What were the Hottest Queer Films at Sundance 2025?

'Where the Wind Comes From'

Tunisian writer-director Amel Guellaty makes her feature debut with "Where the Wind Comes From," an engaging story of pursuing dreams no matter how out of reach they might seem.

Alyssa (Eye Bellagha) is a 19-year-old girl who does not like living by patriarchal-dictated rules. Her shy best friend, Mehdi (Slim Baccar), isn't very happy with his current reality, either. When Alyssa devises a plan where the two of them can flee Tunisia for Germany via an art contest, the film slips into chaotic road-trip mode where the hope for a better future could be within their reach. Along the way, one of them has a queer experience that is delightfully matter-of-fact, but could also be life-changing. "Where the Wind Comes From" is a charming treat.

Also highly recommended are two non-queer films:

Hailey Gates' brilliant feature debut, "Atropia," is set in a lunatic military prep facility in 2006, where soldier wannabes battle faux Iraqis. It's the stuff of genius satire, with a fab ensemble led by the hilarious Alia Shawkat and sexy charmer Callum Turner. "Atropia" won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic, the top award at Sundance.

Alireza Khatami's Lynchian mindfuck "The Things You Kill" picked up the Directing (World Cinema Dramatic) Award. The film centers on an university English lit professor in Turkey discovering damning secrets surrounding the death of his mother. A thrilling, bewildering, and game-changing twist takes the viewer on an unexpected journey that confounds expectations. "The Things You Kill" is bold and transfixing cinema.