Never-before-seen footage of Selena Quintanilla and her family’s band offers new insights into the musician’s legacy in Isabel Castro’s documentary “Selena y Los Dinos.”
By Lucy Spicer
November may have just begun, but it appears the gift-giving season is underway for lovers of independent film, who can enjoy the release of 13 projects that premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival — including six award winners. As well as offering a diverse mix of fiction and nonfiction features, this month’s crop of films also includes several projects that defy genre, blending the line between fiction and reality and subverting audience expectations.
This November, discover nonfiction films about artists like Selena Quintanilla and Andrea Gibson, as well as documentaries that examine the right-to-die movement and the authorship of a famous photograph. Other new releases include a queer love story in India, a mystery tale steeped in revenge, a quiet film about the healing qualities of community, a visionary project about the Black experience throughout history, and more.
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions — An expansion of director Kahlil Joseph’s BLKNWS (2020 Sundance Film Festival) exhibition, BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions weaves together portraits of the Black experience and Black culture throughout history by juxtaposing footage from the distant and recent past. The addition of personal anecdotes and a narrative about a journalist’s voyage to Ghana make Joseph’s feature debut a genre-defying, visionary project. Coming to select theaters November 2.
Life After — In the 1980s, Elizabeth Bouvia was at the center of a highly publicized court case. Bouvia’s cerebral palsy left her paralyzed and in constant pain, but her request for medically assisted suicide was denied by the law. In examining Bouvia’s case, filmmaker Reid Davenport explores how a growing right-to-die movement portrays itself as progressive in a world where medical and financial resources are lacking for individuals living with a disability. Supported by Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, Life After premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won a U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award. Airing on PBS “POV” November 3.
Rebuilding — In writer-director Max Walker-Silverman’s lyrical sophomore film, Josh O’Connor plays Dusty, a rancher whose family property in Colorado’s San Luis Valley has been leveled by a wildfire. Dusty wants to rebuild what he lost to be exactly as it was, but spending more time with both his daughter and his neighbors at the temporary FEMA trailer park opens him up to the beauty of embracing a new community. Coming to select theaters November 7.
Train Dreams — Based on Denis Johnson’s novella of the same name, Clint Bentley’s thoughtful film stars Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, a railroad logger living in the United States in the 20th century. As Grainier works to build railroads across the country, he must grapple with a rapidly changing world while spending long stretches away from his wife (Felicity Jones) and daughter. With a cast featuring William H. Macy, Kerry Condon, Paul Schneider, Clifton Collins Jr., and more, Train Dreams premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to select theaters November 7; streaming on Netflix November 21.
Come See Me in the Good Light — Poetry, love, grief, and humor come together in this documentary about poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley. Directed by Ryan White, the film invites the audience into Gibson and Falley’s home as the couple navigate life in the wake of Gibson’s terminal cancer diagnosis. Determined to make the most of the time they have left, Gibson processes their grief by embracing humor, art, and the loving community that surrounds them. Come See Me in the Good Light premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Festival Favorite Award. Streaming on Apple TV November 14.
Serious People — Written and directed by Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson, this genre-bending film blurs the line between fact and fiction by starring several cast members as exaggerated versions of themselves. Inspired by Gutierrez’s real concerns about work-life balance, the film follows Pasqual (Gutierrez), a music video director on the brink of fatherhood. Determined to be more present at home while staying on top of his career, Pasqual hires a doppelgänger to fill in for him at work. A satirical ode to Los Angeles and the entertainment industry, Serious People premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to select theaters November 14; available online December 16.
The Things You Kill — With a style inspired by David Lynch and a story rooted in real-life experiences, writer-director Alireza Khatami’s film is a Turkey-set mystery that examines the power of generational trauma. When university professor Ali’s (Ekin Koç) mother dies under suspicious circumstances, he enlists the help of gardener Reza (Erkan Kolçak Köstendil) to exact his revenge. The Things You Kill premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic. Coming to select theaters November 14.
Selena y Los Dinos — Thirty years after Selena Quintanilla’s passing comes a new film that invites us to gain deeper insights into the Tejano icon’s legacy. Directed by Isabel Castro, this documentary features never-before-seen photos and archival footage detailing how the singer and her family’s band, Selena y Los Dinos, worked to grow and connect with both Mexican and American audiences. Castro’s moving film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling. Streaming on Netflix November 17.
Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) — In writer-director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s tender feature debut, Anand (Bhushaan Manoj) travels from the city back to the rural community of his childhood to observe the 10-day mourning period following his father’s death. While in the countryside, Anand encounters Balya (Suraaj Suman), a farmer who is attempting to resist the pressures to get married. A romance develops between the two, a sweet bond that blossoms despite societal norms. Loosely based on experiences in Kanawade’s life, Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic. Coming to select theaters November 21.
The Stringer: The Man Who Took the Photo — For more than 50 years, a photographer who worked for the Associated Press’ Saigon office has been credited as the author of what many would consider to be the defining photograph of the Vietnam War: “The Terror of War,” also known as “Napalm Girl.” In a documentary by Bao Nguyen that premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, an in-depth two-year investigation by journalist Gary Knight reveals the shocking possibility that a different photographer was responsible for one of the most famous images in history. Coming to select theaters November 21; streaming on Netflix November 28.
Zodiac Killer Project — Director Charlie Shackleton was all set to make a documentary about the infamous “Zodiac Killer” when the rights to a particular book — his main source for the film — fell through. Rather than abandon the project altogether, Shackleton decided to make a personal essay film about his documentary that couldn’t be, and in doing so produced a humorous, subversive film that challenges the tropes of the true crime genre. Zodiac Killer Project premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the NEXT Innovator Award Presented by Adobe. Coming to select theaters November 21.
The Thing with Feathers — Grief is a shapeshifter in writer-director Dylan Southern’s narrative feature debut. After his wife unexpectedly dies, Dad (Benedict Cumberbatch) is left alone to raise his two young sons. Desperate to cope, Dad immerses himself in his work as a graphic novelist, but soon one of his characters — a crow voiced by David Thewlis — begins talking back. Based on the novella Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter, The Thing with Feathers premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to theaters November 28.
Peter Hujar’s Day — In the 1970s, Linda Rosenkrantz was working on a project in which she would tape her friends recounting the day they had, including errands, meetings, and the like. One of those friends was photographer Peter Hujar. Using the surviving transcripts from the tape, director Ira Sachs brings the session to the screen, with Rebecca Hall as Rosenkrantz and Ben Whishaw as Hujar. A portrait of events both mundane and extraordinary that coexisted for artists in New York City, Peter Hujar’s Day premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to select theaters November 30.
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour is underway! Traveling to all corners of the United States and beyond in the following months, the 100-minute program features seven short films selected from the 2025 Festival, including two Festival Award–winning titles. Check here for dates and venues; see below for dates in November.
- Waldoboro, Maine, November 1, The Waldo Theatre
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, November 6–9, Film North
- Rockford, Illinois, November 14, 815HORTS
