Sundance Film Festival reveals 2025 lineup

• Organizers are exploring a potential move to another state for 2027 and beyond. Besides Park City and Salt Lake City's joint bid, host cities under consideration are Boulder, Colorado, and Cincinnati, Ohio.

The big picture: Youth and coming of age will be prominent themes in various films, senior programmer Basil Tsiokos told Axios.

• "A lot of films … are dealing with young protagonists … looking back on their youth and sort of the impact that certain events have had that have lasting consequences," Tsiokos said.
• Festivalgoers can also expect a slew of music-focused documentaries, with films centered around Selena Quintanilla, Jeff Buckley, and Sly and the Family Stone, he noted.

Follow the money: Netflix made the largest on-site deal during the 2024 festival after acquiring the body-swapping thriller "It's What's Inside" for $17 million.

What we're watching: That festival saw slow deal-making, per the Hollywood Reporter, as the risk-averse movie industry recovered from the pandemic and the 2023 Hollywood strikes.

• "I see an optimism around the marketplace for the festival," Tsiokos said. "I do think that there is a hunger now for more content."

Between the lines: Notable celebrities starring in Sundance films include Bowen Yang in "The Wedding Banquet," Jennifer Lopez in "Kiss of the Spider Woman," Carey Mulligan in "The Ballad of Wallis Island," and Conan O'Brien in "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You."

What's new: Amanda Kelso has stepped in as acting CEO of Sundance Institute after previous head Joana Vicente departed after the 2024 festival, Variety reported.

What's next: The festival runs Jan. 23 to Feb. 2.

• Limited ticket packages are available now and single film tickets go on sale Jan. 16.