Chicago International Film Festival Announces 61st Edition International Competition Selections

North America’s Longest-Running Competitive Film Festival Presents 43 Features In Various Competitions, Including 29 World, North American, or U.S. Premieres

Chicago, Illinois (September 11, 2025) – The 61st Chicago International Film Festival, North America’s longest-running competitive film festival, today announced its International Competitions for this year’s edition, running October 15 - 26, 2025. This year’s competitive titles include two world premieres, 14 feature films making their North American premieres and another 13 holding their U.S. premieres, with titles from countries around the world including Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Germany, Tajikistan, Poland, Japan, Italy, Thailand, Iceland, France, and more, all vying for the Festival’s Gold Hugo award in the categories of International Feature, International Documentary, New Directors, and OutLook, in addition to Live Action, Documentary, and Animated Shorts competitions. 

Previous Chicago International Film Festival award winners have gone on to Oscar recognition, including THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG (2024), CLOSE (2022), DRIVE MY CAR (2021) and THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD (2021) which were all nominated for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards, and Best Documentary Oscar nominee FOUR DAUGHTERS (2023).

The full slate of films for the 61st edition of the Chicago International Film Festival, running October 15 - 26, 2025, will be announced September 18, 2025. Tickets for Opening Night’s presentation of Kevin Shaw’s ONE GOLDEN SUMMER are on sale now, with tickets to the rest of the Festival’s presentations going on sale September 26, 2025. Cinema/Chicago members’ pre-sale tickets go on sale September 19, 2025; memberships now available at www.chicagofilmfestival.com/membership. 

International Feature Competition:

BLACK RABBIT, WHITE RABBIT (Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates)

Dir. Shahram Mokri

North American Premiere

THE CURRENTS Las Corrientes (Switzerland, Argentina)

Dir. Milagros Mumenthaler

KONTINENTAL ‘25 (Romania)

Dir. Radu Jude

LA GRAZIA (Italy) 

Dir. Paolo Sorrentino

THE LOVE THAT REMAINS Ástin sem eftir er (Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France)

Dir. Hlynur Pálmason

MY FATHER’S SHADOW (UK, Nigeria)

Dir. Akinola Davies Jr.

RENOIR (Japan, France, Singapore, The Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar)

Dir. Chie Hayakawa

U.S. Premiere

THE SECRET AGENT O Agente Secreto (Brazil, France, The Netherlands, Germany)

Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho

SILENT FRIEND (Germany, Hungary, France)

Dir. Ildikó Enyedi

U.S. Premiere

SIRÂT (France, Spain)

Dir. Oliver Laxe

SOUND OF FALLING In die Sonne schauen (Germany)

Dir. Mascha Schilinski

THE STRANGER L'Etranger (France)

Dir. François Ozon

North American Premiere

THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB (Tunisia, France)

Dir. Kaouther Ben Hania

WHITETAIL (The Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium) 

Dir. Nanouk Leopold

U.S. Premiere

New Directors Competition:

BLUE HERON (Canada, Hungary)

Dir. Sophy Romvari

U.S. Premiere

BRAND NEW LANDSCAPE Miharashi Sedai (Japan)

Dir. Danzuka Yuiga

U.S. Premiere

CHRISTY (U.K., Ireland)

Dir. Brendan Canty

North American Premiere

THE CONDOR DAUGHTER La Hija Cóndor (Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay) 

Dir. Álvaro Olmos Torrico

U.S. Premiere

COTTON QUEEN (Germany, France, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan)

Dir. Suzannah Mirghani 

North American Premiere

THE GIRL IN THE SNOW L'Engloutie (France)

Dir. Louise Hémon

North American Premiere

ISH (U.K.)

Dir. Imran Perretta

North American Premiere

THE KIDNAPPING OF ARABELLA Il rapimento di Arabella (Italy)

Dir. Carolina Cavalli

North American Premiere

OCA (Mexico, Argentina)

Dir. Karla Badillo

U.S. Premiere

ONLY HEAVEN KNOWS Dünüyö (Kyrgyzstan, U.S.)

