Despite an already extensive mainstream release calendar, Aussies can look forward to many more films across the festival circuit and beyond. Looking ahead, we can start to predict what films may get picked up for local festivals like Sydney Film Festival, Adelaide Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and more. We may not know exactly what will be showing yet, but these films are generating such a loud buzz overseas that we can’t help but tune in.
The most exciting films that could (and should) get a 2025 Australian release:
No Other Choice
Director: Park Chan-wook
Synopsis: After being unemployed for several years, a man devises a unique plan to secure a new job: eliminate his competition. The film is adapted from the novel The Ax by American author Donald E Westlake. Stars Lee Byung-hun (Squid Game).
After 2022’s Decision to Leave, fans of heavily lauded Korean director Park Chan-wook have been awaiting his new film No Other Choice. As reported in The Korea Times, filming has been completed on the film as of 21 January, which means a 2025 release is semi-likely.
‘I started writing the script for this movie almost 17 years ago. I feel deeply emotional as I’ve finally finished filming the project I’ve wanted to make the most for so long,’ Park was quoted as saying by distributor CJ ENM (The Korea Times). ‘I will dedicate myself to the final stages of production to create a film everyone involved can feel proud of.’
Why I’m excited to see it: I’m a huge fan of Chan-wook’s style, and fondly remember seeing both The Handmaiden and Decision to Leave at the Melbourne International Film Festival, before checking out, and being subsequently changed by, Oldboy. No Other Choice sounds like it could be in the vein of the latter, so we may be in for a treat.
The Auction
Director: William Atticus Parker
Synopsis: The film is set at Aztec Corp., a company that auctions off ancient antiquities and semi-distinct wild exotic animals. It’s described as a suspenseful science-fiction tale, loosely inspired by Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Stars Raúl Castillo, Audra McDonald and Richard Kind.
Filming for The Auction began in New York in August 2024, according to Deadline.
Why I’m excited to see it: It’s already giving off a White Lotus meets Glass Onion sort of vibe, and with Richard Kind in the mix I’m lining up on day one to see it.
Mother Mary
Director: David Lowery
Synopsis: An epic pop melodrama following a fictional musician and her relationship with an iconic fashion designer. Stars Anne Hathaway, Michaela Cole, Hunter Schafer and FKA Twigs.
Mother Mary filmed in Germany in 2023, and will be released by A24 in the US.
Why I’m excited to see it: The costumes! The drama! Anne Hathaway! I’m seated!
Straight out of Sundance
The Sundance Film Festival will begin its 41st edition later this week, bringing with it a smorgasbord of new and exciting films from all over the world. We already mentioned Mark Anthony Green’s feature debut Opus and Andrew Ahn’s remake of Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet in our Most Anticipated Films of 2025 article – so here are some more picks from the fest.
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Director: Bill Condon
Synopsis: Valentín, a political prisoner of the ‘Dirty War’, shares a cell with Molina, a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favourite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna. Stars Diego Luna and Jennifer Lopez.
The film, which will show at Sundance later in January (the festival begins on 23 January and runs until 2 February), is a feature adaptation of the 1992 stage musical by Terrence McNally, John Kander and Fred Ebb, which was in turn based on the 1976 novel by Manuel Puig (and was then filmed by Héctor Babenco in 1985, picking up the Best Actor Academy Award for star William Hurt).
Production wrapped on 16 June 2024 and, after being showcasing at major festivals, it is likely we will have a 2025 release for Kiss of the Spider Woman – if not in mainstream cinemas, then at the very least in this year’s MIFF/AFF/SFF programs.
Why I’m excited to see it: Diego Luna. Jennifer Lopez. Kander & Ebb. Say no more.
Together
Director: Michael Shanks
Synopsis: With a move to the countryside already testing the limits of a couple’s relationship, a supernatural encounter begins an extreme transformation of their love, their lives and their flesh. Stars Alison Brie, Dave Franco and Damon Herriman.
