European Film Promotion, a network of film promotion agencies from 37 European countries, has announced the lineup of six films participating in Europe. Sundance Film Festival Hub Program.
Films from Cyprus, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovenia and Switzerland will all have their world premieres at the festival.
EFP said the hub will provide “a joint European presence that provides visibility, advancement and networking opportunities for European talent and US industry.” It will be located at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel (The Yarrow), 1800 Park Avenue, Park City, and will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., January 22-26.
The films are:
“Hold Onto Me” (Cyprus, Denmark, Greece)
Section: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Mirsini Aristidou’s delicate feature debut, Hold Onto Me, follows 11-year-old Iris as she searches for her estranged father during her grandfather’s funeral. What begins as a determined attempt to reconnect gradually develops into a fragile and transformative bond. The film depicts an absent father, family rifts, and the emotional landscape of childhood with nuance, honesty, and great acting.
“Shame and Money” (Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, Belgium)
Section: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
“Shame and Money” by Visar Molina tells the story of a Kosovar family who loses their livelihood and is forced to leave their village. In the capital’s hyper-capitalist society, Shaban struggles to maintain his role as a provider as economic dependence and familial pressures gradually erode his pride. A quiet and powerful exploration of survival, dignity, and the human cost of economic insecurity.
“How to divorce during war” (Lithuania, Luxembourg, Ireland, Czech Republic)
Section: World Cinema Dramatic Competition
How to Divorce in Wartime, by Andrius Blazhevicius, depicts the disintegration of Mariya and Vytas’ marriage just as Russia invades Ukraine. As they navigate divorce, fear, and the desire to protect their daughter, the film intertwines intimate domestic conflicts with the pressures of a world at war, capturing how individual lives are fractured when history intervenes.
“All about money” (Ireland)
Section: World Cinema Documentary Competition
Sinead O’Shea’s documentary All About the Money follows Fergie Chambers, the heir to one of America’s wealthiest families, as she uses her fortune to fund communist projects that challenge the capitalist system into which she was born. The film reveals the tension between wealth and ideals, showing how vast resources shape power, ambition, and relationships.
“To Hold a Mountain” (Montenegro, Serbia, France, Slovenia, Croatia)
Section: World Cinema Documentary Competition
Directed by Biljana Tutrov and Petar Gromajic, “To Hold a Mountain” is about a mother and daughter fighting to protect their ancestral land from a NATO military training range in the remote highlands of Montenegro. This documentary celebrates women’s resilience and tenacity through everyday life like ranching and cheese making.
“Frank & Lewis” (Switzerland, UK)
Section: Premiere
Directed by Petra Volpe, “Frank and Louis” depicts Frank, a life-sentence inmate who takes care of an elderly inmate with dementia in hopes of getting parole. Assigned to Louis, a feared inmate who lost his memory, Frank forms an unexpectedly tender bond and is forced to confront his own crimes. A moving meditation on care, remembrance, and the possibility of salvation.
