Industry Days Schedule 2025
Welcome to Industry Days at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival!
Industry Days is the Chicago International Film Festival’s hub for filmmakers and industry professionals to connect, share ideas, and be inspired. Engage in our many informative and thought-provoking workshops and master classes, connect closely with film executives, producers and distributors in our Decision-Maker Roundtables, and meet your next collaborator at our networking events.
As we navigate an ever-changing industry and world that pushes us to be innovative, resilient, and nimble in ways we may have never imagined, we hope the programming at this year’s Industry Days provides an experience that generates innovative solutions and creates the community and connections for everyone to thrive.
All events are open to registered Industry Days passholders only, unless otherwise noted. Speakers are subject to change.
All Industry Days panels and conversations will be open-captioned.
All industry events are first-come, first-served—entry is not guaranteed.
Industry Days Schedule
Thu, Oct 16
5:00 – 6:00pm Let’s Get This Project Started
Join us for this year’s Industry Days kick off discussion and networking party with Chicago’s key film and TV industry stakeholders, and leading breakout filmmakers. First, let’s talk about funding, getting your project off the ground, and how to navigate the entertainment industry. Filmmakers will discuss and take questions about how to raise financing and get support for creative projects and get noticed in these times of economic uncertainty and fluctuating business models.
| Peter Hawley (Illinois Film Office) | |
| Lorraine Jones Molina (Esta Isla), Elijah McKinnon (OTV), Alex Thompson (Ghostlight), Kevin Shaw (One Golden Summer) | |
| CineCity Studios, 2429 W. 14th St Chicago, IL | Map It > |
Fri, Oct 17
10:00am – 12:30pm Documentary Summit: Forging New Paths Amid Systemic Destruction
Funding and distribution systems that support the documentary landscape have been challenged for years, but the sector has faced unprecedented setbacks in 2025. Join us for an initial, opening panel conversation anchored by longtime documentarians to explore where things currently stand and what steps we can take to navigate the current environment. Then, spend time with fellow filmmakers in smaller, breakout groups to address potential crises, share ideas, and determine actionable solutions and strategies for moving forward.
| Lisa Cortés (Little Richard: I Am Everything), Michèle Stephenson (True North), Stacy Robinson (Kartemquin Films) | |
| Filmmakers’ Lounge @ AMC NEWCITY, 1500 N Clybourn Ave, 2nd floor | Map It > |
1:15 – 2:15pm Survival Mode: Healthcare & Precarity as a Creative Person Today
At a time when the U.S. faces historic cuts to arts funding, healthcare, and social services; and corporations have increasingly left independent creatives behind for proven I.P. and A.I. shortcuts, how are artists expected to sustain themselves economically, but also in terms of bodily and mental health? And in a downsizing business, it’s easy to feel even more expendable and exploited. We discuss ways to survive, financially, physically, and psychologically.
| Kenyetta Johnson (Mezcla Media Collective), Dr. Kameelah Mu’Min Oseguera (Multitude Films), Brittani Ward (Casting Director), Shuling Yong (Cinematographer and Sound Mixer) | |
| AMC NEWCITY 14, 1500 N Clybourn Ave | Map It > |
2:45 – 3:45pm Keynote Conversation: Bing Liu, From Rockford to Hollywood
In 2018, Chicago filmmaker Bing Liu’s heartrending documentary Minding the Gap premiered at Sundance and went on to be nominated for an Oscar. While Liu continued to work in documentary, he pivoted to fiction filmmaking, eventually making a pact with major production companies, Brad Pitt’s Plan B and Barry Jenkins’ PASTEL to make his fiction debut, Preparations for the Next Life, currently in release from Amazon MGM Studios. How did he do it? In this candid conversation, Liu will discuss his path navigating agencies, production executives, and financiers, and whether it’s still possible to make auteur-driven movies inside the system. (No press allowed)
| Anthony Kaufman (Chicago International Film Festival) | |
| AMC NEWCITY 14, 1500 N Clybourn Ave | Map It > |
4:15 – 5:15pm How A.I. is Revolutionizing Filmmaking and Post-Production
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the way stories are brought to life. This panel brings together industry experts, independent filmmakers, and technologists to explore how A.I. is transforming every stage of the filmmaking process, from scriptwriting to editing to visual effects. Discover how emerging tools are empowering creatives to work faster, stretch budgets further, and experiment with bold new storytelling approaches. We’ll discuss practical case studies and the evolving ethical landscape, illuminating how A.I. is rewriting the production playbook.
| Nevo Shinaar (Producer, Media Executive), Ozge Samanci (Media Artist), Ryan Summers (Sarofsky), Karina Anglada (Adobe) | |
| AMC NEWCITY 14, 1500 N Clybourn Ave | Map It > |
5:15 – 7:15pm Industry Days Mixer
Filmmakers’ Lounge @ AMC NEWCITY, 1500 N Clybourn Ave, 2nd Floor | Map It >
Sat, October 18
10:00am – 12:30pm Directing the Actor Workshop
Take part in this interactive workshop, moderated by SAG-AFTRA Chicago local president Charles Andrew Gardner, in which veteran Chicago filmmakers McKenzie Chinn (A Real One) and Kelly O’Sullivan (Ghostlight) will direct actors and take questions and feedback from the audience. Then one lucky Industry Days participant will be picked from this year’s registrants to get a crack at directing a scene. The session will also include best practices, dos and don’ts, and advice on how to work best with the union.
