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Sundance 2025 Film Festival Coverage
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This was the first year covering #SundanceatHome that I didn’t have access to the big premieres like: Jimpa; If I Had Legs I’d Kick You; It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley; Kiss of the Spider Woman; Pee-wee as Himself. I saw some good films (see reviews below) it’s just that you feel more apart of things when you see the films everyone’s talking about on social media. In 2023 we were able to watch the premieres at home at the same time the audience was watching in-person. In 2024 we were just 24 hours behind the in-person premiere. I understand, if I were to go to Sundance, I would be able to see things starting January 23rd instead of January 29th and I’d have access to all the films. I kinda thought by now I would make my way back to Park City, Utah – only the last two years I’ve taken big trips during the Christmas Holidays, making it difficult to financially afford to go away again just a few short weeks later or get the time off from work. But lets see what the future holds…
Also talked about these films with fellow
Philadelphia Film Critics Members on our
Film Scribes Podcast
MARLEE MATLIN: Not Alone Anymore | Director Shoshannah Stern
Even I, who was more into theater in 1987, and didn’t watch the OSCARS again until 1997, remember this seismic moment when Marlee Matlin became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award at the tender age of 21. What I surprisingly was never made aware, was that William Hurt, was aptly named. Actually, his first name should have been Richard, cause he was a real dick. I was completely shocked to find out that he seriously physically and emotionally abused Matlin during their romantic real-life relationship, which started on the set of “Children of a Lesser God”. And that despite being at the peak of his own fame, Hurt’s jealousy of Matlin’s success, somewhat dimmed her joy of winning. From all accounts on the physical abuse, he should have been brought up on charges and black balled from Hollywood. But this was far before #Metoo. She said back then she’d never even heard the term domestic abuse. Another contributing factor was also the surprising fact that Marlee was a drug addict at the time – so she just leaves him after getting clean, rather than make accusations.
I didn’t know anything about her autobiography “I’ll Scream Later”, so again, I had no idea she lived with Henry Winkler at this time. Not romantically, Henry’s wife was onboard. He became a sort of surrogate father and is still to this day. But what I can’t understand is why some of the most important people in her life don’t use sign language? Perhaps he knows how, but Winkler doesn’t use it while speaking to Marlee or Shoshannah Stern (deaf director). Matlin’s family never learned to sign while she was growing up, which left her often feeling isolated as a child and teen. You would think as adults with a famous sister, her brothers would learn to sign, but nope. One brother can manage a little, but he admits he’s far from fluent. Even more perplexing is Marlee says she never silently signed to her kids while raising four children with police officer husband (who does know ASL). And I’m sure her children must to some degree; it’s only her eldest daughter on camera, but she doesn’t sign during her interview.
A key thread running through the documentary is the question of belonging. As Matlin reflects on her career, she revisits a pivotal moment in history: the 1988 protests at Gallaudet University. When a hearing candidate was selected over Deaf candidates for the president’s position, the outcry was deafening. Matlin jumped into the conversation, not realizing what it means to represent social change for a group – who later turned on her when she presented at the Oscars the next year, using her voice.
Whether speaking or signing, Marlee Matlin is an icon, a survivor, and a trailblazer worth getting to know in this doc which deftly follows the highs and lows of her career.
ANDRÉ IS AN IDIOT | Director Tony Benna |Doc
A Hilariously Heartbreaking Last Hurrah. André Ricciardi is a wildly irreverent man who refuses to go quietly—into anything, let alone death. The kind of person who doesn’t just receive a terminal diagnosis — he flips it on its head, wrestles with it, mocks it, and then decides to document every absurd, awkward, and surprisingly joyful moment that follows. With an insatiable curiosity and a refusal to wallow in self-pity, he embarks on an existential road trip, determined to figure out how to die without losing his sense of humor.
Knowing the premise of the doc, I was hoping not to like him or somehow feel indifferent. I know that’s a weird outcome to want from watching a film. But it’s like I didn’t want to feel sad or sorry; yet I felt I had to see this journey of dying, because I think about it way too often. There’s so many things I think to myself, I might would try if I knew I was dying, but I’m too afraid of living with consequences to take chances. I’m also always thinking, won’t I be so angry with myself for not spending my savings on travel if I die tomorrow? Or if I was diagnosed with a terminal illness, I would not spend the time trying to save my life, I think I’d finally start living it. That in no way means I’m courting dying, cause in reality, that’s a mind f*ck with too many physical miseries and way too much getting your affairs in order, all which would diminish from the living part.
