61st Chicago International Film Festival Last updated October 10, 2025 2025 edition of film festival
61st Chicago International Film Festival Official poster
Opening film One Golden Summer [ 1] Closing film Eternity Location Chicago , United States Founded 1965 Awards Golden Hugo Hosted by Cinema/Chicago Artistic director Mimi Plauché No. of films181 Festival date Opening: October 15, 2025 (2025-10-15 ) 26, 2025 (2025-10-26 ) Website www 2026
The 61st Chicago International Film Festival will take place from October 15 to 26, 2025, in Chicago , United States. The festival will open with American documentary film One Golden Summer by Kevin Shaw. [ 2]
Festival events will take place mainly around AMC NEWCITY 14, though other event venues throughout the city include the Music Box Theatre , the Gene Siskel Film Center , the Chicago History Museum , and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago . [ 3]
Background This is the festival's second year having AMC NEWCITY 14 as the main venue. The full film line-up was announced on September 18. [ 4]
Official Selection The 61st edition of the festival will showcase 111 feature films and 70 short films from over 60 countries, including four World Premiere, 17 North American Premiere, and 18 United States Premieres. [ 5]
Special Presentations English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Opening Night One Golden Summer Kevin Shaw United States Centerpiece Rental Family Hikari United States Closing Night Eternity David Freyne United States Special Presentations Bugonia Yorgos Lanthimos Ireland, South Korea, United States Dead Man's Wire Gus Van Sant United States Father Mother Sister Brother Jim Jarmusch United States, Ireland, France, Italy, Japan Frankenstein Guillermo del Toro United States Hamnet Chloé Zhao United Kingdom, United States Hedda Nia DaCosta United States Is This Thing On? Bradley Cooper United States It Was Just an Accident یک تصادف ساده Jafar Panahi Iran, France, Luxembourg Jay Kelly Noah Baumbach United Kingdom, United States No Other Choice 어쩔수가없다 Park Chan-wook South Korea Nouvelle Vague Richard Linklater France Sentimental Value Affeksjonsverdi Joachim Trier Norway, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, United Kingdom The Testament of Ann Lee Mona Fastvold United Kingdom, United States Train Dreams Clint Bentley [ d ] United States Wake Up Dead Man Rian Johnson United States
International Competition The festival announced its competitive sections on September 11, 2025. [ 6] The following films compete for the Gold Hugo of the International Competition: [ 7]
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Black Rabbit, White Rabbit Shahram Mokri Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates The Currents Las corrientes Milagros Mumenthaler Switzerland, Argentina Kontinental '25 Radu Jude Romania, Brazil, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Luxembourg La Grazia Paolo Sorrentino Italy The Love That Remains Ástin Sem Eftir Er Hlynur Pálmason Iceland, Denmark, France, Finland, Sweden My Father's Shadow Akinola Davies Jr. United Kingdom, Nigeria Renoir ルノワール Chie Hayakawa Japan, France, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia The Secret Agent O Agente Secreto Kleber Mendonça Filho Brazil, France, Germany, Netherlands Silent Friend Stille Freundin Ildikó Enyedi Germany, France, Hungary Sirāt Oliver Laxe Spain, France Sound of Falling In die Sonne schauen Mascha Schilinski Germany The Stranger L'Étranger François Ozon France, Belgium, Morocco The Voice of Hind Rajab Ṣawt Hind Rajab Kaouther Ben Hania Tunisia, France Whitetail Nanouk Leopold Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium
New Directors The following films compete for the Gold Hugo of the New Directors section:
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Blue Heron Sophy Romvari Canada, Hungary Brand New Landscape Miharashi Sedai Yuiga Danzuka Japan Christy Brendan Canty United Kingdom, Ireland The Condor Daughter La Hija Cóndor Álvaro Olmos Torrico Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay Cotton Queen Suzannah Mirghani Germany, France, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan The Girl in the Snow L’Engloutie Louise Hémon France Ish Imran Perretta United Kingdom The Kidnapping of Arabella Il rapimento di Arabella Carolina Cavalli Italy Oca Karla Badillo Mexico, Argentina Short Summer Nastia Korkia Germany, France, Serbia Reedland Rietland Sven Bresser Netherlands, Belgium Only Heaven Knows Dünüyö Nurzhamal Karamoloeva Kyrgyzstan, United States Strange River [ a] Estrany Riu Jaume Claret Muxart Spain, Germany Wind, Talk to Me Vetre, pričaj sa mnom Stefan Djordjevic Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia
Documentary Competition The following films compete for the Gold Hugo of the Documentary Competition:
