In fall 2026, Chicago hosts the longest-running competitive international film festival in North America. The 62nd Chicago International Film Festival, presented by Cinema/Chicago, runs Oct. 14–25, 2026, with screenings and events at familiar Loop, Near North and South Side venues—and individual tickets for the general public have been on sale since Sept. 25, 2026.
What it is
The Chicago International Film Festival has been the city’s premier autumn showcase of new work from around the world for over six decades: features, shorts, tributes, industry programming, and free community screenings. Its spring counterpart, the Chicago Critics Film Festival, is presented by the Chicago Film Critics Association. It’s still Oscar- and BAFTA-eligible for some categories, but for local audiences the draw is more simple — seeing movies in actual rooms, often with the filmmakers in town, before the din of awards season solidifies into consensus.
Dates and venues
The festival is 12 days long, Oct. 14 through Oct. 25. This edition will be hosted by AMC NEWCITY 14, Gene Siskel Film Center, Music Box Theater, Chicago History Museum and Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago, among others. The National Museum of Mexican Art (always free to visit; see our free museum days guide) and Kennedy-King College present free Community Cinema screenings. Cinema/Chicago has also announced a first-time Physical Media Fair as part of the 2026 program.
Announced highlights
Opening Night is Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 6 p.m. at the Music Box Theatre with Club Kid, written and directed by and starring Jordan Firstman, who is scheduled to attend and accept the festival’s Breakthrough Award. In the film, a New York club promoter discovers he has a 10-year-old British son he never knew about and tries, awkwardly, to grow up.
The Centerpiece is Mouse, directed by Kelly O’Sullivan & Alex Thompson, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m. at the Music Box Theatre. Set in North Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2002, it follows two high-school best friends whose bond is shattered by tragedy; Sophie Okonedo is expected to be on hand to receive the Spotlight Award. Opening Night and Centerpiece tickets are sold individually, because multi-ticket Festival Passes do not cover Opening Night, Closing Night, the Centerpiece, Special Presentations, tributes or special events.
Closing Night is Sunday, Oct. 25, at 5 p.m. at the Music Box Theatre with Behemoth!, written and directed by Tony Gilroy. Pedro Pascal plays a gifted cellist who returns home to Los Angeles after 20 years on the road, and the film also stars Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor and Will Arnett. Festival Passes cannot be used for this screening; details are on the official film page.
Other First Look titles announced by the festival include work from Martin McDonagh, James Gray, Pedro Almodóvar, Paweł Pawlikowski and Tim Blake Nelson, with more attending artists listed on the festival site as announcements continue.
Tributes: The festival’s announced tributes include An Evening With Marlon Wayans (Monday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m., Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts); a Career Achievement Award for Cheryl Dunye with a screening of The Watermelon Woman (Friday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m., Logan Center); the Q-Hugo Artistic Achievement Award for Ira Sachs with The Man I Love (Tuesday, Oct. 20, 5:30 p.m., AMC NEWCITY 14); a Spotlight Award for Andrew Haigh with A Long Winter (Wednesday, Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m., AMC NEWCITY 14); an Artistic Achievement Award for Carrie Coon with The Liberation (Friday, Oct. 23, 6 p.m., Music Box Theatre); and the Tour de Force Award for Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor at the world premiere of Liz Here Now (Saturday, Oct. 24, 8:15 p.m., AMC NEWCITY 14). Tickets and details are on the festival’s tributes page.
Tickets and how to go
Buy only through Cinema/Chicago’s official channels at chicagofilmfestival.com. Multi-ticket Festival Passes are on sale now. General public redemption of Festival Passes began Sept. 24, 2026, at 10 a.m., and public single tickets have been on sale since Sept. 25, 2026, at 10 a.m. Cinema/Chicago members got an earlier pre-sale, starting on September 18.
Single tickets are $26 ($22 for members) for general screenings; $32 ($26 for members) for Special Presentations; $18 for weekday matinees before 5 p.m., late-night films and short film programs; $60 ($50 for members) for Opening Night; $35 ($30) for the Centerpiece; and $42 ($35) for Closing Night. Students and seniors with valid ID pay $22 for general screenings, in person at the box office only. During the festival (Oct. 14–25), the box office opens one hour before the first screening and is cashless. Phone support: 312.332.3456. All ticket sales are final, with no refunds or exchanges, and you must be seated 15 minutes before showtime.
Full film list, calendar, venues, accessibility notes, and attending-artist updates live on the official festival hub: chicagofilmfestival.com/festival.
Free Events
You don’t need to purchase a paid screening ticket to get involved with the Chicago International Film Festival. The 2026 festival will feature a number of free events and screenings, including Community Cinema programs at the National Museum of Mexican Art and Kennedy-King College, along with additional free festival programming.
New for 2026 is the Physical Media Fair, bringing together collectors, vendors and film fans for a celebration of Blu-rays, DVDs, VHS and other physical media. The free programs are a good way to sample the festival without having to buy tickets for a full day of screenings.
Space and reservation requirements differ by event so check the festival’s official free-events schedule before attending.
Tips for Attending
Get there early. Get there about 30 minutes before your screening. Ticket holders will be seated 15 minutes prior to showtime and unclaimed tickets will be released to the standby line.
Allow plenty of time between venues. The festival is held in theaters across Chicago. If you are seeing more than one film in a day, it is easiest to schedule them at the same venue. Otherwise give yourself a good travel buffer.
If a screening sells out, don’t despair. Standby works because not everyone with a ticket arrives. Popular shows can have long standby lines – it’s best to arrive early rather than hope to get a seat at the last minute. It’s also worth checking online from time to time as tickets can become available again.
Prioritize films you might not get another chance to see. Big releases often hit cinemas or streaming not long after the festival. International films, documentaries, and smaller independent movies can be much more difficult to find down the line—and they can be some of the most memorable discoveries of the festival.
Enjoy filmmaker Q&As. Stay after the credits if a director, actor or other filmmaker is scheduled to attend. One of the things that makes a film festival different from a regular trip to the movies is the post-screening discussion.
Don’t pack your day too tight. Multiple movies can be fun but leave time to eat, travel and take a break. A couple or three well spaced screenings usually make for a better festival day than running from one theater to the next.
Between festival days, browse our picks of the best movies set in Chicago, or see our October theater guide for what’s on stage in October 2026.