The 2025 Sundance Film Festival is near, running from the 23rd of January to the 2nd of February, and we’re eager to see what independent films from around the world are premiering. With a history of debuting cultural touchstones like Call Me by Your Name and Get Out, Sundance has long been considered a hub of cinematic innovation. This year’s lineup showcases actors Callum Turner and Chloe Sevigny in a drama produced by Luca Guadagnino, plus Ayo Edebiri in a gory horror. Where it seems Thrillers and Horror may be the reigning genre this year at the festival.

Here are nine films we’re excited to watch as they prepare to light up the snow-dusted screens of Park City.

1. Plainclothes 

A rising undercover officer (Tom Blyth), tasked with entrapping gay men for arrest, defies his mission and risks everything when he falls in love with one of his targets. Starring, Russell Tovey, Maria Dizzia, Christian Cooke, Gabe Fazio and Amy Forsyth. We're expecting the to be a tear jerker.

2. Atropia

In Atropia, an aspiring actress working at a military role-playing facility finds herself drawn to a soldier assigned to play the role of an insurgent. As their off-script emotions begin to blur the lines between reality and performance, their growing connection threatens to unravel the carefully staged operation. A romance film, where Actor Hailey Gates (seen in Challengers ) makes her directorial debut. The cast includes Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Chloë Sevigny, Tim Heidecker and Jane Levy.

3. Bunnylovr

A disillusioned Chinese American cam girl, portrayed by Katarina Zhu, grapples with the strain of a toxic relationship with a manipulative client (Austin Amelio), while attempting to reconnect with her estranged, dying father ( Perry Yung). The supporting cast include Rachel Sennott and Jack Kilmer, this intimate narrative explores the tension between personal liberation and familial obligation. Directed and written by Katarina Zhu.

4. Together

As a couple relocates to the countryside, the strain on their relationship reaches a breaking point. However, a chilling supernatural encounter ignites a profound and unsettling transformation—one that alters their love, their lives, and even their bodies in unimaginable ways. A thriller, starring, produced and written by Hollywood couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie.

5. The Wedding Banquet

Tired of waiting for his noncommittal boyfriend Chris to take the next step, Min comes up with an unconventional plan, to propose a green card marriage to his friend Angela, offering to fund costly in vitro fertilisation treatments for her partner, Lee, in return. But when Min’s grandmother unexpectedly intervenes with grandiose plans of her own, the carefully constructed arrangement spirals into chaos. Directed by Andrew Ahn, leading the cast is Lily Gladstone ( Killers of the Flower Moon), Bowen Yang, Kelly Marie Tran, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen and Youn Yuh-jung.

6. Rebuilding 

After losing the family farm to a devastating wildfire, a rancher called Dusty (Josh O'Connor) searches for a path to rebuild and move forward. He finds refugee and a community with others who have lost their home, including his ex-wife and daughter. Leading the cast alongside O'Connor is Meghann Fahy (White Lotus), supporting Lily LaTorre, Kali Reis and Amy Madigan. Directed by Max Walker-Silverman.

7. The Thing with Feathers

Haunted by the sudden and tragic loss of his wife, a young father finds his grip on reality slipping as a sinister presence appears to lurk in the dark corners of the apartment he shares with his two young sons. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Boxall, Henry Boxall, Eric Lampaert, Vinette Robinson, and Sam Spruell, this psychological thriller unravels the fragile boundaries between grief and the unknown. After seeing Cumberbatch in Eric, Thriller might be his new perfected genre.

8. Rabbit Trap

When a musician ( Rosey McEwan) and her husband (Dev Patel) relocate to a secluded home in Wales, their music inadvertently disrupts ancient local folklore. The disturbance summons a mysterious, unnamed child to their doorstep, determined to weave its way into their lives.

9. Opus

A young writer (Ayo Edebiri) receives an invitation to the secluded estate of a legendary pop star (Murray Bartlett) who vanished without a trace three decades ago. Immersed in a world of devoted followers and overindulgent journalists, she becomes entangled in his dark and manipulative scheme. Produced by A24, and a horror–we can expect this movie to be one we're highly anticipating. The supporting cast includes John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, and Amber Midthunder. We've seen Edebiri in plenty of roles, but a horror will be a new genre we will be seeing her in.

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