Philadelphia Film Festival Returns for 34th Edition Featuring 130+ Films Including World Premieres & Special Events

The Philadelphia Film Society (PFS) has announced the complete lineup for the 34th Philadelphia Film Festival (PFF), set to take place from October 16 through October 26, 2025. This year’s festival will feature world premieres, special events, and the reopening of the newly renovated Philadelphia Film Center — reimagined as a state-of-the-art hub for film lovers.

The festival will open on Thursday, October 16 with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, directed by Rian Johnson and starring Daniel Craig alongside an ensemble cast. The festival will close on Sunday, October 26 with Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, a family drama featuring Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård.

Among this year’s highlights are the world premieres of Dead Giveaway and What the Hell Happened, as well as special screenings of HBO’s Task finale and Amazon Prime’s upcoming docuseries Allen Iv3rson.

The festival also marks the reopening of the Philadelphia Film Center following a major renovation led by Stanev Potts Architects. Upgrades include a new main entrance and box office, expanded lobby space, upgraded concessions, and improved accessibility features. These improvements, part of the $4 million Moving Film Forward Capital Campaign, further establish the venue as the beating heart of the city’s film culture.

“This year’s festival is not only about showcasing incredible films but also about celebrating the future of cinema in a space that is more welcoming and dynamic than ever before,” said J. Andrew Greenblatt, CEO & Executive Director of PFS.

The festival’s Centerpiece films include Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler, Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On?, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia. Other categories span Masters of Cinema, World View, Spotlights, Filmadelphia, After Hours, and From the Vaults, offering a diverse range of stories from visionary filmmakers across the globe.

The Filmadelphia program continues to spotlight regional filmmaking talent, with premieres of Dead Giveaway and What the Hell Happened? Meanwhile, the World View section features international works such as Sirât, set in Morocco and Spain, and Urchin, a UK drama by Harris Dickinson.

Tickets and Venues

Screenings will take place across all three PFS venues:

• Philadelphia Film Center – 1412 Chestnut Street

• Film Society Bourse – 400 Ranstead Street

• Film Society East – 125 S 2nd Street

Tickets go on sale to PFS members on October 3 and to the general public on October 6, available via Filmadelphia.org or at venue box offices.

34TH PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL FULL LINE-UP

Opening Night Film

● Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Director Rian Johnson. 2025, USA
Closing Night Film

● Sentimental Value, Director Joachim Trier. 2025 Norway, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, UK

Centerpieces
● Bugonia, Director Yorgos Lanthimos. 2025 UK
● Eternity, Director David Freyne. 2025 USA
● Frankenstein, Director Guillermo del Toro. 2025 USA
● Hamnet, Director Chloé Zhao. 2025 UK
● Is This Thing On?, Director Bradley Cooper. 2025 USA
● It Was Just An Accident, Director Jafar Panahi. 2025 Iran,

France, Luxembourg
● Jay Kelly, Director Noah Baumbach. 2025 USA
● Rental Family, Director Hikari. 2025 USA, Japan

● The Testament of Ann Lee, Director Mona Fastvold. 2025 USA,

UK
Masters of Cinema
● Blue Moon, Director Richard Linklater. 2025 USA
● Cover-Up, Director Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus. 2025 USA
● Dead Man’s Wire, Director Gus Van Sant. 2025 USA
● Dreams, Director Michel Franco. 2025 USA, Mexico
● La Grazia, Director Paolo Sorrentino. 2025 Italy
● La Ola (The Wave), Director Sebastián Lelio. 2025 Chile
● Nuestra Tierra, Director Lucrecia Martel. 2025 Argentina
● Magellan, Director Lav Diaz. 2025 Portugal, Spain, France,

Philippines, Taiwan
● The Mastermind, Director Kelly Reichardt. 2025 USA
● Maya, Give Me a Title, Director Michel Gondry. 2024 France
● Miroirs No. 3, Director Christian Petzodl. 2025 Germany
● No Other Choice, Director Park Chan-wook. 2025 South Korea
● Nouvelle Vague, Director Richard Linklater. 2025 France, USA
● Peter Hujar’s Day, Director Ira Sachs. 2025 USA, Germany
● Resurrection, Director Bi Gan. 2025 China, France
● The Secret Agent, Director Kleber Mendonça Filho. 2025 Brazil, France, Netherlands, Germany
● Sham, Director Takashi Miike. 2025 Japan
● Young Mothers, Director Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne.