Of course, I very much did like André and the story of how he and his steadfast wife, Janice, fell in love, after getting married. The whimsical relationship he has with his two daughters. His bromance with his best friend of umpteen years, and just the way his mind works, not so much funny, as quirky and creative.
André tries to steer clear of sentimentality in the film, but when faced with leaving behind his family, friends, and a darn good life, it proves unavoidable. Still, he and director Tony Benna craft a documentary that fully embraces life’s messiness, showing that even in the face of death, we can still find color, movement, and, most importantly, connection.
LOVE, BROOKLYN | Director Rachael Abigail Holder |Narrative
When you hear people who live in Brooklyn talk about it, especially those who grew up there, you understand it’s more than just a borough — it’s a heartbeat, a rhythm, a mix of old-school nostalgia and gentrified reinvention. First-time feature director Rachael Abigail Holder captures that ever-shifting pulse with humor, rebuke, and a knowing wink to those in the know. The cinematography is rich with a backdrop of the city, parks, bodega lights at midnight, beautiful brownstone stoops, old murals against sleek coffee shops; and yet, I would say Brooklyn is not really at the center of this film. I feel Paul Zimmerman‘s script about a man, Roger (André Holland “Exhibiting Forgiveness”) and the two women in his life, Casey (Nicole Beharie) and Nicole (DeWanda Wise) all at different crossroads in their lives, could work using a different city as its backdrop. Or for that matter, with a white, Asian, Latino or any mix of actors in these parts. Because it’s really more an American coming of age tale for those whose age is starting to show, well, metaphorically, because this is a beautiful cast – Beharie looks exactly the same as she did in “Shame” back in 2011.
Roger is a writer, he wrote a hopeful article about the positive changes in Brooklyn as we were emerging from COVID. He was then given an advance to write something more expansive to this effect, only now he doesn’t really know what that is or if it’s even still true. He’d much rather distract himself from having to concentrate on this dilemma by spending time with his ex-girlfriend Casey. They have an Elaine and Jerry type friendship, if “Seinfeld” had been allowed to show them constantly getting high. When he’s not with Casey. He’s seeing Nicole, a single mother with a young daughter. Nicole’s husband died in an undisclosed accident, but I figure it must have been one that paid out nicely insurance wise, cause she’s got a gorgeous brownstone! Nicole is taking things very slowly with Roger, mainly keeping their relationship to the physical in order to avoid getting hurt – knowing he still has feelings for Casey, she still has feelings for her husband, and her daughter’s feelings are all over the place. Roy Wood Jr. adds comic relief as Roger’s friend who envies his friend’s situation, as he longs to have an affair, even though he’s happily married.
Turns out we can thank filmmaker Steven Soderbergh for this film. He provided the majority of the backing and mentorship to the director. I found it to be a soothing movie. I enjoyed spending time in both relationships and felt Roger’s character was genuinely torn, it never felt like he was toying with either woman. That’s not to say he doesn’t do some stupid things. Each actress brings a good deal of personality to their roles; their parts are fleshed out more through their essence rather than what’s on the page. Bottom line, I love engaging stories about people who just happen to be black, while owning their blackness.
TWINLESS | Director James Sweeney |Narrative
WINNER of the US Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting and the Audience Award: US Dramatic
A darkly funny take on grief, bromance, and the messy search for connection. Grief is weird. It can sneak up on you in places like grocery stores, can hit hard during small talk, and sometimes—if you’re lucky—it introduces you to someone who understands exactly what you’re going through. That’s the premise of Twinless, writer-director-actor James Sweeney’s sharp and unexpectedly funny Sundance sophomore offering. I have not seen his directorial debut, Straight Up, however, I’ve added it to my Letterboxd Watchlist.
At the heart of the film is Sweeney as Dennis, a tightly wound, gay, over-thinker. He meets Roman (Dylan O’brien) a sweet, straight, dim bulb, at a group grief counseling session for those who have lost a twin to death. They are completely different species of men, yet, they hit if off. Mainly, because they are both the type to wanna do everything with another person. Frankly, I’ve never understood people who can’t do stuff like go to the movies, out to dinner, grocery shop or go to the laundromat alone. I like people, my siblings, I have friends I’ve known for over 30 years and look forward to making plans to hang out with them, but just hanging with someone on the daily, would annoy me! Hence, why I’m perpetually single.
