Top 10 Short Films coming to the 2025 Sundance Film Festival

A new year with a new set of Short Film Programs is headed our way at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival that will take place from January 23-February 2, 2025, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. Also returning this year is the festival’s online component, which lets you catch the majority of the Short Film Programs presented by Vimeo with their Short Film Pass: Online. You can check out ticketing information here.

“Our Short Film Program celebrates fresh styles and unique stories. The short run time encourages innovation,” said Mike Plante, Senior Programmer, Short Film. “Audiences will find much of the next generation of film talent here, with raw, exciting and inspired filmmaking from around the world in each of our eight programs.”

The 57 short films selected for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival were chosen from 11,153 submissions, 6,244 of which were international. Below you will see the top 15 short films that stood out listed alphabetically. If you would like to see the full program you can check it out here.

AZI

Breeda Wool appears in Azi by Montana Mann | Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Dior Negeen Goodjohn appears in Azi by Montana Mann | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

SHORTS PROGRAM 2

“During a weekend vacation with her best friend's family, 17-year-old Azi gets caught up in an unexpected game with another guest.”

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CARIES

After loving director Aline Höchli’s 2019 Why Slugs Have No Legs, Caries is near the top of my most anticipated list. Inspired by her father’s stories to get the kids to brush their teeth, Caries takes us into the life of a shaman creating her murals unaware she’s in the mouth of a vain weather presenter.

A still from Caries by Aline Höchli | Courtesy of Sundance Institute

A still from Caries by Aline Höchli | Courtesy of Sundance Institute

A still from Caries by Aline Höchli | Courtesy of Sundance Institute

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COMO SI LA TIERRA SE LAS HUBIERA TRAGADO

A still from Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado by Natalia León | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

A still from Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado by Natalia León | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

A still from Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado by Natalia León | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Poster image of Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado by Natalia León | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

“Olivia, a young woman living abroad, returns to her hometown in Mexico in the hope of reconnecting with her past.”

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DEBATERS

“In a debate chamber, affluent high schoolers argue a bill on minimum wage in an effort to impress two working-class adult judges.”

J. Smith-Cameron and Kenneth Lonergan appear in Debaters by Alex Heller | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Dagmar Weaver-Madsen.

Joyce Lee, Bernadette Santos Schwegel, Sripadh Puligilla, and Rich Adrian Lazatin appear in Debaters by Alex Heller | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Dagmar Weaver-Madsen.

Bernadette Santos Schwegel appears in Debaters by Alex Heller | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Dagmar Weaver-Madsen.

Poster for Debaters by Alex Heller | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Dagmar Weaver-Madsen.

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GRANDMA NAI WHO PLAYED FAVORITES

Saroeun Nay and Phalla Im appear in Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites by Chheangkea | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Shyan Tan

Bonrotanak Rith, Sokun Theary Ty and Ponleu Chab appear in Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites by Chheangkea | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Shyan Tan

Bonrotanak Rith and Saroeun Nay appear in Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites by Chheangkea | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Shyan Tan

Poster image of Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites by Chheangkea | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

“During her chaotic family’s Qingming visit, dead Grandma Nai sneaks away from her peaceful afterlife after overhearing that her Queer grandson is about to get engaged to a woman.”

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HIPPOPOTAMI

Director Jjianjie Lin returns to the festival after his premiere of Brief History of a Family with the world premiere of his short Hippopotami, “in the suburbs of a northern Chinese city undergoing urbanization, a quirky girl who wants to see animals in the zoo is taken for a ride that will forever change her perspective on life.”

Zhang Zhiyong, Wang Zixi and Xu Ge appear in Hippopotami by JJ Lin | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Zhang Zhiyong, Wang Zixi and Xu Ge appear in Hippopotami by JJ Lin | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Poster image of Hippopotami by JJ Lin | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

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LUZ DIABLA

A still from Luz Diabla by Gervasio Canda, Paula Boffo and Patricio Plaza | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

A still from Luz Diabla by Gervasio Canda, Paula Boffo and Patricio Plaza | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

A still from Luz Diabla by Gervasio Canda, Paula Boffo and Patricio Plaza | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Poster image of Luz Diabla by Gervasio Canda, Paula Boffo and Patricio Plaza | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

After having loved Carne de Dios (2022) Luz Diabla is an animated short about “Martin, a flamboyant urban raver, [who] is involved in a strange car accident on his way to a party in the middle of the Argentine Pampas.”

