The Sundance Film Festival has announced the addition of two high-profile documentaries to its 2025 lineup: Andrew Jarecki’s The Alabama Solution and Bao Nguyen’s The Stringer. These documentaries bring compelling, investigative storytelling to this year’s festival, with both set to debut in the prestigious Premieres category.

Andrew Jarecki returns to Sundance with The Alabama Solution, marking his fourth project to debut at the festival. The film takes an unflinching look at incarcerated men fighting to expose a hidden crisis within one of the nation’s deadliest prison systems. Jarecki is no stranger to delivering groundbreaking investigative work. His 2003 debut, Capturing the Friedmans, premiered at Sundance, becoming an Oscar-nominated sensation for its complex exploration of a family accused of heinous crimes. He followed this with The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, a bombshell docuseries that not only captivated audiences but also uncovered critical evidence linking Durst to multiple murders, earning two Primetime Emmys.

Reflecting on Sundance as a platform for meaningful dialogue, Jarecki stated, “Every time we’ve shown a film there, it’s been a profound experience. The unique alchemy of being able to share a film like this with so many attentive minds in the same room makes Sundance the ideal place to begin the important dialogue around this story in advance of its release on HBO later this year.”

Jarecki’s The Alabama Solution follows six years of investigative work and aims to shine a light on systemic injustices that have remained hidden from public view. The film will be released on HBO later in 2025.

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Joining the lineup is Bao Nguyen’s The Stringer, a gripping documentary that unravels a decades-old scandal behind one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century. Nguyen takes viewers on a two-year investigative journey, peeling back five decades of secrets to seek justice for the enigmatic figure known only as “the stringer.” Known for his deeply personal storytelling, Nguyen previously made waves with Be Water, a Sundance 2020 selection that offered an intimate portrait of Bruce Lee.

These additions bolster an already impressive documentary slate, highlighting Sundance’s commitment to showcasing stories that explore justice and truth. Sundance Director of Programming Kim Yutani commented, “Adding these two nonfiction features to our robust slate of documentary offerings completes our programming with compelling explorations around justice and truth-telling.”

With The Alabama Solution and The Stringer, the 2025 Sundance Film Festival will now feature 88 feature-length films from 33 countries, promising an eclectic mix of voices and perspectives. The festival kicks off on January 23, setting the stage for another year of cinematic innovation and cultural conversation.

For more information about the Sundance Film Festival, please visit sundance.org.