What's queer about Sundance '09? Plenty.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the Sundance Film Festival has long been acknowledged as one of the focal points for gay and lesbian filmmakers. The term "New Queer Cinema" was coined by B. Ruby Rich in response to a wave of directors like Todd Haynes, Gregg Araki and Jennie Livingston garnering early attention to their work out of Sundance.

Check out this year's queer-interest titles, after the jump!

This year's line-up features plenty of titles of gay interest and/or from gay filmmakers; here's a partial list:

Dare: In what sounds a bit like Threesome for high schoolers, this sexy coming-of-age tale centers around Alexa (Emmy Rossum), a good girl who wants to be bad; Ben (Ashley Springer), the emo kid confused about his sexuality; and rich, handsome Johnny (Zach Gilford) who hides his insecurity behind a bad-boy façade.

Everything Strange and New: Wayne (Jerry McDaniel) seems to have it all — wife, house, two kids. But underneath the surface, everything's falling apart, from family members to tenuous friendships. Can Wayne cope with the spectre of substance abuse and sexuality issues so that he can finally figure out what he really wants?

Humpday: Hetero best pals Ben (Mark Duplass) and Andrew (Joshua Leonard, The Blair Witch Project) reunite a decade after college and resume their ever-escalating competition, which finally leads to the ultimate dare — They're making an amateur sex movie. Together. With each other. Who's going to tell Ben's wife?

I Love You, Phillip Morris: Gay audiences have been holding their collective breath on this one, which looks like it could be either outrageously hilarious or dreadfully wrong-headed, with not much wiggle room in between. Jim Carrey stars as a larcenous accountant who finds true love behind bars with his cellmate, Ewan McGregor, and then does everything he can to be reunited with his one and only. It's from the Bad Santa guys; let's keep our fingers crossed.

The Informers: It's a Bret Easton Ellis story set in 1980s Los Angeles, so of course it's polymorphously perverse. Also of interest is the eclectic ensemble, which includes Mickey Rourke, Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, Winona Ryder and the late Brad Renfro.

La Mission: Benjamin Bratt stars as a volatile ex-con who reacts violently when he learns that his beloved teenage son is gay. With the help of friends, the father tries to repair his relationship with his child. Bratt's brother Peter (Follow Me Home) directs.

Mary and Max: Directed by Oscar-winning queer Australian filmmaker Adam Elliot and featuring narration by Barry Humphries (aka Dame Edna), this animated feature chronicles the unlikely pen-pal relationship between an obese 44-year-old Jewish New Yorker with Asperger's syndrome (voiced by Philip Seymour Hoffman) and an 8-year-old Melbourne girl (Toni Collette) with a crush on her Boy-George-fan neighbor.

One Day in a Life (Un altro pianeta): An Italian man's visit to a gay beach gets him involved in the dramas of his fellow beachgoers and also summons painful memories of his own past. (Which is why I never go to gay beaches.)

Push: Based on the novel by Sapphire: (i.e., "Not to be confused with that dopey-looking Jumper wannabe starring Chris Evans that opens next month") Gay African-American director Lee Daniels (Shadowboxer, Tennessee) tells the story of a troubled teenage girl whose life is turned around by a devoted teacher (who also happens to be a lesbian).

The September Issue: Documentarian R.J. Cutler takes you behind the scenes of the nine-month creative process behind the September issue of Vogue, considered by many to be the fashion bible for the following year. And André Leon Talley is there.

Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech: This documentary explores various contemporary First Amendment cases, including a student's lawsuit to allow him to wear anti-gay Bible scripture on T-shirts at school.

There's also tons of queer-themed shorts, including 575 Castro St. from filmmaker and archivist Jenni Olson (The Joy of Life). Filmed in Harvey Milk's old camera store — while the space was being used as a set for the movie Milk — the film features audio of the tape-recording Milk made to be played in the event of his assassination.

If you're going to Sundance, stay warm, drink lots of water, and pop by the Queer Lounge — it's the epicenter of everything gay happening at the festival.