Sundance Film Festival 2025 Photos: ‘Twinless,’ ‘Jimpa’ & ‘By Design’ Premieres on Day 1 – Deadline
By Robert Lang pmc-editorial-editor-2024The Sundance Film Festival 2025, beloved by independent film enthusiasts, opens the film festival circuit with thought-provoking panels, and red-carpet premieres. Despite the cancellation of other awards season events, the film festival has decided to proceed as planned in the wake of the devastating fires that have ravaged Los Angeles, causing the destruction of 15,798 structures and resulting in 28 fatalities. The extent to which the recent fires will impact the festival, renowned for its vibrant social scene and bustling calendar of events, remains to be seen.This year’s lineup boasts diversity across various categories, featuring 57 short films and 87 feature films representing 33 countries and territories. The 2025 program is composed of 36 of 87 (41%) feature film directors who are first-time feature filmmakers. Sundance Institute supported ten of the feature films and projects selected in development through direct granting or residency labs.RELATED: Sundance Film Festival 2025: All Of Deadline’s Movie ReviewsAmong the buzzworthy titles premiering are Atropia, Brides; Bunnylovr; By Design; Didn’t Die; If I Had Legs I’d Kick You; It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley; Kiss of the Spider Woman; Pee-wee as Himself; Peter Hujar’s Day; Opus; Rebuilding, and Jimpa.Day 1 of the festival kicked off with Thursday’s opening-night film, Twinless, a comedy written and directed by James Sweeney in his debut Sundance feature film. Sweeney also stars alongside Dylan O’Brien which follows two young men who meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely bromance. The film also features Lauren Graham, Aisling Franciosi, Tasha Smith, and Chris Perfetti. Following that the cast and crew of By Design, including Mamoudou Athie, Samantha Mathis, director Amanda Kramer, Robin Tunney, Juliette Lewis, and Alisa Torres, attended the premiere at the Library Center Theatre.RELATED: Sundance 2025: Will Indie Box Office Revival Spur Dealmaking?Earlier, Olivia Colman, John Lithgow, and Aud Mason-Hyde graced the red carpet for Jimpa, directed by Sophie Hyde, recipient of the World Cinema Directing Award: Dramatic for 52 Tuesdays at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. In this poignant drama, Hannah (Colman) takes her non-binary child, Frances (Mason-Hyde), to Amsterdam to visit their gay grandfather, Jim (Lithgow). While Frances discovers the joys of queer life in the vibrant city, Hannah is forced to confront her past.Other premiers today are Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore; April; SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius); DJ Ahmet; LUZ; The Ugly Stepsister, and Touch Me.RELATED: Sundance Film Festival 2025’s Buzziest Sales TitlesThe 16 jurors granting awards honoring excellence in cinematic and artistic achievement at the Festival include Kaniehtiio Horn, Vinnie Malhotra, Celine Song, Sam and Andy Zuchero, Kevin Macdonald, Wanuri Kahiu, Nicholas Ma, Arian Moayed, Daniel Kaluuya, Elijah Wood, Nia Imara, Michael Almereyda, Dr. Monica Lopez, Maggie Mackay, Marcia Smith, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Daniela Alatorre, Ava Cahen, Steven Bognar, Kibwe Tavares, and Laura Kim.SALLY, directed by Cristina C, screening in the Premieres category was selected as the 2025 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize winner, an annual juried award granted to an artist with the most outstanding depiction of science and technology in a feature-length film.The 2025 Sundance Film Festival will take place from January 23–February 2, 2025, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with the jury and audience awards to be presented on January 24 at Grand Hyatt Deer Valley.Whether you’re a seasoned film fanatic or curious to discover new talent, check back for daily updates from the festival.(L-R) Joseph Patel, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, and Director of the Sundance Film Festival, Eugene Hernandez attend the “SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre on January 23(L-R) Derik Murray, Tara Duncan, President, Onyx & Freeform, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Joseph Patel and Jihan Robinson attend the “SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre on January 23 (L-R) Tara Duncan, Jerry Martini, Sylvester Stewart Jr., Jihan Robinson, Joseph Patel, Derik Murray, Novena Carmel, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Arlene Hirshkowitz, and Greg Errico attend the “SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre on January 23(L-R) James Sweeney, Dylan O’Brien and Eugene HernandezSusan Park, Lauren Graham, Aisling Franciosi, Dylan O’Brien