Together is the feature-length directorial debut of Australian director Michael Shanks. It will premiere in the Midnight section at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on 26 January.
‘I hope anyone who’s been in a committed monogamous relationship can find something to relate to in the film,’ Shanks told a representative of Sundance in an interview that took place earlier this month. ‘I also want the film to reach any genre/horror fans, as I’m extremely proud of the places we’ve taken the many set pieces in the film.’
Why I’m excited to see it: From Talk to Me, to Late Night With The Devil, to Invisible Man, the Aussies have been showing the world how horror is really done. Together promises to be yet another flick that will be uttered in the same breath as those greats.
Rabbit Trap
Director: Bryn Chainey
Synopsis: When a musician and her husband move to a remote house in Wales, the music they make disturbs local ancient folk magic, bringing a nameless child to their door who is intent on infiltrating their lives. Stars Dev Patel and Rosy McEwan.
Rabbit Trap is set to premiere in the Midnight section at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on 24 January 2025. It was filmed on location in Wales in 2023.
‘Bryn’s vision for Rabbit Trap artfully fuses the world of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop with authentic Celtic Faerie lore to create a mythical marriage story that unfolds in a sonic landscape. It’s an utterly unique vision from an important new voice in cinema that we’re privileged to be a part of,’ Elijah Wood, who produced the film, told Deadline in October 2023.
Why I’m excited to see it: I love the use of sound in film, especially when it tells its own story alongside the images. Add in some lush Welsh forests, folk magic and Dev Patel, and you’ve got a winner.
Bubble & Squeak
Director: Evan Twohy
Synopsis: Accused of smuggling cabbages into a nation where cabbages are banned, Declan and Delores must confront the fragility of their new marriage while on the run for their lives. Stars Himesh Patel, Sarah Goldberg, Matt Berry and Steven Yeun.
The debut film of writer-director Evan Twohy, Bubble & Squeak will screen at Sundance Film Festival from 24 January. It was filmed in Estonia in 2024.
‘The international crew consisted only of a director, cinematographer and artist. We know that top American actors also left here with warm memories and will recommend Estonia to their colleagues as a great film location. We have already received new project offers, which shows that the dedication we put into making these movies is paying off,’ Estonian producer Lili Pilt told ERR last December.
‘The director worked on this script for 10 years until it was picked up by the prestigious Black List of the best unproduced scripts. This project is an inspiring example of the importance of creativity and collaboration,’ producer Elina Litvinova added in the same interview.
Why I’m excited to see it: With Barry‘s Sarah Goldberg, The Franchise‘s Himesh Patel, Beef‘s Steven Yuen and What We Do In The Shadow‘s Matt Berry, this sounds like exactly the kind of black comedy I adore. I also admit to having a little bit of bias that stems from my having Estonian heritage.
Twinless
Director: James Sweeney
Synopsis: Two young men meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely bromance. Stars Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney.
Writer-director-actor James Sweeney’s drama film Twinless will screen in competition at Sundance.
In an interview with Deadline, producer David Permut (who worked on Netflix’s Rustin) said, ‘I was absolutely knocked out by James’ first film Straight Up and was determined to work with him. I immediately responded to the originality and provocative concept of Twinless.
‘The dark comedy depicts complex characters in such an irreverent, emotional and hysterical way. The chemistry between Dylan, who portrays the role of identical twin brothers, opposite James’ character is absolutely combustible.’
Why I’m excited to see it: Two twins who have lost their ‘other half’ become a found family: it’s so simple, yet so compelling.
By Design
Director: Amanda Kramer
Synopsis: A woman swaps bodies with a chair, and everyone likes her better as a chair. Stars Juliette Lewis and Melanie Griffith.
Amanda Kramer’s By Design is scheduled to premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s Next series, on 23 January. Kramer’s most recent film, the musical drama Please Baby Please (starring Andrea Riseborough and Demi Moore), won the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest 2022.
Why I’m excited to see it: What would happen if Freaky Friday got lost in an IKEA and was radicalised in the process? I think the end result would be By Design.
