The Middle Eastern films screening at this year’s Sundance

Annual event is a hotbed for discovering emerging talent

The Egyptian Theatre in Park City, Utah is one of the theatres which will host screenings of films from the Middle East at the Sundance film festival. Photo: AP Photo

This year’s Sundance Film Festival runs from January 23 to February 2. Taking place in Park City and Salt Lake City in Utah, the festival has been a hotbed for discovering emerging talent in the independent film circuit.

In the past, films such as Christopher Nolan’s Memento, Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash all screened at Sundance, boosting the careers of their directors.

The 2025 festival will feature Middle Eastern and independent directors who hope their films get picked up for distribution and then find success at the box office. Here are the titles from the region to watch for.

Brides

Safiyya Ingar and Ebada Hassan appear in Brides, a film by Nadia Fall. Photo: Neon Films / Rosamont

Brides follows the story of two teenage girls who leave the UK and embark on a journey of self-discovery in Syria in this coming-of-age film. Directed by newcomer Nadia Fall, the film explores themes of alienation, having possessive parents and wanting to take ownership of one’s life. Ebada Hassan and Safiyya Ingar star as Doe and Muna. Brides will be screened five times at the festival.

Where the Wind Comes From

Eya Bellagha and Slim Baccar star in Amel Guellaty's film, Where the Wind Comes. Photo: Sundance Institute

Tunisian filmmaker Amel Guellaty's new movie tells the story of a couple who embark on a road trip to the south of Tunisia in order to escape their reality and find solace. It stars Eya Bellagha and Slim Baccar. Where the Wind Comes From will be screened four times at Sundance.

All That’s Left of You

All That’s Left of You by Palestinian filmmaker Cherien Dabis. Photo: Sundance Institute

Palestinian-American actor and filmmaker Cherien Dabis unpacks years of forced circumstance and constant struggle in her third film, All That’s Left of You. It chronicles three generations of a Palestinian family for the past 75 years, as they contend with occupation and displacement. Dabis stars in the film alongside Saleh Bakri, Mohammad Bakri and Hayat Abu Samra. The film will be screened six times at the festival.

Coexistence, My Ass!

Noam Shuster-Eliassi is the subject of the documentary Coexistence, My Ass! by Canadian-Lebanese filmmaker Amber Fares. Photo: Sundance Institute

Canadian-Lebanese filmmaker Amber Fares helms this documentary. It follows Israeli comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi, who has been outspoken about the lack of equality in her country, especially when it comes to Palestinians. The film features Shuster-Eliassi's one-woman show in which she challenges the audience with hard truths. Coexistence, My Ass! will be screened five times.

Khartoum

Khartoum by Sudanese filmmaker Anas Saeed will be screened at the festival. Photo: Native Voice Films

Anas Saeed’s film follows five people – a civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance committee volunteer and two young bottle collectors – who re-enact their journey as they flee Khartoum following the outbreak of war. The group attempts to survive in the face of impending subjugation and violence. The film mixes real footage from their lives and green screen sequences that allow them to demonstrate their actions in a retelling of their stories. Khartoum will be screened four times.

Deadlock

Seif Eddine Ait Ouareb appears in Deadlock by French filmmaker Lucien Beucher and Algerian documentarian Mahdi Boucif. Photo: Julien Artaud

French filmmaker Lucien Beucher and Algerian documentary photographer Mahdi Boucif team up for this short film about a conversation between two young men who think of their friends who have left Algeria and wonder what the future holds for them. Deadlock will be part of the Documentary Short Film Programme and will screen four times.

The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing

The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing by Greek-Lebanese filmmaker Theo Panagopoulos will screen four times. Photo: National Library of Scotland

Greek-Lebanese filmmaker Theo Panagopoulos unearths a rarely seen film archive of Palestinian wildflowers and uses the footage to question how it relates to today's world. Panagopoulos, who lives in Scotland, works as a PhD researcher. His work explores themes of collective memory, displacement, fragmented identity and language in an equally sensitive and political way. The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing is part of the Short Film Programme 2 and will screen four times.

Almost Certainly False

Rahaf Armanazi in Almost Certainly False by Turkish filmmaker Cansu Baydar. Photo: Sundance Institute

Turkish filmmaker Cansu Baydar tells the story of Hanna and her younger brother Nader who, having fled the war in Syria, find themselves staying in a rundown neighbourhood in Istanbul. Almost Certainly False is part of the Short Film Programme 3 and will be screened four times at the festival.