Anyway, I won’t spoil too much, but it turns out Dennis knew Roman’s deceased twin brother Rocky, romantically. This is a secret he keeps from Roman, along with two other big reveals. Now, the audience learns the secrets early on and although this adds tension to the bromance, I’m wondering if it may have worked better if we didn’t know until a lot later in the story? We also have an underused Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) as Roman and Rocky’s mother. Their B story involves Rocky having been her favorite of the twins, which affects her relationship to remaining son Roman. Yet this never gets fleshed out. Perhaps because for the most part, this is a dark comedy and that story would make it more a dramedy.
What I love is filmmakers who want to act or actors who want to make films so they can star in them. Sweeney puts me in mind of Julio Torres writer/director of Problemista, which was my #6 film on my 2024 Top 10 List. They are both fun, quirky actors that might be difficult to cast in most mainstream movies, but they get to shine in their own off-kilter indies. Sweeney is definitely a filmmaker to watch. I looked at O’brien’s IMDB and he has a movie coming up called Anniversary starring Diane Lane and Kyle Chandler, so looks like his star is on the rise too.
DIDN’T DIE | Director Meera Menon | Narrative
In a genre that’s been gnawed to the bone, this film finds something fresh in the how do we survive a zombie apocalypse trope. Perhaps it’s the the fact that the main family is of Indian decent, or the ubiquitous podcast element. The film starts two years into zombie “biters” roaming and lurking, yet people have relaxed a little knowing they only feed at night. These zombies are very slow, easy to kill with a knife or major blow to the head and seem to only attack those out at night, not prone to breaking into secured homes. This allows Vinita (Kiran Deol) and her little brother Rish (Vishal Vijayakumar) to roam the country holding live daytime meetups for Vinita’s podcast also called “Didn’t Die” which is currently celebrating its 100th episode.
Their home base is their childhood home where their weary older brother Hari (Samrat Chakrabarti), and his eccentric wife Barbara (Katie McCuen) hold down the fort. A blast from Vinita’s past, Vincent (George Basil), an unfaithful charmer who shows up out of nowhere with an abandoned baby in tow, rounds out this band of survivors. There’s some interpersonal dynamics at work – familial old wounds resurface, what are they supposed to do with a baby? But they’re basically pretty good until the zombies begin mutating, getting faster, more aggressive and coming out in daylight.
Didn’t Die embraces its indie roots with a mix of grainy, handheld camerawork and atmospheric, black and white low-light cinematography that gives the film a tactile, lived-in feel.
There’s over 500 Zombie films listed on Wikipedia, some already from 2025, although this one has yet to be added. Kinda makes me think, if we ever do have an actual Zombie Apocalypse, and no one survives, I bet the zombies will turn the cameras on themselves to continue adding to the genre.
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions |Filmmaker Kahlil Joseph | Experimental
Here’s the Sundance Synopsis: Preeminent West African curator and scholar Funmilayo Akechukwu’s magnum opus, The Resonance Field, leads her to the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, drawing a journalist into a journey that shatters her understanding of consciousness and time. “BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions” weaves together the journeys of W. E. B. Du Bois, Joseph’s own family legacy, and a mysterious young journalist who boards an International cruise liner, the Nautica, to cover the Transatlantic Biennial while cleverly staying undercover.
And I did see something like this, however, this description sounds far more linear then you’re going to get during this experimental film experience. One which I can only characterize as Encompassing Blackness in all forms, throughout the ages. It’s very mesmerizing and despite it neither being a narrative nor a documentary, it finds a way to educate and entertain. I was never bored, at first confused, then intrigued and ultimately looking for more. Which we may get. BLKNWS seems to be a “brand” for Joseph, it seems to encapsulate several projects and art installations, collaborations. Kahlil Joseph returns to Sundance with this crowning achievement and latest iteration of his ongoing visionary project, BLKNWS (featured in New Frontier, 2020 Sundance Film Festival). A boldly inventive feature film, firmly rooted in an encyclopedic survey of a people manifesting a generative world history that sidesteps empire.
I’ve got to do some more research on this project as a whole. What I did discover is that it almost didn’t play during Sundance 2025 due to the film’s main financiers Participant pulling it. Then reportedly James Shani’s Rich Spirit and BN Media took over Participant’s interest in the movie with the intent of selling the pic to a new distributor… READ MORE
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MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN |Filmmaker David Borenstein | Doc
Sundance Synopsis: Winner of the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award. As Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, primary schools across Russia’s hinterlands are transformed into recruitment stages for the war. Facing the ethical dilemma of working in a system defined by propaganda and violence, a brave teacher goes undercover to film what’s really happening in his own school.
