While the feature film lineup from Sundance has garnered quite a bit of success and Oscars buzz lately, documentaries are where the festival really shines. In the current Oscar race, 4 out of 5 documentary nominees debuted at Sundance, making it the go to festival for docs. 2025 was no different, delivering some of the most fascinating and engaging documentaries so far and setting the precedent for the rest of year. From deaf students to colon cancer to stand your ground laws to on the ground trench warfare, the documentary lineup had it all this year. So let’s take a look at some of the best documentaries to come out of Sundance 2025.
10. “Sly Lives (AKA the Burden of Black Genius)“
Though not as propulsive and special as “Summer of Soul,” Questlove’s follow up “Sly Lives (AKA The Burden of Black Genius)” is still a fascinating look one of music’s most influential artists. It is a celebration of creativity and artistry, encompassing the rise and fall of success and burden of genius as it examines the life of Sly Stone. “Sly Lives” tends to play it pretty safe, sticking to music documentary formula a little too much to feel fresh or unique. It is more akin to a “Behind the Music” episode than anything revelatory even when the documentary attempts to get at something deeper. Still, “Sly Lives” is always entertaining, and the archival footage paired with the jukebox tunes of never ending hits keeps the film moving and engaging.
9. “Mr. Nobody Against Putin“
I don’t know that “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” is the best of its kind, but like a lot of other docs on this list, it is eerily relevant and hauntingly close to home. It follows an educational videographer at a Russian school that witnesses the transformation of curriculum from free, exploratory education to militarized patriotism as Russia’s war in Ukraine begins. He begins documenting the drastic changes as a warning sign for what is happening to Russia’s youth and his fight against communist rule. “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” reveals a terrifying blueprint for what is happening in America right now in places we simply shouldn’t have anything in common with Russia. It’s terrifying, and solidifies this documentary as something we should all watch and prepare to fight against it in our own “free” country and education system.
8. “Deaf President Now!“
The biggest surprise of the festival, “Deaf President Now!” was a late addition to my slate and not on my radar at all. I am so glad I did add it though, because it is one of the most captivating and exciting documentaries I saw all festival. Its brilliant sound design helps keeps this fight for change from the most unlikely of students wholly arresting and exciting. I found myself cheering for every victory of the students, and engrossed in their own reflections of their protest work. “Deaf President Now!” demonstrates the power of protest and change, and how vital representation has always been. It’s a fight worth watching, and one I truly can’t recommend enough. I knew nothing about the school or its history or even the deaf community, and “Deaf President Now!” captures all of it and more in a riveting retelling of a powerful moment in time.
7. “Predators“
One of my most anticipated documentaries of the festival, “Predators” did not disappoint. The film explores the moral quagmire of the hit true crime show, taking us through the history of its creation, rise, controversial fall and the copy cats it helped create. It exposes the dangerous consequences of allowing media to essentially handle criminal investigations without any kind of restrictions, and pulls the curtain back on just how harmful everything the show was and still is. “Predators” is a difficult watch, but one that will completely reshape how you may have viewed the show and people in it. This is excellent work that really delivers and gives you something to chew on when it concludes.
6. “Andre is An Idiot“
There is beauty in the breakdown, and only a loud, brash, funny man like Andre Ricciardi could make such a vulnerable and endearing documentary like “Andre is an Idiot,” a film about his own dying from colon cancer. His experience is bleak and heartbreaking, but Andre opts to battle it with irreverent humor instead of miserable suffering, and never belittles the latter either. There’s an acceptance and a hope to die as he lived, something so few of us will ever get the chance to do, and “Andre is an Idiot” oozes with life affirming hope even though it follows a man in dying days. It’s hard to explain how good this documentary is because its subject matter can’t really capture the man himself. Once you actually meet him, “Andre is an Idiot” makes way more sense and gets into your heart, asking us to live life with love and happiness. Beautiful work here, highly recommend.
