By Sandy Phan
What does home mean to you? Is it a physical location — your house, your country, where your family and friends reside — or a place of personal freedom and expression? The 2025 Sundance Film Festival program explores themes of creating deeper relationships to build community, finding peace amid war-ravaged countries, and embarking on life-changing journeys of self-discovery.
Check out nine thought-provoking projects about finding home — or leaving it — premiering at the 2025 Festival, many of which are available online for Festivalgoers to enjoy from the comfort of home. Single Film Tickets for online and in-person viewing go on sale January 16.
SHORT FILMS
Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado (Animated Short Film Program) — Filmmaker Natalia León was inspired by her own experiences to create this animated short film about Olivia (Carolina Zárate Wall), a young woman living abroad who wants to reconnect with her home and past in Mexico. Available in person and online.
Stranger, Brother. (Short Film Program 4) — Adam (Tiaki Teremoana), an egocentric millennial, must confront the reality that he’s been avoiding his family when his half brother visits him one day. Writer-director Annelise Hickey contemplates the persisting expectations that come with belonging to a family, no matter how far they are. Available in person and online.
We Were The Scenery (Short Film Program 4) — Hoa Thi Le and Hue Nguyen Che are cast as background extras in Apocalypse Now while fleeing their home country of Vietnam. In this nonfiction short, filmmaker Christopher Radcliff captures the ironic life-turned-movie moment as refugees in a camp in the Philippines become part of a war film about the country they are escaping. Available in person.
FEATURES
All That’s Left of You (اللي باقي منك) (Premieres) — Acclaimed writer-director Cherien Dabis depicts a world of chaos and struggles in this story of three generations of a Palestinian family and their collective, interwoven histories. Dabis and Saleh Bakri portray a Palestinian married couple whose teenage son confronts Israeli soldiers at a West Bank protest. The poignant story covers 75 years of history, making it both intergenerational and intimate. Available in person.
Brides (World Cinema Dramatic Competition) — In her first feature, filmmaker Nadia Fall brings you into the lives of two U.K. high school students who decide to leave home and travel to Syria to seek new beginnings. Doe and Muna (exuberantly played by Ebada Hassan and Safiyya Ingar) manage their misadventures with their friendship, humor, and fearlessness found only in teenagers. Available in person and online.
Khartoum (World Cinema Documentary Competition) — In this documentary, five citizens of Khartoum, Sudan, share their stories of civil unrest and the military coup that resulted in their escape to East Africa. More than 10 million people were forced to leave Sudan, including the film team and their subjects. Directors Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy, Timeea Ahmed, and Phil Cox masterfully combine footage from Sudan before their expulsion from the country with green screen reenactments so that the stories of a civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance committee volunteer, and two bottle collectors can be shared with the world. Available in person and online.
Omaha (U.S. Dramatic Competition) — On an early morning in 2008, a family trip begins the soulful journey for a dad (John Magaro) and his two kids, Ella (Molly Belle Wright) and Charlie (Wyatt Solis). Scenes of normalcy between the siblings (flying a kite, swimming at the motel’s pool, and eating at a fast-food restaurant) and their dad suggest a planned family road trip, but ever-watchful Ella quietly observes the changes in her dad. Magaro, Wright, and Solis deliver emotional and anguished performances that will stay with you after the movie. Director Cole Webley provides a personal view into one family’s hardship through thoughtful and tender moments that are everyday and heartbreaking. Available in person and online.
Rebuilding (Premieres) — Writer-director Max Walker-Silverman brings his second feature to the 2025 Sundance Film Festival after premiering his feature debut, A Love Song, at the Festival in 2022. In Rebuilding, Josh O’Connor plays a rancher whose family farm is devastated by a wildfire. He begins the process of rebuilding not only his domicile but also his community with the support of his daughter (Lily LaTorre) and his ex-wife (Meghann Fahy). Amy Madigan and Kali Reis also star in this movie about a small town finding its raw strength and human connections in the aftermath of a natural disaster and economic difficulties. Available in person.
Train Dreams (Premieres) — Director Clint Bentley captures the expansive landscape of the American West while sharing the affecting story of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a logger who experiences deep love and loss while building the country’s railroads. Edgerton’s performance is powerful as he conveys Grainier’s torments as well as his wonderment at human advancement and where he belongs in the world. Available in person.
Become a Sundance Institute member by January 10 to get early access to our Single Film Ticket Pre-Sale. That means you’ll be able to purchase movie tickets before they become available to the general public! Members also get 20% off merch and invites to special events.
