The Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2025 program is composed of 15 feature films and five short films, as well as a series of panels with filmmakers from the selected films
Prime Minister will be the opening film directed by Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz
Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2025 will take place from May 29 to June 1, with Cinépolis Diana as the main venue, and screenings at Cinépolis Plaza Carso, Cinépolis VIP Plaza Carso, Cinépolis Mítikah, and Cinépolis Oasis Coyoacán
Mexico City, May 12, 2025 – Cinépolis, the leading film exhibition company in Mexico and Latin America, and the Sundance Institute, the nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences and host of the Sundance Film Festival, announced the 15 feature films and the Short Film Program that will make up the lineup of the second edition of Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2025. These films were presented at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year in the United States and have been specially curated by the Sundance Film Festival programming team for this edition in Mexico City.
The opening film of Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2025 is Prime Minister, a documentary directed by Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz that offers an intimate portrait of Right Honourable Dame Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand. Winner of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary, the film chronicles how Ardern led her nation through unprecedented challenges, implemented bold policies, and became the second leader in history to give birth in office, all while championing an inclusive and empathetic leadership style that changed global expectations of what a leader can be.
Along with Prime Minister, seven additional documentaries will be presented during Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2025. They include 2000 Meters to Andriivka, which follows a Ukrainian platoon on a mission to liberate the village of Andriivka, and whose director Mstyslav Chernov received the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary; The Dating Game documenting three bachelors as they attend an intensive dating camp; GEN_, about a doctor who is a pioneer in fertility care and gender affirmation; Mr. Nobody Against Putin, follows a teacher going undercover to film what’s really happening in his own school and was recognized with the 2025 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award; One to One: John & Yoko presents a portrait of the iconic couple John Lennon and Yoko Ono; SALLY, about the the first American woman to go into space, was presented with the 2025 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize for its portrayal of science and technology; and Selena y Los Dinos about the Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla as chronicled through footage from the family’s personal archive, which received the 2025 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Archival Storytelling.
Seven narrative feature films are included in the Festival’s program. They are DJ Ahmet, where a teenager discovers the transformative power of music, which was the winner of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic and World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision; Lurker, about a retail employee who infiltrates the inner circle of an artist on the verge of stardom; Plainclothes, in which a young undercover cop falls in love with one of his targets and was recognized with the 2025 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast; Together, a mix of body horror, emotional tension, and couple drama starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco; Twinless, where two young people form an unexpected friendship, which was the recipient of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic and U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting presented to Dylan O’Brien; The Ugly Stepsister, a grotesque reinterpretation of the classic fairy tale; and The Virgin of the Quarry Lake, following three teenagers over the course of a summer.
The Short Film Program includes five films which are: Out for Delivery directed by Chelsea Christer; Stranger, Brother. directed by Annelise Hickey; SUSANA directed by Gerardo Coello Escalante and Amandine Thomas; Tiger directed by Loren Waters and winner of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Special Jury Award for Directing; and Trokas Duras directed by Jazmin Garcia and winner of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction.
“Coming off of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in the United States earlier this year, it is our pleasure to introduce these projects and storytellers to our enthusiastic Mexico City audience,” said Eugene Hernandez, Director, Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming. “The film program specially curated for the upcoming Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2025 offers unique and vital storytelling from imaginative filmmakers. We invite audiences to explore this wide range of global works that span genres and themes while individually reflecting distinct perspectives and forms of filmmaking. We hope you will join us as we return to Mexico City over these four days to be immersed in the magic of independent cinema together.”
“We are very pleased with the selection of titles that make up the program of Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2025,” said Alejandro Ramírez, CEO of Cinépolis. “Not only is it a showcase of the best from the latest edition of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, but it also represents the most outstanding work in independent cinema worldwide. At Cinépolis, we are proud to host a program that brings new perspectives to Mexican audiences and strengthens the dialogue between creators, stories, and viewers.”
“This year’s Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2025 program offers stories from around the world that are defined by their ingenuity and impact,” said Kim Yutani, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. “We are thrilled to share a program with immense breadth and scope, from timely documentaries that present distinctly personal experiences to elevated narratives with dynamic characters, all while highlighting the talented filmmakers who brought these stories to life. Building upon last year’s success of Sundance Film Festival: CDMX, we can’t wait to come together for this special experience with the engaged and enthusiastic audiences in Mexico City.”
