Chicago International Film Festival Sets 2025 Competition Lineup

The Chicago International Film Festival has unveiled the slate of films set to compete at its 61st edition, running Oct. 15–26.

This year’s international competitions include two world premieres, 14 features making their North American bows and 13 titles screening for the first time in the U.S. Films will compete for the festival’s top honor, the Gold Hugo, across categories including international feature, documentary, new directors, OutLook and shorts (live action, documentary and animation).

Entries span a wide global footprint, with selections representing Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Germany, Tajikistan, Poland, Japan, Italy, Thailand, Iceland, France and more.

Past winners at the Chicago fest have gone on to major awards recognition, including Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (2024), Lukas Dhont’s “Close” (2022), Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” (2021) and Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World” (2021), all nominated for the International Feature Oscar. Kaouther Ben Hania’s “Four Daughters,” which earned a best documentary Oscar nomination in 2023, also took honors in Chicago.

The festival will reveal its complete 2025 lineup on Sept. 18. Tickets for opening night — Kevin Shaw’s “One Golden Summer” — are already on sale. General ticketing opens Sept. 26, with an advance presale for Cinema/Chicago members beginning Sept. 19.

Full slate of competition titles at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival follows.

International Feature Competition

• “Black Rabbit, White Rabbit” (Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates)
  Director: Shahram Mokri
  North American Premiere
• “The Currents” (“Las Corrientes”) (Switzerland, Argentina)
  Director: Milagros Mumenthaler
• “Kontinental ‘25” (Romania)
  Director: Radu Jude
• “La Grazia” (Italy)
  Director: Paolo Sorrentino
• “The Love That Remains” (“Ástin sem eftir er”) (Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France)
  Dir. Hlynur Pálmason
• “My Father’s Shadow” (UK, Nigeria)
  Director: Akinola Davies Jr.
• “Renoir” (Japan, France, Singapore, The Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar)
  Director: Chie Hayakawa
  U.S. Premiere
• “The Secret Agent” (“O Agente Secreto”) (Brazil, France, The Netherlands, Germany)
  Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho
• “Silent Friend” (Germany, Hungary, France)
  Director: Ildikó Enyedi
  U.S. Premiere
• “Sirât” (France, Spain)
  Director: Oliver Laxe
• “Sound of Falling” (“In die Sonne schauen”) (Germany)
  Director: Mascha Schilinski
• “The Stranger” (“L'etranger”) (France)
  Director: François Ozon
  North American Premiere
• “The Voice of Hind Rajab” (Tunisia, France)
  Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
• “Whitetail” (The Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium)
  Director: Nanouk Leopold
  U.S. Premiere

New Directors Competition

• “Blue Heron” (Canada, Hungary)
  Director: Sophy Romvari
  U.S. Premiere
• “Brand New Landscape” (“Miharashi Sedai”) (Japan)
  Director: Danzuka Yuiga
  U.S. Premiere
• “Christy” (U.K., Ireland)
  Director: Brendan Canty
  North American Premiere
• “The Condor Daughter” (“La Hija Cóndor”) (Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay)
  Director: Álvaro Olmos Torrico
  U.S. Premiere
• “Cotton Queen” (Germany, France, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan)
  Director: Suzannah Mirghani
  North American Premiere
• “The Girl In The Snow” (“L'Engloutie”) (France)
  Director: Louise Hémon
  North American Premiere
• “Ish” (U.K.)
  Director: Imran Perretta
  North American Premiere
• “The Kidnapping of Arabella” (“Il rapimento di Arabella”) (Italy)
  Director: Carolina Cavalli
  North American Premiere
• “Oca” (Mexico, Argentina)
  Director: Karla Badillo
  U.S. Premiere
• “Only Heaven Knows” (“Dünüyö”) (Kyrgyzstan, U.S.)
  Director: Nurzhamal Karamoloeva
  World Premiere
• “Reedland” (“Rietland”) (The Netherlands, Belgium)
  Director: Sven Bresser
  North American Premiere
• “Short Summer” (Germany, France, Serbia)
  Director: Nastia Korkia
  North American Premiere
• “Strange River” (“Estrany Riu”) (Spain, Germany)
  Director: Jaume Claret Muxart
  U.S. Premiere
• “Wind, Talk To Me” (“Vetre, pričaj sa mnom”) (Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia)
  Director: Stefan Djordjevic
  U.S. Premiere

Documentary Competition

• “The Beauty of the Donkey” (“La Beauté de l’Âne”) (Switzerland, Kosovo, France, U.S.)
  Director: Dea Gjinovci
  North American Premiere
• “Celtic Utopia” (“Útóipe Cheilteach”) (Sweden, Ireland)
  Directors: Dennis Harvey, Lars Lovén
  North American Premiere
• “Child of Dust” (“Dziecko z pyłu”) (Poland, Vietnam, Sweden, Czech Republic)
  Director: Weronika Mliczewska
  North American Premiere
• “The Helsinki Effect” (Finland, Germany, Norway)
  Director: Arthur Franck
  North American Premiere
• “My Father And Qaddafi” (U.S., Libya)
  Director: Jihan
  North American Premiere
• “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk” (France, Palestine)
  Director: Sepideh Farsi
• “The Tale of Silyan” (North Macedonia)
  Director: Tamara Kotevska
  U.S. Premiere
• “True North” (U.S., Canada)
  Director: Michèle Stephenson
  U.S. Premiere

OutLook Competition

• “Bouchra” (Italy, Morocco, U.S.)
  Directors: Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani
• “Emi” (Argentina, Uruguay)
  Director: Ezequiel Erriquez Mena
  World Premiere
• “Hedda” (U.S.)
  Dir. Nia DaCosta
• “The Holy Boy” (“La Valle dei Sorrisi”) (Italy, Slovenia)
  Director: Paolo Strippoli
• “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo” (“La misteriosa mirada del flamenco”) (Chile, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium)
  Director: Diego Céspedes
• “Strange River” (“Estrany Riu”) (Spain, Germany)
  Director: Jaume Claret Muxart
  U.S. Premiere
• “Two Times João Liberada” (“Duas Vezes João Liberada”) (Portugal)
  Director: Paula Tomás Marques
• “A Useful Ghost” (“Pee Chai Dai Ka”) (Thailand)
  Director: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
• “We Are Pat” (U.S.)
  Director: Rowan Haber