- Details
- By Kaili Berg
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival has announced its Short Film Program, featuring 57 selections chosen from over 11,000 submissions worldwide.
The lineup showcases works from 28 countries and territories, highlighting a range of genres, including drama, comedy, sci-fi, horror, animation, and experimental storytelling.
Inkwo For When The Starving Return
This year’s festival will take place from January 23 to February 2, 2025, in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with select short films streaming online from January 30 to February 2.
The short film program is often a place where rising filmmakers and underrepresented voices find a global audience. Among this year’s selections are several standout shorts featuring Indigenous filmmakers, artists, and stories.
Among the standout Indigenous short films are:
En Memoria
Directed by Roberto Fatal (Meztize Chicana), En Memoria takes place in a dystopian future where a mother fights to finish her daughter’s quinceañera dress. The film blends themes of resilience and family against an uncertain backdrop.
Inkwo For When The Starving Return
Amanda Strong (Cree/Métis) directs this fantastical short, which follows Dove, a gender-shifting warrior who uses traditional Indigenous medicine to protect their community from an awakened swarm of monstrous creatures. The film stars Paulina Alexis (Alexis Nakota Sioux) and Tantoo Cardinal (Cree/Métis), adding further depth to its cultural and visual narrative.
Stranger, Brother.
Annelise Hickey’s Stranger, Brother. offers a grounded, emotional look at family ties. The story follows Adam, a lonely millennial forced to reconcile his strained relationship with his half-brother. The short explores themes of connection and the complexities of family relationships.
Tiger
Directed by Loren Waters (Cherokee/Kiowa), Tiger is a portrait of renowned Indigenous artist and elder Dana Tiger. The film explores her family’s legacy and the resurgence of the iconic Tiger T-shirt company, a brand that became a symbol of Native pride and artistic resilience.
Field Recording
Quinne Larsen’s (Chinook) Field Recording takes a lighter, more abstract approach, described as “a meandering joke about three dreams.” It brings a unique voice to the program with its playful style and thoughtful undercurrent.
The Sundance Short Film Program has long been a launchpad for new talent, providing a space where filmmakers explore complex themes and innovative storytelling techniques. This year’s Indigenous-centered selections amplify voices and perspectives often underrepresented in mainstream cinema.
For those unable to attend in person, Sundance offers a Short Films Online Pass for $50, granting access to selected films from January 30 to February 2. Single tickets will also be available starting January 16.
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