The Sundance Film Festival is back, set against the snow-capped ski-sloped mountains of Park City, Utah. Here are the biggest movies to look out for
Kicking off the new year in cinema, Sundance never fails to inspire, surprise and delight movie lovers in equal measure. There’s a splash of big-name stars in town, of course, for the world premieres of their new indie movies (think Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman and Willem Dafoe, among others).
There’s Oscar-winning talent back, too, with much-anticipated new docs (think Questlove’s much-anticipated Sly Stone doc, his follow-up to Summer of Soul). And there’s those breakout movies and fresh discoveries that emerge once the festival is in full swing, the best of which you’ll find right here. Here, then, are our top picks from this year’s fest. Expect to be hearing plenty more about them in the days and weeks ahead.
1. Rebuilding
This couldn’t be any more topical: a moving drama about a destructive wildfire in the US and the painful recovery that follows in its wake. Josh O’Connor (aka the man who could be Bond) stretches himself again, here playing a cowboy named Dusty, a farmer who finds solace in the community after he’s lost everything. This could just be the crowd-pleaser of the festival.
2. Peter Hujar’s Day
Recreating the grimy downtown art scene of 1970s New York, years before gentrification made it unaffordable, this intriguing period piece focuses on the artists who lived there without any money. Specifically, Ben Whishaw stars as photographer Peter Hujar, and the film reimagines a conversation he had in 1974 with writer Linda Rosenkrantz (played by Rebecca Hall). It’s written and directed by Sundance stalwart Ira Sachs (Love is Strange).
3. Rabbit Trap
Dev Patel heads up a fine cast in this spirited spookfest set in 1973 involving music, ancient folklore and a remote cabin in Wales. Married couple Darcy (Patel) and Daphne (Blue Jean’s Rosy McEwen) leave their London home for the seemingly peaceful Welsh countryside to complete their new album. But after accidentally recording sounds never heard by humans before, and a visit by a mysterious young girl (Jade Croot), all hell breaks loose.
4. Jimpa
It seems apt, given the rhetoric coming out of Washington, that gay, trans and non-binary films should appear so prominently throughout this year’s programme. Olivia Colman and John Lithgow star in this coming-of-age story in which a non-binary daughter chooses to stay with her hedonistic gay grandfather in Amsterdam, leaving her English mother to face up to her own beliefs and prejudices. It’s directed by Australia’s Sophie Hyde, whose previous film, the sex comedy Good Luck to You, Leo Grande starring Emma Thompson, was a Sundance hit in 2022.
5. Kiss of the Spider Woman
A classic brought bang up to date for contemporary audiences is no bad thing. Here, two men – one a political activist, the other a gay hairdresser – share a police cell and form an unlikely bond in this adaptation of the 1992 Kander and Ebb stage musical, based on the 1976 novel by Manuel Puig. The story may sound familiar: it was first adapted for cinema way back in 1985 with character actor William Hurt. Here, Diego Luna plays the hairdresser, with Jennifer Lopez cast as the object of his musical fantasies. Expect plenty of arresting set pieces.
6. The Ballad of Wallis Island
After winning the lottery, well-meaning oddball Charles (Tim Key) dreams of getting his favourite musical duo back together, to play at his remote island home. The only problem is, he hasn’t told the former lovers (Carey Mulligan, Tom Basden) that he’s invited the other along. Funnyman Steve Coogan helped produce this gentle comedy about life, love and regret, set against the stunning scenery of Wales – which is getting a great run at this year’s festival – with a sweet, sweet soundtrack to match.
7. Sly Lives! Aka the Burden of Black Genius
Musician-DJ-author turned Oscar-winning filmmaker Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson takes us higher after the remarkable Summer of Soul with this layered look at flawed funk genius Sly Stone. A huge crossover star in the lead up to Woodstock, Stone’s musical influence can be felt throughout popular music to this day. His star shone so bright, before an infamously protracted, drug-induced downfall brought him crashing to earth, that his peers, bandmates and believers were all but lost for words. Until now.
8. Opus
In this buzzy new horror, again from A24, a young journo (The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri) is randomly invited up to a remote compound for a scoop: to hear the new album from legendary reclusive musician Moretti (John Malkovich), who’s been out of the public eye for 40 years. Nothing is as it seems, though, and she soon finds herself trapped in a bizarre world of fawning acolytes and twisted scheming, where she is a key player. The fine cast also includes Juliette Lewis and White Lotus’ Murray Bartlett.
9. The Legend of Ochi
A gorgeously kooky-looking fantasy starring Willem Dafoe and Emily Watson, this tracks the adventures of a girl (Helena Zengel) who learns never to go outside for fear of the mythical creatures called the Ochi. But when a baby Ochi is left behind by its flock, the girl must break with convention in order to reunite it with its family. Best-known for making music videos with the likes of Björk, writer-director Isaiah Saxon promises plenty of offbeat action and suspense in this A24’s first family-friendly fable.
10. The Thing With Feathers
In this creepy thriller, Benedict Cumberbatch stars as a widower stalked by a seemingly malignant presence in the apartment he shares with his two young sons. The film’s director, Dylan Southern, hails from a background in music: he made the excellent Meet Me in the Bathroom doc that premiered at the virtual Sundance in 2022, as well as various Björk and Arctic Monkeys videos. Expect plenty of dark energy in this intense dramatic debut.
11. Brides
A coming-of-age YA adventure with a twist, best friends Doe (Ebada Hassan) and Muna (Safiyya Ingar) leave their troubled lives in the UK for the road trip of a lifetime in a pre-uprising Syria. Directed by theatre CEO turned director Nadia Fall, this sparky debut has the besties grappling with identity, sexuality and faith, all set against the backdrop of a nation with its own issues to face.
12. By Design
In this deliciously droll comedy, former wild child Juliette Lewis, in her second Sundance appearance this year, plays a woman who falls in love with a chair she can’t afford. The solution? To body swap with it. The chair becomes her soul, with her body becoming the chair. In the spirit of The Substance, and with its tongue firmly in its cheek, this could prove the comedy highlight of the festival. The cast also includes Mamoudou Athie, Melanie Griffith, Samantha Mathis, Robin Tunney and Udo Kier.
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival runs January 23 to February 2.