| Charles Andrew Gardner (SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local President) | |
| McKenzie Chinn (A Real One) and Kelly O’Sullivan (Ghostlight) | |
| Filmmakers’ Lounge @ AMC NEWCITY 14, 1500 N Clybourn Ave, 2nd floor | Map It > |
1:00 – 2:00pm With a Little Help from My Friends: New Production Collectives, Models, and Modes
Making independent film and media is a collective act, one that requires friends, allies, and the kindness of strangers and colleagues alike. This discussion will focus on the ways in which collectivity, community, and the mutual benefits of helping each other can be a vital paradigm for filmmakers to produce their work in cash-strapped times. Featuring director Joe Swanberg, who helped lead the “mumblecore” movement and continues to produce and support younger filmmakers, and other members of Chicago’s creative communities, the conversation will look at how groups are finding ways to work together, create art, and make work that benefits all involved.
| Darrien Michele Gipson (SAGindie), Katelyn Douglass (Hot Kitchen), Texas Smith (Prairie Creek Productions), Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies, Easy), Naeema Jamilah Torres (Mezla Media Collective) | |
| AMC NEWCITY 14, 1500 N Clybourn Ave | Map It > |
2:30 – 3:30pm Master Class in Directing with Gus Van Sant
Join acclaimed filmmaker Gus Van Sant in a conversation about his directorial work, from shaping powerful performances to crafting iconic cinematic moments. His many features include such seminal films as Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, To Die For, Gerry, Elephant, Paranoid Park, and Restless, as well as Good Will Hunting, which was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards. Dead Man’s Wire, playing at this year’s Festival, is his latest feature.
AMC NEWCITY 14, 1500 N Clybourn Ave | Map It >
3:45 – 4:45pm Making Us Shiver and Shudder: Horror Films on the Rise
Few genres feel more apt to describe our current reality than horror films, which is one reason they’re probably such a staple these days. So far, horror films have made up approximately 17% of U.S. box office revenue in 2025, up from 11% last year. And indie filmmakers continue to innovate in the genre–with big paydays as a result, as distributors such as Neon and A24 acquired films such as Together (2025) and Talk to Me (2023) at Sundance in multi-million-dollar deals. How can filmmakers smartly plan, finance, and produce movies that won’t just freak out viewers, but cultivate careers for their makers?
| Nicholas Lazo (Shudder, VP of production and development), Nicola Goelzhaeuser-Newman (Cineverse), Eddie Linker (Elevated Films Chicago, Anything that Moves), Nicola McCafferty (Chicago International Film Festival) | |
| Filmmakers’ Lounge @ AMC NEWCITY 14, 1500 N Clybourn Ave, 2nd floor | Map It > |
5:00 – 6:00pm International Awards Contenders: World Cinema Now!
Meet this year’s top international auteurs! From Chile and Colombia to North Macedonia, Poland, and Tunisia, this year’s Chicago International Film Festival showcases many of the movies submitted as their country’s official entry in the Oscar race for Best International Feature Film. As the United States becomes more isolated from the rest of the world, their urgent, touching, and beautifully crafted stories feel more important than ever to watch and bear witness to. Take part in this engaging conversation about the current state of world cinema, and how their makers have crafted films that resonate across borders.
This event is open to the public. Get public tickets now…
Industry Days registered badge holders do not need a ticket for this event.
| Seth Abramovitch (The Hollywood Reporter) | |
| Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (A Useful Ghost), Diego Céspedes (The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo), Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Young Mothers), Agnieszka Holland (Franz), Tamara Kotevska (The Tale of Silyan), Odessa Rae (producer, The Voice of Hind Rajab), Simón Mesa Soto (A Poet) | |
| AMC NEWCITY 14, 1500 N Clybourn Ave | Map It > |
6:00 – 7:30pm Industry Days Mixer
Filmmakers’ Lounge @ AMC NEWCITY, 1500 N Clybourn Ave, 2nd Floor | Map It >
Sun, Oct 19
1:30 – 4:00pm The Pitch
The culminating event of the CIX: Lab, the Chicago International Film Festival’s year-long development program, features five filmmaking teams with new narrative projects in active development sharing their pitch presentations in front of a panel of three judges composed of veteran producers: Gabriel Mayers, Christina Oh, and Luke Rodgers. In front of a live audience, the pitches will receive feedback and the winning project will receive an awards package of in-kind services, including consultation, production, and post-production, totaling over $100K. Learn more about The Pitch…
| Joyy Norris | |
| Gabriel Mayers (Plot Twist Pictures), Christina Oh (Celadon Pictures), Luke Rodgers (producer) | |
| Malik Bader, Melika Bass, Kyle Henry, Jennifer Reeder, Erica Weiss | |
| Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St | Map It > |
2025 Industry Days Sponsors
2025 Industry Days Supporters
2025 Government Support
This project is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council and a CityArts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
212 W Van Buren St., Suite 400
