Australian production Together and co-production Jimpa will feature alongside South Australian documentary Never Get Busted! at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, held from 23 January – 2 February.
Michael Shanks’ Together will have its world premiere in the Midnight section. The Australian production, filmed at Melbourne’s Docklands Studio, stars real-life partners Dave Franco and Alison Brie as a couple that have a supernatural encounter after moving out to the countryside. The film, which also stars Damon Herriman, was produced by Princess Pictures alongside Picturestart, Tango, and 1.21.
Sophie Hyde’s Jimpa will also have its world premiere at the event, debuting in the Premieres section. A co-production between Australia, the Netherlands, and Finland, the story follows Hannah (Olivia Colman) who takes her nonbinary teenager, Frances (Aud Mason-Hyde), to Amsterdam to visit their gay grandfather, Jim (John Lithgow) – lovingly known as Jimpa. But Frances’ desire to stay abroad with Jimpa for a year means Hannah is forced to reconsider her beliefs about parenting and finally confront old stories about the past. South Australia Closer Films produces alongside Mad Ones Films and Viking Film, with filming taking place across Amsterdam ahead of shoots in Adelaide and Helsinki.
It marks the fourth Sundance selection for Hyde, who wrote the script with Matthew Cormack, following Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022), Animals (2019), and her feature debut 52 Tuesdays (2014)
She expressed her excitement at returning to the festival, noting she couldn’t wait to “show the work of our talented creative team including Olivia, John, Aud, and all of our beautiful ensemble cast”.
South Australia will also be represented through Never Get Busted!, one of three titles selected for the Sundance Episodic Pilot Showcase. Created by David Anthony Ngo and Erin Williams-Weir, the miniseries follows Barry Cooper, a highly decorated Texas narcotics officer who turned on the police force by busting crooked cops and teaching drug users how to hide their stash. John Battsek and Chris Smith executive produce the Projector Films project.
Speaking about the Jimpa and Never Get Busted!‘s selections, South Australian Film Corporation production and development head Leanne Saunders said the state was known to punch above its weight on the world stage.
“It is notable that both productions are rooted in South Australian creativity, but telling stories with a global view, not limited to state or country borders – from the storytelling and casting to financing and shooting locations, taking our place firmly on the world stage of screen,” she said.
“Congratulations to the entire creative teams behind Jimpa and Never Get Busted! for this prestigious honour.”
Find the full initial Sundance line-up here.