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OUT FOR DELIVERY

“When terminally ill Joanna makes the difficult decision to pursue end-of-life options through the Death with Dignity Act, the systems set up to make her death peaceful and dignified yield the opposite.”

Deanna Rooney appears in Out for Delivery by Chelsea Christer | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Gavin Velasquez Murray.

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REALITY OF HOPE

A still from The Reality of Hope by Joe Hunting | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Joe Hunting

A still from The Reality of Hope by Joe Hunting | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Joe Hunting

A still from The Reality of Hope by Joe Hunting | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Joe Hunting

“Virtual reality creator Hiyu is facing kidney failure. His online friend Photographotter travels from New York City to Stockholm to be a live donor to Hiyu.”

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SOMEBODY CARES

“After being taken hostage by a clumsy hit man at a cabin in the woods, Barry — a lonely middle-aged deadbeat — must convince his estranged sister to wire him his dead uncle’s inheritance before fate comes to collect.”

A still from Somebody Cares by Julien Lasseur | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Poster for Somebody Cares by Julien Lasseur | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

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SUCH GOOD FRIENDS

Mindy Sterling, Jared Lo Nigro, Rachel Rambaldi, and Niamh O'Neill Culhane appear in Such Good Friends by Bri Klaproth | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Niamh O'Neill Culhane appears in Such Good Friends by Bri Klaproth | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Mindy Sterling and Niamh O'Neill Culhane appear in Such Good Friends by Bri Klaproth | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Poster for Such Good Friends by Bri Klaproth | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

“After ending a toxic friendship, a people pleaser finds herself falling into old patterns with her former best friend’s family.”

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SUSANA

“A middle-aged American tourist finds herself alone in Mexico City. When she encounters a group of young Americans, she jumps at the opportunity for a little adventure.”

Bonnie Hellman Brown appears in SUSANA by Amandine Thomas and Gerardo Coello Escalante | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Andrea Gavazzi

Bonnie Hellman Brown appears in SUSANA by Amandine Thomas and Gerardo Coello Escalante | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Andrea Gavazzi

Bonnie Hellman Brown appears in SUSANA by Amandine Thomas and Gerardo Coello Escalante | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Andrea Gavazzi

Poster image of SUSANA by Amandine Thomas and Gerardo Coello Escalante | Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

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SWOLLEN

Roxy Sophie Sorkin appears in Swollen by Roxy Sophie Sorkin | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Shane Bagwell.

Lily Rosenthal and Roxy Sophie Sorkin appear in Swollen by Roxy Sophie Sorkin | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Shane Bagwell.

Miles Fowler, Buck Andrews and Leaf Leiber appear in Swollen by Roxy Sophie Sorkin | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Shane Bagwell.

“After plastic surgery, two besties debate the need to call the local police amid a botched burglary for fear of being seen swollen, bandaged, and bloody.”

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THE LONG VALLEY

“Documenting the people and landscapes of the Salinas Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions in California.”

A still from The Long Valley by Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Robert Machoian.

A still from The Long Valley by Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Robert Machoian.

A still from The Long Valley by Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Robert Machoian.

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WE WERE THE SCENERY

Hoa Thi Le Che and James Viet Che appear in We Were The Scenery by Christopher Radcliff Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Hue Nguyen Che

A still from We Were The Scenery by Christopher Radcliff | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Jess X. Snow.

A still from We Were The Scenery by Christopher Radcliff | Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Jess X. Snow.

“In 1975, Hoa Thi Le and Hue Nguyen Che fled from Vietnam by boat and docked in the Philippines, where they were utilized as background extras during the filming of Apocalypse Now.”