Sundance 2025 Films Sold So Far: Albert Birney’s Sci-Fi Film ‘OBEX’ Sells to Oscilloscope
While Sundance hasn’t had a plethora of the late night bidding wars we used to see in the good old days of the festival, the weirdness of the Los Angeles fires and the advent of the online platform suggest we will still see some deals close in a matter of days. That’s a good thing considering over 60 films came into this year’s Sundance looking for homes. As we previously reported, the hope is that even more distributors could get creative.
Below we’ll update all the acquisitions out of the festival as they arrive. Here are the movies we think could sell big.
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“OBEX”
Section: NEXT
Buyer: Oscilloscope
Director: Albert Birney
Cast: Albert Birney, Callie Hernandez
Buzz: In a slow Sundance, it’s good to see some of the smaller titles get some love. Oscilloscope’s acquisition of Birney’s “OBEX” will give the film a theatrical release later this year, and it’ll even be shopped to international buyers at the European Film Market occurring this month (Magnify is selling globally). That’s a plus considering IndieWire in its review called it one of Sundance’s “weirdest and most inventive movies” this year that’s destined for Midnight Movie status. The black-and-white period film borrows from ’80s kitschy aesthetic and is a cross between the late David Lynch’s “Eraserhead” and playing a “Legend of Zelda” game. It stars Birney as a man whose reality starts to blur with fantasy when he begins playing a computer game, forcing him to track down his dog that has now gone missing. This is the first film Birney directed solo, but he co-wrote it with Pete Ohs, who also produced and was the cinematographer and has his own film debuting at SXSW next month. Other producers are Emma Hannaway and James Belfer, the founder of Cartuna who helped make “Hundreds of Beavers” an indie smash last year.
“Lurker”
Section: U.S. Dramatic
Buyer: MUBI
Director: Alex Russell
Cast: Archie Madekwe, Théodore Pellerin
Buzz: Another competitive situation with multiple distributors in on it, this time it was MUBI that won out in a reported mid-seven-figure deal, a source told IndieWire. Russell’s “Lurker” played in competition at Sundance and earned raves for the performances of Madekwe and Pellerin, and IndieWire called the film “tense and absorbing” and one of the buzzier movies to play at the festival. The film follows a man who becomes obsessed with a budding pop star, sparking a toxic relationship that makes a pointed commentary about modern day Los Angeles. Russell is a supervising producer on both “The Bear” and “Beef” and made his directorial debut on the project. Madekwe also produced the film alongside Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montomery, Galen Core, Francesco Melzi D’Eril, Jack Selby, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell, and Olmo Schnabel.
“The Perfect Neighbor”
Section: U.S. Documentary
Buyer: Netflix
Director: Geeta Gandbhir
Buzz: The first documentary to sell out of what has been a slow Sundance market is this film about the controversial Florida “Stand Your Ground” law, in which a person inside their home has the right to use deadly force, with no need to retreat, in self-defense. Though not finalized just yet, if the deal closes, Netflix will pick up “The Perfect Neighbor” for $5 million, according to a report first in Variety. Netflix declined to comment. Gandbhir’s film is constructed via police body cam footage and examines gun regulations and how race plays a factor in such decisions. IndieWire’s review called it an “unforgettable” and “devastatingly powerful” documentary.
“Peter Hujar’s Day”
Section: Premieres
Buyer: Sideshow and Janus Films
Director: Ira Sachs
Cast: Ben Whishaw, Rebecca Hall
Buzz: Ira Sachs’ latest may be just a 75-minute filmed version of a 50-year-old transcript of a conversation between Peter Hujar and his friend Linda Rosenkrantz, but it found the ideal home with Sideshow and Janus, who will bring it to Berlin next and then release the movie theatrically in the fall after acquiring all North American rights. IndieWire fell in love with its surprising drama and intimacy, and Sachs was almost just as surprised, telling IndieWire at Sundance that before filming he asked himself, “what the hell do I do with this?” The film was produced by Jordan Drake and Jonah Disend, and co-produced by Fred Burle and Aaron Craig.
“Sorry, Baby”
Section: U.S. Dramatic Competition
Buyer: A24
Director: Eva Victor
Cast: Eva Victor, Naomi Ackie, John Carroll Lynch, Louis Cancelmi, Kelly McCormack
Buzz: Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, Eva Victor’s tragi-comic debut was one of the most talked-about narrative features at Sundance and one that indie powerhouse A24 couldn’t pass up, not to mention one of the best-reviewed titles from the festival. Despite sales taking some time this Sundance, the sale for “Sorry, Baby” to A24 — which is still in the process of closing — was described by a source as “incredibly competitive” and is another worldwide deal for the indie distributor. The social media star and comedian Eva Victor’s debut, which she wrote, directed, and starred in, is about Agnes, whom “something bad happened to,” as the logline describes, “But life goes on…for everyone around her, at least.” The producers are Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, and Barry Jenkins.
“Train Dreams”
Section: Premieres
Buyer: Netflix
Director: Clint Bentley
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, William H. Macy, Kerry Condon
Buzz: A day after Bela Bajaria responded to a press question about whether or not this was a slow Sundance, Netflix swooped in to buy one of the more ambitious titles on the Sundance slate, director Clint Bentley’s period drama “Train Dreams,” multiple sources confirmed to IndieWire. The film reunites Bentley with “Sing Sing” partner Greg Kwedar in adapting Denis Johnson’s novella. The film follows Robert Grainer, an average man living in extraordinary times, who worked as a day laborer in the American West at the beginning of the 20th century. Battered by the death of his family, he struggles to adjust to this new environment. Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer, and Michael Heimler produced. Edgerton was also an EP along with Scott Hinckley, Kwedar, and John Friedberg. Black Bear produced and fully financed the film, and Kamala Films also produced.
