Here are the films mentioned most often by buyers and sellers setting up shop at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The action begins Thursday.
ATROPY – Director: Hailey Gates. With: Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Chloë Sévigny, Tim Heidecker, Jane Levy. When an aspiring actress working at a military role-playing center falls in love with a soldier cast as an insurgent, their unsimulated emotions threaten to derail the performance. American Drama Competition; Premiere: January 25 at noon MT, Eccles Theater; PI: January 26 at 10 a.m., Village Vacances Cinémas 4
BUBBLE AND SQUEAK – Director: Evan Twohy. Actors: Himesh Patel, Sarah Goldberg, Steven Yeun, Dave Franco, Matt Berry. Accused of smuggling cabbages into a country where cabbages are banned, Declan and Delores must confront the fragility of their new marriage as they flee for their lives. American Drama Competition; Premiere: January 24 at 6:15 p.m., Eccles Theater; PI: January 25 at 4 p.m., Village Vacances Cinémas 4
THE FUCK OF THE SPIDER WOMAN – Director: Bill Condon. With: Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, Jennifer Lopez, Bruno Bichir, Josefina Scaglione, Aline Mayagoitia. Valentín, a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina, a window dresser convicted of public outrage. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina narrates the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite big screen diva, Ingrid Luna. First Section; Premiere: January 26 at 6 p.m., Eccles Theater; PI: January 28 at 10 a.m., Village Vacances Cinémas 4
Sky Yang in “Last Days”
Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Tanasak “Top” Boonlam
LAST DAYS – Director: Justin Lin. Actors: Sky Yang, Radhika Apte, Naveen Andrews, Ken Leung, Toby Wallace, Ciara Bravo. Determined to fulfill his life’s mission, 26-year-old John Allen Chau embarks on a dangerous journey across the globe to convert the isolated tribe of North Sentinel Island to Christianity, while a detective from the Andaman Islands races to find him. stop before it does harm. to himself or the tribe. First Section; Premiere: January 28 at 3 p.m., Eccles Theater; PI: January 25 at 1 p.m., Village Vacances Cinémas 4
MARLEE MATLIN: ALONE NO MORE – Director: Shoshannah Stern. In 1987, Marlee Matlin became the first deaf actress to win an Oscar and was thrust into the spotlight at age 21. Reflecting on her life in her primary language, American Sign Language, Marlee explores the complexities of what it means to be a pioneer. American documentary competition; Premiere: January 23 at noon, Eccles Theater; PI: January 23 at 7 p.m., Village Vacances Cinémas 1
MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN – Director: David Borenstein. As Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, primary schools in the Russian hinterland are being transformed into recruiting stations for war. Faced with the ethical dilemma of working in a system defined by propaganda and violence, a courageous teacher goes undercover to film what’s really happening at his own school. Documentary competition on world cinema; Premiere: January 25 at noon, Egyptian Theater; PI: January 25 at 6:30 p.m., Village Vacances Cinémas 2
OH, HEY! – Director: Sophie Brooks. Actors: Molly Gordon, Logan Lerman, Geraldine Viswanathan, John Reynolds. Iris and Isaac’s first romantic weekend goes wrong. First Section; Premiere: January 26 at noon, Eccles Theater; PI: January 27 at 2:30 p.m., Holiday Village Cinemas – 1
RICKY – Director: Rashad Frett. Actors: Stephan James, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Titus Welliver, Maliq Johnson, Imani Lewis, Andrene Ward-Hammond. Newly released after being locked up as a teenager, 30-year-old Ricky navigates the difficult realities of life after incarceration and the complexities of gaining independence for the first time as an adult. American Drama Competition; Premiere: January 24 at 3 p.m., Eccles Theater; PI: January 25 at 5:30 p.m., Village Vacances Cinémas 1
Benedict Cumberbatch in “The Thing with Feathers”
Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Anthony Dickenson
THE THING WITH FEATHERS – Director: Dylan Southern. Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Boxall, Henry Boxall, Eric Lampaert, Vinette Robinson, Sam Spruell. Struggling to cope with the sudden and unexpected death of his wife, a young father loses his grip on reality as a seemingly malignant presence begins stalking him from the dark recesses of the apartment he shares with his two young children. son. First Section; Premiere: January 25 at 9:45 p.m., Eccles Theater; PI: January 27 at 4 p.m., Village Vacances Cinémas 4
Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones in “Train Dreams”
Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Adolpho Veloso
TRAIN DREAMS – Director: Clint Bentley. Actors: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy. Robert Grainier is a day laborer building America’s railroads in the early 20th century as he experiences deep love, shocking defeat, and a world that changes irrevocably before his eyes. First Section; Premiere: January 26 at 9 a.m. at the Library Center Theater; PI: January 27 at 6 p.m., Cinémas Village Vacances
EAST OF THE WALL – Director: Kate Beecroft. Actors: Tabatha Zimiga, Porshia Zimiga, Scoot McNairy, Jennifer Ehle. After the death of her husband, Tabatha – a rebellious, tattooed young horse trainer – struggles with financial insecurity and unresolved grief while providing sanctuary to a group of wayward teenagers at her crumbling ranch in the Badlands . FOLLOWING; Premiere: January 24 at 10 a.m., The Ray Theater; PI: January 25 at 9:30 a.m., Village Vacances Cinémas 2
Jacinda Ardern in “Prime Minister”
Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo from Radio New Zealand
PRIME MINISTER – Directors: Michelle Walshe, Lindsay Utz. A glimpse into the life of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, captivating her through five tumultuous years in power and beyond as she redefined leadership on the world stage. Documentary competition on world cinema; Premiere: January 24 at noon, Eccles Theater; PI: January 24 at 7 p.m., Village Vacances Cinémas 4
RECONSTITUTION – Director: Max Walker-Silverman. Actors: Josh O’Connor, Lily LaTorre, Meghann Fahy, Kali Reis, Amy Madigan. After a forest fire ravages his family’s farm, a rancher searches for a solution. First Section; Premiere: January 26 at 3 p.m., Eccles Theater; PI: January 28 at 12:30 p.m., Village Vacances Cinémas 2
Kiran Deol in “I’m Not Dead”
Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Paul Gleason
I’m not dead – Director: Meera Menon. Actors: Kiran Deol, George Basil, Samrat Chakrabarti, Katie McCuen, Vishal Vijayakumar. A podcast host desperately clings to a shrinking audience in the zombie apocalypse. Midnight; Premiere: January 28 at 9 p.m., Library Center Theater; PI: January 23 at 2:30 p.m., Village Vacances Cinémas 4
