Chicago Film Festival 2025 Unveils Star-Studded Global Lineup
This year’s Centerpiece Presentation is Rental Family, starring Oscar winner Brendan Fraser. The film follows an American actor adrift in life who accepts an unusual job at a Japanese “rental family” agency, portraying temporary family roles for strangers. It screens on October 21.
The 61st Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) has announced a stellar program celebrating global cinema, featuring new works from acclaimed filmmakers Chloé Zhao, Park Chan-wook, Joachim Trier, and Kelly Reichardt.
The festival opens with One Golden Summer, a documentary chronicling the rise and fall of Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West Little League team. Told through the players’ own voices, the film follows their journey from triumph to controversy — and ultimately, redemption.
This year’s Centerpiece Presentation is Rental Family, starring Oscar winner Brendan Fraser. The film follows an American actor adrift in life who accepts an unusual job at a Japanese “rental family” agency, portraying temporary family roles for strangers. It screens on October 21.
Closing the festival on October 26 is Eternity, starring Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner. The supernatural drama explores the afterlife, where souls have one week to choose their eternal fate. Olsen’s character, Joan, must make an impossible choice between her husband and her first love.
The international lineup also features Dracula, The Currents, Dry Leaf, Emi, Franz, The Girl in the Snow, The Helsinki Effect, No Other Choice, and Sentimental Value — several of which will compete for the festival’s top honor, the Gold Hugo Award.
Tributes and Special Events
This year’s festival will spotlight a number of influential artists and industry voices:
October 18: Visionary director Gus Van Sant will receive the Visionary Award, followed by a screening of Dead Man’s Wire.
October 19: Northwestern University’s Nick Davis will host a lecture exploring Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless and Richard Linklater’s reinterpretation Nouvelle Vague. The evening concludes with a tribute to filmmaker Nia DaCosta.
October 20: Joel Edgerton and Clint Bentley will receive Artistic Achievement Awards in Acting and Direction, alongside a screening of Train Dreams.
October 21: The festival hosts Kelly Reichardt: In-Person Retrospective, featuring The Mastermind, Showing Up, First Cow, and Old Joy.
Ticketing and Access
Online ticket sales began in September, with early access for members on September 19 and public sales opening September 26. The festival’s box office operates daily from 10 AM to 6 PM through October 24, opening one hour before the first screening and closing 10 minutes after the last.
Tickets are priced at $25 for general screenings and $30 for special presentations. Standby tickets will be available for sold-out shows on a first-come, first-served basis.