This doc would have been disturbing in its own right, but in light of what may be our own country’s future, it was downright distressing. Pasha is a fun-loving teacher and AV Manager. He has a great rapport with the children and loves creating and filming events for students and faculty. That is until Putin declares unjust war on Ukraine. Within days this close-knit little village, far from The Kremlin, has to become militarized. All teachers must fall in line with the propaganda given to them. They are forced not just to teach, but rather drill this crap into their students heads. You should see the children’s faces, they don’t look skeptical, confused or enthusiastic, they just look immediately traumatized. The only upside being they don’t separate the little girls and boys when instructing on marching and shooting and other things associated with war – it’s equal opportunity brainwashing.
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PLAINCLOTHES |Filmmaker Carmen Emmi | Narrative
Sundance Synopsis: Winner of the US Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast. A promising undercover officer assigned to lure and arrest gay men defies orders when he falls in love with a target. Plainclothes is brimming with an atmosphere of paranoia and anxiety. As Lucas, a young police officer contending with a secret attraction to men, Tom Blyth palpably embodies this tension in a breakout performance. Straining to fill a prescribed role in the implicitly straight culture of the police force, he carries the crushing weight of both the consequences of his increasingly fraught undercover work as well as the threat of exposure of his exhilarating, clandestine encounters with Andrew (Russell Tovey).
Return for my thoughts…
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SALLY |Director Cristina Costantini | National Georgraphic
Sundance Synopsis: Winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize. 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. Cristina Costantini’s rich portrait of astronaut Sally Ride brings a fullness to her life that goes beyond the headlines of her trailblazing voyage past Earth’s atmosphere.
Return for my thoughts…
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COMPLETE LIST OF SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2025 – AWARD WINNERS
COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT – Wins Festival Favorite Award
voted for by the audiences from all the new feature films presented at the 2025 Festival.
- GRAND JURY PRIZES
- The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Atropia
- The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Seeds
- The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)
- The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Cutting Through Rocks (اوزاک یوللار)
- NEXT INNOVATOR AWARD PRESENTED BY ADOBE
- The NEXT Innovator Award Presented by Adobe was awarded to Zodiac Killer Project
- AUDIENCE AWARDS
- The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, Presented by Acura was awarded to Twinless
- The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary, Presented by Acura was awarded to André is an Idiot
- The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic, Presented by United Airlines was awarded to DJ Ahmet
- The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary, Presented by United Airlines was awarded to Prime Minister.
- The Audience Award: NEXT, Presented by Adobe was awarded to East of Wall
- JURY AWARDS FOR DIRECTING, SCREENWRITING, and EDITING
- The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Geeta Gandbhir for The Perfect Neighbor
- The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Rashad Frett for Ricky
- The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented to Mstyslav Chernov for 2000 Meters to Andriivka
- The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented to Alireza Khatami for The Things You Kill
- The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented to Eva Victor for Sorry, Baby
- The Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented to Parker Laramie for André is an Idiot
- SPECIAL JURY AWARDS
- U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting was presented to Dylan O’Brien for Twinless
- U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast was presented to Plainclothes
- U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling was presented to Selena y Los Dinos
- U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award was presented to Life After
- World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision was presented to Georgi M. Unkovski for DJ Ahmet
- World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Writing was presented to Two Women
- World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award was presented to Mr. Nobody Against Putin
- World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression was presented to Coexistence, My Ass!
- NEXT Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast was presented to Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)
- Short Film Grand Jury Prize was awarded to: Theo Panagopoulos for The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing / U.K. (Director: Theo Panagopoulos, Producer: Marissa Keating)
- The Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction was awarded to: Jazmin Garcia for Trokas Duras / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Jazmin Garcia, Screenwriter: Benjamin Benji Moreno, Producers: Sally Su Jin Oh, Mayte Avina, Scott O’Donnell)
- The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction was awarded to: Chheangkea for Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites / Cambodia, France (Director and Screenwriter: Chheangkea, Producers: Daniel Mattes, Karen Madar)
- The Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction was awarded to: Christopher Radcliff for We Were The Scenery / U.S.A. (Director: Christopher Radcliff, Producers: Cathy Linh Che, Jess X. Snow)
- The Short Film Jury Award: Animation was awarded to: Natalia León for Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado / France (Director and Screenwriter: Natalia León, Producer: Luc Camilli)
SEE LAST YEAR’S SUNDANCE 2024 COVERAGE
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