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International competitions announced for 61st #ChiFilmFest

Published: September 17, 2025  |  Filed under: Festival News

The 61st Chicago International Film Festival, North America’s longest-running competitive film festival, 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 are available now

International Feature Competition

In a hallway of an opulent church, a man holding a gun stands above a group of nuns.

Black Rabbit, White Rabbit

Dir. Shahram Mokri
Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates
North American Premiere

A woman wearing bright red lipstick stands facing a mirror, her reflection staring back at her.

The Currents Las Corrientes

Dir. Milagros Mumenthaler
Switzerland, Argentina

A woman hugs a tree in the woods, a statue of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in the background.

Kontinental ‘25

Dir. Radu Jude
Romania

A man in a black hat and jacket stands on a dirt road, surrounded by bare trees.

La Grazia

Dir. Paolo Sorrentino
Italy

Three children sit in an open and bright room, talking to a woman. The woman stands in the doorway, pushing a stroller.

The Love That Remains
Ástin sem eftir er

Dir. Hlynur Pálmason
Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France

A man and two children sit in front of a shoe store. The man holds one boy, while the other talks to someone off screen.

My Father’s Shadow

Dir. Akinola Davies Jr.
Untied Kingdom, Nigeria

A group of people dance together outdoors, happy expressions on their faces.

Renoir

Dir. Chie Hayakawa
Japan, France, Singapore, The Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar
U.S. Premiere

A man with a beard and unbuttoned shirt leans casually against a red pole beside a yellow car. Behind him, fields of tall grass stretch beneath a wide, cloud-filled sky, evoking both restlessness and quiet contemplation.

The Secret Agent O Agente Secreto

Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
Brazil, France, The Netherlands, Germany

A man in a suit stands under a large and knotty tree, looking up at it. His hands are clasped.

Silent Friend

Dir. Ildikó Enyedi
Germany, Hungary, France
U.S. Premiere

A group of people and a dog sit on a vast, empty beach. They hold bags and luggage, looking tired.

Sirât

Dir. Oliver Laxe
France, Spain

A group of people clad in black walk single file into a room. A young girl glares at the camera.

Sound Of Falling In die Sonne schauen

Dir. Mascha Schilinski
Germany

Still from The Stranger: In a black-and-white seaside scene, a young man in a loose button-down shirt and high-waisted trousers stands against a wooden beam, looking out toward the ocean with a solemn, pensive expression.

The Stranger L’Etranger

Dir. François Ozon
France
North American Premiere

Still from The Voice of Hind Rajab: Three women lean closely over a man seated at a desk, their faces intent as they study the phone he holds. A second phone and a laptop sit before them, glowing in the low light of the room.

The Voice of Hind Rajab

Dir. Kaouther Ben Hania
Tunisia, France

A woman with dark hair pulled back stands in a forest, wearing a brown jacket, knit sweater, and backpack straps over her shoulders. She looks ahead with a serious, slightly tense expression. The background is blurred trees and soft light.

Whitetail

Dir. Nanouk Leopold
The Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium
U.S. Premiere

New Directors Competition

A man stands in a bright space, holding a large white flower with a pink pot. Other flowers sit in the corner to his right.

Brand New Landscape Miharashi Sedai

Dir. Danzuka Yuiga
Japan
U.S. Premiere

A young man stands in a yellowing field, with an umbrella-like statue in the background.

Christy

Dir. Brendan Canty
United Kingdom, Ireland
North American Premiere

Two teenagers with glitter on their faces sit in the backseat of a car, purple light flooding them. One of them rests on the other's shoulder.

The Condor Daughter La Hija Cóndor

Dir. Álvaro Olmos Torrico
Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay
U.S. Premiere

A close up of a young girl sitting outside, her face hopeful as she looks to the right. The sky behind her is bright white.

Cotton Queen

Dir. Suzannah Mirghani
Germany, France, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan
North American Premiere

A young woman stands on a snowy hillside, looking off into the distance nervously.

The Girl in the Snow L’Engloutie

Dir. Louise Hémon
France
North American Premiere

In black and white, a young boy stands in the middle of the woods, using a flare to light his way.

Ish

Dir. Imran Perretta
United Kingdom
North American Premiere

A woman and a young girl sit outside, in front of a statue of a religious figure. They both have bored expressions on their faces.

The Kidnapping of Arabella
Il rapimento di Arabella

Dir. Carolina Cavalli
Italy
North American Premiere

A nun rides a motorcycle along a vast, open countryside.

Oca

Dir. Karla Badillo
Mexico, Argentina
U.S. Premiere

A woman in an apron works a nail salon, filing a client's toenails.

Only Heaven Knows Dünüyö

Dir. Nurzhamal Karamoldoeva
Kyrgyzstan, United States
World Premiere

A man stands facing a large field of wheat, looking up at the height.

