The 61st Chicago International Film Festival will take place in multiple theaters in Chicago: AMC NEWCITY 14 (1500 N Clybourn Ave), Gene Siskel Film Center (164 N State St), the Music Box Theatre (3733 N Southport Ave), the Chicago History Museum (1601 N Clark St), Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago (915 E 60th St), and the National Museum of Mexican Art (1852 W 19th St) and Kennedy-King College (6301 S Halsted St) for free Community Cinema screenings.

Visit our Venues page for a full list of our screening venues, as well as directions and information about accessibility.

Masks are not required.

Elevent is the ticketing platform for the Chicago International Film Festival. When you purchase tickets through the Festival website, you will receive a confirmation email from Elevent with the subject line: “Order Confirmation # – Chicago International Film Festival”.

• Take a chance on some of our international films: this may be one of your only opportunities available to watch it if it doesn’t get U.S. distribution.
• Please stay throughout the Q&A if the filmmaker is present.
• Dress warmly – the theaters can be chilly!

Become a Member! You’ll receive benefits throughout the year, as well as discounts on passes and individual tickets.

Learn more about Memberships…

September 19
Exclusive Members-Only Pre-Sale: Individual Tickets and Pass Redemption

September 25
General Public: Festival Pass redemption opens

September 26
General Public: Individual tickets on sale

Tickets are available on individual film pages. To view the film pages, you can visit our full films list or view films organized by program.

For ticketing information, prices, and bopx office information, visit our Tickets & Passes page.

In-Theater Box Office Hours
October 15-26, 2025
Each venue’s Festival box office opens one hour before the start of the first screening, and closes 10 minutes after the start of the last screening.

Note: We highly encourage you to purchase your tickets online and in advance.

Follow these steps:

1. Visit https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/festival/
2. Browse the list of films until you find your preferred selection. Click on the film image or film title.
3. On the individual film page, click the red “Add to Cart” button.
4. The ticket has been added to your cart. If you’d like to add additional tickets to your cart, select “Continue Shopping.” Otherwise, select “Checkout.”
5. Your cart will be displayed. Review your selections and click “Continue to Checkout.”
6. An option appears: Donate to Cinema/Chicago. You may donate or select “Not Today” and continue with purchase.
7. Log-in to your Elevent account, or register for an account if you have not done so already.
8. Fill out your information and click “Continue to Payment.”
9. Fill out your payment information and click “Complete Order.”
10. Once the transaction is complete, you will receive an email confirmation (with confirmation number). Please save for your records.

Students and seniors can purchase individual tickets for regular screenings in-person only at the Festival Box Office for $20 ($5 discount) on general Festival screenings and $25 ($5 discount) on Special Presentations. A photo ID must be presented at the time of purchase. Starting October 15 through October 26, each venue’s Festival box office opens one hour before the start of the first screening, and closes 10 minutes after the start of the last screening.

All fees are included in ticket prices.

“Standby” means that advance tickets are no longer available. Standby lines open as early as one hour prior to showtime. Standby tickets are available on a first-come first-served basis and subject to availability. Regular ticket pricing applies. Limit one ticket per person. Open seats will be made available to those in the Standby line 15 minutes prior to showtime. Admission is not guaranteed.

An individual/student/senior membership allows one ticket purchase at the member price for each screening, while dual and producer memberships allow two, and founder memberships allow four. Please note that this applies to individual ticket purchases, not ticket redemptions for multi-film passes.

You should have received an email with the subject line: “Order Confirmation # – Chicago International Film Festival.” If you do not see this in your inbox, please check your spam folder. You can also check your Elevent order history page. Log in, and you will see a view button displayed with your order details. If you’re still experiencing issues, please contact us.

Please double check that your film selections listed on your order confirmation email are correct and carefully review the time and venue of each screening. On the day of the screening, please take traffic and parking time into consideration and plan to enter the theater at least 15-30 minutes prior to the showtime. Please have your ticket ready (on your device or printed out); there will be a volunteer present to scan your tickets before entering the auditorium. You must be in your seats at least 15 minutes before the film’s start time. The Festival reserves the right to release any empty seats to the STANDBY line at the 15 minute mark.

1. Use the email address we sent vouchers to (look for an email with subject line, “Order Confirmation # – Chicago International Film Festival”). To create a Password, simply follow the “Forgot Password” instructions.
2. You will be logged in and on the Elevent home page that lists active film festivals. Navigate to the listing for Chicago International Film Festival, and click “Search Events.”
3. Film selections will appear as individual events. Select “Get Tickets” on your preferred selection.
4. This will bring up the selected screening. Add 1 ticket (virtual admission) to your order by selecting “Add to Cart”. You can repeat Step 3 until you have as many films in your cart as you have vouchers. Review your selections and click “Checkout.”
5. An option appears: Donate to Cinema/Chicago. You may donate or select “Not Today” and continue with the transaction.
6. You will see a message notifying you of your vouchers waiting to be redeemed. Click “Redeem Now.”
   