2025 Belgium, France
World View
● Christy (Ireland), Director Brendan Canty. 2025 Ireland, UK
● Growing Down, Director Bálint Dániel Sós. 2025 Hungary
● Happy Birthday, Director Sarah Goher. 2025 Egypt
● Left-Handed Girl, Director Shih-Ching Tsou. 2025 Taiwan
● Lesbian Space Princess, Director Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela

Varghese. 2025 Australia
● LifeHack, Director Ronan Corrigan. 2025 UK
● The Love That Remains, Director Hlynur Pálmason. 2025 Iceland,Denmark, Sweden, France
● Memory of Princess Mumbi, Director Damien Hauser. 2025
Switzerland, Kenya, Saudi Arabia
● My Father’s Shadow, Director Akinola Davies Jr. 2025 UK, Nigeria
● Pinch, Director Uttera Singh. 2025 India

● A Poet, Director Simón Mesa Soto. 2025 Colombia
● The President’s Cake, Director Hasan Hadi. 2025 Iraq, USA, Qatar
● Promised Sky, Director Erige Sehiri. 2025 Tunisia, France, Qatar
● Sirât, Director Oliver Laxe. 2025 France, Spain
● Songs of Forgotten Trees, Director Anuparna Roy. 2025 India
● Urchin, Director Harris Dickinson. 2025 UK Focus on Germany
● The Good Sister, Director Sarah Miro Fischer. 2025 Germany, Spain
● Hysteria, Director Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay. 2025 Germany
● Silent Friend, Director Ildiko Enyedi. 2025 Germany, Hungary,

France
● Sound of Falling, Director Mascha Schilinski. 2025 Germany
● What Marielle Knows, Director Frédéric Hambalek. 2025 Germany

Cinema de France
● Arco, Director Ugo Bienvenu. 2025 France
● Kika, Director Alex Poukine. 2025 Belgium, France
● Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, Director Maïlys Vallade,
Liane-Cho Han. 2025 France
● The Little Sister, Director Hafsia Herzi. 2025 France, Germany
● Wild Foxes, Director Valéry Carnoy. 2025 Belgium
Made in USA
● Blue Film, Director Elliot Tuttle. 2025 USA
● It Ends, Director Alexander Ullom. 2025 USA
● The Plague, Director Charlie Polinger. 2025 Romania, USA
● Redux Redux, Director Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus. 2025

USA

● Train Dreams, Director Clint Bentley. 2025 USA

Non/Fiction
● André is an Idiot, Director Tony Benna. 2025 USA
● Dating Game, The, Director Violet Du Feng. 2025 USA, UK,

Norway
● Ghost Boy, Director Rodney Ascher. 2025 USA

● The Python Hunt, The, Director Xander Robin. 2025 USA
● Tale of Silyan, The, Director Jessica Earnshaw. 2025 USA
Sight & Soundtrack
● Brother Verses Brother, Director Ari Gold. 2025 USA
● Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt the Truth, Director Tom J Stern. 2025 USA
● The Choral, Director Nicholas Hytner. 2025 UK
● The Making of Curtis Mayfield , Director H.E.R. 2025 USA
● Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, Director Matt Johnson.

2025 Canada

Filmadelphia
● Alice-Heart, Director Mike Macera. 2025 USA
● Dead Giveaway, Director Ian Kimble. 2025 USA
● Enongo, Director Kevin Schreck. 2025 USA, Canada
● Keep Quiet and Forgive, Director Sarah McClure. 2025 USA
● What the Hell Happened?, Director Matt Wilkins, Eliza Fox. 2025
USA, Panama, Peru, Argentina, Spain

After Hours
● Barrio Triste, Director STILLZ. 2025 Colombia, USA
● Honey Bunch, Director Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli.
2025 Canada
● Man Finds Tape, Director Peter Hall, Paul Gandersman. 2025 USA
● Primate, Director Johannes Roberts. 2025 USA
● Reflection in a Dead Diamond, Director Hélène Cattet, Bruno
Forzani. 2025 Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, France
● Sisu: Road to Revenge, Director Jalmari Helander. 2025 Finland,

USA
Community Screenings
● Bunnylovr, Director Katarina Zhu. 2025 USA
● Calle Málaga, Director Maryam Touzani. 2025 Morocco, France,
Spain, Germany, Belgium
● How to Build a Library, Director Christopher King, Maia Lekow.

