Sundance 2025

In How to Build a Library two Nairobi women set out to transform what used to be a whites-only library into a vibrant cultural hub. When filming began almost a decade ago, the place was like a bombsite. “Visually it was such a fascinating space,” Lekow tells BDE. “It felt so symbolic of this paralysis you feel in the Kenyan state and the way that things move; this post-colonial identity crisis where there is a painful history, but it’s also something you can’t ignore, erase, and pretend that it didn’t happen.”

Gianluca Matarrese’s new feature doc (a world premiere in Sundance) profiles the remarkable and highly cherished Dr Maurizio Bini as he tends to would-be parents undergoing in vitro fertilization, and folk seeking to reconcile their bodies with their gender identities. In the film we see Bini as he approached the end of his career, mentoring a successor while continuing to fight for his patients.

Organisers of Sundance FF (Jan 23 – Feb 2) announced December 11 the 93 feature and episodic programme titles that will make up its 2025 programme. These include 10 films in World Cinema Doc Comp, ten films in US Documentary Comp, and a further 11 documentary titles in Premieres. “The Sundance Film Festival remains steadfast in its commitment to elevating unique and urgent voices in independent storytelling,” commented Robert Redford, Sundance Institute Founder and President.

The feature doc Khartoum brings together five very different stories from the conflict in Sudan. As co-director Cox tells BDE, it is a ”radical” project in that it brings Arabs and Africans, rich and poor, men and women, adults and children, together. “The issue of divide and rule is what fuels the war today…it’s not just in front of the camera but the act of the directors working together behind the camera is a really bold thing. It’s a statement of collectivity and unity.”