The 2025 Sundance Film Festival kicked off Thursday, January 23rd, in Park City, Utah and will run through Sunday February 2nd. As part of the nonprofit Sundance Institute, the festival is one of the most respected gatherings of filmmakers and film lovers in search of fresh perspectives and new voices. Founded in1981 by Robert Redford, the festival has introduced some of the world’s most ground-breaking film and episodic projects, including Fruitvale Station, Love & Basketball, Mudbound, Sorry to Bother You, Summer of Soul, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, O.J.: Made in America, One Child Nation and Zola, to name a few.
In its 11-day run, this year’s festival will include 88 feature films, including 84 world premieres, representing 33 countries across all categories. Of the 88 feature films, 37 are directed by first-time directors.
Several film luminaries join the prestigious 2025 Sundance Jury, including actor/producer Daniel Kaluuya, director Wanuri Kahiu, filmmakers Kibwe Tavares, Reinaldo Marcus and Marcia Smith.
Anticipated premieres at this year’s festival include Jennifer Lopez’ highly anticipated Kiss of a Spider Woman remake directed by Bill Condon; If I Had Legs I’d Kick You starring Rose Byrne, A$AP Rocky, and Conan O’Brien; Ayo Edebiri alongside John Malkovich in Opus and Sly Lives! from Questlove. Also actress Cynthia Erivo along with James Mangold will be the honorees this year at the Sundance Film Festival Gala celebrating the Sundance Institute.
2025’s competing films will also include a slate of projects from filmmakers of color or starring actors of color. Here is a breakdown of the offerings in each category.
PREMIERES
Move Ya Body: The Birth of House / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Elegance Bratton, Producer: Chester Algernal Gordon) — Out of the underground dance clubs on the South Side of Chicago, a group of friends turn a new sound into a global movement. World Premiere. Documentary.
Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) / U.S.A. (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 while shedding light on the unseen burden that comes with success for Black artists in America. World Premiere. Documentary.
MIDNIGHT
Opus / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Mark Anthony Green, Producers: Collin Creighton, Brad Weston, Poppy Hanks, Jelani Johnson, Josh Bachove) — A young writer is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago. Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists, she finds herself in the middle of his twisted plan. Cast: Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder. World Premiere. Fiction.
NEXT
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions / U.S.A. (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 heart of the Atlantic Ocean, drawing a journalist 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. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for Public.
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
How to Build a Library / Kenya (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Maia Lekow, Christopher King, Screenwriter: Ricardo Acosta) — Two intrepid Nairobi women decide to transform what used to be a whites-only library until 1958 into a vibrant cultural hub. Along the way, they must navigate local politics, raise millions for the rebuild, and confront the lingering ghosts of Kenya’s colonial past. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Khartoum / Sudan, U.K., 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 leave Sudan for East Africa following the outbreak of war, five citizens of Khartoum — a civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance committee volunteer, and two young bottle collectors — reenact their stories of survival and freedom through dreams, revolution, and civil war. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
The Stringer / U.S.A. (Director: Bao Nguyen, Producers: Fiona Turner, Terri Lichstein) — A two-year investigation uncovers a scandal behind the making of one of the most-recognized photographs of the 20th century. Five decades of secrets are unraveled in the search for justice for a man known only as “the stringer.” World Premiere. Documentary.
U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Love, Brooklyn / U.S.A. (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 against the rapidly changing landscape of their beloved city. Cast: André Holland, Nicole Beharie, DeWanda Wise, Roy Wood Jr., Cassandra Freeman, Cadence Reese. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Ricky / U.S.A. (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 released after being locked up in his teens, 30-year-old Ricky navigates the challenging realities of life post-incarceration, and the complexity of gaining independence for the first time as an adult. Cast: Stephan James, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Titus Welliver, Maliq Johnson, Imani Lewis, Andrene Ward-Hammond. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
U.S DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Seeds / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Brittany Shyne, Producer: Danielle Varga) — An exploration of Black generational farmers in the American South reveals the fragility of legacy and the significance of owning land. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
INTERNATIONAL FICTION SHORT FILMS
B(l)ind The Sacrifice / South Africa (Director and Screenwriter: Nakhane, Producers: Cait Pansegrouw, Elias Ribeiro) — A nomadic family wanders the land under the father’s leadership. One day, the men ascend a mountain to make a sacrifice. But today, things are different, which alters the family forever. Cast: Sihle Mnqwazana, Nandi Nyembe, Treasure Nkosi. North American Premiere. Available online for Public.
U.S. FICTION SHORT FILMS
An Almost Successful Dating App Love Story / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Winter Coleman, Producer: Kim Coleman) — Determined to meet him dead or alive, a curious young woman attends the funeral of a man she matched with on a dating app. Cast: Olivia Washington, Caleb Hearon, Derrick King, Caitlin Reilly. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
The Lily / U.S.A., Thailand (Director, Screenwriter, Producer: Quintessa Swindell) — Two Muay Thai fighters who were once childhood friends come together for a final fight, which serves as a brutal resolution to their difficult familial bond torn apart by the hatred of their fathers. Cast: May Petchompoo, Quintessa Swindell, Sekou Laidlow.
NONFICTION SHORT FILMS
Hold Me Close / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Aurora Brachman, LaTajh Simmons-Weaver) — A chronicle of the power and complexity of the relationship between Corinne and Tiana, two Queer Black womxn who experience cycles of life’s joys and pains together in the home they share. World Premiere. Available online for Public.
Hoops, Hopes & Dreams / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Glenn Kaino, Producers: Jesse Williams, Michael Latt, Alexys Feaster, Afshin Shahidi) — The untold story about how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and an all-star team of civil rights activists took to basketball courts to rally young voters while winning hearts of communities, and how their strategy has echoed in contemporary politics.
Entre le Feu et le Clair de Lune / U.S.A., Côte d’Ivoire (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Dominic Yarabe, Screenwriter: Hyacinthe Houphouet Yarabe, Producer: Carlo Nasisse) — An Ivorian father and his daughter set out to continue the book he never finished about a war he experienced as a child. With children in his village today, three generations create timelines, dreams, and memories. Available online for Public.
The winning film projects and filmmakers of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival are chosen by 16 jury members, representing a diverse and influential cross- section of the film industry and include: Reinaldo Marcus Green, Arian Moayed, and Celine Song for the U.S. Dramatic Competition; Steven Bognar, Vinnie Malhotra, and Marcia Smith for the U.S. Documentary Competition; Ava Cahen, Wanuri Kahiu, and Daniel Kaluuya for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition; Daniela Alatorre, Laura Kim, and Kevin Macdonald for the World Cinema Documentary Competition; Kaniehtiio Horn, Maggie Mackay, and Kibwe Tavares for the Short Film Program Competition; and Elijah Wood for the NEXT section.
Through its year-round artist programs, the Sundance Institute has also nurtured the early careers of such artists as Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Gregg Araki, Darren Aronofsky, Lisa Cholodenko, Ryan Coogler, Nia DaCosta, The Daniels, David Gordon Green, Miranda July, James Mangold, John Cameron Mitchell, Kimberly Peirce, Boots Riley, Ira Sachs, Quentin Tarantino, Taika Waititi, Lulu Wang, and Chloé Zhao.
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