Thirteen Exciting Genre Movies Set to Debut at Sundance 2025
The cinematic year commences at Sundance. Since the 80s, movie icons and upcoming stars flock to Park City, Utah, aiming to create history. Sundance serves as the launchpad for numerous iconic and buzzworthy independent films, paving their way to box office success or critical acclaim. With the festival now offering an annual online component, citizens worldwide can partake.
Sundance is renowned for its dramatic films (acclaimed titles like Coda and Little Miss Sunshine began their journeys here), but it's also an excellent platform for exploring exceptional horror, sci-fi, and genre films. io9 has been instrumental in showcasing such films in the past; Sundance has provided a stage for Saw, The Blair Witch Project, Donnie Darko, Talk to Me, 28 Days Later, The Descent, and Primer. Recently, It's What's Inside, My Old Ass, I Saw the TV Glow, and In a Violent Nature were unveiled there.
So, is 2025's I Saw the TV Glow screening at Sundance? It's time to examine the contenders. If you'd like to watch them, the festival takes place from January 23–February 2, 2025, in Park City, Utah, and online from January 30–February 2. Purchase tickets here and engage with the genre offerings below.
The following descriptions are directly from Sundance, arranged in alphabetical order.
An image from By Design – Sundance
By Design / USA – A woman swaps bodies with a chair, eventually being accepted by everyone in her new form. Cast: Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Melanie Griffith, Samantha Mathis, Robin Tunney, Udo Kier. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for Public. (Director and Screenwriter: Amanda Kramer, Producers: Miranda Bailey, Sarah Winshall, Natalie Whalen, Jacob Agger)
Dead Lover / Canada – A lonely gravedigger, reeking of corpses, meets her ideal man; however, their passionate love story is cut short when he tragically drowns at sea. Overcome with grief, she pursues madcap scientific experiments to resurrect him, with unexpected consequences and an unexpected romance. Cast: Grace Glowicki, Ben Petrie, Leah Doz, Lowen Morrow. World Premiere. Fiction. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Grace Glowicki, Screenwriter and Producer: Ben Petrie, Producer: Yona Strauss)
Didn’t Die / USA – A podcast host clinging to a dwindling audience perseveres in the zombie apocalypse. Cast: Kiran Deol, George Basil, Samrat Chakrabarti, Katie McCuen, Vishal Vijayakumar. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for Public. Director, (Screenwriter, and Producer: Meera Menon, Screenwriter and Producer: Paul Gleason, Producers: Erica Fishman, Joe Camerota, Luke Patton)
The Legend of Ochi / USA – In a remote Carpathian village, a farm girl named Yuri is brought up to fear an animal species known as Ochi. When she finds a wounded baby Ochi abandoned, she embarks on a quest to bring him home, encountering unexpected challenges. Cast: Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, Willem Dafoe. World Premiere. Fiction. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Isaiah Saxon, Producers: Richard Peete, Traci Carlson, Jonathan Wang)
An image from Luz – Sundance
LUZ / Hong Kong, China – In the neon-lit Chongqing streets, Wei searches for his estranged daughter Fa, while Paris-based Hong Kong gallery owner Ren grapples with her ailing stepmother Sabine. Their lives intersect in a virtual reality world, where a mystical deer uncovers hidden truths, fueling their journey of self-discovery and connection. Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Sandrine Pinna, Xiao Dong Guo, Lu Huang, David Chiang, En Xi Deng. World Premiere. Available online for Public. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Flora Lau, Producers: Yvette Tang, Joseph Sinn Gi Chan, Stephen Lam)
OBEX / USA – Secluded life resident Conor Marsh and his dog, Sandy, live peacefully until Conor begins playing OBEX, a sophisticated computer game. As Sandy disappears, Conor becomes entangled in the OBEX's surreal world, having to venture into it to retrieve her. Cast: Albert Birney, Callie Hernandez, Frank Mosley. World Premiere. Fiction. Available online for Public. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Albert Birney, Screenwriter and Producer: Pete Ohs, Producers: Emma Hannaway, James Belfer)