7. Click “Redeem” and then “Checkout.”
   
8. Click “Complete Purchase.” Once the transaction is complete, you will receive an email confirmation (with confirmation number). Please save for your records.

1. Visit https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/festival/tickets/
2. Under the Single Virtual Tickets section, click the red “Films and Events” List button.
3. Browse the list of films until you find your preferred selection. Click on the film image or film title.
4. On the individual film page, click the red “Get Tickets” button.
5. Add 1 ticket (virtual admission) to your order and select “Add to Cart”. Review your selection and click “Continue to Checkout.”
6. An option appears: Donate to Cinema/Chicago. You may donate or select “Not Today” and continue with purchase.
7. Log-in to your Elevent account, or register for an account if you have not done so already.
8. On the billing information page, you will see an option to apply an “Extra Code.” Enter the code you have been gifted and click “Apply.” This will reduce the payment amount to $0, and you will not need to enter a payment method (please still fill out all other required information).
   
9. Click “Complete Purchase.”
10. Once the transaction is complete, you will receive an email confirmation (with confirmation number). Please save for your records.

All ticket orders are final sale. No refunds or exchanges. Please read the film’s availability details carefully before purchase.

Passes provide a packaged experience for the Chicago International Film Festival. Choose between 10-ticket and 20-ticket options for regular screenings. Passes are not valid on Opening, Closing, Centerpiece, Special Presentations, or Special Events.

1. Visit https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/festival/tickets/
2. Click the red “Add to Cart” button on your preferred pass type (Members, locate the “Member Passes” section)
3. The pass package has been added to your cart. If you’d like to add additional items like memberships or tickets to your cart, select “Continue Shopping.” Otherwise, select “Checkout.”
4. Your cart will be displayed. Review your selections and click “Continue to Checkout.”
5. An option appears: Donate to Cinema/Chicago. You may donate or select “Not Today” and continue with purchase.
6. Log-in to your Elevent account (for members, this will link your pass purchase to your membership on file), or register for an account if you have not done so already.
7. Fill out your information and click “Continue to Payment.”
8. Fill out your payment information and click “Complete Order.”
9. Once the transaction is complete, you will receive an email confirmation (with confirmation number). Please save for your records.

Pass redemption instructions will be emailed to passholders. If you are unable to locate them, you can follow these steps:

1. Visit https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/ and SIGN IN to your Elevent account (select Continue with Elevent) to access your pass package information.
2. Navigate to the Film Festival page and click on the Films List.
3. Browse the list of films until you find your preferred selection. Click on the film image or film title.
4. On the individual film page, right above the red “Add to Cart” button, there will be an option to “Click here to begin fulfilling your package.” Select that option.
5. Your pass package information will appear. Click “Fulfill Package.”
6. You will now have the option to add tickets to your pass package fulfillment (you can choose multiple tickets for in-person screenings and only one ticket for virtual access). Choose your desired number of tickets and click “Add to Cart.”
7. The tickets have been added to your cart. If you’d like to add tickets to other films, click “Continue Shopping.” Otherwise, click “Checkout.”
8. Your cart will be displayed. Review your selections and click “Continue to Checkout.”
9. Enter your information and click “Complete Fulfillment.”
10. Your order/fulfillment is complete! You will receive a confirmation email (with confirmation number). Please save for your records.

Not necessarily! You can mix and match tickets as you please. 2 tickets to 5 different films, 10 tickets to one film, etc.

You can! When you add an item to your cart, it will stay in your cart until you remove it. This way, you can visit both membership and pass pages without losing your progress. Log into (or register for) your Festival ticketing account (via Elevent) using the Sign In button the menu at the top of the page. Then add both items before completing the purchase.

When you add a ticket to your cart, it will give you a message that says “Purchase Maximum Reached” for that specific film; this simply means that you have successfully added that film to your cart and would not need any additional virtual admissions for the same film. If you navigate to other film selections, you will have the option to add a ticket to your cart, until the ticket maximum is reached.

You should have received an email with the subject line: “Order Confirmation # – Chicago International Film Festival.” If you do not see this in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you still can’t locate this email, check your bank statement or your Festival ticketing (Elevent) account. You can also check your Elevent order history page, which will display the details of any orders you’ve made. If you’re still experiencing issues, please contact us.

No! You do not need to redeem all tickets at once; redeem and complete the fulfillment transaction for as many as you’d like, up to the maximum, at any time. Note: You cannot exchange tickets once you have confirmed them.

Only the pass purchaser can redeem tickets using the pass because it is tied to an individual email address and login.