Also, as part of the showcase, there will be special panels that will enrich the festival experience and delve into the creative work behind some of the selected titles. Among them are: Collaborating with Actors, a conversation with narrative filmmakers about their collaborative process with actors; Shorts Filmmaking: From Script to Screen, with both 2025 Sundance Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival alumni short film directors; Urgency in Documentary Storytelling, with documentary filmmakers discussing the complexities of capturing ongoing, urgent stories as they unfold; and a conversation with Giulia Caruso, Sundance Institute Director of Catalyst and Industry, and the filmmaking team behind Queendom about the opportunities Catalyst, Sundance Institute’s film financing program, offers to filmmakers seeking support for their features. Further details about the panels and participants will be shared soon.
This program is set to be a must-attend event for film audiences and the filmmaking community. Full information about ticket sales for Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2025 will be announced soon.
Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2025 will take place from May 29 to June 1 at Cinépolis Diana, with additional screenings at Cinépolis Plaza Carso, Cinépolis VIP Plaza Carso, Cinépolis Mítikah, and Cinépolis Oasis Coyoacán. This second edition in Mexico City will bring together audiences to champion new stories and innovative independent artists.
The full program, curated by the Sundance Film Festival programming team, is presented below:
DOCUMENTARIES
2000 Meters to Andriivka / Ukraine (Director and Producer: Mstyslav Chernov, Producers: Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath) – Amid a failing counteroffensive in 2023, director Mstyslav Chernov and his AP colleague Alex Babenko follow a Ukrainian brigade battling through approximately one mile of a heavily fortified forest on their mission to liberate the Russian-occupied village of Andriivka. The farther the soldiers advance through their destroyed homeland, the more they realize that for them this war may never end.
The Dating Game / United States, United Kingdom, Norway (Director and Producer: Violet Du Feng, Producers: Joanna Natasegara, James Costa, Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas) – In a country where eligible men outnumber women by 30 million, three perpetual bachelors join an intensive seven-day dating camp led by one of China’s most sought-after dating coaches in a last-ditch effort to find a girl, and love.
GEN_ / France, Italy, Switzerland (Director and Screenwriter: Gianluca Matarrese, Screenwriter: Donatella Della Ratta, Producers: Dominique Barneaud, Donatella Palermo, Alexandre Iordachescu) – At Milan’s Niguarda public hospital, Dr. Maurizio Bini leads an inspiring and unconventional mission to transform lives through fertility and gender affirmation care. Balancing the dream of aspiring parents with the journeys of individuals reconciling their gender identities, he creates a compassionate and empowering space where humor often lightens even the heaviest moments. In a politically charged environment that tests medical ethics, Dr. Bini defies societal constraints to offer hope, humanity, and healing, making a profound difference with both expertise and heart.
Mr. Nobody Against Putin / Denmark, Czech Republic (Director: David Borenstein, Co-Director: Pavel Talankin, Producer: Helle Faber) – As Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, primary schools across Russia are transformed into recruitment stages for the war. Facing the ethical dilemma of working in a system defined by propaganda and violence, a brave teacher films what’s really happening in his own school.
One to One: John & Yoko / United Kingdom (Director and Producer: Kevin Macdonald, Co-director and Editor: Sam Rice-Edwards, Producers: Peter Worsley, Alice Webb) – A unique take on a seminal time in the lives of one of music’s most famous couples, the film explores the eighteen months John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent living in Greenwich Village in the early 1970s.
Prime Minister / United States (Directors: Michelle Walshe, Lindsay Utz, Producers: Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane, Cass Avery, Leon Kikbeck, Katie Peck, Clarke Gayford) – Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister, led her nation through unprecedented challenges, implemented bold policies, and became the second leader in history to give birth in office, all while championing an inclusive and empathetic leadership style that changed global expectations of what a leader can be.
SALLY / United States (Director, Producer and Screenwriter: Cristina Costantini, Screenwriter: Tom Maroney, Producers: Dan Cogan, Lauren Cioffi, Jon Bardin) – Sally Ride became the first American woman to blast off into space, but beneath her unflappable composure was a secret. Sally’s life partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, reveals their hidden romance and the sacrifices that accompanied their 27 years together.
