Ramzi Bashour’s feature debut Hot Water made its world premiere Friday night at the Sundance Film Festival, screening at Park City’s Eccles Theatre as part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition. The premiere was accompanied by a red carpet event attended by members of the filmmaking team and cast.
Set against a cross-country road trip, Hot Water follows a Lebanese mother and her American teenage son as they travel west after the boy is expelled from high school. The film stars Lubna Azabal (Incendies) and Daniel Zolghadri (Funny Pages, Lurker), with Dale Dickey appearing in a supporting role. Bashour both wrote and directed the project.
The film unfolds as an unconventional road comedy, using encounters along the way — motels, diners, open highways — to explore family tension, cultural distance, and the shifting idea of home. Shot across multiple states, the production moved weekly through different locations before ending in California, a demanding schedule that required long travel days and an unusually lean, hands-on crew.
Speaking nearby during festival press activity, members of the creative team reflected on the intensity of the shoot and the collaborative nature of making a first feature on a tight schedule. While Sundance was not assumed as an outcome during production, there was a shared sense of purpose around the script and the story being told. Several comments emphasized gratitude — for the journey, the people involved, and the opportunity to present the film to an audience for the first time.
Hot Water is Bashour’s first feature and is described by the Sundance Film Festival as a lyrical, observant debut that reflects on diaspora, education, and the complicated bonds between parents and children. The film runs 97 minutes and is presented in English, Arabic, and French. It contains mature content and is not recommended for audiences under 17.
An exclusive clip and the film’s official poster debuted alongside the premiere. The poster was designed by Brooklyn-based collage artist Vanessa Saba, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic. A trailer for the film has also been released.
Hot Water continues screening throughout the festival as Sundance audiences get their first look at Bashour’s quietly ambitious road story.
