The Most Exciting Movies Playing at the 2026 Chicago International Film Festival
The 2026 Chicago International Film Festival kicks off this week! This was the first festival that I attended back in 2008, and I have attended it every year since. It is a great film festival that does not receive the same level of love and attention as some higher-profile festivals, but it deserves to be mentioned as one of the best in North America. It highlights several unique movies from around the world and showcases some of today’s best filmmakers.
This year’s festival includes 113 feature films and 57 shorts from around the world. Like previous years, the festival features some of the biggest and buzziest films of 2026 from directors such as James Gray, Brad Bird, Ryūsuke Hamaguchi, Siân Heder, Jesse Eisenberg, Danny Boyle, and Mike Leigh, among many others. Here are my picks for ten of the most exciting movies playing at the 2026 Chicago International Film Festival.
You can find the full schedule of everything playing at the 2026 Chicago International Film Festival here.
Film descriptions courtesy of the Chicago International Film Festival.
All of a Sudden
What It’s About: Marie-Lou, the director of an elder care facility, is on the verge of burnout when a chance encounter sparks a deep, transcendent friendship.
Why I’m Excited: Said to be another Ryūsuke Hamaguchi gem, All of Sudden won the Best Actress prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for its two leads, Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto.
The Debut
What It’s About: When an unassuming housewife (Julianne Moore) is unexpectedly cast in a small community theater production, she loses herself in the role under the spell of a strong-willed director (Paul Giamatti).
Why I’m Excited: Jesse Eisenberg’s theater dramedy has gotten nothing but raves throughout its film festival run, particularly for Julianne Moore, who has become the frontrunner to win her second Oscar.
Minotaur
What It’s About: A Russian businessman’s comfortable life is thrown into chaos when he begins to suspect his wife of infidelity in this dark, sardonic moral fable.
Why I’m Excited: Andrey Zvyagintsev’s thriller was one of the best-reviewed films out of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize.
Mouse
What It’s About: The latest gem from the talented Chicago filmmaking duo (Ghostlight) follows teenager Minnie, who forms a complicated relationship with her best friend’s mother.
Why I’m Excited: Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson are two of my favorite indie directors working today. Their last film, Ghostlight, was one of my favorite movies of 2024, and I cannot wait to see what they do next.
Paper Tiger
What It’s About: Adam Driver and Miles Teller deliver standout performances as brothers who get entangled with the Russian mafia in James Gray’s intense family drama.
Why I’m Excited: Adam Driver, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson star in James Gray’s first crime thriller in nearly 20 years. This is my most anticipated movie of the festival.
Ray Gunn
What It’s About: From Oscar winner Brad Bird comes this noir-infused sci-fi epic about a private eye and a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star.
Why I’m Excited: Brad Bird’s animated noir has been a passion project for him since the late 80s and finds the Oscar-winning director returning to the big screen since 2018’s The Incredibles 2.
Tender Loving Care
What It’s About: Legendary British filmmaker Mike Leigh returns with a profoundly moving story—filled with humor, hardship, and compassion—about how we look after each other.
Why I’m Excited: Rumored to be the final film of Leigh’s career, early word is Tender Loving Care is a perfect send-off for one of the best to ever do it.
Wild Horse Nine
What It’s About: Ahead of the 1973 Chilean coup, two CIA agents (John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell) travel to Easter Island, where their dark pasts threaten to reveal their current conspiracies.
Why I’m Excited: Martin McDonagh’s follow-up to The Banshees of Inisherin finds John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell giving two sensational performances in this tragicomedy about male friendship and coming to terms with death.
BONUS: Josephine, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York
I already had the pleasure of seeing these three films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and they are all excellent films. Josephine is a powerful family drama that boasts career-best performances from Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan. Once Upon a Time in Harlem is an astonishing documentary about an evening in 1972 with Harlem Renaissance luminaries, and The Only Living Pickpocket in New York is a slick crime drama with a sensational turn by John Turturro.
The 2026 Chicago International Film Festival takes place from October 14th through October 25th.
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