Some of the biggest talents in documentary film will be unveiling new work at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, including Oscar winners Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Davis Guggenheim, and Mstyslav Chernov.
The marquee names in the nonfiction slate extend to the subjects of films – musical great Sly Stone examined in Questlove’s SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius); the late Selena Quintanilla’s story told in a film by Isabel Castro; Actress Marlee Matlin’s trailblazing career explored in Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, from director Shoshannah Stern; astronaut Sally Ride’s gravity-defying journey and personal life revealed in Sally, directed by Cristina Costantini.
No Sundance premiere documentary may attract more attention than Pee-wee as Himself, “A chronicle of the life of artist and performer Paul Reubens and his alter ego Pee-wee Herman.” Prior to his death last year at the age of 70, Reubens spoke in-depth with director Matt Wolf “about his creative influences, and the personal struggles he faced to persevere as an artist,” according to a description from the festival.
The collaboration between filmmaker and protagonist proved contentious at times, notes senior documentary programmer Basil Tsiokos. “You are watching the film and you’re also watching the relationship play out between Matt and Paul, where they’re not necessarily always on the same page. It’s not always necessarily the friendliest,” Tsiokos observes. “There’s tension and that’s in the film as well, and you can see it. But together with that, you are seeing the full breadth of what Paul Reubens brought to his career — not just Pee-wee Herman, but just some really fascinating early stuff that you probably do not know about his early acting career and how Pee-wee emerged.”
“You learn so much about his career and him as a person,” adds documentary programmer Sudeep Sharma, noting that Reubens didn’t inform the director that he was suffering from cancer – a rather significant omission.
film
information
wellness
career
Enterprise
Provident
Oscar