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) The Beauty of the Donkey La Beauté de l’Âne Dea Gjinovci Switzerland, Kosovo, France, United States Child of Dust Dziecko z Pyłu Weronika Mliczewska Poland, Vietnam, Sweden, Czech Republic Celtic Utopia Útóipe Cheilteach Dennis Harvey, Lars Lovén Sweden, Ireland The Helsinki Effect Arthur Franck Finland, Germany, Norway My Father and Qaddafi Jihan Libya Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk Sepideh Farsi France, Palestine The Tale of Silyan Tamara Kotevska North Macedonia True North Michèle Stephenson United States, Canada
Black Perspectives English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) The Eyes of Ghana Ben Proudfoot United States Pasa Faho Kalu Oji Australia Seeds Brittany Shyne United States Sun Ra: Do the Impossible Christine Turner United States
Outlook The following films compete for the Q Hugo Awards, for films with LGBTQ+ themes, some films competing for the award appear in other sections and are already listed in previous tables:
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Bouchra Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani Italy, Morocco, United States Emi Ezequiel Erriquez Mena Argentina, Uruguay Hedda Nia DaCosta United States The Holy Boy La valle dei sorrisi Paolo Strippoli Italy, Slovenia The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo La misteriosa mirada del flamenco Diego Céspedes Chile, France, Belgium, Spain, Germany Two Times João Liberada Duas Vezes João Liberada Paula Tomás Marques Portugal A Useful Ghost Pee Chai Dai Ka Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke Thailand, France, Singapore, Germany We Are Pat Rowan Haber United States
Spotlight English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Below the Clouds Sotto le nuvole Gianfranco Rosi Italy Dracula Radu Jude Romania, Austria, Luxembourg, Brazil Franz Agnieszka Holland Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, France, Turkey If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Mary Bronstein Magellan Magalhães Lav Diaz Portugal, Spain, Philippines, France The Mastermind Kelly Reichardt United States, United Kingdom Miroirs No. 3 Christian Petzold Germany Orphan Árva László Nemes Hungary, France, Germany, United Kingdom Palestine 36 Annemarie Jacir Palestine, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan Primavera Damiano Michieletto Italy, France Resurrection 狂野时代 Bi Gan China, France Three Goodbyes Tre Ciotole Isabel Coixet Italy, Spain Two Prosecutors Два прокурора Sergei Loznitsa Latvia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Romania, Lithuania Young Mothers Jeunes mères Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Belgium, France
Snapshots English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Arco Ugo Bienvenu France Belén Dolores Fonzi Argentina Calle Málaga Maryam Touzani Morocco, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium Dry Leaf ხმელი ფოთოლი Alexandre Koberidze Germany, Georgia Gazelle Nadir Sarıbacak , Samy Pioneer United States, Turkey Left-Handed Girl 左撇子女孩 Shih-Ching Tsou Taiwan, France, United States, United Kingdom Leonora in the Morning Light Lena Vurma, Thor Klein Germany, Mexico, Romania, United Kingdom Luisa Julia Roesler Germany The Plague Charlie Polinger Romania, United States The President's Cake Hasan Hadi Iraq, United States, Qatar The Reckoning of Erin Morrigan Gabrielle Russell United Kingdom, Ireland Spilt Milk Brian Durni Ireland, United Kingdom This Island Esta Isla Cristian Carretero, Lorraine Jones Puerto Rico What Does That Nature Say to You 그 자연이 네게 뭐라고 하니 Hong Sang-soo South Korea
After Dark English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) The Book of Sijjin and Illiyyin Kitab Sijjin Dan Illiyyin Hadrah Daeng Ratu Indonesia Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc Gekijô-ban chensô man reze-hen Tatsuya Yoshihara Japan Mārama Taratoa Stappard New Zealand Mother of Flies Zelda Adams, John Adams, Toby Poser United States New Group Yûta Shimotsu Japan Sisu: Road to Revenge Jalmari Helander Finland, United States
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Before the Call Bureum Jeone James Choi South Korea A Brief History of Chasing Storms Curtis Miller United States
Documentary English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Cover-Up Laura Poitras , Mark Obenhaus United States Holding Liat Brandon Kramer United States Landmarks Nuestra Tierra Lucrecia Martel Argentina, United States, Mexico, France, Netherlands, Denmark The Cowboy André Hörmann Germany, United States
Official awards The festival will honour the work of following film artists from across genres and disciplines. [ 8]
Black Perspectives Artistic Achievement Award : Nia DaCosta , American filmmaker.Artistic Achievement Awards : Spotlight Award : Hikari , Japanese filmmaker and former actress.Black Perspectives Tribute and Career Achievement Award : Euzhan Palcy , Martinican film director, screenwriter, and producerNotes ↑ Nominated for the Q Hugo Award This page is based on this
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