Quoting the Sundance Film Festival’s founder, Robert Redford, Sundance’s interim CEO Amanda Kelso said upon opening the festival’s 2025 awards ceremony, “Storytelling is important, part of human continuity.” And, while all mediums of storytelling — from literature to theatre to art — have the capacity to inspire, film has a unique ability to captivate and move its viewers, drawing us into a narrative and holding us there, suspended, until the end credits roll.
The Sundance Film Festival is the ultimate showcase of original storytellers, and offers an unprecedented platform for fresh perspectives and new voices. The 2025 iteration proved that cinematic art — despite the increasing challenges it grapples with in the face of streaming behemoths and the shifting landscape of commercial cinema, is still alive and well.
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Here, we round up 10 of this year’s best films and documentaries that should be on your radar.
Come See Me in the Good Light
Ryan White’s Come See Me in the Good Light captured Sundance audiences, earning the coveted Festival Favourite Award. This deeply moving documentary follows poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley as they navigate love, art, and mortality in the wake of Gibson’s incurable cancer diagnosis. Blending humour and raw emotion, the film explores the power of poetry and human connection. Produced by an impressive roster, including Tig Notaro and Brandi Carlile, it’s a testament to resilience and creativity.
Atropia
Hailey Gates’ Atropia delivers a sharp, self-aware war satire that skewers Hollywood’s portrayal of the Middle East and U.S. militarism. Set in a California training ground designed to mimic Iraq, the film follows an aspiring actress (Alia Shawkat) navigating an industry complicit in war propaganda. With biting humour and a star-studded cast — including Chloë Sevigny and Tim Heidecker — Atropia cleverly deconstructs battlefield melodrama.
Seeds
Brittany Shyne’s Seeds is a lyrical portrait of Black farmers in the South, exploring legacy, resilience, and the precarious fight to hold onto land. Shot in evocative black and white, this Sundance U.S. Documentary Prize winner moves with the rhythms of life — funerals, harvests, quiet struggles. Anchored by octogenarian farmer Carlie Williams, whose every gesture speaks to a lifetime of labor, Seeds is an achingly beautiful meditation on history, perseverance, and the quiet dignity of tending the earth.
Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)
Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) is a tender, beautifully crafted exploration of grief, love, and identity set against the rugged landscapes of rural India. Following Anand (Bhushaan Manoj) as he mourns his father and forms an unexpected bond with a local farmer, the film deftly navigates queer life beyond urban narratives. With evocative cinematography, nuanced performances, and a deeply personal touch, this Sundance standout is a poignant achievement in independent Indian filmmaking, resonating far beyond its setting.
Cutting Through Rocks
Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni’s Cutting Through Rocks is a powerful, seven-years-in-the-making documentary that follows Sara Shahverdi, the first woman elected to her village’s local council in northwest Iran. Winner of Sundance’s World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, the film captures Shahverdi’s fight against gender norms — challenging forced marriages, advocating for women’s land rights, and confronting deep-seated patriarchal traditions. With striking cinematography and a compelling subject, Cutting Through Rocks is an unforgettable testament to one woman’s defiance and resilience.
André Is an Idiot
Winner of Sundance’s Audience Award and Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award, André is an Idiot is an irreverent, deeply human documentary that transforms impending death into an exploration of joy, humour, and absurdity. Faced with a terminal diagnosis, André embraces his final chapter with wit and curiosity, turning his story into a cinematic farewell unlike any other. Hilarious, heartbreaking, and brimming with life, this unforgettable film is a celebration of embracing mortality with laughter, love, and fearless creativity.
DJ Ahmet
Georgi M. Unkovski’s DJ Ahmet is a heartwarming coming-of-age tale set in a rural Turkish-speaking village in North Macedonia. Following 15-year-old Ahmet as he navigates family struggles, first love, and his passion for music, the film pulses with energy, humour, and authenticity. Featuring a vibrant cast and a rich folk-inspired soundtrack, this Sundance World Cinema Dramatic Competition entry is both tender and uplifting — a joyous reminder that music, love, and dance can transcend even the most rigid traditions.
Peter Hujar’s Day
Ira Sachs’ Peter Hujar’s Day is a quietly mesmerising tribute to 1970s New York, unfolding entirely through a single conversation. Ben Whishaw (Black Doves), delivers a spellbinding performance as the enigmatic photographer Peter Hujar, recounting a day in his life to journalist Linda Rosenkrantz (Rebecca Hall). Based on a real 1974 interview, this restrained yet evocative film captures the beauty of the mundane, the weight of memory, and the fleeting magic of artistic existence — an unassuming Sundance gem brimming with quiet transcendence.
Prime Minister
Lindsay Utz and Michelle Walshe’s Prime Minister offers an intimate, revealing portrait of Jacinda Ardern’s five years leading New Zealand through crisis and change. Featuring never-before-seen footage and personal audio recordings, the documentary captures her commitment to compassion — whether responding to tragedy or redefining leadership on the world stage. Thoughtful and inspiring, Prime Minister is a compelling look at one of the most humanistic political figures of our time.
Two Women
Winner of Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Writing, Two Women is a sharp, playful reimagining of Claude Fournier’s 1970 comedy Two Women in Gold. Directed by Chloé Robichaud and penned by Catherine Léger, the film follows Violette and Florence — two disillusioned neighbours — who rediscover themselves through unexpected affairs. Balancing bold humour with poignant explorations of motherhood, mental health, and desire, Two Women is a witty, refreshingly honest romp that delivers both laughter and insight in equal measure.
