Chicago International Film Festival Announces International Competition Selections

The 61st Chicago International Film Festival, North America’s longest-running competitive film festival, today 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 now available at www.chicagofilmfestival.com/membership. 

International Feature Competition:

BLACK RABBIT, WHITE RABBIT (Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates)

Dir. Shahram Mokri

North American Premiere

THE CURRENTS Las Corrientes (Switzerland, Argentina)

Dir. Milagros Mumenthaler

KONTINENTAL ‘25 (Romania)

Dir. Radu Jude

LA GRAZIA (Italy) 

Dir. Paolo Sorrentino

THE LOVE THAT REMAINS Ástin sem eftir er (Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, France)

Dir. Hlynur Pálmason

MY FATHER’S SHADOW (UK, Nigeria)

Dir. Akinola Davies Jr.

RENOIR (Japan, France, Singapore, The Philippines, Indonesia, Qatar)

Dir. Chie Hayakawa

U.S. Premiere

THE SECRET AGENT O Agente Secreto (Brazil, France, The Netherlands, Germany)

Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho

SILENT FRIEND (Germany, Hungary, France)

Dir. Ildikó Enyedi

U.S. Premiere

SIRÂT (France, Spain)

Dir. Oliver Laxe

SOUND OF FALLING In die Sonne schauen (Germany)

Dir. Mascha Schilinski

THE STRANGER L’Etranger (France)

Dir. François Ozon

North American Premiere

THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB (Tunisia, France)

Dir. Kaouther Ben Hania

WHITETAIL (The Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium) 

Dir. Nanouk Leopold

U.S. Premiere

New Directors Competition:

BLUE HERON (Canada, Hungary)

Dir. Sophy Romvari

U.S. Premiere

BRAND NEW LANDSCAPE Miharashi Sedai (Japan)

Dir. Danzuka Yuiga

U.S. Premiere

CHRISTY (U.K., Ireland)

Dir. Brendan Canty

North American Premiere

THE CONDOR DAUGHTER La Hija Cóndor (Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay) 

Dir. Álvaro Olmos Torrico

U.S. Premiere

COTTON QUEEN (Germany, France, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan)

Dir. Suzannah Mirghani 

North American Premiere

THE GIRL IN THE SNOW L’Engloutie (France)

Dir. Louise Hémon

North American Premiere

ISH (U.K.)

Dir. Imran Perretta

North American Premiere

THE KIDNAPPING OF ARABELLA Il rapimento di Arabella (Italy)

Dir. Carolina Cavalli

North American Premiere

OCA (Mexico, Argentina)

Dir. Karla Badillo

U.S. Premiere

ONLY HEAVEN KNOWS Dünüyö (Kyrgyzstan, U.S.)

Dir. Nurzhamal Karamoloeva

World Premiere

REEDLAND Rietland (The Netherlands, Belgium)

Dir. Sven Bresser

North American Premiere

SHORT SUMMER (Germany, France, Serbia)

Dir. Nastia Korkia

North American Premiere

STRANGE RIVER Estrany Riu (Spain, Germany)

Dir. Jaume Claret Muxart

U.S. Premiere

WIND, TALK TO ME Vetre, pričaj sa mnom (Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia)

Dir. Stefan Djordjevic

U.S. Premiere

Documentary Competition:

THE BEAUTY OF THE DONKEY La Beauté de l’Âne (Switzerland, Kosovo, France, U.S.)

Dir. Dea Gjinovci

North American Premiere

CELTIC UTOPIA Útóipe Cheilteach (Sweden, Ireland)

Dirs. Dennis Harvey, Lars Lovén

North American Premiere

CHILD OF DUST Dziecko z pyłu (Poland, Vietnam, Sweden, Czech Republic)

Dir. Weronika Mliczewska

North American Premiere

THE HELSINKI EFFECT (Finland, Germany, Norway)

Dir. Arthur Franck

North American Premiere

MY FATHER AND QADDAFI (U.S., Libya)

Dir. Jihan 

North American Premiere

PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK (France, Palestine)

Dir. Sepideh Farsi

THE TALE OF SILYAN (North Macedonia)

Dir. Tamara Kotevska

U.S. Premiere

TRUE NORTH (U.S., Canada)

Dir. Michèle Stephenson

U.S. Premiere

OutLook Competition:

BOUCHRA (Italy, Morocco, U.S.)

Dirs. Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani

EMI (Argentina, Uruguay)

Dir. Ezequiel Erriquez Mena

World Premiere

HEDDA (U.S.)

Dir. Nia DaCosta

THE HOLY BOY La Valle dei Sorrisi (Italy, Slovenia)

Dir. Paolo Strippoli

THE MYSTERIOUS GAZE OF THE FLAMINGO La misteriosa mirada del flamenco (Chile, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium)

Dir. Diego Céspedes

STRANGE RIVER Estrany Riu (Spain, Germany)

Dir. Jaume Claret Muxart

U.S. Premiere

TWO TIMES JOÃO LIBERADA Duas Vezes João Liberada (Portugal)

Dir. Paula Tomás Marques

A USEFUL GHOST Pee Chai Dai Ka (Thailand)

Dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke

WE ARE PAT (U.S.)

Dir. Rowan Haber

For more information, visit the Festival’s website at https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com.