez says, “however I see a whole lot of resilience at Sundance specifically with the work that we’re doing on long-term planning and envisioning what the competition of the long run seems like for Sundance.”
Sundance is anticipated to announce its alternative of a brand new dwelling — between Boulder, Cincinnati and Salt Lake City — in February 2025, after this version wraps. For those that can’t make it to Utah, the competition will shift into hybrid mode on the second Thursday, Jan. 30, streaming 60% of its titles to the general public.
“We nonetheless have two extra years in Park City, and my hope is to make these subsequent two years in Park City, the very best of all,” says Hernandez. “You can’t miss Park City this 12 months. This program is kick-ass: It’s robust, there’s discovery all over the place, there are some nice alums coming again. You wish to be there for that, and subsequent 12 months much more so.”
The full lineup of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival:
U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
The 10 movies on this part are all world premieres. All 10 shall be obtainable to stream on-line.
Atropia (Director-Screenwriter: Hailey Gates, Producers: Naima Abed, Emilie Georges, Luca Guadagnino, Lana Kim, Jett Steiger) — When an aspiring actress in a navy role-playing facility falls in love with a soldier solid as an rebel, their unsimulated feelings threaten to derail the efficiency. Cast: Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Chloë Sevigny, Tim Heidecker, Jane Levy. Available on-line.
Bubble & Squeak (Director-Screenwriter: Evan Twohy, Producers: Christina Oh, Steven Yeun) — Accused of smuggling cabbages right into a nation the place cabbages are banned, Declan and Delores should confront the fragility of their new marriage whereas on the run for his or her lives. Cast: Himesh Patel, Sarah Goldberg, Steven Yeun, Dave Franco, Matt Berry. Available on-line.
Bunnylovr (Director-Screenwriter: Katarina Zhu, Producers: Tristan Scott-Behrends, Ani Schroeter, Rhianon Jones, Roger Mancusi, Rachel Sennott) — A drifting Chinese American cam woman struggles to navigate an more and more poisonous relationship with considered one of her purchasers whereas rekindling her relationship along with her dying estranged father. Cast: Katarina Zhu, Rachel Sennott, Austin Amelio, Perry Yung, Jack Kilmer. Available on-line.
Love, Brooklyn (Director: Rachael Abigail Holder, Screenwriter: Paul Zimmerman, Producers: André Holland, Kate Sharp, Patrick Wengler, Maurice Anderson, Liza Zusman) — Three longtime Brooklynites navigate careers, love, loss and friendship towards the quickly altering panorama of their beloved metropolis. Cast: André Holland, Nicole Beharie, DeWanda Wise, Roy Wood Jr., Cassandra Freeman, Cadence Reese. Available on-line.
Omaha (Director: Cole Webley, Screenwriter: Robert Machoian, Producer: Preston Lee) — After a household tragedy, siblings Ella and Charlie are unexpectedly woken up by their dad and brought on a journey throughout the nation, experiencing a world they’ve by no means seen earlier than. As their journey unfolds, Ella begins to grasp that issues may not be what they appear. Cast: John Magaro, Molly Belle Wright, Wyatt Solis, Talia Balsam. Available on-line.
Plainclothes (Director-Screenwriter: Carmen Emmi, Producers: Colby Cote, Arthur Landon, Eric Podwall, Vanessa Pantley) — A promising undercover officer assigned to lure and arrest homosexual males defies orders when he falls in love with a goal. Cast: Tom Blyth, Russell Tovey, Maria Dizzia, Christian Cooke, Gabe Fazio, Amy Forsyth. Available on-line.
Ricky (Director, Screenwriter and Producer: Rashad Frett, Screenwriter: Lin Que Ayoung, Producers: Pierre M. Coleman, Simon TaufiQue, Sterling Brim, Josh Peters, DC Wade, Cary Fukunaga) — Newly launched after being locked up in his teenagers, 30-year-old Ricky navigates the difficult realities of life post-incarceration, and the complexity of gaining independence for the primary time as an grownup. Cast: Stephan James, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Titus Welliver, Maliq Johnson, Imani Lewis, Andrene Ward-Hammond. Available on-line.
Sorry, Baby (Director-Screenwriter: Eva Victor, Producers: Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, Barry Jenkins) — Something dangerous occurred to Agnes. But life goes on… for everybody round her, at the very least. Cast: Eva Victor, Naomi Ackie, Lucas Hedges, John Carroll Lynch, Louis Cancelmi, Kelly McCormack. Available on-line.
Sunfish (& Other Stories on Green Lake) (Director, Screenwriter and Producer: Sierra Falconer, Producer: Grant Ellison) — Lives intertwine round Green Lake as a lady learns to sail, a boy fights for first chair, two sisters function a bed-and-breakfast and a fisherman is after the catch of his life. Cast: Maren Heary, Jim Kaplan, Karsen Liotta, Dominic Bogart, Tenley Kellogg, Emily Hall. Available on-line.
Twinless (Director, Screenwriter and Producer: James Sweeney, Producer: David Permut) — Two younger males meet in a twin bereavement assist group and kind an unlikely bromance. Cast: Dylan O’Brien, James Sweeney, Lauren Graham, Aisling Franciosi, Tasha Smith, Chris Perfetti. Available on-line.
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The 10 movies on this part are all world premieres. All 10 shall be obtainable to stream on-line.
