Weeks before the 2025 Sundance Film Festival was slated to begin in Park City, Utah, catastrophic wildfires broke out in Los Angeles. Organizers debated the next steps, but ultimately decided to continue with the festival as planned, saying that they hoped it could be “healing and catalytic.” Still, the ongoing tragedy in nearby California loomed large over Sundance. The Josh O’Connor-led drama “Rebuilding” hones in on a rancher whose property is destroyed by a wildfire, following him as he tries to find hope and community in the aftermath of devastation. The festival set up resources online and on the ground in Utah for those affected by the fires, while the disaster stayed in conversation as filmmakers, stars and Sundance employees all grappled with its effects firsthand. 

While not every movie was a surefire hit, you’d be hard-pressed to stumble upon something that wasn’t at the very least interesting.

But the wonderful thing about Sundance is that, unlike other film festivals where maintaining an air of exclusivity and glamour often seems like the top priority (sometimes over the films themselves), Sundance has always been about meeting people where they’re at. “Community” isn’t merely a buzzword, it’s what the festival was founded on. Sundance turns Park City into a hub for new independent cinema and heralds unique voices that might otherwise be shut out of the industry’s tightly locked doors. It’s a festival so defined by its spirit that it’s difficult to imagine attending it will feel any different when it switches location in 2027. Yes, this is the penultimate year of the festival being held in Utah, where it has taken place since its inception 46 years ago. But no matter where it goes next, important filmmaking is sure to follow.

Related

This year’s lineup was no different. The slate was packed with exciting titles and fresh voices, all ripe for the picking. While not every movie was a surefire hit, you’d be hard-pressed to stumble upon something that wasn’t at the very least interesting. The festival also once again proved itself instrumental in showcasing timely works. The documentary “Heightened Scrutiny,” about ACLU lawyer Chase Stangio preparing to argue for gender-affirming care in front of the Supreme Court, felt perfectly timed to meet Trump’s anti-trans executive orders. Elsewhere, an updated version of Ang Lee’s “The Wedding Banquet” tackled not only Asian diaspora but fertility struggles and queer dynamics in contemporary family units. It was a year where Independent artists and A-List talent were on a level playing field, and it’s that kind of consistent uniformity that continues to set Sundance apart from every other major festival. 

Here, then, are nine of the best, most fascinating films from Sundance 2025 that are not to be missed.

Writer-director Mary Bronstein’s latest film finds Rose Byrne in crisis. Well, crises. Byrne stars as Linda, a woman looking Murphy’s Law dead in the eye and screaming in its face. Her daughter is dealing with a mysterious........

© Salon