(L–R) Molly Belle Wright, Wyatt Solis, and John Magaro appear in “Omaha” by Cole Webley, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo courtesy of Sundance Institute)
By Lucy Spicer
If patience is a virtue, this April is shaping up to be quite the reward for virtuous indie film lovers. Fans of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival program are in for a treat: All five of this month’s new Sundance Institute–supported theatrical releases premiered at last year’s Festival.
Finally reaching wider audiences are five remarkable films — three of them Festival award winners, and all of them feature directorial debuts. These include a charming tale of music and young love in rural North Macedonia, an exploration of in-person and digital relationships and isolation, a portrait of a Dominican community in the Bronx, a momentous road trip to Omaha for a father and his children, and a post-incarceration coming-of-age story.
DJ Ahmet — In a remote Yuruk village in North Macedonia, 15-year-old Ahmet (Arif Jakup) is tasked with some serious responsibilities after his mother dies, including shepherding duties and looking after his younger brother, Naim (Agush Agushev). But the teenager’s true interests lie elsewhere — namely with his beautiful neighbor, Aya (Dora Akan Zlatanova), who has been promised to an older man. To his father’s chagrin, Ahmet devotes time to hooking up their tractor with speakers so that Aya can practice her dance routines. Brimming with humor, music, and genuine human emotion courtesy of several first-time actors, writer-director Georgi M. Unkovski’s feature debut premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision and the Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic. Coming to select theaters April 3.
Bunnylovr — In Bunnylovr, writer-director Katarina Zhu stars as Rebecca, a 20-something personal assistant in New York City who just barely makes ends meet by moonlighting as a camgirl. Between acting as a model for her privileged artist friend (Rachel Sennott) and unexpectedly reconnecting with her dying estranged father (Perry Yung), Rebecca struggles with human relationships and her place within them. After an overly attentive online client (Austin Amelio) sends her a live bunny, Rebecca comes to care for her new pet. But the rabbit’s sender exhibits increasingly toxic behavior, forcing Rebecca to reexamine her digital relationships. Zhu’s feature debut premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to select theaters April 10.
Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) — In writer-director Joel Alfonso Vargas’ feature debut, charismatic 19-year-old Rico (Juan Collado) is convinced that selling his homemade cocktails on the beach in the Bronx will kick-start his success. But his mother (Yohanna Florentino), younger sister (Nathaly Navarro), and pregnant girlfriend, Destiny (Destiny Checho), are anxious that he should embrace a responsible lifestyle instead. This superbly acted portrait of a tight-knit Dominican American community is an expansion of Vargas’ short film May It Go Beautifully for You, Rico. Featuring largely improvised dialogue, Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the NEXT Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast. Coming to select theaters April 17.
Omaha — One early morning in 2008, a father (John Magaro) wakes his two children with news that they’re embarking on a road trip to Nebraska — within the hour. Young Charlie (Wyatt Solis) feels exuberant about the family adventure, but 9-year-old Ella (Molly Belle Wright) is more apprehensive in the face of their dad’s evasive behavior. With sweeping Utah vistas and extraordinary performances by its actors, Omaha at once captures the innocence of childhood and the agonizing tensions of parenthood as Magaro’s character does everything he can to provide a memorable vacation for his kids while coming to terms with impossible decisions of his own. Featuring a screenplay by Robert Machoian (The Killing of Two Lovers, 2020 Sundance Film Festival), director Cole Webley’s feature debut premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to select theaters April 24.
Ricky — In Rashad Frett’s feature directorial debut, 30-year-old Ricky (Stephan James) attempts to rejoin society after being incarcerated for half of his life. Having never experienced a typical coming-of-age, Ricky must navigate a world full of impediments to his growth and success — a world where getting hired, acquiring a driver’s license, and forming relationships prove to be unjustly difficult, even with a caring probation officer (Sheryl Lee Ralph) behind him. An expansion of Frett’s 2023 Sundance Film Festival short film of the same name, Ricky was supported by Sundance Institute’s Directors and Screenwriters Labs and Producers Lab before premiering at the 2025 Festival, where it won the Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic. Coming to select theaters April 24.
