Sundance unveils eclectic line-up for 2025

The prestigious Sundance festival released its wide-ranging line-up on Wednesday that will see Hollywood stars rubbing shoulders with up-and-coming filmmakers from all over the world.

Lily Gladstone, Benedict Cumberbatch and Melanie Griffith will be among the big names set to head to the mountains for Utah's influential indie movie gathering in January.

Alongside a slew of never-before-seen feature films, there will also be a raft of innovative documentaries from the US and further afield.

"The Sundance Film Festival remains steadfast in its commitment to elevating unique and urgent voices in independent storytelling. Audiences can expect a 2025 programme that showcases varied and vibrant filmmaking globally," said actor Robert Redford, Sundance Institute's founder and president.

The feature film category includes a world premiere of The Thing with Feathers, about a young father who struggles to process the sudden and unexpected death of his wife.

The category will also offer a first look at Gladstone — fresh from her success in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon — in "The Wedding Banquet.

Griffith, meanwhile, stars alongside Juliette Lewis in By Design, a tale about a woman who swaps bodies with a chair, and finds everyone likes her better as a piece of furniture.

Alongside cinematic glitz, festivalgoers will also be able to take their pick of innovative documentaries, including two that examine America's relationship with law and order.

The Perfect Neighbor traces how a seemingly minor neighbourhood dispute in Florida escalates into deadly violence, using police bodycam footage and investigative interviews to expose the consequences of Florida's "stand your ground" laws.

Meanwhile, Predators looks at the rise and fall of a popular television show in which child abusers were lured to a film set, where they would be interviewed and eventually arrested.

The festival, which will take place from January 23 to February 2 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, will involve 87 feature-length films representing 33 countries and territories.

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