The Sundance Institute has named 16 jurors for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the group of five that deliberated on the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize.
In the U.S. Dramatic Competition, the jurors include Reinaldo Marcus Green, Arian Moayed, and Celine Song.
For the U.S. Documentary Competition, the jurors are Steven Bognar, Vinnie Malhotra, and Marcia Smith.
Ava Cahen, Wanuri Kahiu, and Daniel Kaluuya are the jurors for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
Names such as Daniela Alatorre, Laura Kim, and Kevin Macdonald are the jurors for the World Cinema Documentary Competition.
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When it comes to the Short Film Program Competition, Kaniehtiio Horn, Maggie Mackay, and Kibwe Tavares are the jurors.
Elijah Wood will be the juror of the NEXT section.
Winners of Sundance will be announced during an awards ceremony held at The Ray Theatre in Park City, UT, on Friday, January 31.
For festival-goers who will be attending in person, they will get the opportunity to participate in naming Audience Award winners in the U.S. Competition, World Competition, and NEXT categories.
They will also have the opportunity to vote for the Festival Favorite, which will be announced on Sunday, February 2.
Eugene Hernandez, Director of Sundance Film Festival and Public Programming, stated that
“We are thrilled to announce the incredible and accomplished group that comprises the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s jury,”
“The jury plays a pivotal role in helping us recognize and amplify a new generation of storytellers, which is a crucial part of our work in independent cinema.”
He added the Sundance Film Festival’s Director of Programming, Kim Yutani, in part, “We are truly appreciative of their commitment and are looking forward to having them join us at the festival.”
Even before the start of the festival, the head of the festival, the jury for the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, decided to award the prize to Sally, a documentary on history-making astronaut Sally Ride from director Cristina Costantini.
As most upcoming events are contemplating hosting dates due to the Los Angeles County wildfire, Sundance organizers have addressed the potential impact of the wildfire on the festival.
But they plan to move forward as planned, even as they acknowledge ongoing losses as a result of the fires that are “hard to fathom and deeply emotional.”
In their joint statement, Acting Sundance CEO Amanda Kelso and Hernandez added:
“Sundance exists to discover artists, celebrate their work, and support storytelling that connects people through the power of film, and we know that coming together as a community can be both healing and catalytic.”
Sundance will take place in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, from January 23 to February 2, with a selection of titles available online from January 30 to February 2.
