Chicago’s International Film Festival Just Dropped a Panel So Juicy, Even Mercury in Retrograde Can’t Screw It Up
Added on October 10, 2025 inMovie News Cards
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As the planets align in the fall sky, curious minds might wonder: is Mercury in retrograde messing with Oscar predictions this year? Or is it just the stellar lineup of international features converging in Chicago that’s sparking cosmic excitement? Either way, the 61st Chicago International Film Festival is about to turn the Windy City into a celestial screening room, where some of the world’s most fascinating filmmakers—each vying for a coveted spot in next March’s Academy Awards—will share their stories on stage. From Thailand’s spectral whispers in A Useful Ghost to Belgium’s tender Young Mothers, these auteurs promise a tapestry of perspectives as rich and unpredictable as a Scorpio moon. The event, moderated by The Hollywood Reporter’s own Seth Abramovitch, is free but ticketed, inviting cinephiles to catch this rare constellation of global talent under one roof at AMC Newcity 14 on October 18. Ready to dive deeper into this galaxy of cinema? LEARN MORE
Directors representing a high profile crop of submissions for this year’s best international feature Oscar race will be sharing the stage in the Windy City this weekend.
The 61st Chicago International Film Festival confirmed the details today for its International Contenders Panel: World Cinema Now!, a discussion featuring auteurs representing their country’s official submissions for next March’s Academy Awards. The Hollywood Reporter senior writer Seth Abramovitch will also be making the trip to Chicago to moderate the conversation.
The panel, part of the festival’s industry days program, is set to take place at the festival’s main meeting place, the AMC Newcity 14, on Saturday, Oct. 18. It’s a free event but requires a ticket to secure entrance. The contenders panel will feature Thailand’s Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (A Useful Ghost), Chile’s Diego Céspedes (The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo), Belgium’s Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Young Mothers), Poland’s Agnieszka Holland (Franz), North Macedonia’s Tamara Kotevska (The Tale of Silyan), Tunisia’s Odessa Rae (producer of The Voice of Hind Rajab), and Colombia’s Simón Mesa Soto (A Poet).
This year’s festival also boasts 16 selections that will serve as their respective country’s Oscar submissions, along with two selections from last year’s fest that made the cut. The former list includes Argentina’s Belén, Tajikistan’s Black Rabbit, White Rabbit, Morocco’s Calle Malaga, France’s It Was Just an Accident, Taiwan’s Left-Handed Girl, Iceland’s The Love That Remains, Philippines’ Magellan, South Korea’s No Other Choice, Hungary’s Orphan, Palestine’s Palestine 36, Netherlands’ Reedland, Iraq’s The President’s Cake, Brazil’s The Secret Agent, Norway’s Sentimental Value, Spain’s Sirât, and German’s Sound of Falling. The two films from the fest’s 2024 roster that are in contention for the Oscar are Austria’s Peacock and Dominican Republic’s Pepe.
The Chicago International Film Festival runs Oct. 15-26. Included in this year’s program are tributes, awards and retrospectives for such high profile artists as Spike Lee, Gus Van Sant, Joel Edgerton, Clint Bentley, Nia DaCosta, Euzhan Palcy, Kelly Reichardt, Hikari and more. The lineup can be found here. Industry Days sponsors include Adobe, Chicago Film Office, CineCity Studios, Cinespace Studios, Fannie May, Heineken Silver, Illinois Film Office, Illinois Production Alliance, MUBI, Panavision, SAGindie and Tito’s Vodka.
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