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The Sundance Film Festival remains the largest independent film festival in the United States, and as was the case in both 2023 and 2024, the 2025 edition will be in a hybrid format, with screenings in Park City and Salt Lake City, UT, along with limited selections available online for viewers across the United States. This provides cinephiles ample opportunity to check out some of the most exciting indie cinema that will be coming your way this year.
FandomWire is delighted to again be covering the Sundance Film Festival, but this year, for the first time in person in Park City, Utah! We will be reviewing many of the films we see on the ground, but for now, we wanted to let you know about some of the films we have gotten the opportunity to see early and you won’t want to miss.
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Although we will be mostly focusing on titles that are available virtually at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in this article, we do want to give a quick shout-out to one film that’s only playing for in-person festival attendees:Kevin Macdonald’sOne to One: John & Yoko. After premiering at the 2024 Venice Film Festival and playing at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival, this post-Beatles John Lennon doc is making its way to Park City. However, it’s not your typical music doc, instead taking a much more political approach to its events. If you’re going to Sundance in person, don’t overlook this one; otherwise, be on the lookout for it later this year.
Although only hardcore cinephiles may be familiar with the work of Amanda Kramer (watchPlease Baby Pleaseif you haven’t seen it), her latest film —By Design— promises to put her on the mainstream map. The film starsYellowjackets’s Juliette Lewis as a woman who swaps bodies with a chair. It’s a wild, unique premise done with uniquely sardonic humor. Although it won’t be for everyone, you can probably tell if you will be on this film’s wavelength or not by its premise.
Hal & Harper
One of the most hotly anticipated episodic projects at the festival is Cooper Raiff’s (Cha Cha Real Smooth) indie seriesHal & Harper, which stars Raiff alongside Lili Reinhart (Riverdale), Betty Gilpin (GLOW), and Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers). The show follows a brother and sister through the years as they grow up with their single father. To make things more interesting, Raiff and Reinhart also play the younger versions of their characters in flashbacks. Offering the same style of indie dramedy that Raiff has come to be loved for with a quirky twist,Hal & Harperis sure to be a hit with audiences. [While only the first four episodes are playing in-person, all eight are available online.]
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Heightened Scrutiny
Sam Feder’s documentaryHeightened Scrutinyis, frankly, the single most important film you’re able to see at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The film follows civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio as he fights against anti-trans laws both inside and outside of the courtroom. However, what makesHeightened Scrutinystand out from other documentaries about anti-trans laws is that this film is primarily about the role that the media’s coverage of these laws plays in shaping the public perception. Through this unique perspective, it asks challenging questions that viewers may not have considered before.
Directed by Chloé Robichaud (Days of Happiness) and written by Catherine Léger (Sundance 2022 selectionBabysitter),Two Womenis a modern-day remake of the influential Quebecois sex comedyTwo Women in Gold. It follows two neighbors who, dissatisfied with the domesticity of their lives, begin to re-evaluate their lives after beginning affairs. It’s a breezy, charming, feminist entry into the genre — qualities that all too many sex comedies fail to capture — buoyed by strong performances by Karine Gonthier-Hyndman and Laurence Leboeuf.
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The Virgin of the Quarry Lake
Even though most of the Midnight section will not be available for virtual viewing this year, that does not mean that genre cinephiles don’t have options to choose from at this year’s festival. In the World Cinema Dramatic Competition is the Argentine horror-tingedThe Virgin of the Quarry Lake, adapted from the work of horror writer Mariana Enríquez. Visually stylish and wonderfully atmospheric, this will certainly scratch the itch for anyone looking for genre cinema.
The2025 Sundance Film Festivalruns January 22-February 2 in Park City and Salt Lake City, UT, and January 30-February 2 online.
Sean Boelman
Managing Editor for Film and TV
Articles Published :441
Sean is the Managing Editor for Film and Television, working to determine editorial strategy for the critics team. He has been on the FandomWire team since 2022.In addition to writing reviews himself, Sean helps match writers on the FandomWire team with assignments that best fit their interests and expertise.
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John LennonJuliette LewisLili ReinhartMark RuffalosundanceSundance Film FestivalYoko Ono