5. “Come See Me in the Good Light“
Another survivor story that also deals with incurable cancer, “Come See Me In the Good Light” is also life affirming and hopeful, filled with joy and pain and love once again reminds us that community and passion and loved ones are vital to our existence in hard times. “Good Light” is also immaculately shot with stunning cinematography, probably one of the most beautiful films I saw all of Sundance. Uncompromising vulnerability and life affirming inspiration in the face of impending death, “Come See me in the Good Light” uses the power of words and love and hope that feel like exactly what we need right now. There’s an unwatchable version of this – one that feels manipulative and meandering – that this film manages to avoid in every single way. Andrea Gibson and their partner Megan Falley are so engaging and charming and easy to fall in love with that it makes you invest in them both. What a beautiful, powerful film.
4. “The Alabama Solution“
Documentaries are hard sometimes, but we need them to be so it can expose and examine some of the darker parts of lives and society. “The Alabama Solution” is probably one of the hardest watches of Sundance, giving us unfettered access to the inside of prisons (primarily Alabama) and the horrendous, inhumane conditions in which they live. Compiled primarily through smuggled cell phone footage and photos as well as illegal video calls from prisoners, “The Alabama Solution” gives a terrifying glimpse of a largely corrupt and mismanaged system. Prison system documentaries are necessarily new, and it’s at times frustrating to sit through knowing that there really is no working solution right now. but “The Alabama Solution” asks us to take up some arms against injustice and help continue their work, allowing it to never feel exploitative and serve as a call to action. I honestly don’t know that everyone can stomach something like “The Alabama Solution,” but it still feels like a necessary watch.
3. “The Librarians“
We are on a dangerous path right now, one that is hurdling towards the death of democracy as we know it. And nothing demonstrates the frontline battles being fought better than “The Librarians,” one of the most frustrating but important watches of the year. Watching immoral crusaders weaponize religious piety and hiding behind mantras of protecting children is infuriating, and “The Librarians” centers around those men and women who are caught in the crossfire of their loud, bullshit crusade. The fight over school libraries and rise of book banning and burning is paramount to the larger dismantling of America, and “The Librarians” acts a cautionary tale for where we are headed with these small victories and losses. It may be too late now, but if there was ever a call to action to push back against Christian Nationalism and fascism, books and libraries are a good place to start.
2. “2000 Meters to Adriivka“
I wish there were more happy, easy to watch documentaries on this list, but some of the best are always going to be the most difficult to watch. “2000 Meters to Andriivka” is the follow up to the award winning “20 Days in Mariupol,” with the director returning to Ukraine but this time joining the frontlines of a small troupe tasked with reclaiming a small village across a strategic trench warfare strip of forest. Comprised of camera, drone, and helmet footage, “2000 Meters to Andriivka” places the audience in the middle of war like no other film. Extremely intense and eye opening, you feel every single clash and battle as they make their way towards Andriivka, and the devastating effects of war are constantly front and center. It may be a film you only need to watch once, but just like its predecessor, everyone needs to see “2000 Meters to Andriivka.”
1. “The Perfect Neighbor“
Told exclusively through body cam footage and police interviews, “The Perfect Neighbor” is an expertly constructed pot boiler that simmers with a constant tension. It’s a powder keg about to explode, and it does is heartbreaking and frustrating ways. The fact that “The Perfect Neighbor” is able to compile a coherent story from nothing but bits and pieces of documented footage is astounding, and the film is impossible not to be completely gripped by. It examines the controversial stand your ground laws in Florida, and though it will rip your heart out with the consequences of those rules, “The Perfect Neighbor” still manages to do right by the victims and feel like justice was served in the end. You will still be outraged by the end too, and the film captures evil next door in ways that will be very hard to stomach for some. But it is still incredibly important and vital to watch, and “The Perfect Neighbor” is a near perfect documentary that you shouldn’t look away from even if everything in you is telling you to do so. It is a must watch.
And there you have it! The best documentaries I saw at Sundance!
