Col Needham’s Top Sundance Picks for 2025
I am the Founder and Executive Chair of IMDb and these are the movies which I am most looking forward to seeing at the Sundance Film Festival 2025. The list is in alphabetical order.
The scope of the festival and the quality makes it difficult to pick a subset and these are all taken from my longer Sundance Interest List which contains over 70 movies and the festival is only 11 days long!
The titles I have seen from Sundance 2025 are on this list, which will be updated as the festival progresses.
The scope of the festival and the quality makes it difficult to pick a subset and these are all taken from my longer Sundance Interest List which contains over 70 movies and the festival is only 11 days long!
The titles I have seen from Sundance 2025 are on this list, which will be updated as the festival progresses.
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- 30 titles
- DirectorHailey GatesStarsAlia ShawkatZahra AlzubaidiCallum TurnerFollows an aspiring actress working on a U.S. military base that simulates an Iraqi war zone.
- DirectorJames GriffithsStarsTom BasdenTim KeySian CliffordAn eccentric lottery winner who lives alone on a remote island tries to make his fantasies come true by getting his favorite musicians to perform at his home.
- DirectorNadia FallStarsEbada HassanSafiyya IngarYusra WarsamaTwo teenage girls in search of freedom, friendship, and belonging run away from their lives in the UK with a dangerous plan of travelling to Syria.
- DirectorKatarina ZhuStarsKatarina ZhuAustin AmelioPerry YungA cam girl navigates a toxic client relationship while reconnecting with her estranged, dying father, exploring complex relationships and family dynamics.
- DirectorAmanda KramerStarsJuliette LewisMamoudou AthieSamantha MathisA twist on the body swap genre.
- DirectorViolet Du FengIn a country where eligible men greatly outnumber women, three perpetual bachelors join an intensive seven-day dating camp led by one of China's most sought-after dating coaches in what may be their last-ditch effort to find love.
- DirectorKate BeecroftStarsPorshia ZimigaTabatha ZimigaScoot McNairyAfter the death of her husband, Tabatha- a young, tattooed, rebellious horse trainer- wrestles with financial insecurity and unresolved grief while providing refuge for a group of wayward teenagers on her broken-down ranch in the Badlands.
- DirectorMary BronsteinStarsRose ByrneConan O'BrienDanielle MacdonaldWith her life literally crashing down around her, Linda attempts to navigate her child's mysterious illness, her absent husband, a missing person, and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist.
- DirectorSophie HydeStarsOlivia ColmanJohn LithgowCody FernHannah and her non-binary teenager Frances visits her gay grandfather Jimpa at Amsterdam . Frances expresses a desire to stay with her grandfather for a year, challenging Hannah's parenting beliefs and forcing her to confront past issues.
- DirectorBill CondonStarsDiego LunaTonatiuhJennifer LopezValentín, a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, convicted for public indecency. An unlikely bond forms as Molina recounts a Hollywood musical plot starring Ingrid Luna.
- DirectorKim A. SnyderStarsSuzette BakerBecky CalzadaCarolyn FooteLibrarians unite to combat book banning, defending intellectual freedom on democracy's frontlines amid unprecedented censorship in Texas, Florida, and beyond.
- DirectorRachael HolderStarsAndré HollandNicole BeharieDeWanda WiseThree longtime Brooklynites navigate careers, love, loss, and friendship against the rapidly changing landscape of their beloved city.
- DirectorAlex RussellStarsThéodore PellerinArchie MadekweSunny SuljicA retail employee infiltrates the inner circle of an artist on the verge of stardom. As he gets closer to the budding music star, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.
- DirectorFlora LauStarsIsabelle HuppertSandrine PinnaXiaodong GuoIn Chongqing, Wei desperately searches for his daughter Fa. In Paris, Ren grapples with stepmother Sabine. Their lives collide in a VR world, where a mystical deer reveals hidden truths, sparking a journey of discovery and connection.
- DirectorAmalia UlmanStarsChloë SevignyJoe ApollonioSimon RexA media crew mistakenly ends up in the wrong country while trying to profile a musician. As they collaborate with locals to create a viral trend, relationships form amid an unfolding health crisis.
- DirectorSophie BrooksStarsMolly GordonLogan LermanGeraldine ViswanathanIris and Isaac's first romantic weekend getaway goes awry in a most unexpected way.
- DirectorMark Anthony GreenStarsAyo EdebiriJohn MalkovichJuliette LewisA writer travels to the compound of a pop icon who disappeared years ago. Surrounded by his cult of sycophants, as well as a group of fellow journalists, she soon discovers his twisted plans for the gathering.
- DirectorIra SachsStarsRebecca HallBen WhishawConversation between photographer Peter Hujar and Linda Rosenkrantz from 1974 sheds light on New York's vibrant downtown art world and the introspective journey of an artist's life.
- DirectorCarmen EmmiStarsTom BlythRussell ToveyMaria DizziaA promising undercover agent assigned to lure and arrest gay men defies professional orders when he falls in love with a target.
- DirectorBryn ChaineyStarsDev PatelRosy McEwenJade CrootMarried couple Daphne and Darcy Davenport are two musicians who moved from London to a cottage in Wales to complete their new album. By accident they record a mystical sound never heard before and gradually disconnect from reality.
- DirectorMax Walker-SilvermanStarsJosh O'ConnorEli MalouffMeghann FahyAfter wildfires take his ranch, a cowboy named Dusty winds up in a FEMA camp, finding community with others who lost homes, including his daughter and ex-wife.
- DirectorRashad FrettStarsTitus WelliverAndrene Ward-HammondSheryl Lee RalphNewly 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.
- DirectorEva VictorStarsEva VictorNaomi AckieLouis CancelmiSomething bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on - for everyone around her, at least.
- DirectorRachel FleitA college student from rural Louisiana uses her social media to create an unconventional online business, aiming to break free from poverty and help her friends. Her ambition leads her down a risky path as she navigates new challenges.
- DirectorSierra FalconerStarsMarceline HugotAdam LeFevreMaren HearyAn anthology following the residents of a small town and the lake that binds them together.
