Winter is in full-swing in Utah and that means that it’s time for the return of Sundance Film festival to the state, transforming Main Street in Park City into a mini-Hollywood. The iconic film festival will be retuning to Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah starting January 23 and running through February 2, 2025.
This year’s iconic film festival features 57 films (chosen from 11,153 submissions) and showcases work from 28 countries and territories. A full list of offerings can be found here: https://d2wsrejhnxatgp.cloudfront.net/assest/live/Program_Guide.pdf.
Some of this year’s films of note in the Midnight Category (whose focus ranges from horror films to bizarre comedies) include Opus, a riveting film about a young writer who is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago, and Didn’t Die, an American film about a podcast host desperately clings to an evershrinking audience in the zombie apocalypse.
In the Documentary Category,
Sugar Babies tells the story of a rural college student and burgeoning TikTok influencer who explores becoming a Sugar Baby as an alternative to the minimum wage jobs available in poor rural Louisiana. View From the Floor follows a singer as she confronts inspiration porn, exploitation, and impostor syndrome in pursuit of a life on the stage without legs
One entry of note in the Episodic Pilot Category is Chasers, a series about an aspiring musician pursuing her crush and navigating the world of other Los Angeles dreamers at a house party. Never Get Busted!, and Australian entry, tells the true story of Barry Cooper, a highly decorated Texas narcotics officer who turned on the police force by busting crooked cops and teaching drug users how to hide their stash.
In the Short Film Category, Hoops, Hopes & Dreams, tells the untold story about how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and an all-star team of civil rights activists took to basketball courts to rally young voters while winning hearts of communities, and how their strategy has echoed in contemporary politics
In the NEXT category, which focuses on the immersion of technology and futurism with storytelling, OBEX is a film about a man who 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
The Premiers film lineup contains a number of promising films including SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), an nonfiction examination of the life and legacy of Sly & The Family Stone.
There are also a number of panels, events, and workshops taking place throughout the festival. The ACLU storytelling panel brings together leading voices from across film/media and policy to discuss the essential role of storytelling in championing critical issues like immigration, free speech and trans rights. The Sundance Beyond Film activation will feature conversations from various participants, including artists from films screening in the 2025 Festival. This year’s Beyond Film series will feature talks within the program strands of Power of Story, Cinema Café presented by Audible, Film Church, and The Big Conversation. All Beyond Film activities are free to the public with the exception of Power of Story, which is a paid ticket. The talks will take place in person from January 24–31, 2025, with most of the offerings available to audiences online the day following the in-person event on festival.sundance.org throughout the Festival. The Blackhouse Foundation returns to the festival for their 18th year with “A Conversation with Black Filmmakers You Should Know.,” an in-person event that will be held on January 24. The Audible Listening Lodge will once again host the “Variety x Audible Cocktails & Conversations” panel events, bringing together actors, directors, and creators from diverse mediums and backgrounds. Rendezvous Media Ventures, a newly established hedge fund whose mission is to introduce a fresh and innovative approach to entertainment financing by utilizing a unique, cutting-edge proprietary algorithm in conjunction with an ethical strategy. Rendezvous leverages this platform to network with filmmakers seeking financing
for new and ongoing projects in addition to film distribution opportunities, will partner with Hendrick’s Gin and
the new artesian water sponsor, neaū water, for a pop-up on Main Street where they will host several films and events- many open to the public. Chase Sapphire Reserve is back at Sundance Film Festival for its 15th year as presenting sponsor, bringing cardmembers closer to the films and filmmakers at the heart of the festival. This includes a Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge available to Reserve cardmembers who show their card (plus a guest) from January 24-28, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with daily panels featuring talent from some of the premiering films.
(A full list of events can be found here: https://festival.sundance.org/program/partner-events/.)
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