The 2025 Sundance Film Festival kicks off on January 23, showcasing films across Park City, Utah through February 2, and online January 30- February 2. Across seven of the festival’s 14 program sections, we have rounded up the 15 science and technology-themed projects to look out for, organized by section, with descriptions excerpted from the festival’s programmers. Highlights include the 2025 winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, Cristina Costantini’s documentary SALLY, making its world premiere at the festival. Previous winners of the annual Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize include Sam Zuchero and Andy Zuchero’s LOVE ME – which hits theaters later this month – and Sophie Barthes’ THE POD GENERATION.
Beyond the titles outlined below, Sloan grantees will be active at the festival with other works. Cherien Dabis returns to Sundance for the world premiere of her latest work ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU, and newly minted Sloan grantee Daeil Kim’s work as a cinematographer can be seen in the short film THE THINGS WE KEEP, playing as part of the Midnights Short Film Program.
Sloan Science & Film will be covering Sundance, so check back for more as the festival gets underway.
U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
BUNNYLOVR. Dir. Katarina Zhu. World Premiere. “A drifting Chinese American cam girl struggles to navigate an increasingly toxic relationship with one of her clients while rekindling her relationship with her dying estranged father.” Available online for Public.
TWINLESS. Dir. James Sweeney. World Premiere. “Two young men meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely bromance.” Available online for Public.
Still from TWINLESS. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
ANDRE IS AN IDIOT. Dir. Anthony Benna. World Premiere. “Andre, a brilliant idiot, is dying because he didn’t get a colonoscopy. His sobering diagnosis, complete irreverence, and insatiable curiosity, send him on an unexpected journey learning how to die happily and ridiculously without losing his sense of humor.” Available online for Public.
LIFE AFTER. Dir. Reid Davenport. World Premiere. “In 1983, a disabled Californian woman named Elizabeth Bouvia sought the ‘right to die,’ igniting a national debate about autonomy, dignity, and the value of disabled lives. After years of courtroom trials, Bouvia disappeared from public view. Disabled director Reid Davenport narrates this investigation of what happened to Bouvia.” Available online for Public.
SUGAR BABIES. Dir. Rachel Fleit. World Premiere. “Autumn is an enterprising college scholarship recipient and burgeoning TikTok influencer. Part of a close circle of friends growing up poor in rural Louisiana, she is determined to overcome the struggles and barriers defining them. Faced with limited minimum wage job options, Autumn devises an online sugar baby operation.” Available online for Public.
Still from SUGAR BABIES. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
LUZ. Dir. Flora Lau. World Premiere. “In the neon-lit streets of Chongqing, Wei desperately searches for his estranged daughter Fa, while Hong Kong gallerist Ren grapples with her ailing stepmother Sabine in Paris. Their lives collide in a virtual reality world, where a mystical deer reveals hidden truths, sparking a journey of discovery and connection.”
Still from LUZ. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
GEN_. Dir. Gianluca Matarrese. World Premiere. ”At Milan’s Niguarda public hospital, the unconventional Dr. Bini leads a bold mission overseeing aspiring parents undergoing in vitro fertilization and the journeys of individuals reconciling their bodies with their gender identities. He navigates the constraints set by a conservative government and an aggressive market eager to commodify bodies.” Available online for Public.
Still from GEN_. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
NEXT
FOLKTALES. Dirs. Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady. World Premiere. “On the precipice of adulthood, teenagers converge at a traditional folk high school in Arctic Norway. Dropped at the edge of the world, they must rely on only themselves, one another, and a loyal pack of sled dogs as they all grow in unexpected directions.”
Still from FOLKTALES. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
OBEX. Dir. Albert Birney. World Premiere. “Conor Marsh lives a secluded life with his dog, Sandy, until one day he begins playing OBEX, a new, state-of-the-art computer game. When Sandy goes missing, the line between reality and game blurs and Conor must venture into the strange world of OBEX to bring her home.” Available online for Public.
Still from OBEX. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
PREMIERES
IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU. Dir. Mary Bronstein. World Premiere. “With her life 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.”
MIDDLETOWN. Dirs. Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine. World Premiere. “Inspired by an unconventional teacher, a group of teenagers in upstate New York in the early 1990s made a student film that uncovered a vast conspiracy involving toxic waste that was poisoning their community. Thirty years later, they revisit their film and confront the legacy of this transformative experience.”
REBUILDING. Dir. Max Walker-Silverman. World Premiere. “After a wildfire takes the family farm, a rancher seeks a way forward.”
SALLY. Dir. Cristina Costantini. World Premiere. “Sally Ride became the first American woman to blast off into space, but beneath her unflappable composure was a secret. Sally’s life partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, reveals their hidden romance and the sacrifices that accompanied their 27 years together.” Available online for Public. 2025 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize Winner.
TRAIN DREAMS. Dir. Clint Bentley. World Premiere. “Robert Grainier is a day laborer building America’s railroads at the start of the 20th century as he experiences profound love, shocking defeat, and a world irrevocably transforming before his very eyes.”
SPOTLIGHT
APRIL. Dir. Dea Kulumbegashvili. “Nina is an obstetrician at a maternity hospital in Eastern Georgia. After a difficult delivery, an infant dies and the father demands an inquiry into her methods. The scrutiny threatens to expose Nina’s secret side job — visiting village homes of pregnant girls and women to provide unsanctioned abortions.”
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