Selena y Los Dinos / United States (Director: Isabel Castro, Producers: Simran A. Sing, Julie Goldman & Christopher Clements, J. Daniel Torres, David Blackman) – With never-before-seen access to the Quintanilla family, their stories, and their archives, Selena y Los Dinos retraces the origins of the Queen of Tejano’s music and her meteoric chart-topping rise. The documentary illustrates Selena’s story through her words as well as her loved ones’ memories.
NARRATIVE FEATURES
DJ Ahmet / North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Serbia, Croatia (Director and Screenwriter: Georgi M. Unkovski, Producers: Ivan Unkovski, Ivana Shekutkoska, Cast: Arif Jakup, Agush Agushev, Dora Akan Zlatanova, Aksel Mehmet) – 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.
Lurker / United States (Director and Screenwriter: Alex Russell, Producers: Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery, Galen Core, Charlie McDowell, Archie Madekwe, Olmo Schnabel, Marc Marrie, Francesco Melzi D’Eril, Jack Selby, Cast: Théodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Havana Rose Liu) – A retail employee infiltrates the inner circle of an artist on the verge of stardom. As he gets closer to the budding music star, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.
Plainclothes / United States (Director and Screenwriter: Carmen Emmi, Producers: Colby Cote, Arthur Landon, Eric Podwall, Vanessa Pantley, Cast: Tom Blyth, Russell Tovey, Maria Dizzia) – A promising undercover officer assigned to lure and arrest gay men defies orders when he falls in love with a target.
Together / United States, Australia (Director and Screenwriter: Michael Shanks, Producers: Mike Cowap, Andrew Mittman, Erik Feig, Julia Hammer, Tim Headington, Max Silva, Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Cast: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Damon Herriman) – Years into their relationship, Tim and Millie find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country, abandoning all that is familiar in their lives except each other. With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love, and their flesh.
Twinless / United States (Director, Screenwriter and Producer: James Sweeney, Producers: David Permut, Cast: Dylan O’Brien, James Sweeney, Lauren Graham) – Two young men meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely bromance.
The Ugly Stepsister / Norway, Switzerland, Poland, Denmark (Director and Screenwriter: Emilie Blichfeldt, Producers: Maria Ekerhovd, Cast: Lea Myren, Ane Dahl Torp, Thea Sofie Loch Næss) – In a kingdom where beauty is everything, Elvira is willing to do whatever it takes to compete with the beautiful and charming Cinderella to become the belle of the ball and the most beautiful girl of all.
The Virgin of the Quarry Lake / Argentina, Spain, Mexico (Director: Laura Casabé, Screenwriter: Benjamín Naishtat, Producers: Tomas Eloy Muñoz, Valeria Bistagnino, Alejandro Israel, David Matamoros, Angeles Hernandez, Diego Martinez Ulanosky, Livi Herrera, Cast: Dolores Oliverio, Luisa Merelas, Fernanda Echevarría) – 2001, Argentina. Natalia, Mariela, and Josefina are three, inseparable friends who live on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. At the end of their final year of high school, they all fall madly in love with Diego, a lifelong friend. Natalia has always had the most chemistry with him, but just when it seems inevitable that their friendship will turn into something more, Silvia appears on the scene. Older and more experienced in every sense, Silvia soon captures Diego’s attention.
SHORT FILM PROGRAM
Out for Delivery / United States (Director: Chelsea Christer, Cast: Deanna Rooney, Martin Starr, DeMorge Brown) – After a long battle with cancer, Joanna’s doctors finally give her the sorry news, citing that the final weeks of her life will be incredibly painful. She lives in a state that offers access to Death With Dignity end of life medication, and thanks to modern technology they’re able to conveniently ship the medication directly to her.
Stranger, Brother. / Australia (Director: Annelise Hickey, Cast: Tiaki Teremoana, Samson Uili, Charly Thorn) – Adam, a lonely and selfish young man, is forced to face his past when his half-brother, whom he hasn’t seen in years, shows up unannounced at his door. What follows is an emotional confrontation where family wounds, resentment, and the desire for reconciliation collide.