Atropia
Director: Hailey Gates
Synopsis: When an aspiring actress in a military role-playing facility falls in love with a soldier cast as an insurgent, their unsimulated emotions threaten to derail the performance.
Co-stars Alia Shawkat and Callum Turner are joined by Chloë Sevigny, Tim Heidecker and more in this completely original, surprisingly romantic, and sharply amusing directorial debut. – Ash Hoyle, Sundance Insitute.
Atropia is screening at Sundance from 25 January.
Why I’m excited to see it: Whether she’s doing comedy or drama, Alia Shawkat is a marvel. I’d literally watch her read the phonebook.
Plainclothes
Director: Carmen Emmi
Synopsis: A promising undercover officer assigned to lure and arrest gay men defies orders when he falls in love with a target.
Plainclothes is Carmen Emmi’s directorial debut and will premiere at Sundance from 26 January.
Why I’m excited to see it: Tom Blythe caught my attention as the young Coriolanus Snow in Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which prompted me to check out the compelling western series Billy The Kid (streaming on Stan). It will be interesting to see how he carries a quiet indie feature.
Rebuilding
Director: Max Walker-Silverman
Synopsis: After a wildfire takes the family farm, a rancher seeks a way forward. Stars Josh O’Connor, Lily LaTorre and Meghann Fahy.
‘In 2020, when the world already felt crumbly in so many ways, my grandmother’s house burned in a wildfire,’ Walker-Silverman told Bailey Pennick for Sundance. ‘There was smoke in the air all that summer in Colorado, but it was home still, and I was falling in love, and there was nowhere else I wanted to be. The damage the fire did was terrifying, but watching the gentle ways that nature returned afterwards was somehow too fascinating to be sad.
‘And my family, fragmented as so many are, continue to also be this loving thing that found a way forward,’ he added. ‘So I wrote this story trying to imagine what a future could hold and how there could be hope in it.’
Why I’m excited to see it: It may hit too close to home for those in LA suffering through the devastating fires right now, but it certainly makes the timing of Rebuilding very poignant. Josh O’Connor had a great 2024 with both his La Chimera and Challengers performances being praised by critics and audiences alike, so let’s hope that magic continues in 2025.
Berlin Bangers
The 75th Berlin International Film Festival, which takes place from 13-23 February this year, has revealed the 19 titles set to play in its official Competition and films selected for its new competitive Perspectives strand. Here are some highlights:
After This Death
Director: Lucio Castro
Synopsis: A woman’s affair with an enigmatic underground musician throws her life into chaos when he disappears. Forced to fend off his obsessive fans, she also has to confront her fractured marriage, and reclaim her identity and her future. Stars Mia Maestro, Lee Pace and Gwendoline Christie.
After This Death will premiere at the Berlinale Film Festival.
Why I’m excited to see it: I’m keen to see Lee Pace and Gwendoline Christie duke it out in the battle of beautiful, tall actors with sharp cheekbones.
The Thing With Feathers
Director: Dylan Southern
Synopsis: Struggling to process the sudden and unexpected death of his wife, a young father loses his hold on reality as a seemingly malign presence begins to stalk him from the shadowy recesses of the apartment he shares with his two young sons.
The Thing With Feathers will screen at both Sundance and Berlin.
‘Having been a huge fan of Max Porter’s extraordinary book and Enda Walsh’s stage adaptation I was sceptical about a film adaptation. But the experience of reading Dylan Southern’s adaptation rekindled the cinematic memory of reading this most visceral tale of a family consumed by grief,’ said Cumberbatch, speaking to Deadline.
‘Dylan has handled the deftness of Max’s kinetic poetry masterfully. It’s so well realised both on the page and in the deck and pitch. It holds all the wildly sharp turns of changing tones and colours between the domestic and mythic, between the despair, comedy and every day of loss. It’s a thrilling read, and I couldn’t be more excited to be taking Dylan’s cinematic vision of it to the big screen.’