“Together”
Section: Midnight
Buyer: Neon
Director: Michael Shanks
Cast: Alison Brie, Dave Franco
Buzz: It’s the first — and only — big deal of the festival so far, one of the rare titles this year that attracted a classic, aggressive bidding war following its Sunday night premiere at the Eccles. Neon beat out other bidders including A24 and Searchlight to release the film, with a source saying the deal was likely north of $10 million and another estimate coming in between $15-17 million, which would make it among the highest deals in Sundance history. Neon’s financing outfit 30West was also behind this one, making it a good fit. “Together,” director Michael Shanks’ body horror film, is about a married couple whose relationship is already being tested and who decides to move to the countryside to get closer, only for a supernatural encounter to grant them their wish in spades — and in flesh. Stars and producers Brie and Franco are a real life married couple, so the film has a meta element that made this one especially juicy. Neon picked up worldwide rights and has already set a release date of August 1 in theaters.
“The Reality of Hope”
Section: Documentary Short Film Program
Buyer: Asteria and Documentary+
Director: Joe Hunting
Buzz: Ahead of its premiere on Saturday, Jan. 25, AI animation studio Asteria and the documentary free streaming platform Documentary+ swooped in to acquire this doc short that blends VR and live action filmmaking. The film follows Hiyu, a virtual reality world builder based in Stockholm who is suffering from kidney failure and is set to get a transplant from a friend, New York-based Photographotter, who he knows only through an online VR community where they’re each seen as an animal “furry” avatar. Doc+ will release the film later this year on its AVOD platform and through its various FAST channels. Asteria’s Bryn Mooser and Justin Lacob are joining the project as executive producers.
“One to One: John and Yoko”
Section: Spotlight
Buyer: Magnolia
Director: Kevin MacDonald
Buzz: First premiering at the Venice Film Festival and then at Telluride, Magnolia bought “One to One” just ahead of its Sundance screening and made a splash to give it an IMAX exclusive release on April 11, the first time Magnolia has partnered with IMAX on a release. It will then land on Max and HBO in late 2025. The film follows the 18 months that John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent living in Greenwich Village in the early 1970s, including restored footage from the only full concert Lennon performed after breaking up from The Beatles, the One to One Madison Square Garden benefit concert. The film has an audio restoration as overseen by Sean Lennon Ono.
Films Arriving with Distribution
“2000 Meters to Andriivka”
Section: World Documentary
Distributor: Frontline/Associated Press
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
Buzz: The director of “20 Days in Mariupol” returns with a film in which he embeds himself with a Ukrainian platoon slowly realizing that the Russian campaign may be seemingly endless.
“The Alabama Solution”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: HBO Documentary Films
Director: Andrew Jarecki
Buzz: The “Capturing the Friedmans” director examines a cover-up within one of America’s deadliest prison systems.
“April”
Section: Spotlight
Distributor: Metrograph Films
Director: Dea Kulumbegashvili
Buzz: The film about women’s rights from the Georgian filmmaker won the jury prize at last year’s Venice and will open from Metrograph, fittingly, in April.
“The Ballad of Wallis Island”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Focus Features
Director: James Griffiths
Cast: Tom Basden, Carey Mulligan, Tim Key, Sian Clifford, Akemnji Ndifornyen
Buzz: Basden and Key are longtime comedy partners reuniting with a sweet, tuneful film about a lottery winner who gets one of his old favorite duos to reunite for a private concert.
“Deaf President Now!”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Apple Studios
Director: Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim
Buzz: The “Deaf U” producer teams with the “Still” director for a story about the 1988 protest at Deaf college Gallaudet University.
“Enigma”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: HBO Documentary Films
Director: Zackary Drucker
Buzz: The director of “The Stroll” returns to Sundance with this profile of model Amanda Lear and April Ashley, the woman who claimed Lear worked with her in Parisian transgender revues in the ’50s.
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: A24
Director: Mary Bronstein
Cast: Rose Byrne, A$AP Rocky, Conan O’Brien, Danielle McDonald
Buzz: The director of “Yeast” makes her sophomore feature with this darkly comedic, uncomfortably funny film about a woman’s hostile relationship with her therapist.
“The Legend of Ochi”
Section: Family Matinee
Distributor: A24
Director: Isaiah Saxon
Cast: Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson, Willem Dafoe,
Buzz: This A24 family fantasy adventure film uses elaborate and meticulously crafted puppetry and paintings (not AI!) to tell an environmental parable.
“Magic Farm”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: MUBI
Director: Amalia Ullman
Cast: Chloe Sevigny, Alex Wolff, Simon Rex
Buzz: The director of “El Planeta” returns to Sundance with this English-language satire about media a film crew that travels to Argentina for a profile, only to wind up in the wrong country.
“Opus”
Section: Midnight
Distributor: A24
Director: Mark Anthony Green
Cast: Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder
Buzz: Mark Anthony Green’s debut feature is a horror film about a young journalist invited to visit a compound of a pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years earlier.
“Sally”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Nat Geo
Director: Cristina Costantini
Buzz: The director of “Mucho Mucho Amor” and “Science Fair directs this profile of Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut to make it to space, and her secret romance.
“Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Onyx Collective
Director: Questlove
Buzz: Four years after Questlove had a record-breaking Sundance sale for a documentary, Questlove is back with a documentary about Sly and the Family Stone leader Sly Stone.
“The Wedding Banquet”
Section: Premieres
Distributor: Bleecker Street
Director: Andrew Ahn
Cast: Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran
Buzz: The “Fire Island” filmmaker’s latest film is a comedy about a man who exchanges a green card marriage for an expensive IVF procedure, only to be surprised with an elaborate Korean wedding ceremony.
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