Opus / U.S.A. – A young scribe is extended an invitation to the secluded estate of a renowned pop star who inexplicably vanished 3 decades ago. Enveloped by the singer's devotees and imbibed media personnel, she finds herself squarely in the heart of his nefarious scheme. Starring: Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder. Debut. Fictional Drama. (Director, Writer, and Producer: Mark Anthony Green, Producers: Collin Creighton, Brad Weston, Poppy Hanks, Jelani Johnson, Josh Bachove)
A snapshot from Rabbit Trap – Sundance
Rabbit Trap / U.K. – When a musician along with her husband relocate to a remote dwelling in Wales, the music they create stirs ancient witchcraft magic, summoning a nameless child to their thresholds who aims to penetrate their existence. Cast: Dev Patel, Rosy McEwen, Jade Croot. Debut. Fictional Drama. (Director and Writer: Bryn Chainey, Producers: Daniel Noah, Lawrence Inglee, Elijah Wood, Elisa Lleras, Adrian Politowski, Martin Metz)
Rains Over Babel / Colombia, U.S.A., Spain – A congregation of misfit individuals gather at Babel, a legendary tavern functioning as purgatory, ruled by La Flaca – the city’s Grim Reaper. Here, souls stake years of their lives with her, daring to outsmart Death herself. Cast: Saray Rebolledo, Felipe Aguilar Rodríguez, John Alex Castillo, William Hurtado, Santiago Pineda, Celina Biurrun. Debut. Fictional Drama. Available online publicly. (Director, Writer, and Producer: Gala del Sol, Producers: H.A Hermida, Ana Cristina Gutiérrez, Andrés Hermida, Natalia Rendón Rodríguez)
The Thing with Feathers / U.K. – Grieving from his wife's abrupt demise, a young papa struggles with reality as a menacing presence appears to haunt him from the dimly lit corners of his shared apartment with his two little lads. Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Boxall, Henry Boxall, Eric Lampaert, Vinette Robinson, Sam Spruell. Debut. Fictional Drama. (Director and Writer: Dylan Southern, Producers: Andrea Cornwell, Leah Clarke, Adam Ackland)
A snap from Together – Sundance
Together / Australia, U.S.A. – A relocation to the countryside pushes the constraints of a pair's relationship, and a supernatural encounter triggers an extreme change in their affection, lives, and embodiment. Cast: Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Damon Herriman. Debut. Fictional Drama. (Director and Writer: Michael Shanks, Producers: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Mike Cowap, Andrew Mittman, Erik Feig, Max Silva)
Touch Me / U.S.A. – Two mutually dependent friends succumb to the heroin-like touch of an alien narcissist who might be attempting global domination. Cast: Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jordan Gavaris, Marlene Forte, Paget Brewster. Debut. Fictional Drama. (Director, Writer, and Producer: Addison Heimann, Producers: John Humber, David Lawson Jr.)
The Ugly Stepsister / Norway – In a fairy-tale kingdom where beauty is brutally competitive, Elvira competes against her strikingly attractive stepsister, and she will go to any length to secure the prince's attention. Cast: Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp, Flo Fagerli, Isac Calmroth, Malte Gårdinger. Debut. Fictional Drama. (Director and Writer: Emilie Blichfeldt, Producer: Maria Ekerhovd)
In the upcoming years, technology could significantly impact the movie industry, as films like 'I Saw the TV Glow' might incorporate advanced special effects and digital storytelling techniques. As Io9 continues to cover innovative sci-fi and genre films, we can expect to see such trends showcased at events like the Sundance Film Festival.
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival offers a plethora of exciting movie genres, including 'OBEX', a film where the protagonist ventures into a surreal virtual world to save his dog. With the festival's online component, avid movie enthusiasts and technology lovers can join in the festivities from anywhere in the world.
