Sundance 2025: World Cinema
The Sundance Film Festival will deliver the world's interesting movies.
The Sundance Film Festival is the ultimate indie movie event. It’s also know for presenting international movies that go on to win awards at other festivals. This year’s line-up, again, shows that the interesting story lines are often far removed from the lives of stereotypical Westerners. Here are examples…
WORLD DRAMA
Bubble & Squeak (USA): “Accused of smuggling cabbages into a nation where cabbages are banned, Declan and Delores must confront the fragility of their new marriage while on the run for their lives.” Read more.
DJ Ahmet (Macedonia): “Ahmet, a 15-year-old boy from a remote Yuruk village in North Macedonia, finds refuge in music while navigating his father’s expectations, a conservative community, and his first experience with love — a girl already promised to someone else.” Read more.
The Things You Kill (USA/Iran set Turkey: “Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, a university professor coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.” Read more.
Sukkwan Island (Norway): “On the remote Sukkwan Island, 13-year-old Roy agrees to spend a formative year of adventure with his father deep in the Norwegian fjords. What starts as a chance to reconnect descends into a test of survival as they face the harsh realities of their environment and confront their unresolved turmoil. Read More. View trailer.” Read more.
April (Georgia): “Nina is an obstetrician at a maternity hospital in Eastern Georgia. After a difficult delivery, an infant dies and the father demands an inquiry into her methods. The scrutiny threatens to expose Nina’s secret side job — visiting village homes of pregnant girls and women to provide unsanctioned abortions.” Read more.
Where the Wind Comes (Tunisia): “Alyssa, a rebellious 19-year-old girl, and her friend Mehdi, an introverted 23-year-old man, use their imagination to escape their unpromising reality. When they discover a contest in the south of Tunisia that may allow them to flee, they undertake a road trip regardless of the obstacles in their way.” Read more.
Brides (UK): “Two teenage girls in search of freedom, friendship, and belonging run away from their troubled lives with a misguided plan of traveling to Syria.” Read more.
The Virgin of Quarry Lake (Argentina): “In 2001, three teenagers from the outskirts of Buenos Aires all fall in love with Diego. Natalia has always had the most chemistry with him, but when it seems inevitable that their friendship will turn into something more, the older and more experienced Silvia appears and soon captures Diego’s attention.” Read more.
LUZ (China): “In the neon-lit streets of Chongqing, Wei desperately searches for his estranged daughter Fa, while Hong Kong gallerist Ren grapples with her ailing stepmother Sabine in Paris. Their lives collide in a virtual reality world, where a mystical deer reveals hidden truths, sparking a journey of discovery and connection.” Read more.