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
Black Rabbit, White Rabbit
Dir. Shahram Mokri
Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates
North American Premiere
The Currents Las Corrientes
Dir. Milagros Mumenthaler
Switzerland, Argentina
Kontinental ‘25
Dir. Radu Jude
Romania
La Grazia
Dir. Paolo Sorrentino
Italy
The Love That Remains
Ástin sem eftir er
Dir. Hlynur Pálmason
Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France
My Father’s Shadow
Dir. Akinola Davies Jr.
Untied Kingdom, Nigeria
Renoir
Dir. Chie Hayakawa
Japan, France, Singapore, The Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar
U.S. Premiere
The Secret Agent O Agente Secreto
Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
Brazil, France, The Netherlands, Germany
Silent Friend
Dir. Ildikó Enyedi
Germany, Hungary, France
U.S. Premiere
Sirât
Dir. Oliver Laxe
France, Spain
Sound Of Falling In die Sonne schauen
Dir. Mascha Schilinski
Germany
The Stranger L’Etranger
Dir. François Ozon
France
North American Premiere
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Dir. Kaouther Ben Hania
Tunisia, France
Whitetail
Dir. Nanouk Leopold
The Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium
U.S. Premiere
New Directors Competition
Blue Heron
Dir. Sophy Romvari
Canada, Hungary
U.S. Premiere
Brand New Landscape Miharashi Sedai
Dir. Danzuka Yuiga
Japan
U.S. Premiere
Christy
Dir. Brendan Canty
United Kingdom, Ireland
North American Premiere
The Condor Daughter La Hija Cóndor
Dir. Álvaro Olmos Torrico
Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay
U.S. Premiere
Cotton Queen
Dir. Suzannah Mirghani
Germany, France, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan
North American Premiere
The Girl in the Snow L’Engloutie
Dir. Louise Hémon
France
North American Premiere
Ish
Dir. Imran Perretta
United Kingdom
North American Premiere
The Kidnapping of Arabella
Il rapimento di Arabella
Dir. Carolina Cavalli
Italy
North American Premiere
Oca
Dir. Karla Badillo
Mexico, Argentina
U.S. Premiere
Only Heaven Knows Dünüyö
Dir. Nurzhamal Karamoldoeva
Kyrgyzstan, United States
World Premiere
Reedland Rietland
Dir. Sven Bresser
The Netherlands, Belgium
North American Premiere
Short Summer
Dir. Nastia Korkia
Germany, France, Serbia
North American Premiere
Strange River Estrany Riu
Dir. Jaume Claret Muxart
Spain, Germany
U.S. Premiere
Wind, Talk To Me Vetre, pričaj sa mnom
Dir. Stefan Djordjevic
Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia
U.S. Premiere
Documentary Competition
The Beauty of the Donkey
La Beauté de l’Âne
Dir. Dea Gjinovci
Switzerland, Kosovo, France, United States
North American Premiere
Celtic Utopia Útóipe Cheilteach
Dirs. Dennis Harvey & Lars Lovén
Sweden, Ireland
North American Premiere
Child of Dust Dziecko z pyłu
Dir. Weronika Mliczewska
Poland, Vietnam, Sweden, Czech Republic
North American Premiere
The Helsinki Effect
Dir. Arthur Franck
Finland, Germany, Norway
North American Premiere
My Father and Qaddafi
Dir. Jihan
United States, Libya
North American Premiere
Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk
Dir. Sepideh Farsi
France, Palestine
The Tale of Silyan
Dir. Tamara Kotevska
North Macedonia
U.S. Premiere
True North
Dir. Michèle Stephenson
United States, Canada
U.S. Premiere
OutLook Competition
Bouchra
Dirs. Orian Barki & Meriem Bennani
Italy, Morocco, United States
Emi
Dir. Ezequiel Erriquez Mena
Argentina, Uruguay
World Premiere
Hedda
Dir. Nia DaCosta
United States
The Holy Boy La Valle dei Sorrisi
Dir. Paolo Strippoli
Italy, Slovenia
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo
La misteriosa mirada del flamenco
Dir. Diego Céspedes
Chile, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium
Strange River Estrany Riu
Dir. Jaume Claret Muxart
Spain, Germany
U.S. Premiere
Two Times João Liberada
Duas Vezes João Liberada
Dir. Paula Tomás Marques
Portugal
A Useful Ghost Pee Chai Dai Ka
Dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Thailand
We Are Pat
Dir. Rowan Haber
United States
Centerpiece Film
October 19, 2023
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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