Andre Is an Idiot (Director: Anthony Benna, Producers: Andre Ricciardi, Tory Tunnell, Joshua Altman, Stelio Kitrilakis, Ben Cotner) — Andre, an excellent fool, is dying as a result of he didn’t get a colonoscopy. His sobering prognosis, full irreverence and insatiable curiosity, ship him on an surprising journey studying the way to die fortunately and ridiculously with out shedding his humorousness. Available on-line.
Life After (Director: Reid Davenport, Producer: Colleen Cassingham) — In 1983, a disabled Californian girl named Elizabeth Bouvia sought the “proper to die,” igniting a nationwide debate about autonomy, dignity and the worth of disabled lives. After years of courtroom trials, Bouvia disappeared from public view. Disabled director Reid Davenport narrates this investigation of what occurred to Bouvia. Available on-line.
Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (Director-Producer: Shoshannah Stern, Producers: Robyn Kopp, Justine Nagan, Bonni Cohen) — In 1987, Marlee Matlin grew to become the primary Deaf actor to win an Academy Award and was thrust into the highlight at 21 years previous. Reflecting on her life in her major language of American Sign Language, Marlee explores the complexities of what it means to be a trailblazer. Available on-line.
The Perfect Neighbor (Director-Producer: Geeta Gandbhir, Producers: Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne, Sam Bisbee) — A seemingly minor neighborhood dispute in Florida escalates into lethal violence. Police bodycam footage and investigative interviews expose the results of Florida’s “stand your floor” legal guidelines. Available on-line.
Predators (Director-Producer: David Osit, Producers: Jamie Gonçalves, Kellen Quinn) — To Catch a Predator was a preferred tv present designed to search out little one predators and lure them to a movie set, the place they might be interviewed and ultimately arrested. An exploration of the scintillating rise and staggering fall of the present and the world it helped create. Available on-line.
Seeds (Director-Producer: Brittany Shyne, Producer: Danielle Varga) — An exploration of Black generational farmers within the American South reveals the fragility of legacy and the importance of proudly owning land. Available on-line.
Selena y Los Dinos (Director: Isabel Castro, Producers: Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, J. Daniel Torres, David Blackman, Simran Singh) — Selena Quintanilla — the “Queen of Tejano Music” — and her household band, Selena y Los Dinos, rose from acting at quinceañeras to promoting out stadium excursions. The celebration of her life and legacy is chronicled by way of never-before-seen footage from the household’s private archive. Available on-line.
Speak. (Directors and Producers: Jennifer Tiexiera, Guy Mossman, Producer: Pamela Griner) — Five top-ranked highschool oratory college students spend a 12 months crafting spellbinding spoken phrase performances with the dream of profitable one of many world’s largest and most intense public talking competitions. Available on-line.
Sugar Babies (Director-Producer: Rachel Fleit, Producers: Mickey Liddell, Pete Shilaimon, Mehrdod Heydari) — Autumn is an enterprising faculty scholarship recipient and burgeoning TikTookay influencer. Part of a detailed circle of mates rising up poor in rural Louisiana, she is set to beat the struggles and obstacles defining them. Faced with restricted minimal wage job choices, Autumn devises a web-based sugar child operation. Available on-line.
Third Act (Director-Producer: Tadashi Nakamura, Producer: Eurie Chung) — Generations of artists name Robert A. Nakamura “the godfather of Asian American media,” however filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura calls him Dad. Robert’s prognosis of Parkinson’s illness results in an exploration of artwork, activism, grief and fatherhood. Available on-line.
WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
The 10 movies on this part are all world premieres. All 10 shall be obtainable to stream on-line.
Brides (U.Okay. – Director: Nadia Fall, Screenwriter: Suhayla El-Bushra, Producers: Nicky Bentham, Marica Stocchi) — Two teenage ladies looking for freedom, friendship and belonging run away from their troubled lives with a misguided plan of touring to Syria. Cast: Ebada Hassan, Safiyya Ingar, Yusra Warsama, Cemre Ebuzziya, Aziz Capkurt. Available on-line.
DJ Ahmet (N. Macedonia-Czech Republic-Serbia-Croatia – Director-Screenwriter: Georgi M. Unkovski, Producers: Ivan Unkovski, Ivana Shekutkoska) — Ahmet, a 15-year-old boy from a distant Yuruk village in North Macedonia, finds refuge in music whereas navigating his father’s expectations, a conservative neighborhood and his first expertise with love — a lady already promised to another person. Cast: Arif Jakup, Agush Agushev, Dora Akan Zlatanova, Aksel Mehmet, Selpin Kerim, Atila Klince. Available on-line.
Luz (Hong Kong-China – Director-Screenwriter-Producer: Flora Lau, Producers: Yvette Tang, Joseph Sinn Gi Chan, Stephen Lam) — In the neon-lit streets of Chongqing, Wei desperately searches for his estranged daughter Fa, whereas Hong Kong gallerist Ren grapples along with her ailing stepmother Sabine in Paris. Their lives collide in a digital actuality world, the place a mystical deer reveals hidden truths, sparking a journey of discovery and connection. Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Sandrine Pinna, Xiao Dong Guo, Lu Huang, David Chiang, En Xi Deng. Available on-line.
Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) (India- U.Okay.-Canada – Director-Screenwriter: Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, Producers: Neeraj Churi, Mohamed Khaki, Kaushik Ray, Hareesh Reddypalli, Naren Chandavarkar, Sidharth Meer) — Anand, a 30-something metropolis dweller compelled to spend a 10-day mourning interval for his father within the rugged countryside of western India, tenderly bonds with an area farmer struggling to remain single. As the mourning ends, forcing his return, Anand should determine the destiny of his relationship born below duress. Cast: Bhushaan Manoj, Suraaj Suman, Jayshri Jagtap. Available on-line.
Sauna (Denmark – Director-Screenwriter: Mathias Broe, Screenwriter: William Lippert, Producer: Mads-August Hertz) — Johan thrives as a homosexual man in Copenhagen, having fun with limitless bars, events and informal flings. Everything adjustments when he meets William, a transgender man, and falls right into a deep love that defies societal norms round gender, identification and relationships. Cast: Magnus Juhl Andersen, Nina Rask, Dilan Amin, Klaus Tange. Available on-line.
Sukkwan Island (France – Director-Screenwriter: Vladimir de Fontenay, Producers: Carole Scotta, Eliott Khayat, Caroline Benjo) — On the distant Sukkwan Island, 13-year-old Roy agrees to spend a formative 12 months of journey together with his father deep within the Norwegian fjords. What begins as an opportunity to reconnect descends right into a check of survival as they face the cruel realities of their surroundings and confront their unresolved turmoil. Cast: Swann Arlaud, Woody Norman, Alma Pöysti, Ruaridh Mollica, Tuppence Middleton. Available on-line.
The Things You Kill (Turkey-France-Poland-Canada – Director, Screenwriter and Producer: Alireza Khatami, Producers: Elisa Sepulveda Ruddoff, Cyriac Auriol, Mariusz Włodarski, Michael Solomon) — Haunted by the suspicious demise of his ailing mom, a college professor coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance. Cast: Ekin Koç, Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, Hazar Ergüçlü, Ercan Kesal. Available on-line.
Two Women (Canada – Director: Chloé Robichaud, Screenwriter and Producer: Catherine Léger Producer: Martin Paul-Hus) — Violette is having a tough maternity depart. Florence is coping with melancholy. Despite their careers and households, they really feel like failures. Florence’s first infidelity is a revelation. When having enjoyable is much down the record of priorities, sleeping with a supply man might be revolutionary. Cast: Karine Gonthier-Hyndman, Laurence Leboeuf, Félix Moati, Mani Soleymanlou, Sophie Nelisse, Juliette Gariépy. Available on-line.
The Virgin of Quarry Lake (Argentina-Spain-Mexico – Director: Laura Casabé, Screenwriter: Benjamin Naishtat, Producers: Tomas Eloy Muñoz, Valeria Bistagnino, Alejandro Israel, David Matamoros, Angeles Hernandez, Diego Martinez Ulanosky) — In 2001, three youngsters from the outskirts of Buenos Aires all fall in love with Diego. Natalia has at all times had probably the most chemistry with him, however when it appears inevitable that their friendship will flip into one thing extra, the older and extra skilled Silvia seems and shortly captures Diego’s consideration. Cast: Dolores Oliverio, Luisa Merelas, Fernanda Echevarría, Dady Brieva, Agustín Sosa. Available on-line.
Where the Wind Comes From (Tunisia-France-Qatar – Director-Screenwriter: Amel Guellaty, Producers: Asma Chihoub, Karim Aitouna) — Alyssa, a rebellious 19-year-old woman and her good friend Mehdi, an introverted 23-year-old man, use their creativeness to flee their unpromising actuality. When they uncover a contest within the south of Tunisia which will permit them to flee, they undertake a street journey whatever the obstacles of their approach. Cast: Eya Bellagha, Slim Baccar. Available on-line.
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The 10 movies on this part are all world premieres. All 10 shall be obtainable to stream on-line.
2000 Meters to Andriivka (Ukraine – Director-Producer: Mstyslav Chernov, Producers: Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath) — Amid the failing counteroffensive, a journalist follows a Ukrainian platoon on their mission to traverse one mile of closely fortified forest and liberate a strategic village from Russian occupation. But the farther they advance by way of their destroyed homeland, the extra they notice that this battle could by no means finish. Available on-line.
Coexistence, My Ass! (U.S.-France – Director-Producer: Amber Fares, Screenwriters: Rachel Leah Jones, Rabab Haj Yahya, Producer: Rachel Leah Jones, Valérie Montmartin) –– Comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi creates a private and political one-woman present in regards to the wrestle for equality in Israel/Palestine. When the elusive coexistence she’s spent her life working towards begins sounding like a foul joke, she challenges her audiences with onerous truths which might be no laughing matter. Available on-line.
Cutting Through Rocks (اوزاک یوللار) (Iran-Germany-U.S.-Netherlands-Qatar-Chile-Canada – Directors and Producers: Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni) — As the primary elected councilwoman of her Iranian village, Sara Shahverdi goals to interrupt long-held patriarchal traditions by coaching teenage ladies to experience bikes and stopping little one marriages. When accusations come up questioning Sara’s intentions to empower the women, her identification is put in turmoil. Available on-line.
