Industry Days at Chicago International Film Festival Announces 2025 Program

The 61st Chicago International Film Festival, presented by Cinema/Chicago, announced today the program and schedule for Industry Days, running October 16 – 19, 2025 in downtown Chicago. Now in its 11th year, the four-day conference is the Festival’s hub for filmmakers and professionals to connect, share ideas, and find inspiration. Participants can engage in informative and thought-provoking workshops; connect with film executives, producers, and distributors in Decision-Maker Roundtables; and meet their next collaborator at networking events. 

This year’s event is particularly attuned to the current moment of crisis and change in today’s entertainment landscape, with galvanizing conversations about the rise of A.I., the troubles facing documentary film, and the challenges of creating art films and establishing a sustainable career. The conference also features an array of acclaimed filmmakers, including directors Bing Liu, Joe Swanberg, and Lisa Cortés; and producers of such films as MINARI, A DIFFERENT MAN, and MAGAZINE DREAMS; with more special guests to be announced. 

“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, 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,” says Industry Days Manager Kayla Myers.

2025 INDUSTRY DAYS SCHEDULE

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Industry Days Kick-Off Event Presented by: CineCity Studios

Supporting Sponsors: Cinespace and Illinois Production Alliance

5 – 6 p.m.: Let’s Get this Project Started

CineCity Studios

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. 

Speakers: Peter Hawley (Illinois Film Office), Lorraine Jones Molina, (THIS ISLAND), Alex Thompson (GHOSTLIGHT), Kevin Shaw (ONE GOLDEN SUMMER)

6:30 – 8:30 p.m.: Industry Days Mixer

Friday, October 17, 2025

10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Documentary Summit: Forging New Paths Amid Systemic Destruction

AMC NEWCITY 14, Filmmakers Lounge, 2nd Floor

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.

Speakers: Lisa Cortés (LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING), Michèle Stephenson (TRUE NORTH), Stacy Robinson (Kartemquin Films)

1:15 – 2:15 p.m.: Survival Mode: Healthcare & Precarity as a Creative Person Today

AMC NEWCITY 14

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.

Speakers: Kenyetta Johnson (Mezcla Media Collective), Dr. Kameelah Mu’Min Oseguera (Multitude Films), Brittani Ward (Casting Director), Shuling Yong (Cinematographer and Sound Mixer)

2:45 – 3:45 p.m.: Keynote Conversation: Bing Liu, From Rockford to Hollywood

AMC NEWCITY 14

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, PREPARATION 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. 

(Closed press)

Moderator: Anthony Kaufman (Chicago International Film Festival)

4:15 – 5:15 p.m.: How A.I. is Revolutionizing Filmmaking and Post-Production, Presented by Adobe

AMC NEWCITY 14

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.

Speakers: Nevo Shinaar (Producer, Media Executive), Ozge Samanci (Media Artist), Ryan Summers (Sarofsky), Karina Anglada (Adobe)

5:15 – 7:15 p.m. | Industry Days Mixer, Co-Hosted by Adobe

AMC NEWCITY 14, Filmmakers Lounge, 2nd Floor

Saturday, October 18, 2025

10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.:  Directing the Actor Workshop 

AMC NEWCITY 14, Filmmakers Lounge, 2nd Floor

Take part in this intensive 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.

Host: Charles Andrew Gardner (SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local President)

Guest Directors: McKenzie Chinn (A REAL ONE) and Kelly O’Sullivan (GHOSTLIGHT)

1 – 2 PM: With a Little Help from My Friends: New Production Collectives, Models, and Modes, presented by SAGindie

AMC NEWCITY 14

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.

Speakers: Darrien Michele Gipson (SAGindie), Katelyn Douglass (Hot Kitchen), Texas Smith (Prairie Creek Productions), Joe Swanberg (DRINKING BUDDIES, EASY), Naeema Jamila Torres (Mezla Media Collective)

3:30 – 4:30 p.m.: Making Us Shiver and Shudder: Horror Films on the Rise

AMC NEWCITY 14

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?

Speakers: 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)

5 – 6 p.m.: International Awards Contenders: World Cinema Now!

AMC NEWCITY 14

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.

6 – 7:30 p.m.: Industry Days Mixer 

AMC NEWCITY 14, Filmmakers Lounge, 2nd Floor

Sunday, October 19, 2025

1:30 – 4 p.m.: The Pitch 

Chicago Cultural Center

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 support, including consultation, production, and post-production services, totaling over $275,000.

Pitch Host: Joyy Norris

Pitch Judges: Gabriel Mayers (Plot Twist Pictures), Christina Oh (Celadon Pictures), Luke Rodgers (producer)

The Chicago International Film Festival runs October 15 – 26, 2025 with film screenings and programs presented at venues across the city including AMC NEWCITY 14, the Music Box Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center, the Chicago History Museum, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago, as well as community screenings at pop-up locations including Kennedy-King College and the National Museum of Mexican Art. 

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

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