Festivals

Jennifer Lopez, Selena Quintanilla & more Latinos make waves at Sundance 2025

This year's festival has a great roster of films and documentaries spotlighting Latino talent

Senior Writer

JANUARY 30, 2025 7:00 PM ESTJAN 30, 2025, 7:00 PM EST

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival kicked off last week, providing cinephiles with all manner of exciting films, shows, and documentaries to look forward to. In the case of Latinos, there's a wide gamut of talent that's available at this year's festival, from films sparking awards season conversation to documentaries exploring some of our biggest icons to first-time projects developed by Latino artists.

Scroll down to learn more about these key projects:

Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, and more star in "Kiss of the Spider Woman," a musical adaptation of Manuel Puig's novel of the same name. The film follows the intimate relationship that develops between two prisoners during the era of Argentina's Dirty War, with Lopez playing the titular role of the Spider Woman.

She's been getting rave reviews for her work.

Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo)

"Mad Bills to Pay" is Joel Alfonso Vargas's debut. The Dominican-American filmmaker follows the story of Rico, a laidback teen from the Bronx who makes money selling cocktails on the beach. His life takes a turn when his girlfriend moves into his house and starts living with him and his family.

Magic Farm

Directed by the Argentinean Amalia Ulman, "Magic Farm" follows an American film crew that travels to Argentina to profile a prominent musician, with their ignorance taking them to a different country in South America. Among its stunning and worldly cast, there's Chloë Sevigny and Valeria Lois.

Rains Over Babel

Written and directed by Gala del Sol, a Colombian artist, "Rains Over Babel" follows a cast of queer characters in a fictional and wild bar called Babel, with each character having their own story and journey to overcome.

Selena y Los Dinos

Directed by beloved filmmaker Isabel Castro, "Selena y Los Dinos" explores Selena Quintanilla's musical and cultural legacy. It's a topic we've seen and explored a thousand times before, yet features new footage thanks to the collaboration of the Quintanilla family, who normally steers clear of these kinds of adaptations.

Serious People

Directed by Cliqua, a filmmaking duo made up of Pasqual Gutiérrez and Raúl Sanchez, "Serious People" marks their debut feature, following the story of a music director who's readying to become a father. To deal with the mounting pressure of it all, he hires a doppelganger named Miguel.

Virgin of the Quarry Lake

Based on the short story by the great Argentine writer Mariana Enriquez, "Virgin of the Quarry Lake" is a surreal story that follows three teen girls who fall in love with the same boy during Argentina's economic crisis of the early 2000s.