The Dating Game (U.S.-U.Okay.-Norway – Director-Producer: Violet Du Feng, Producers: Joanna Natasegara, James Costa, Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas) –– In a rustic the place eligible males vastly outnumber girls, three perpetual bachelors be part of an intensive seven-day courting camp led by considered one of China’s most sought-after courting coaches in what could also be their last-ditch effort to search out love. Available on-line.
Endless Cookie (Canada – Directors and Screenwriters: Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver, Producers: Daniel Bekerman, Chris Yurkovich, Alex Ordanis, Jason Ryle, Seth Scriver) — Exploring the advanced bond between two half brothers — one Indigenous, one white — touring from the current in remoted Shamattawa to bustling Eighties Toronto. Available on-line.
GEN_ (France-Italy-Switzerland – Director-Screenwriter: Gianluca Matarrese, Screenwriter: Donatella Della Ratta, Producers: Dominique Barneaud, Donatella Palermo, Alexandre Iordachescu) — At Milan’s Niguarda public hospital, the unconventional Dr. Bini leads a daring mission overseeing aspiring dad and mom present process in vitro fertilization and the journeys of people reconciling their our bodies with their gender identities. He navigates the constraints set by a conservative authorities and an aggressive market desperate to commodify our bodies. Available on-line.
How to Build a Library (Kenya – Directors, Screenwriters and Producers: Maia Lekow, Christopher King, Screenwriter: Ricardo Acosta) — Two intrepid Nairobi girls determine to remodel what was once a whites-only library till 1958 right into a vibrant cultural hub. Along the best way, they need to navigate native politics, increase tens of millions for the rebuild and confront the lingering ghosts of Kenya’s colonial previous. Available on-line.
Khartoum (Sudan-U.Okay.-Germany-Qatar – Directors: Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, Phil Cox, Screenwriter: Phil Cox, Producers: Giovanna Stopponi, Talal Afifi) –– Forced to go away Sudan for East Africa following the outbreak of battle, 5 residents of Khartoum — a civil servant, a tea girl, a resistance committee volunteer and two younger bottle collectors — reenact their tales of survival and freedom by way of desires, revolution and civil battle. Available on-line.
Mr. Nobody Against Putin (Denmark-Czech Republic – Director-Screenwriter: David Borenstein, Producer: Helle Faber) — As Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, major colleges throughout Russia’s hinterlands are remodeled into recruitment phases for the battle. Facing the moral dilemma of working in a system outlined by propaganda and violence, a courageous instructor goes undercover to movie what’s actually occurring in his personal college. Available on-line.
Prime Minister (Directors: Michelle Walshe, Lindsay Utz, Producers: Cass Avery, Clarke Gayford, Leon Kirkbeck, Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane, Katie Peck) — A view contained in the lifetime of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, capturing her by way of 5 tumultuous years in energy and past as she redefined management on the world stage. Available on-line.
NEXT
The eight movies on this part are all world premieres. All eight shall be obtainable to stream on-line.
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions (Director, Screenwriter and Producer: Kahlil Joseph, Screenwriters: Saidiya Hartman, Irvin Hunt, Producers: Onye Anyanwu, Amy Greenleaf, Nic Gonda) –– Preeminent West African curator and scholar Funmilayo Akechukwu’s magnum opus, The Resonance Field, leads her to the center of the Atlantic Ocean, drawing a journalist right into a journey that shatters her understanding of consciousness and time. Cast: Shaunette Renée Wilson, Kaneza Schaal, Hope Giselle, Peter Hernandez, Penny Johnson Jerald, Zora Casebere. (Fiction) Available on-line.
By Design (Director-Screenwriter: Amanda Kramer, Producers: Miranda Bailey, Sarah Winshall, Natalie Whalen, Jacob Agger) –– A girl swaps our bodies with a chair, and everybody likes her higher as a chair. Cast: Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Melanie Griffith, Samantha Mathis, Robin Tunney, Udo Kier. (Fiction) Available on-line.
East of Wall (Director-Screenwriter-Producer: Kate Beecroft, Producers: Lila Yacoub, Melanie Ramsayer, Shannon Moss) –– After the demise of her husband, Tabatha — a younger, tattooed, rebellious horse coach — wrestles with monetary insecurity and unresolved grief whereas offering refuge for a gaggle of wayward youngsters on her broken-down ranch within the Badlands. Cast: Tabatha Zimiga, Porshia Zimiga, Scoot McNairy, Jennifer Ehle. (Fiction) Available on-line.
Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) (Director-Screenwriter: Joel Alfonso Vargas, Producer: Paolo Maria Pedullà) –– Rico’s summer season is a mixture of chasing ladies and hustling home made cocktails out of a cooler on Orchard Beach, the Bronx. But when Destiny, his teenage girlfriend, crashes at his place together with his household, it’s solely a matter of time earlier than his carefree days come spiraling down. Cast: Juan Collado, Destiny Checo, Yohanna Florentino, Nathaly Navarro. (Fiction) Available on-line.
OBEX (Director, Screenwriter and Producer: Albert Birney, Screenwriter and Producer: Pete Ohs, Producers: Emma Hannaway, James Belfer) –– Conor Marsh lives a secluded life together with his canine, Sandy, till in the future he begins enjoying OBEX, a brand new, state-of-the-art laptop sport. When Sandy goes lacking, the road between actuality and sport blurs and Conor should enterprise into the unusual world of OBEX to convey her dwelling. Cast: Albert Birney, Callie Hernandez, Frank Mosley. (Fiction) Available on-line.