Reedland Rietland

Dir. Sven Bresser
The Netherlands, Belgium
North American Premiere

A woman lays in a bed, with a young girl resting her head on the woman's lap. The woman pets the girl's hair and shoulder.

Short Summer

Dir. Nastia Korkia
Germany, France, Serbia
North American Premiere

A young person sits at the edge of a body of water, looking over their shoulder at something unseen.

Strange River Estrany Riu

Dir. Jaume Claret Muxart
Spain, Germany
U.S. Premiere

Four people rest in the branches of a leafy tree in a meadow. A man lies stretched across one branch, two boys perch higher up, and an older man stands at the trunk, holding on gently. The scene feels quiet, natural, and intimate.

Wind, Talk To Me Vetre, pričaj sa mnom

Dir. Stefan Djordjevic
Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia
U.S. Premiere

Documentary Competition

A young boy sits in a barn in front of a donkey. He looks up at the animal, with a content expression on his face.

The Beauty of the Donkey
La Beauté de l’Âne

Dir. Dea Gjinovci
Switzerland, Kosovo, France, United States
North American Premiere

A group of four men traverse down a rocky and grassy hill, smiling and laughing.

Celtic Utopia Útóipe Cheilteach

Dirs. Dennis Harvey & Lars Lovén
Sweden, Ireland
North American Premiere

In a bright and spacious building, a man embraces another man. The man getting held is crying.

Child of Dust Dziecko z pyłu

Dir. Weronika Mliczewska
Poland, Vietnam, Sweden, Czech Republic
North American Premiere

A group of men stand in front of an outdoor gate, smiling and pointing at the camera.

The Helsinki Effect

Dir. Arthur Franck
Finland, Germany, Norway
North American Premiere

Seen in black and white, two men stand in a room with one speaking into a microphone.

My Father and Qaddafi

Dir. Jihan
United States, Libya
North American Premiere

A phone is propped up on a laptop, showing a woman's smiling face.

Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk

Dir. Sepideh Farsi
France, Palestine

An older man in a dark tank top sits outdoors, gently holding a white stork against his side. His hand is extended, offering food to the bird, while a wooden bench and orange net rest nearby in the background.

The Tale of Silyan

Dir. Tamara Kotevska
North Macedonia
U.S. Premiere

In black and white, a man stands at a podium wearing a knit cap and a shirt with a graphic of a raised fist and the words “Black Power.” He leans into the microphone, flanked by two men on either side, with books titled Black Poetry and Black Pride displayed prominently in front.

True North

Dir. Michèle Stephenson
United States, Canada
U.S. Premiere

OutLook Competition

The profile of an animated coyote holding an umbrella and standing in the rain, illuminated by streetlights.

Bouchra

Dirs. Orian Barki & Meriem Bennani
Italy, Morocco, United States

A close up of a young man with blond hair looking off into the distance, an unsure look on his face.

Emi

Dir. Ezequiel Erriquez Mena
Argentina, Uruguay
World Premiere

A woman stands in the middle of a lavish party, toying with the key on her necklace.

Hedda

Dir. Nia DaCosta
United States

A young man stands facing the camera, extending his palm to show various cartoon faces drawn onto his fingertips.

The Holy Boy La Valle dei Sorrisi

Dir. Paolo Strippoli
Italy, Slovenia

A tender embrace: a blonde woman in a red sweater holds a young girl, eyes closed, against her shoulder in a moment of quiet solace.

The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo
La misteriosa mirada del flamenco

Dir. Diego Céspedes
Chile, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium

Two young people sit with their backs to a wall, one resting their head on the other's shoulder as they both sleep.

Strange River Estrany Riu

Dir. Jaume Claret Muxart
Spain, Germany
U.S. Premiere

A film set scene shows a person in rustic costume sitting at a wooden table with bread and fruit, their back to the camera. A crew member in red holds a clapperboard labeled “João Liberada,” while a boom microphone hangs above. The textured stone wall and simple props create a historical atmosphere.

Two Times João Liberada
Duas Vezes João Liberada

Dir. Paula Tomás Marques
Portugal

A man stands in a warehouse, looking down at a red contraption with white tubes coming out of the top.

A Useful Ghost Pee Chai Dai Ka

Dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Thailand

Six people pose together in front of a sky backdrop with a rainbow. They all wear light blue button-up shirts, khaki pants, oversized glasses, and curly black wigs, striking playful and exaggerated poses. One person kneels in front while the others stand, giving the scene a humorous, staged feel.

We Are Pat

Dir. Rowan Haber
United States

Centerpiece Film

October 19, 2023

A man in a tuxedo is seated at a mirrored table. His face is reflected up at him between the table settings.

Saltburn

Dir. Emerald Fennell | United Kingdom

With Festival Centerpiece film Saltburn, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) brings us a beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten. Fennell will be celebrated at the screening with this year’s Visionary Award.

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