and James SweeneyLauren Graham, Aisling Franciosi, Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney(L-R) Dylan O’Brien, Aisling Franciosi, Lauren Graham and James Sweeney attend the “Twinless” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre on January 23(L-R) Dylan O’Brien and Lauren GrahamAisling FranciosiSusan ParkJames Sweeney, left, Aisling Franciosi, Dylan O’Brien and Lauren Graham at the “Twinless” cast party at the Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, on Thursday, Jan. 23James Sweeney, left, and Aisling Franciosi at the “Twinless” cast party at the Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025(L-R) John Farbrother, James Costa, Violet Du Feng, Joanna Natasegara, and Chad Cannon attend the “The Dating Game” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Egyptian Theatre on January 23(L-R) Lea Myren, Sjur Miljeteig, Jason Clarke, Emilie Blichfeldt, Mariusz Wlodarski, Olivia Neergaard-Holm, Thea Sofie Loch Næss Agnes, Theis Nørgaard, Maria Ekerhovd, Christian Torpe, Lizette Jonjic and Emily Gotto attend the “The Ugly Stepsister” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Library Center Theatre on January 23(L-R) David Jacobson, Brittan Dunham, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Damian Rodriquez, Matt Wolf, Candace Tomarken and Ronald Bronstein attend the “Pee-wee as Himself” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23(L-R) Ronald Bronstein, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Elida Berry, Matt Wolf, Allison Berry and Kelly Bush Novak(L-R) Sjur Miljeteig, Lea Myren, Emilie Blichfeldt, Thea Sofie Loch Næss Agnes and Maria Ekerhovd attend the “The Ugly Stepsister” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Library Center Theatre on January 23Cast and crew attend the “By Design” Premiere(L-R) Samantha Mathis, Juliette Lewis, and Robin Tunney attend the “By Design” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Library Center Theatre on January 23(L-R) Mamoudou Athie, Samantha Mathis, Amanda Kramer, Robin Tunney, Juliette Lewis and Alisa Torres attend the “By Design” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Library Center Theatre on January 23Juliette LewisRobin Tunney(L-R) Amanda Kramer and Juliette LewisMamoudou Athie(L-R) Ivana Shekutkoska, Georgi M. Unkovski, Arif Jakup, and Ivan Unkovski attend the “DJ Ahmet” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Egyptian Theatre on January 23(L-R) Sophie Hyde, Aud Mason-Hyde, Olivia Colman and John LithgowOlivia Colman(L-R) Sophie Hyde, Aud Mason-Hyde and Olivia Colman(L-R) Aud Mason-Hyde, Sophie Hyde, John Lithgow and Olivia Colman attend the “Jimpa” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre on January 23(L-R) John Lithgow, Aud Mason-Hyde and Olivia Colman(L-R) John Lithgow and Olivia ColmanBryn Chapman Parish, Laura McAloney, John Lithgow, Bryn Chapman Parish, Olivia Colman, Sophie Hyde, Aud Mason-Hyde, Matthew Cormack, Bryan Mason and Nick Ward pose with guests at the “Jimpa” Premiere(L-R) Jennifer Tiexiera, Josh Gad and Guy Mossman attend the “Speak.” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Library Center Theatre on January 23(L-R) Sam Schaefer, Mfaz Mohamed Ali, Noor Garoui, Jennifer Tiexiera, Josh Gad, Guy Mossman, Esther Oyetunji, Noah Detiveaux and Ryan Levesque attend the “Speak.” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Library Center Theatre on January 23(L-R) Alex Babenko and Mstyslav Chernov attend the “2000 Meters to Andriivka” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23(L-R) Alex Babenko, Raney Aronson, Sudip Sharma and Mstyslav Chernov attend the “2000 Meters to Andriivka” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23(L-R) Aric Chen, Huang Lu, Sandrine Pinna, Flora Lau, Shari Frilot, Yvette Tang, and Joseph Sinn Gi Chan attend the “LUZ” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Egyptian Theatre on January 23(L-R) Jai Shukla, Preston Lee, Cole Webley, Molly Belle Wright, John Maguro, Wyatt Solis, Robert Machoian, and Paul Meyers attend the “Omaha” PremiereMarlee Matlin attends the “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theatre on January 23, 2025 in Park City, Utah(L-R) Marlee Matlin and Shoshannah Stern(L-R) Marlee Matlin and Shoshannah Stern(L-R) John Maucere, Marlee Matlin, Shoshannah Stern and Liz Tannebaum(L-R) Dea Kulumbegashvili and Alexandra Rossi attend the “April” Premiere during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Egyptian Theatre on January 23(L-R) Sam Rice-Edwards, Alice Webb, Kevin Macdonald, Ania Trzebiatowska, and Peter Worsely attend the “One To One: John & Yoko” PremiereGet our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy.Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters
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