Why I’m excited to see it: Grief is a powerful thing. In this book-turned-play-turned film, grief becomes a malignant crow – at once echoing Poe’s The Raven and Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook. I’m intrigued.
Blue Moon
Director: Richard Linklater
Synopsis: On the evening of 31 March 1943, legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as his former collaborator Richard Rodgers celebrates the opening night of his ground-breaking hit musical Oklahoma!. Stars Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Scott.
Why I’m excited to see it: Linklater has assembled a standout cast to go behind the scenes on one of the greatest musicals of all time, and I’m simply too seated.
What Does that Nature Say to You (Geu jayeoni nege mworago hani)
Director: Hong Sang-soo
Synopsis: A young poet drops his girlfriend off at her parents’ house and is amazed by its size. He bumps into her father, meets her mother and sister, and they all end up spending a long day together; fuelled by conversation, food and libations.
What Does that Nature Say to You will screen in competition at Berlin, and is Hong Sang-soo’s sixth consecutive Berlinale nomination.
As reported in the Korea Herald, Berlinale’s executive chair Tricia Tuttle and program directors noted the latest film’s ‘formal language, rhythm and profound insights. What Does that Nature Say to You shows true intuition in its portrayal of human connections.’
Why I’m excited to see it: I’m not the biggest fan of Sang-soo’s work, but nonetheless I’m always curious about the Korean filmmaker’s slow-cinema meditations on life.
The Ice Tower
Director: Lucile Hadžihalilović
Synopsis: Colder than ice, her kiss pierces the heart… The 1970s. Jeanne, a young runaway, falls under the spell of Cristina, the enigmatic star of The Snow Queen, a film that is being shot in the studio where Jeanne has taken refuge. Stars Marion Cotillard, August Diehl and Gaspar Noé.
Why I’m excited to see it: From Singin’ in the Rain to The Artist and The Fabelmans, ‘films about films’ is one of my favourite genres. On another note, just look at that stunning image above. So lush and evocative. I can’t wait for The Ice Tower.
Hot Milk
Director: Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Synopsis: Rose and her daughter Sofia journey to a Spanish seaside town to meet an enigmatic healer. As Sofia embraces an affair with an alluring stranger, tensions with her overbearing mother threaten their fragile bond. Based on the book of the same name. Stars Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw, Vicky Krieps and Vincent Perez.
Hot Milk is the directorial debut of award-winning writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz. It filmed in Greece in late 2023 and will screen in competition at Berlin.
Why I’m excited to see it: Emma Mackey and Fiona Shaw in a mother-daughter drama that heats up as quickly as the Grecian sun does? I’m in.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Director: Mary Bronstein
Synopsis: With her life crashing down around her, Linda attempts to navigate her child’s mysterious illness, her absent husband, a missing person and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist. Stars Rose Byrne, A$AP Rocky and Conan O’Brien.
Why I’m excited to see it: The world needs more Rose Byrne. And how could you ignore a supporting cast that includes a famous rapper and a very famous talk show host?
Kontinental ’25
Director: Radu Jude
Synopsis: Orsolya is a bailiff in Cluj, the main city in Transylvania. One day she has to evict a homeless man from a cellar, an action with tragic consequences that triggers a moral crisis that Orsolya must weather as best she can. Stars Eszter Tompa and Gabriel Spahiu.
Kontinental ’25 marks the Romanian New Wave director’s ninth feature, and will premiere in competition at Berlin.
‘Kontinental ’25 is both timely and timeless, skillfully exploring human morality through an incisively funny social satire, with just the right touch of absurdity,’ said Luxbox CEO Fiorella Moretti and head of international sales Jennyfer Gautier, as quoted in Screen Daily.
Why I’m excited to see it: Jude’s last two films, Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn and Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World have garnered much critical acclaim and strengthened his small but strong following. If you went to ACMI’s focus on Radu Jude last September, you’ll be hanging out for Kontinental ’25.
For a full list of the most anticipated movies coming out in 2025, see here.
