Shane Slater
It feels like just yesterday that films like A Real Pain, A Different Man and I Saw the TV Glow begain their festival and awards season journeys in Park City, Utah. Yet somehow, another Sundance Film Festival is upon us, unspooling another feast of independent cinema from January 23 to February 2. In anticipation of the 2025 festival, here are 15 films we are especially excited to see.
AMERICAN INDIES
While the festival has expanded to a more international outlook, it still maintains its roots as a showcase for the best in American independent film. This year’s lineup includes a promising mix of familiar and new faces across the fest’s various sections. In the marquee US Dramatic Competition, the talent involved in Rachael Abigail Holder’s debut feature Love, Brooklyn is undeniable. Produced by Steven Soderbergh, the film stars André Holland, Nicole Beharie, DeWanda Wise as New Yorkers navigating their evolving relationships with each other amid the demands of their personal lives.
Meanwhile, Sundance faves Andrew Ahn and Ira Sachs will also make their anticipated returns. Ahn will bring his enticing remake of Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet, featuring Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran and Bowen Yang in key roles. And Sachs will reunite with Ben Whishaw for Peter Hujar’s Day, which explores the life and work of its titular photographer in the 1970s. Hollywood mainstays Bill Condon and Justin Lin will also grace the Utah mountains with their presence, as they premiere the musical Kiss of the Spider Woman (starring Jennifer Lopez) and Last Days (a true story about a missionary’s ill-fated encounter with the uncontacted people of North Sentinel Island) respectively.
HOT DOCS
A perennial highlight of the programme, Sundance’s documentary lineup promises another intriguing slate of non-fiction films from around the world. One such example of the fest’s reputation for documentary breakouts is Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, who rode the succes of Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) all the way to Oscar-winning glory. Questlove is back with his follow-up SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), exploring the life and career of the funk band Sly and the Family Stone. Rising filmmaker Elegance Bratton will also delve into another touchstone of Black culture in America, with his latest documentary Move Ya Body: The Birth of House.
From across the pond, the current Russo-Ukrainian war is investigated by two filmmakers in the World Documentary Competition. In 2000 Meters to Andriivka, Mstyslav Chernov follows his Oscar-winning 20 Days in Mariupol with another look at life on the frontlines, as a Ukrainian attempts to liberate a Ukrainian village from Russian occupation. Meanwhile, Mr. Nobody Against Putin examines Russia’s use of primary schools as recruitment centers for the war. Further south, directors Maia Lekow and Christopher King document an significant anti-colonial project in Kenya with How to Build a Library.
WORLD CINEMA
Lately, Sundance Film Festival has become increasing important as a launchpad for acclaimed non-English language films. Indeed, Oscar nominees like Flee, Honeyland and The Mole Agent all debuted in Park City. This year’s international films once again serve up exciting prospects that we could be talking about throughout the year. Cinephiles will certainly be drawn to Flora Lau’s LUZ, starring the beloved Isabelle Huppert in a tale of connection through virtual reality. The harsh reality of our world cannot be escaped in Cherien Dabis’ All That’s Left of You, however, which explores how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict directly impacts a Palestinian teen and his family.
Meanwhile, Indian independent cinema hopes to make another big splash at Sundance through Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s Cactus Pears a stunningly tender drama centering a taboo queer romance. And finally, a pair of international films will offer genre thrills in the form of Alireza Khatami’s revenge thriller The Things You Kill and the Cinderella-inspired horror The Ugly Stepsister, playing in the Midnight section.
Stay tuned for Awards Radar’s daily coverage of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival from January 23rd to February 2nd.
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