The 2025 Sundance Film Festival features an exciting lineup of 14 films from filmmakers who identify as African American, of African descent, or Black. These selections reflect a wide range of experiences and showcase the creativity and talent of storytellers from around the globe.
Feature films
“How to Build a Library”
Co-director: Maia Lekow
Section: World Cinema Documentary Competition
Available to watch in person and online.
Two women in Nairobi transform a formerly whites-only library into a vibrant cultural hub, navigating local politics, raising millions for the rebuild, and confronting Kenya’s colonial past.
“Khartoum”
Co-directors: Anas Saeed, Ibrahim Snoopy, Timeea Ahmed, Rawia Alhag
Section: World Cinema Documentary Competition
Available to watch in person and online.
Five citizens of Khartoum, forced to flee Sudan amid war, re-enact their stories of survival and freedom through dreams, revolution, and civil war.
“Love, Brooklyn”
Director: Rachael Abigail Holder
Section: U.S. Dramatic Competition
Available to watch in person and online.
Three lifelong Brooklyn residents navigate love, loss, friendship, and careers against the backdrop of a rapidly changing city.
“Move Ya Body: The Birth of House”
Director: Elegance Bratton
Section: Premieres
Available to watch in person.
A documentary chronicling the rise of house music, born in Chicago’s underground clubs, and how a group of friends turned a local sound into a global movement.
“Opus”
Director: Mark Anthony Green
Section: Midnight
Available to watch in person.
A young writer visits the compound of a legendary pop star who disappeared 30 years ago, and finds herself in the middle of his sinister plans.
“Ricky”
Director: Rashad Frett
Section: U.S. Dramatic Competition
Available to watch in person and online.
Ricky, newly released after being incarcerated as a teenager, navigates adulthood and independence for the first time.
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Mark Anthony Green, director of “Opus,” official selection of 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Image courtesy of Sundance Institute | Photo by Kenny St. George) Credit: Photo by Kenny St. George) ![]()
Willie Head Jr. appears in “Seeds” by Brittany Shyne, official selection of 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Image courtesy of Sundance Institute | Photo by Brittany Shyne) Credit: Photo by Brittany Shyne)
“Seeds”
Director: Brittany Shyne
Section: U.S. Documentary Competition
Available to watch in person and online.
An exploration of generational African American farmers in the American South reveals the challenges of preserving land and legacy.
“SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)”
Director: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Section: Premieres
Available to watch in person.
An examination of the life and legacy of Sly & the Family Stone explores the band’s rise and the pressures that came with groundbreaking success.
Short films
“An Almost Successful Dating App Love Story”
Director: Winter Coleman
Section: Short Film Program 5
Available to watch in person and online.
A curious woman attends the funeral of a man she matched with on a dating app.
“B(l)ind the Sacrifice”
Director: Nakhane
Section: Short Film Program 4
Available to watch in person and online.
A nomadic family’s traditions are upended when men ascend a mountain to make a sacrifice that changes their lives forever.
“Entre le Feu et le Clair de Lune”
Director: Dominic Yarabe
Section: Documentary Short Film Program
Available to watch in person and online.
An Ivorian father and daughter collaborate to finish a book about war while connecting timelines across generations.
“Hold Me Close”
Directors: LaTajh Simmons-Weaver, Aurora Brachman
Section: Documentary Short Film Program
Available to watch in person and online.
A tender exploration of the cycles of joy and pain shared by two queer African American women in their shared home.
“The Lily (เดอะลิลลี่)”
Director: Quintessa Swindell
Section: Short Film Program 4
Available to watch in person and online.
Two Muay Thai fighters and former childhood friends come together for a final, brutal fight to confront their families’ history of hatred.
“Miss You Perdularia”
Director: Manu Zilveti
Section: Short Film Program 3
Available to watch in person and online.
At a Cuban high school, a group of girls — “Las Perdularias” — copes with the growing emptiness on their island through their bond.
For more info, visit www.sundance.org.
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