Our community made history at Sundance last year, with 13 full-length films at the famed festival. We swept both the US and International Dramatic competitions thanks to stellar entries, In the Summers and Sujo. Topping that this year will be a challenge, but these Latinx films and filmmakers are making a strong case for themselves. Here’s what to watch at Sundance 2025:
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna star in this reimagining of the classic story. That’s enough to get me seated but of course, there are more reasons to watch the new Kiss of the Spider Woman. Cheetah Rivera helmed the 1993 musical (that won all the Tonys) and this film updates the 1985 film, set during Argentina’s Dirty War. The Sundance 2025 organizers are calling it a “flashy technicolor extravagance of an old Hollywood musical” combined with a political drama. Tonatiuh rounds out the cast with beloved musical-maker Bill Condon (Beauty and the Beast, Dreamgirls) at the helm. We’re sure to be talking about this one all year.
Selena y Los Dinos
The name says it all. Yes, the iconic Selena Quintanilla is getting another film, this time a documentary by Isabel Castro, perhaps most well-known for Mija. Selena y Los Dinos promises never-before-seen footage, which will surely attract the late singer’s legion of fans. But will it add new depth to her legacy? We’ll be tuning in to find out.
Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)
Dominican American writer-director Joel Alfonso Vargas brings us this coming-of-age tale set in his hometown of the Bronx in Mad Bills to Pay. He uses “street-cast actors,” “a blend of improvisation and whip-smart dialogue” to create a slice-of-life film. It’s Vargas’ first feature-length film and that he got it into Sundance is proof that he’s a filmmaker we should be tracking for a long time to come.
Magic Farm
Argentinian-born, Spain-raised, and New York-based, Amalia Ulman brings her transnational perspective to Sundance. Magic Farm follows a film crew that intends to travel to Argentina to profile a local musician but ends up in the wrong country by mistake. Starring the always phenomenal Chloë Sevigny, this satire promises to be a biting critique of LATAM stereotypes while also celebrating real, cross-cultural connections.
Rains Over Babel
Spanish Colombian writer-director Gala del Sol brings her signature punk aesthetic with a “tropical twist” to Sundance in her first feature film, Rains Over Babel. It follows a group of misfits who gather at a dive bar where the Grim Reaper holds court. There, visitors gamble with their lives, trying to outwit Death herself. Sounds intriguing, no?
Serious People
Co-directed and starring Pasqual Gutierrez, Serious People blends the Bad Bunny collaborator’s background in music with genre-bending storytelling. It follows Gutierrez as a fictional Pasqual, a “successful music video director and expectant father” who hires a doppelgänger to help him manage it all. Sundance is calling it “a clever and entertaining commentary on the artistic process, capturing both its joys and pretensions.”
The Virgin of Quarry Lake
In the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, The Virgin of Quarry Lake takes place in filmmaker Laura Casabé’s native Argentina. It follows a group of teenagers, vying for one boy’s attention and marks “the first on-screen adaptation of celebrated author Mariana Enríquez’s unsettling short stories.” Casabé’s reputation as a Sundance veteran ensures this will be a standout.
SALLY
As one of the co-directors of Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado and National Geographic’s Science Fair, Cristina Costantini knows her way around a documentary. That’s why we’re so excited to see the Argentinian American take on the story of Sally Ride, the first woman astronaut from the US. SALLY also delves into Ride’s hidden relationship with acclaimed scientist Tam O’Shaughnessy, making for a deeply personal and powerful portrait of a trailblazer.
Speak.
In the U.S. Documentary Competition comes Speak. It follows five high school students as they craft and compete with spoken-word performances in “one of the world’s largest and most intense public speaking competitions.” Latina Jennifer Tiexiera crafts the tale along with fellow director Guy Mossman, offering a window into the students’ lives and concerns, ranging from school shootings to anti-LGBTQ legislation. Sundance promises that the subjects’ “passion and ambition offer hope that the next generation of leaders is ready to rise to the challenge of an increasingly fraught world.”
These feature-length films are joined by a bunch of Latinx-led shorts, making sure that Sundance 2025 will be one for the pueblo.
All images courtesy of Sundance Institute.
