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International Awards Contenders Take Center Stage at 61st Chicago International Film Festival

  • Writer: Team Acacia
    Team Acacia
  • Oct 10
  • 3 min read

23 Official Selections to Vie for Best International Feature Oscar; Filmmakers Gather for Festival’s International Contenders Panel


Chicago, Illinois (October 10, 2025) – The 61st Chicago International Film Festival today announced the details of this year’s International Contenders Panel: World Cinema Now!, featuring the filmmakers behind select Festival titles that will represent their countries as official submissions to the Academy Awards to vie for a place on the Best International Feature Oscar shortlist and moderated by Seth Abramovitch of The Hollywood Reporter. The discussion unfolds Saturday, October 18, 2025 at the Festival’s hub theater, AMC NEWCITY 14. The panel, presented by the Festival’s Industry Days program, is free but requires tickets which are available now at www.chicagofilmfestival.com. 


This year’s International Contenders Panel will include Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, director of A USEFUL GHOST (Thailand); Diego Céspedes, director of THE MYSTERIOUS GAZE OF THE FLAMINGO (Chile); Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, directors of YOUNG MOTHERS (Belgium); Agnieszka Holland, director of FRANZ (Poland), holding its U.S. Premiere at the Festival; Tamara Kotevska, director of THE TALE OF SILYAN (North Macedonia), also holding its U.S. Premiere; Odessa Rae, producer of THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB (Tunisia); and Simón Mesa Soto, director of A POET (Colombia).


As North America’s longest-running competitive film festival, Chicago has long been an integral part of any international film’s awards campaign. In addition to the seven titles represented in the International Contenders Panel, 16 more official 2025 Chicago International Film Festival selections are their country’s official submission, including: 


BELÉN (Argentina)

BLACK RABBIT, WHITE RABBIT (Tajikistan)

CALLE MÁLAGA (Morocco)

IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (France) 

LEFT-HANDED GIRL (Taiwan)

THE LOVE THAT REMAINS (Iceland)

MAGELLAN (The Philippines)

NO OTHER CHOICE (South Korea)

ORPHAN (Hungary)

PALESTINE 36 (Palestine)

REEDLAND (The Netherlands)

THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE (Iraq)

THE SECRET AGENT (Brazil)

SENTIMENTAL VALUE (Norway)

SIRÂT (Spain)

SOUND OF FALLING (Germany)


Additionally, two films that appeared in 2024’s edition of the Festival will represent their countries to the Academy this year: Austria’s PEACOCK, and the Dominican Republic submission PEPE.


The Chicago International Film Festival runs October 15 - 26, 2025 with film screenings and programs presented at venues across the city including AMC NEWCITY 14, the Music Box Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center, the Chicago History Museum, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago, as well as community screenings at pop-up locations including Kennedy-King College and the National Museum of Mexican Art.


For more information, the latest schedules, and to purchase tickets, visit the Festival’s website at 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 Industry Days SponsorsIndustry Days sponsors include: Adobe, Chicago Film Office, CineCity Studios, Cinespace Studios, Fannie May, Heineken Silver, Illinois Film Office, Illinois Production Alliance, MUBI, Panavision, SAGindie, and Tito’s Vodka.This program is supported in part by GS Gives-Christopher M. Keogh and 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.

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