2025 Chicago International Film Festival is around the corner. Today it announced its full range for the 61st edition of the festival that runs October 15-26 throughout the city, with its hub on AMC Newcity 14, and the iconic music box, Gene Siskel Film Center and Chicago History Museum, among others. Tickets will be sold September 19 for members and September 22 to the public here.
As Always, The Lineup is a Mix of Previous Festival Hits From Throughout The Year (“Train Dreams,” “Hedda,” Centerpiece Film “Rental Family,” “The Mastermind”-with Joel Edgerton and Clint Bentley, Nia Dacot Chicago-Centric Features (Including Opening Night Title “One Golden Summer” From Chicago Filmmaker Kevin Shaw), and above all, non-US movies that can fact in into Best international feature Race at Oscar.
Ciff’s top prize, Golden Hugo, is assigned the best international feature At this year’s festival. Last year it went to Maura Delpero’s “Vermiglio”, with Silver Hugo Special Jury award for “Everything we imagine as easy.” In recent years, international films including “Drive My Car”, “The Worst Person in the World” and “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” also showed at the festival, although Ciff can skew as cine philic as any festival in North America – Apichatpong WeeraseThakuls “Memoria.
Every year, the festival hosts a panel with five directors of films submitted by their respective countries to be their Oscar submission. That Panel is still being finalized, but some of the international features being put on display this year is jafar Panahi’s “It was just an accident” (France’s Oscar submission), Radu Judea’s “Dracula,” Sergei Lozi’s “Two Prosecutors,” Annemarie Jacir’s “Palestine 36,” Bi Gan’s “Resurrection,” Laszlo Nemes “Orphan”, Ugo Bienvenus “Arco” and Dardennes “Young Mothers.”
The closing night movie will be David Freyne’s “Eternity”, and other films presented in the lineup will be Bradley Cooper’s “Is This Thing On?”, Noah Baumbach’s “Jay Kelly”, Yorgos Lanthimo’s “Bugonia”, Guillermo del Toros “Pinocchio and Riano Pinocchi
Present the special sections in the festival’s own words from the release below:
Tributes and retrospective
For her anxious eye for character, fearless attitude to genre and deep commitment with social issues, presents the festival Nia Dacosta With an artistic performance award with its latest film Hedda; and in a career defined by vision, courage and an unwavering commitment to the truth, director Euzhan Palcy is set to receive the Black Perspectives Tribute and Career Achievement Award at a display of her Sugar tube alley. This year’s Spotlight Award goes to the director Hikaricelebrates her lively and versatile story exemplified in the middle presentation Rental family. In his screening of the soulful, visually amazing Train dreamsstar Joel Edgerton receives the artistic performance award in acting for its career -defining depiction of grief and resilience, with the director Clint Bentley Accepts the artistic performance award at the director. Acclaimed director Kelly Reichardt also joins the festival for a personal retrospective of her work, including 2006 Old joy2019’s Firstand 2022 Shows upanchored by a spotlight of her 2025 -prominent MastermindAfter an unemployed carpenter turned art thief (Josh O’Connor) plans his first major heist.
Global Cinema Snapshots
Highlights of this year’s Snapshots program, which shows the diversity of contemporary global cinema, includes This islandThe Lorraine Jones Molina and Cristian CarreteoAge story about a young couple who find refuge with a pastoral society in the mountains of Puerto Rico; CrazyS PaoWhere a Nigerian shoe salesman in Australia juggles paternity when his teenage son will live with him; Taiwan’s official best International Feature Academy Award submission Left girlAfter a single mother and her daughters when they meet generations of secrets that threaten to increase their unit, from the director Shih-cheing tsou; and Hasan Hadi ‘S witty, playful and moving stories about unhappy nine -year -old Lamia, who are forced to become creative when she has the task of baking a cake in the celebration of Saddam Hussein’s birthday in Iran The president’s cake. When a curious time-traveling falls from heaven, 10-year-old iris decides to help his new friend return to the future in Ugo WelcomeExciting animated adventures Arcofrom France; And in Charlie PolingerS Water Polo Camp-Set Thriller PestNewcomer Ben must decide whether he will join in bullying or risk being thrown himself after being told that one of the boys has “the plague.”