2025 Kenya

● A Simple Soldier, Director Artem Ryzhykov, Juan Camilo Cruz.
2025 Ukraine, USA, UK
● Woman and Child, Director Saeed Roustaee. 2025 Iran
State of the Union
● Baby Doe, Director Jessica Earnshaw. 2025 USA
● Case 137, Director Dominik Moll. 2025 France
● Natchez, Director Suzannah Herbert. 2025 USA
● Never Get Busted!, Director David Anthony Ngo, Stephen
Mccallum. 2025 Australia
● The Voice of Hind Rajab, Director Kaouther ben Hania. 2025

Tunisia, France
Shorts
● /HAAW/, Director Joey Scoma. 2025 USA
● Aisles, Director Tessa Slovis. 2025 USA
● All Things Corrode, Director Sidney Kreitzer. 2024 USA
● As if Swallowed by Earth, Director Natalia León. 2024 France
● Beguiling, The, Director Ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby. 2024 USA
● The Care Team, Director Danielle Harris. 2025 USA
● Chasing the Party, Director Jessie Komitor. 2025 USA
● Eating of an Orange, The, Director May Kindred-Boothby. 2025

UK
● Garden Sees Fire, The, Director Kiera Faber. 2024 USA
● Georgie, Director Jennie Butler. 2024 USA
● The Goldfish Club, Director Max Henderson. 2024 UK
● Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites, Director Chheangkea. 2025
Cambodia, France, USA
● Hide, Director Brenden Hubbard. 2025 USA
● Holy Heaviness, Director Farnoosh Abedi, Negah Khezre
Fardyarda. 2025 Iran
● Hurikán, Director Jan Saska. 2024 Czech Republic, France,
Slovakia, Bosnia, Herzegovina
● Jesus 2, Director Jesse Moynihan. 2024 USA
● Munchies, Director Brittany Alexia Young. 2025 USA
● My Wonderful Life, Director Calleen Koh. 2024 Singapore
● Nervous Energy, Director Eve Liu. 2025 USA
● Retirement Plan, Director John Kelly. 2024 Ireland
● Shanti Rides Shotgun, Director Charles Frank. 2024 USA

● The Traveler & the Troll, Director Adam Murray. 2025 USA
● They Put Us in the Woods, Director Cristin Stephens. 2025 USA
● TV or the Disturbance on Forest Hill Lane, Director Frederic Siegel.

2025 Switzerland
● Vultures, Director Dian Weys. 2025 France, South Africa
● WassupKaylee, Director Pepi Ginsberg. 2025 France, USA
● Way Back Home, Director Chad B. Hamilton. 2024 USA
● Whitch, Director Hoku Uchiyama. 2025 France
● Winter in March, Director Natalia Mirzoyan. 2025 Estonia,
Armenia, France

Special Events
● Allen Iv3rson, Director One9. 2025 USA
● Demon Lover Diary, Director Joel DeMott. 1980 USA
● Rosemead, Director Eric Lin. 2025 USA
● Task, “A Still Small Voice” (Season 1 Finale) Director Jeremiah

Zagar. 2025 USA
Spotlights
● Christy (US), Director David Michôd. 2025 USA
● Fantasy Life, Director Matthew Shear. 2025 USA
● H is for Hawk, Director Philippa Lowthorpe. 2025 UK
● Heads or Tails?, Director Alessio Rigo de Righi, Matteo Zoppis. 2025 Italy, USA
● Hedda, Director Nia DaCosta. 2025 USA
● If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Director Mary Bronstein. 2025 USA
● Nuremberg, Director James Vanderbilt. 2025 USA
● Rebuilding, Director Max Walker-Silverman. 2025 USA

From the Vaults
● Hard Boiled, Director John Woo. 1992 Hong Kong
● Mulholland Drive, Director David Lynch. 2001 USA
● Peking Opera Blues, Director Tsui Hark. 1986 Hong Kong
● The Lovers on the Bridge, Director Leos Carax. 1991 France
● Three Days of the Condor, Director Sydney Pollack. 1975 USA