Dir. Nurzhamal Karamoloeva

World Premiere

REEDLAND Rietland (The Netherlands, Belgium)

Dir. Sven Bresser

North American Premiere

SHORT SUMMER (Germany, France, Serbia)

Dir. Nastia Korkia

North American Premiere

STRANGE RIVER Estrany Riu (Spain, Germany)

Dir. Jaume Claret Muxart

U.S. Premiere

WIND, TALK TO ME Vetre, pričaj sa mnom (Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia)

Dir. Stefan Djordjevic

U.S. Premiere

Documentary Competition:

THE BEAUTY OF THE DONKEY La Beauté de l’Âne (Switzerland, Kosovo, France, U.S.)

Dir. Dea Gjinovci

North American Premiere

CELTIC UTOPIA Útóipe Cheilteach (Sweden, Ireland)

Dirs. Dennis Harvey, Lars Lovén

North American Premiere

CHILD OF DUST Dziecko z pyłu (Poland, Vietnam, Sweden, Czech Republic)

Dir. Weronika Mliczewska

North American Premiere

THE HELSINKI EFFECT (Finland, Germany, Norway)

Dir. Arthur Franck

North American Premiere

MY FATHER AND QADDAFI (U.S., Libya)

Dir. Jihan 

North American Premiere

PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK (France, Palestine)

Dir. Sepideh Farsi

THE TALE OF SILYAN (North Macedonia)

Dir. Tamara Kotevska

U.S. Premiere

TRUE NORTH (U.S., Canada)

Dir. Michèle Stephenson

U.S. Premiere

OutLook Competition:

BOUCHRA (Italy, Morocco, U.S.)

Dirs. Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani

EMI (Argentina, Uruguay)

Dir. Ezequiel Erriquez Mena

World Premiere

HEDDA (U.S.)

Dir. Nia DaCosta

THE HOLY BOY La Valle dei Sorrisi (Italy, Slovenia)

Dir. Paolo Strippoli

THE MYSTERIOUS GAZE OF THE FLAMINGO La misteriosa mirada del flamenco (Chile, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium)

Dir. Diego Céspedes

STRANGE RIVER Estrany Riu (Spain, Germany)

Dir. Jaume Claret Muxart

U.S. Premiere

TWO TIMES JOÃO LIBERADA Duas Vezes João Liberada (Portugal)

Dir. Paula Tomás Marques

A USEFUL GHOST Pee Chai Dai Ka (Thailand)

Dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke

WE ARE PAT (U.S.)

Dir. Rowan Haber

For more information, visit the Festival’s website at https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com.

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Festival Information

Celebrating its 61st edition October 15 - 26, 2025, the Chicago International Film Festival is North America's longest-running competitive international film festival. Showcasing acclaimed and exciting new films from around the world, the 61st edition will be held in person in theaters and venues around the city featuring a select program of films with open and closed captions. From dramas and thrillers to documentaries and comedies, the Festival presents a vast diversity of offerings, featuring competitive categories and programs including Black Perspectives; International Comedy; OutLook; After Dark; and the City & State program, showcasing films made in Chicago and throughout Illinois.

2025 Festival Sponsors and Partners

The 61st Chicago International Film Festival's sponsors include Festival Sponsors: Adobe, Baker Tilly, CineCity Studios, Cinespace Studios, Conagra Brands, Fannie May, Heineken Silver, Illinois Production Alliance, Make It Better Foundation, MUBI, Panavision, SAGindie, Tito’s Vodka, Wintrust. Official Agency: Ogilvy; Publicity Agency: Acacia Consulting Group; With Major Support from Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation, John and Jacolyn Bucksbaum Family Foundation, Charles Droege and Julie Wroblewski,GS Gives - Christopher M. Keogh, and Cynthia Stone Raskin. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events. 

About Cinema/Chicago

Cinema/Chicago, the non-profit 501(c)(3) presenting organization of the Chicago International Film Festival, enriches the community through year-round programming devoted to international and independent cinema. We strengthen communication and inspire empathy among people of diverse cultures through artistic, educational, and creative development programs that promote discovery and discussion and inspire new visions of our shared future. Cinema/Chicago's programs include the Chicago International Film Festival, Summer Screenings, CineYouth Festival, Industry Days, Chicago Industry Exchange Lab (CIX: Lab), and Community Cinema Celebrating its 61st edition October 15 - 26, 2025, the Chicago International Film Festival is North America's longest-running competitive film festival. For more information, please visit www.chicagofilmfestival.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.