Selena y Los Dinos by Isabel Castro
The Sundance Film Festival has unveiled the complete lineup for its 2025 edition, set to take place from January 23 to February 2, both in person in Park City, Utah, and online. As in previous years, the festival will spotlight films by U.S. Latinx and Latin American filmmakers or works centered on these communities.
The World Cinema Dramatic Competition will host the world premiere of the Argentine film The Virgin of Quarry Lake (La virgen de la Tosquera) by Laura Casabé. Starring Dolores Oliverio, Luisa Merelas, Fernanda Echevarría, Dady Brieva, and Agustín Sosa, and written by Benjamin Naishtat, the film follows three teenagers from the outskirts of Buenos Aires who all fall for Diego. While Natalia shares the strongest connection with him, their budding romance is disrupted by Silvia, an older and more experienced rival who captures Diego’s attention.
In the U.S. Documentary Competition, Selena y Los Dinos, the second feature by director Isabel Castro (Mija), will have its world premiere. This documentary chronicles the rise of Selena Quintanilla—the “Queen of Tejano Music”—and her family band, Selena y Los Dinos, from performing at quinceañeras to selling out stadium tours. The film celebrates Selena’s life and legacy, featuring never-before-seen footage from the family’s personal archives.
The Next competition, known for showcasing bold, innovative storytelling, will include the world premiere of the Colombian film Rains Over Babel / Llueve sobre Babel by Gala del Sol, Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) by Latino director Joel Alfonso Vargas, and Serious People, co-directed by Latino director Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson.
Rains Over Babel, starring Saray Rebolledo, Felipe Aguilar Rodríguez, and John Alex Castillo, centers on a group of misfits who converge at Babel, a legendary dive bar that doubles as purgatory. Presided over by La Flaca—the city’s Grim Reaper—souls gamble years of their lives in a daring attempt to outwit Death herself.
In Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo), Rico’s carefree Bronx summer is filled with chasing girls and selling homemade cocktails at Orchard Beach. However, when his teenage girlfriend Destiny moves in with his family, his life spirals out of control. Serious People follows a successful music video director and expectant father who pushes his work-life balance to the extreme by hiring a doppelgänger to take his place at work.
One of the festival’s most anticipated films is a remake of Kiss of the Spider Woman, based on the celebrated novel by Argentine author Manuel Puig. Directed by Bill Condon, the film stars Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, Jennifer Lopez, and Bruno Bichir. It tells the story of Valentín, a political prisoner, who forms an unlikely bond with Molina, a window dresser convicted of public indecency, as they share a prison cell and recount a Hollywood musical starring Molina’s favorite diva, Ingrid Luna.
The Premieres section will feature Magic Farm by Argentine filmmaker Amalia Ulman (El Planeta). Starring Chloë Sevigny and Alex Wolff, the film follows a media company’s inept crew as they travel to Argentina to profile a local musician but end up in the wrong country. As they collaborate with locals to fabricate a trend, unexpected connections form, all while a looming health crisis remains unacknowledged.
Following her acclaimed debut feature Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado, Latina director Cristina Costantini will premiere her documentary SALLY. The film explores the life of Sally Ride, the first American woman to travel to space, delving into her hidden romance with life partner Tam O’Shaughnessy and the sacrifices they made during their 27-year relationship. SALLY is also the recipient of the 2025 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize.