SUSANA / Mexico, United States (Directors: Gerardo Coello Escalante and Amandine Thomas, Cast: Bonnie Hellman Brown, Christine Spang, Keenan MacWilliam) – Susan is alone in Mexico City after her plans to take a Latin American cruise have fallen apart. Deciding to go to one last dinner out before she flies home to Indiana the next day, she meets a group of young Americans. Enamored by her, the group invites her out dancing with them, and then to Xochimilco the next day. Susan must decide whether to stay and spread her wings, in a place that seems ripe for her self actualization.
Tiger / United States (Director: Loren Waters, Cast: Dana Tiger) – Dana Tiger was just five years old when her father, legendary Muscogee Creek artist Jerome Tiger, passed away. She turned to his art as a way to know him, the richness of her culture, and the bounty of her family’s artistic tradition. In memory of Jerome’s art and to support their family, Dana’s mother and uncle started a booming T-shirt printing business in the 1980s.
Trokas Duras / United States (Director: Jazmin Garcia, Cast: Benjamin Benji Moreno, La Chapis, El Barrio) – A jornalero dreams about the iconic trucks of his compañeros, their customized details, style, and honorable cargos. Just when his dream ramps up with visions of love and justice, he wakes up to a seemingly ordinary day in Los Angeles.
Discover some of the voices that are transforming cinema at Sundance Film Festival: CDMX 2025.
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About Cinépolis
Cinépolis is a Mexican company founded in Morelia, Michoacán, more than 50 years ago, which operates in 18 countries throughout America, Asia, and Europe. Cinépolis is the global industry leader in terms of ticket sales and attendance per auditorium, as well as the world’s 3rd largest movie theatre circuit and the most important outside the United States. Cinépolis is the world’s largest luxury cinema exhibitor and one of the cinema chains with the most laser projectors in the entire industry.
With 891 cinemas and 6,855 digital movie theaters in total, Cinépolis employs more than 33 thousand collaborators. Cinépolis has introduced innovative concepts to the exhibition industry, such as the first multiplexes (Multicinemas®), the first concept of a luxury cinema (Cinépolis VIP®), the partnership with IMAX® turned into Cinépolis IMAX®, Macro XE® screens, 4DX® screens, and Sala Junior® screen.
Cinépolis remains at the forefront and has connected with different audiences through its brands Cinépolis +QUE CINE, Cinépolis Distribución, and Sala de Arte Cinépolis. It has also contributed to Mexican society through the Cinépolis Foundation with its programs “Del Amor Nace la Vista”, “Ruta Cinépolis” and “Vamos Todos a Cinépolis”.
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About Sundance Institute
As a champion and curator of independent stories, the nonprofit Sundance Institute provides and preserves the space for artists across storytelling media to create and thrive. Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, the Institute’s signature labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. Sundance Institute Collab, a digital community platform, brings a global cohort of working artists together to learn from Sundance Institute advisors and connect with each other in a creative space, developing and sharing works in progress. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences and artists to ignite new ideas, discover original voices, and build a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Through the Sundance Institute artist programs, we have supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Big Sick, Bottle Rocket, Boys Don’t Cry, Boys State, Call Me by Your Name, Clemency, CODA, Dìdi (弟弟), Drunktown’s Finest, The Farewell, Fire of Love, Flee, Fruitvale Station, Half Nelson, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hereditary, The Infiltrators, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Little Woods, Love & Basketball, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Mudbound, Nanny, One Child Nation, Pariah, Raising Victor Vargas, Requiem for a Dream, Reservoir Dogs, RBG, Sin Nombre, Sorry to Bother You, Strong Island, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Swiss Army Man, A Thousand and One, Top of the Lake, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, and Zola. Through year-round artist programs, the Institute also nurtured the early careers of such artists as Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Gregg Araki, Darren Aronofsky, Lisa Cholodenko, Ryan Coogler, Nia DaCosta, The Daniels, David Gordon Green, Miranda July, James Mangold, John Cameron Mitchell, Kimberly Peirce, Boots Riley, Ira Sachs, Quentin Tarantino, Taika Waititi, Lulu Wang, and Chloé Zhao. Support Sundance Institute in our commitment to uplifting bold artists and powerful storytelling globally by making a donation at sundance.org/donate. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Bluesky.
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