Rains Over Babel (Colombia-U.S.-Spain – Director, Screenwriter and Producer: Gala del Sol, Producers: H.A Hermida, Ana Cristina Gutiérrez, Andrés Hermida, Natalia Rendón Rodríguez) –– A gaggle of misfits converges at Babel, a legendary dive bar that doubles as purgatory, the place La Flaca — town’s Grim Reaper — presides. Here, souls gamble years of their lives along with her, daring to outwit Death herself. Cast: Saray Rebolledo, Felipe Aguilar Rodríguez, John Alex Castillo, William Hurtado, Santiago Pineda, Celina Biurrun. (Fiction) Available on-line.
Serious People (Directors and Screenwriters: Pasqual Gutierrez, Ben Mullinkosson, Producers: Ryan Hahn, Teddy Lee, Laurel Thomson) –– A profitable music video director and expectant father pushes his work-life stability to the acute as he hires a doppelgänger to work in his stead. Cast: Pasqual Gutierrez, Christine Yuan, Miguel Huerta, Raul Sanchez. (Fiction) Available on-line.
Zodiac Killer Project (U.S.-U.Okay. – Director-Producer: Charlie Shackleton, Producers: Catherine Bray, Anthony Ing) –– Against the backdrop of sunbaked parking tons, abandoned courthouses and empty suburban houses — the acquainted areas of true crime, stripped of all motion and spectacle — a filmmaker describes his deserted Zodiac Killer documentary and probes the interior workings of a style at saturation level. (Documentary) Available on-line.
PREMIERES
The 26 movies on this part — a mixture of fiction and documentary options — are all world premieres. Only two shall be obtainable to stream on-line.
All That’s Left of You (اللي باقي منك) (Germany-Cyprus – Director-Screenwriter-Producer: Cherien Dabis, Producers: Thanassis Karathanos, Martin Hampel, Karim Amer) –– After a Palestinian teen confronts Israeli troopers at a West Bank protest, his mom recounts the sequence of occasions that led him to that fateful second, beginning together with his grandfather’s compelled displacement. Cast: Cherien Dabis, Saleh Bakri, Adam Bakri, Mohammad Bakri, Maria Zreik, Muhammad Abed Elrahman. (Fiction)
April & Amanda (Director: Zackary Drucker, Producers: Madison Passarelli, Douglas Banker, Alex Garinger, Noah Levy, Donovan Lovell, Stephen B. Strout) –– Two legends contested their identities as girls within the court docket of public opinion: April Ashley, who was immortalized as a trailblazer by embracing her transgender historical past; and Amanda Lear, who has consciously denied and obfuscated her historical past for many years. Their divergent paths reveal disparate however intertwined legacies. (Documentary)
The Ballad of Wallis Island (U.Okay. – Director: James Griffiths, Screenwriters: Tom Basden, Tim Key, Producer: Rupert Majendie) –– Eccentric lottery winner, Charles, desires of getting his favourite musicians, Mortimer-McGwyer, again collectively. His fantasy turns into actuality when the bandmates and former lovers settle for his invitation to play a non-public present at his dwelling on Wallis Island. Old tensions resurface as Charles tries desperately to salvage his dream gig. Cast: Tom Basden, Tim Key, Sian Clifford, Akemnji Ndifornyen, Carey Mulligan. (Fiction)
Come See Me within the Good Light (Director-Producer: Ryan White, Producers: Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen) –– Two poets, one incurable most cancers prognosis. Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley go on an unexpectedly humorous and poignant journey by way of love, life and mortality. (Documentary)
Deaf President Now! (Directors-Producers: Nyle DiMarco, Davis Guggenheim, Producers: Jonathan King, Amanda Rohlke, Michael Harte) –– During eight tumultuous days in 1988 on the world’s solely Deaf college, 4 college students should discover a approach to lead an offended mob — and alter the course of historical past. (Documentary) Available on-line.