Special events and programs
Movie lovers are for a unique experience that Criterion Mobile Closet Visits North America’s longest festival, making Chicago its seventh stop from October 17-19. More than 1,700 of the largest films from all over the world, the wardrobe can offer more film spiration per square foot than any other place on the planet, just outside the doors to the festival’s hub theater. The opening weekend also sees the return of Industry daysThe festival’s hub for filmmakers and industry professionals to connect, share ideas and be inspired. This year’s program includes a keynote conversation with Given the gap director and Illinois native Bing Liudiscussing the trip to make their fiction debut Preparation for the next life; A documentary meeting with veteran film creators Lisa Cortes and Michèle Stephenson; and opportunities to get in touch with important managers from companies such as shudder and Steven YeunCeladon pictures.
Frame after frame: Views in 35 mm
The 61st Chicago International Film Festival has 35 mm presentations of five titles, including Clint BentleyS Train dreamsThe László nobleS sore, heartbreaking story about age ORPHAN; and special back-to-back views of New waveThe Richard LinklaterLove letter to cinema that refunds the creation of Jean-Luc GodardS BREATHLESSIn pairs with a 35 mm screening of the French New Wave classic. Old joypresented as part of Kelly ReichardtRetrospective will also be screened in 35 mm.
International competitions
Filmmakers from all over the world are competing for the Gold Hugo Award in the International Features, International Documentary, New Director and Outlook categories, in addition to shorts programs, in North America’s longest competition film festival. Former Winner of the Chicago International Film Festival has gone to Oscar recognition, including The seed from the holy figs (2024), NEAR (2022), Drive my car (2021) and The worst person in the world (2021) all nominated for best international feature films at the Academy Awards, and best documentary Oscar -Nominated Four daughters (2023).
Chicago films and filmmakers in focus
The stories and filmmakers in Chicago and Illinois take the center of the festival’s popular Urban- program. This year’s election includes opening evening A golden summer from the director Kevin Shaw; RIK NYS Adult childrenabout a protected Chicago 17-year-old who looks at his older half-siblings for guidance; Alex Phillips‘Racous Exploitation Thriller All that moves; Chicago-based James ChoiS Before the conversationWith a young man in Seoul who counts the hours down to his imminent military service as a global crisis escalates; Curtis MillerMeditation on “Tornado Alley,” A brief story of chasing storms; and Nurzhamal Karamoldoeva’s Only the sky knowsA wild, Chicago-Set drama after a Kyrghs family thrown into anxiety when the lost son comes over his head with gaming debt.
Short films
The festival presents short films from all over the world, everything from comedies to drama, documentaries to thrillers and everything in between, in ten shorts programs. Highlights include Urban- program SubmittersWith presentation J. Smith-Cameron and Kenneth LonerganWhere high school strings do not take their best clothing to compete at a congressional debate tournament; the Comedy program Nervousafter two hard ambitious future filmmakers; The Departures Program, which presents unique perspectives from filmmakers who are new to the festival, contains a woman’s trip to Los Angeles to treat hearing loss where she stays with her ex boyfriend with her new girlfriend in The non-actorin the lead role Victoria Pedretti and Maya Hawke; and Family -friendly animation Program gift LILYa frightening story about the horror in elementary school, adapted by Stephen King from one of his first short stories. A new short program will join the range this year: In addition shows filmmakers who undoubtedly follow their own singular visions to very new and strange territories with films including Water sportswhich transporting audiences to a hyper-styled world ravaged by climate change; MS-Paint style animation showing a titular Abortion party; and a vampire’s quest to fulfill the real desire of his heart in Once in a full moon.
