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Another Sundance is upon us, and as the festival prepares to kick off today in Park City, Utah, we're looking at some of the documentary offerings screening at this year's edition, hoping to point you in the direction of a few hidden gems that you can catch while on the ground.
If you couldn't make it out to the festival this year, do not fret because this list is still for you. It'll serve as a headstart on titles you should keep an eye out for as they (hopefully) hit theaters and streaming services over the next twelve months.
With plenty to watch at this year's festival, including films led by Jennifer Lopez, Olivia Colman, Josh O'Connor, Ayo Edebiri, John Magaro and more famous faces, this year's Sundance is stacked full of talent, and here's a look at what stands out among the non-fiction options.
Documentaries To Watch at Sundance 2025
André is an Idiot
André is an Idiot comes from first-time feature documentary maker Tony Benna, who tells the story of one man coming to terms with the fact that he is dying and essentially serves as an advertisement to go and get your colonoscopy.
André worked in advertising, and the commercial flare sprinkled all over this film is a wonderful homage to his brilliance as an artist as much as it serves as a stunning encapsulation of the light and energy he brings to everything he does.
Speak
Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman bring us the story of five incredibly bright and influential students who spend a year training for and participating in competitive oratory performances with wonderfully personal speeches aiming to inspire change with their words.
Good for lovers of coming-of-age tales, Speak is a compelling portrait of these students who battle their own teenage insecurities while putting themselves out there with the hopes of making a difference in the world.
Life After
A documentary sure to get people talking is Reid Davenport's Life After, which adds to the urgent and contemporary conversation around assisted dying through the lens of Davenport, who is living with a disability.
Empathetic and inquisitive without prying, Davenport raises questions about what expanded use of MAID looks like while examining some of history's most documented cases, particularly that of Elizabeth Bouvia.
Move Ya Body: The Birth of House
The Inspection director, Elegance Bratton, tells a story from the south side of Chicago, where the need for a release during oppression accidentally turned into a global movement.
Fans of house and disco music will get the history lesson they need from Bratton's vast exploration of how a place of sanctity came to be what we now consider one of the biggest genres of music, teaching us a lesson about the roots we may not be familiar with.
Come See Me in the Good Light
Ryan White's beautiful documentary may be the highlight of the bunch, jumping out as an unapologetic ode to love, friendship, and choosing to live on your terms, even when that feels out of your control.
Humorous and open, Come See Me in the Good Light invites us into the relationship of Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley in an incredibly intimate way as we see these two poets navigate the incurable cancer diagnosis Andrea is facing. White's intimate direction invites us to be part of every moment, and by the end, it feels as though Gibson and Falley have been our lifelong friends.
Cutting Through Rocks
We witness Sara Shahverdi become the first elected councilwoman in her village in Iran and walk alongside her as she faces all that comes with that responsibility.
From filmmakers Mohammad Reza Eyni and Sara Khaki, Cutting Through Rocks is an incredibly insightful look at the power of seeing people who like you in positions of power and the hope it can bring future generations who have been brought up to believe their lives will only look one way.
Third Act
This gorgeous portrait of a father through the lens of his son brings to life the story of filmmaker and "badass" Robert A. Nakamura, director of short films Wataridori: Birds of Passage, Hito Hata: Raise the Banner, and more.
Third Act looks at the final act of someone's life through the context of what came before, and we learn about Robert's life and work through his experiences in his first and second acts of life.
Sure to move you, Third Act is a wonderful directorial effort from Tadashi Nakamura.
How To Build a Library
Filmmakers Chris King and Maia Lekow introduce us to two incredible women, Wachuka and Shiro, as they attempt to transform a once white-owned library into a bustling community hub that represents their Kenyan city of Nairobi.
King and Lekow document all the trials and tribulations that come from undertaking this massive effort in a way that honors the physical act of building a dream that's bigger than one's self.
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Both heartfelt and heartbreaking, Mr. Nobody Against Putin documents the small and sinister ways propaganda infects primary schools across Russia amidst the invasion of Ukraine.
Telling the story of the brave Pavel Ilyich Talankin, we witness one school fall victim to this practice and see how it impacts individuals and their families through the lens of Pavel's experience serving as a teacher.
Sundance Film Festival runs from January 23 to February 2, 2025, with select films screening online. For further information and tickets visit https://festival.sundance.org/program/categories.
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