Folktales (U.S.-Norway – Directors- Producers: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady) –– On the precipice of maturity, youngsters converge at a conventional folks highschool in Arctic Norway. Dropped on the fringe of the world, they need to depend on solely themselves, each other and a loyal pack of sled canine as all of them develop in surprising instructions. (Documentary)
Free Leonard Peltier (Director: Jesse Short Bull, Director-Producer: David France, Producers: Jhane Myers, Paul McGuire) –– Leonard Peltier, one of many surviving leaders of the American Indian Movement, has been in jail for 50 years following a contentious conviction. A brand new technology of Native activists is dedicated to profitable his freedom earlier than he dies. (Documentary)
Heightened Scrutiny (Director-Producer: Sam Feder, Producers: Amy Scholder, Paola Mendoza) –– Amid the surge in anti-trans laws that Chase Strangio battles within the courtroom, he should additionally battle towards media bias, exposing how the narratives within the press affect public notion and the battle for transgender rights. (Documentary) Available on-line.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (Director-Screenwriter: Mary Bronstein, Producers: Sara Murphy, Ryan Zacarias, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Richie Doyle) –– With her life crashing down round her, Linda makes an attempt to navigate her little one’s mysterious sickness, her absent husband, a lacking individual, and an more and more hostile relationship along with her therapist. Cast: Rose Byrne, A$AP Rocky, Conan O’Brien, Danielle Macdonald, Ivy Wolk, Daniel Zolghadri. (Fiction)
It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley (Director-Producer: Amy Berg, Producers: Ryan Heller, Christine Connor, Mandy Chang, Jennie Bedusa, Matthew Roozen) –– Rising musician Jeff Buckley had solely launched one album when he died instantly in 1997. Now, never-before-seen footage, unique voice messages, and accounts from these closest to him provide a portrait of the charming singer. (Documentary)
Jimpa (Australia-Netherlands-Finland – Director-Screenwriter-Producer: Sophie Hyde, Screenwriter: Matthew Cormack, Producers: Liam Heyen, Bryan Mason, Marleen Slot) –– Hannah takes her nonbinary teenager, Frances, to Amsterdam to go to their homosexual grandfather, Jim — lovingly often known as Jimpa. But Frances’ want to remain overseas with Jimpa for a 12 months means Hannah is compelled to rethink her beliefs about parenting and eventually confront previous tales in regards to the previous. Cast: Olivia Colman, John Lithgow, Aud Mason-Hyde. (Fiction)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (Director-Screenwriter: Bill Condon, Producers: Barry Josephson, Tom Kirdahy, Greg Yolen) –– Valentín, a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two kind an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favourite silver display diva, Ingrid Luna. Cast: Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, Jennifer Lopez, Bruno Bichir, Josefina Scaglione, Aline Mayagoitia. (Fiction)
Last Days (Director-Producer: Justin Lin, Screenwriter: Ben Ripley, Producers: Clayton Townsend, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Eric Robinson, Salvador Gatdula, Andrew Schneider) –– Determined to satisfy his life’s mission, 26-year-old John Allen Chau embarks on a harmful journey throughout the globe to transform the uncontacted tribe of North Sentinel Island to Christianity, whereas a detective from the Andaman Islands races to cease him earlier than he does hurt to himself or the tribe. Cast: Sky Yang, Radhika Apte, Naveen Andrews, Ken Leung, Toby Wallace, Ciara Bravo. (Fiction)
The Librarians (Director-Producer: Kim A. Snyder, Producers: Janique L. Robillard, Maria Cuomo Cole, Jana Edelbaum) –– As an unprecedented wave of e-book banning is sparked in Texas, Florida, and past, librarians below siege be part of forces as unlikely defenders combating for mental freedom on the entrance strains of democracy. (Documentary)
Lurker (Director-Screenwriter: Alex Russell, Producers: Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery, Galen Core, Charlie McDowell, Archie Madekwe) –– A retail worker infiltrates the interior circle of an artist on the verge of stardom. As he will get nearer to the budding music star, entry and proximity grow to be a matter of life and demise. Cast: Théodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Havana Rose Liu, Sunny Suljic, Zach Fox, Daniel Zolghadri. (Fiction)
Magic Farm (Argentina-U.S. – Director-Screenwriter: Amalia Ulman, Producers: Alex Hughes, Eugene Kotlyarenko, Riccardo Maddalosso) –– A movie crew working for an edgy media firm travels to Argentina to profile an area musician, however their ineptitude leads them into the incorrect nation. As the crew collaborates with locals to manufacture a development, surprising connections blossom whereas a pervasive well being disaster looms unacknowledged within the background. Cast: Chloë Sevigny, Alex Wolff, Joe Apollonio, Camila del Campo, Simon Rex. (Fiction)
Middletown (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine, Producers: Teddy Leifer, Florrie Priest, Danny Breen) –– Inspired by an unconventional instructor, a gaggle of youngsters in upstate New York within the early Nineties made a pupil movie that uncovered an unlimited conspiracy involving poisonous waste that was poisoning their neighborhood. Thirty years later, they revisit their movie and confront the legacy of this transformative expertise. (Documentary)
Move Ya Body: The Birth of House (Director-Screenwriter: Elegance Bratton, Producer: Chester Algernal Gordon) –– Out of the underground dance golf equipment on the South Side of Chicago, a gaggle of mates flip a brand new sound into a worldwide motion. (Documentary)
Oh, Hi! (Director-Screenwriter-Producer: Sophie Brooks, Producers: David Brooks, Dan Clifton, Julie Waters, Molly Gordon) –– Iris and Isaac’s first romantic weekend getaway goes awry. Cast: Molly Gordon, Logan Lerman, Geraldine Viswanathan, John Reynolds. (Fiction)
Peter Hujar’s Day (Director-Screenwriter: Ira Sachs, Producers: Jordan Drake, Jonah Disend) –– A not too long ago found dialog between photographer Peter Hujar and his good friend Linda Rosenkrantz in 1974 reveals a glimpse into New York City’s downtown artwork scene and the non-public struggles and epiphanies that outline an artist’s life. Cast: Ben Whishaw, Rebecca Hall. (Fiction)
Rebuilding (Director-Screenwriter: Max Walker-Silverman, Producers: Jesse Hope, Dan Janvey, Paul Mezey) –– After a wildfire takes the household farm, a rancher seeks a approach ahead. Cast: Josh O’Connor, Lily LaTorre, Meghann Fahy, Kali Reis, Amy Madigan. (Fiction)
Sally (Director-Screenwriter-Producer: Cristina Costantini, Screenwriter: Tom Maroney, Producers: Lauren Cioffi, Dan Cogan, Jon Bardin) –– Sally Ride grew to become the primary American girl to blast off into area, however beneath her unflappable composure was a secret. Sally’s life companion, Tam O’Shaughnessy, reveals their hidden romance and the sacrifices that accompanied their 27 years collectively. (Documentary) Available on-line.2025 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize Winner.
Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) (Director: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Producers: Joseph Patel, Derik Murray) –– An examination of the life and legacy of Sly & The Family Stone — the groundbreaking band led by the charismatic and enigmatic Sly Stone — captures the band’s rise, reign, and subsequent fadeout whereas shedding gentle on the unseen burden that comes with success for Black artists in America. (Documentary)
The Thing with Feathers (U.Okay. – Director-Screenwriter: Dylan Southern, Producers: Andrea Cornwell, Leah Clarke, Adam Ackland) –– Struggling to course of the sudden and surprising demise of his spouse, a younger father loses his maintain on actuality as a seemingly malign presence begins to stalk him from the shadowy recesses of the residence he shares together with his two younger sons. Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Boxall, Henry Boxall, Eric Lampaert, Vinette Robinson, Sam Spruell. (Fiction)
Train Dreams (Director-Screenwriter: Clint Bentley, Screenwriter: Greg Kwedar, Producers: Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, Michael Heimler) –– Robert Grainier is a day laborer constructing America’s railroads firstly of the twentieth century as he experiences profound love, stunning defeat, and a world irrevocably remodeling earlier than his very eyes. Cast: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy. (Fiction) Salt Lake Celebration Film.
The Wedding Banquet (Director-Screenwriter: Andrew Ahn, Screenwriter and Producer: James Schamus, Producers: Anita Gou, Joe Pirro, Caroline Clark) –– Frustrated together with his commitment-phobic boyfriend, Chris, and out of time, Min makes a proposal: a inexperienced card marriage together with his good friend Angela in change for costly in vitro fertilization therapies for her companion, Lee. Plans change when Min’s grandmother surprises them with an elaborate Korean marriage ceremony banquet. Cast: Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, Youn Yuh-jung. (Fiction)
MIDNIGHT
The seven movies on this part are all world premieres. Only one shall be obtainable to stream on-line.
Dead Lover (Canada – Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Grace Glowicki, Screenwriter and Producer: Ben Petrie, Producer: Yona Strauss) –– A lonely gravedigger who stinks of corpses lastly meets her dream man, however their whirlwind affair is lower quick when he tragically drowns at sea. Grief-stricken, she goes to morbid lengths to resurrect him by way of madcap scientific experiments, leading to grave penalties and unlikely love. Cast: Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie, Leah Doz, Lowen Morrow.
Didn’t Die (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Meera Menon, Screenwriter and Producer: Paul Gleason, Producers: Erica Fishman, Joe Camerota, Luke Patton) –– A podcast host desperately clings to an ever-shrinking viewers within the zombie apocalypse. Cast: Kiran Deol, George Basil, Samrat Chakrabarti, Katie McCuen, Vishal Vijayakumar. Available on-line.
Opus (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Mark Anthony Green, Producers: Collin Creighton, Brad Weston, Poppy Hanks, Jelani Johnson, Josh Bachove) –– A younger author is invited to the distant compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years in the past. Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists, she finds herself in the midst of his twisted plan. Cast: Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder.
Rabbit Trap (U.Okay. – Director-Screenwriter: Bryn Chainey, Producers: Daniel Noah, Lawrence Inglee, Elijah Wood, Elisa Lleras, Adrian Politowski, Martin Metz) –– When a musician and her husband transfer to a distant home in Wales, the music they make disturbs native historical folks magic, bringing a anonymous little one to their door who’s intent on infiltrating their lives. Cast: Dev Patel, Rosy McEwen, Jade Croot.
Together (Australia-U.S. – Director-Screenwriter: Michael Shanks, Producers: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Mike Cowap, Andrew Mittman, Erik Feig, Max Silva) –– With a transfer to the countryside already testing the boundaries of a pair’s relationship, a supernatural encounter begins an excessive transformation of their love, their lives, and their flesh. Cast: Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Damon Herriman.
Touch Me (Director-Screenwriter-Producer: Addison Heimann, Producers: John Humber, David Lawson Jr.) –– Two codependent finest mates grow to be hooked on the heroin-like contact of an alien narcissist who could or is probably not attempting to take over the world. Cast: Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jordan Gavaris, Marlene Forte, Paget Brewster.
The Ugly Stepsister (Norway – Director-Screenwriter: Emilie Blichfeldt, Producer:
Maria Ekerhovd) –– In a fairy-tale kingdom the place magnificence is a brutal enterprise, Elvira battles to compete along with her extremely stunning stepsister, and she is going to go to any size to catch the prince’s eye. Cast: Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, Flo Fagerli, Isac Calmroth, Malte Gårdinger.
EPISODIC
All three of the sequence on this part are world premieres.
Bucks County, USA (Directors-Executive Producers: Barry Levinson, Robert May, Executive Producer: Jason Sosnoff) –– Evi and Vanessa, two 14-year-olds residing in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, are finest mates regardless of their opposing political views. As nationwide disputes over public training explode into vitriol and division of their hometown, the women and others locally battle to find the humanity in “the opposite aspect.”Documentary. Five-part docu-series, screening episodes one and two.
