The 61st Chicago International Film Festival

October in Chicago is a special time. The leaves turn, the wind gets meaner, the Bears still look lost, and, thankfully, the Chicago International Film Festival rolls into town to remind us that this city is more than just Italian beefs, potholes, and politicians who should probably be in jail.

This year marks the 61st edition of North America’s longest-running competitive film festival, and the lineup is pretty amazing.

We’re talking 111 feature films, 70 shorts, 39 premieres (that’s World, North American, and U.S. all wrapped together), and stories from over 60 countries. That’s everything from a Puerto Rican coming-of-age tale to an Iranian birthday cake for Saddam Hussein. Yes, that’s actually a movie. You can’t make this stuff up.

And of course, it’s all happening at the usual spots: AMC NEWCITY 14 (the hub), Music Box Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center, the Chicago History Museum, the Logan Center at U of C, plus community screenings at the National Museum of Mexican Art and Kennedy-King College.

Translation: if you live in this city and you’re even remotely interested in movies, you’ve got no excuse not to dip in.

Opening Night: From Baseball to Chainsaws

The festival kicks off October 15 with the World Premiere of Kevin Shaw’s One Golden Summer, which is a documentary about Chicago’s own Jackie Robinson West Little League team, their fall from grace, and their search for redemption.

If you’re a Chicagoan, you remember this story. And if you’re not a Chicagoan, well, this movie will remind you that sports can break your heart in ways you didn’t even know were possible.

But wait... because it’s not CIFF without something completely bonkers too. Enter the After Dark Opening Night selection: Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Rez Arc. Yes, the anime juggernaut is coming for your limbs on the big screen.

I expect blood, body horror, and maybe some existential dread. Perfect for a Wednesday night in River North.

The Big Guns: Centerpieces, Closings, and Special Presentations

The Centerpiece film is Rental Family, directed by HIKARI and starring none other than Brendan Fraser. He plays an American actor in Tokyo who stumbles into the world of “rental families." Yes, there are agencies where you can literally hire people to play stand-in relatives.

It’s weird, it’s uniquely Japanese, and if Fraser’s recent renaissance has taught us anything, it’ll probably make us cry too. HIKARI also gets this year’s Spotlight Award, which is well deserved.

Closing night? That belongs to Eternity, directed by David Freyne, where Elizabeth Olsen has to choose between Miles Teller, Callum Turner, and, oh yeah, eternity itself. The film co-stars Da’Vine Joy Randolph as the Afterlife Coordinator. Kind of like The Good Place, but with actual movie stars and, I assume, fewer fart jokes.

And the special presentations? Good lord. Frankenstein from Guillermo del Toro (above). Bugonia from Yorgos Lanthimos (expect it to be either brilliant, baffling, or both). Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery from Rian Johnson... yes, Benoit Blanc is back with another outrageous accent.

Plus films from Bradley Cooper, Noah Baumbach, and Jafar Panahi (who, by the way, made his movie despite being banned and imprisoned, man, talk about dedication).

Tributes, Retrospectives, and 35mm Love

CIFF always rolls out the red carpet for filmmakers and actors who deserve more than just applause. This year’s honorees include Nia DaCosta, Euzhan Palcy, Joel Edgerton, and Clint Bentley.

And for cinephiles, the real treat is a Kelly Reichardt retrospective, with screenings of Old Joy, First Cow, Showing Up, and her new one, The Mastermind.

Plus, some of these are in 35mm, including Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague paired with Godard’s Breathless. For film nerds, that’s the equivalent of the Cubs winning the pennant.

Around the World and Back Home Again

The festival’s Global Snapshots section brings in stories from Puerto Rico (This Island), Nigeria (Pasa Faho), Taiwan (Left-Handed Girl), and France (Arco).

But CIFF also keeps it local with its City & State program, showcasing Chicago and Illinois filmmakers. Opening night’s One Golden Summer is part of that, but so are films like Adult Children, Anything That Moves, and Before the Call.

These are the kind of films where you’ll recognize the streets, the people, the neighborhoods, and maybe even your cousin who swore they were “just an extra.”

Extras, Shorts, and the Criterion Closet

Beyond the big features, there are ten shorts programs. Programs that have everything from comedies to family-friendly animations (Stephen King’s Lily, anyone?) to the brand-new Outré program, which promises to get weird.

Oh, and cinephiles, brace yourselves: the Criterion Mobile Closet is pulling up outside AMC NEWCITY from October 17–19. Over 1,700 titles in one traveling cinephile paradise. Good luck not spending your entire paycheck there.

Why It Matters

Look, here’s the thing: Chicago has always been a great film town. We’ve got the theaters, the talent, the audiences who show up even when it’s 20 below and you have to risk frostbite just to get to your seat.

The Chicago International Film Festival is a reflection of that. It’s not Sundance or Cannes or Toronto: it’s Chicago. And that means a lineup that’s both global and deeply rooted in our neighborhoods, a mix of prestige films and total oddities, all celebrated in a city that knows how to appreciate a good story.

So, mark it down: October 15–26, 2025. Grab a ticket, see something new, and maybe walk out of the theater feeling a little different than when you walked in. Isn’t that what movies are supposed to do?

For schedules, tickets, and more info: www.chicagofilmfestival.com

See you at the movies.

Thanks for reading, and please SUBSCRIBE to my weekly NEWSLETTER!

Join me on Patreon as a paid subscriber to help keep this thing going.

Thanks again!