Hal & Harper (Director-Executive Producer: Cooper Raiff, Executive Producers: Clementine Quittner, Lili Reinhart, Daniel Lewis, Addison Timlin) –– Hal and Harper and Dad chart the evolution of their household. Cast: Lili Reinhart, Mark Ruffalo, Betty Gilpin, Havana Rose Liu, Addison Timlin, Alyah Chanelle Scott. (Fiction) Available on-line.Eight-episode season, screening first 4 episodes in individual and full season on-line.
Pee-wee as Himself (Director: Matt Wolf, Producer: Emma Tillinger Koskoff) –– A chronicle of the lifetime of artist and performer Paul Reubens and his alter ego Pee-wee Herman. Prior to his current demise, Reubens spoke in-depth about his artistic influences, and the non-public struggles he confronted to persevere as an artist. (Documentary) Two-part documentary, screening in its entirety.
Episodic Pilot Showcase:
- Bulldozer (Writer and Executive Producer: Joanna Leeds, Director-Executive Producer: Andrew Leeds, Executive Producers: Rhett Reese, Caleb Reese) –– An undermedicated, chronically impassioned younger girl lurches from disaster to disaster of her personal making. Cast: Joanna Leeds, Mary Steenburgen, Nat Faxon, Harvey Guillen, Allen Leech, Kate Burton. (Fiction) Available on-line.
- Chasers (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Erin Brown Thomas, Screenwriter: Ciarra Krohne, Producers: Elle Shaw, Olivia Haller, Beth Napoli, Hayden Greiwe) –– At a Los Angeles home celebration, an aspiring musician pursues her crush by way of a crowd of hopeful dreamers chasing empty guarantees. Cast: Ciarra Krohne, Louie Chapman, Keana Marie, Shannon Gisela, Brooke Maroon, Xan Churchwell. (Fiction) Available on-line.
- Never Get Busted! (Australia – Showrunners: David Anthony Ngo, Erin Williams-Weir, Executive Producers: John Battsek, Chris Smith) –– Barry Cooper was a extremely adorned Texas narcotics officer — till he turned on the police drive by busting crooked cops and educating drug customers the way to cover their stash. Cast: Barry Cooper. (Documentary)
SPOTLIGHT
This part, offered by Audible, consists of movies which have already premiered at different festivals.
April (Georgia – Director-Screenwriter: Dea Kulumbegashvili, Producers: Luca Guadagnino, David Zerat, Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Archil Gelovani, Gabriele Moratti, Alexandra Rossi) –– Nina is an obstetrician at a maternity hospital in Eastern Georgia. After a tough supply, an toddler dies and the daddy calls for an inquiry into her strategies. The scrutiny threatens to reveal Nina’s secret aspect job — visiting village houses of pregnant women and girls to supply unsanctioned abortions. Cast: Ia Sukhitashvili, Kakha Kintsurashvili. (Fiction)
One to One: John & Yoko (U.Okay. – Director-Producer: Kevin Macdonald, Producers: Peter Worsley, Alice Webb) –– An exploration of the seminal and transformative 18 months that considered one of music’s most well-known {couples} — John Lennon and Yoko Ono — spent residing in Greenwich Village, New York City, within the early Seventies. (Documentary)
FAMILY MATINEE
The one movie introduced on this part is a world premiere.
The Legend of Ochi (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Isaiah Saxon, Producers: Richard Peete, Traci Carlson, Jonathan Wang) — In a distant village on the island of Carpathia, a farm woman named Yuri is raised to worry an animal species often known as Ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded child Ochi has been left behind, she escapes on an journey to convey him dwelling. Cast: Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, Willem Dafoe.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
One-of-a-kind moments spotlight new impartial works.
The Six Billion Dollar Man (Director: Eugene Jarecki, Producer: Kathleen Fournier) — Julian Assange confronted a doable 175 years in jail for exposing U.S. battle crimes till occasions took a flip on this landmark case. (Documentary) Available on-line.
FROM THE COLLECTION
According to Sundance, these restorations “give audiences the chance to find and rediscover the movies which have formed the heritage of each Sundance Institute and impartial storytelling.”
El Norte (Director-Screenwriter: Gregory Nava, Screenwriter and Producer: Anna Thomas) — The movie shall be proven as a 4K digital restoration (executed in 2017) from the unique adverse. After their household is murdered by the federal government in a bloodbath through the Guatemalan Civil War, Indigenous siblings Rosa and Enrique flee up “Norte” to the United States for an opportunity at survival. When they arrive, they discover life within the U.S. just isn’t what they’d hoped for. Cast: Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez, David Villalpando, Ernesto Gómez Cruz, Lupe Ontiveros, Trinidad Silva, Alicia del Lago.
Unzipped (Director: Douglas Keeve, Producer: Michael Alden) — The documentary shall be proven as a model new digital restoration from a 4K scan of the 35mm interpositive and DA-88 audio information. Director Douglas Keeve goes behind the scenes of designer Isaac Mizrahi’s relentless drive and daring imaginative and prescient to convey his 1994 assortment to life. From sketches to runway, this insider’s journey is filled with backstage drama, artistic triumphs, and iconic supermodels, together with Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Linda Evangelista.