CHICAGO CRITICS FILM FESTIVAL Announces Full Program Lineup, Special Guests and Recipients of 2026 Emerging Critics Grant
Annual Festival opens with A24’s THE INVITE, with director and star Olivia Wilde attending; Joe Swanberg’s THE SUN NEVER SETS to close, featuring Swanberg and star Cory Michael Smith in person; centerpiece is WHEN A WITNESS RECANTS, filmmaker Dawn Porter to attend
(Chicago, IL) — The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA), the Chicago-area print, online and broadcast critics group that celebrates the art of film and film criticism, today announces the complete lineup, schedule and special guests expected for the twelfth annual Chicago Critics Film Festival, May 1-7 at the city’s historic Music Box Theatre.
The festival opens with a screening of THE INVITE, with director and star Olivia Wilde scheduled to attend. The week-long event closes with Joe Swanberg’s THE SUN NEVER SETS, with Swanberg and star Cory Michael Smith (Mountainhead; Sentimental Value) scheduled to attend. Additional selected films for the 2026 festival include Chicago premieres of the most anticipated films of the year, such as John Carney’s POWER BALLAD (starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas); John Early’s MADDIE’S SECRET; Adrian Chiarella’s LEVITICUS; Sara Dosa’s TIME AND WATER; and Edd Benda and Stephen Helstad’s CHILI FINGER, with the filmmakers scheduled to attend.
More information on the complete schedule and anticipated special guests is below and online; festival passes and individual tickets are also available online here.
In addition to the more than 20 acclaimed new feature films and two short film programs making their Chicago premieres, the festival will present several anniversary screenings, including 40th anniversary screenings of David Cronenberg’s classic THE FLY and Jonathan Demme’s SOMETHING WILD as well as a 25th anniversary screening of Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, all presented on 35mm.
Filmmakers and special guests also expected to attend and participate in post-film Q&As include filmmaker Dawn Porter (Good Trouble; Luther: Never Too Much) with her latest documentary, WHEN A WITNESS RECANTS, and LOAFERS writer/director/star Zach Schnitzer and producer Nate Simon; plus a selection of filmmakers from both Shorts Programs included in the festival schedule. Additional special guests are expected to be announced in the lead-up to the festival (full shorts program descriptions online here).
As official sponsor of the festival’s Audience Award, Rotten Tomatoes joins the CFCA in presenting the CFCA / Rotten Tomatoes Emerging Critics Grant, this year awarded to Zo Arroyo and Savannah Ray Hugueley. Both will receive a $2,500 grant, an all-access pass to the Chicago Critics Film Festival, mentorship opportunities with Chicago Film Critics Association members and the opportunity to pitch story ideas to Rotten Tomatoes editorial staff. Learn more about this year’s selected honorees here. The selection committee also recognized Ashley Hatzenbihler and Felipe Rocha with special recognition for their potential and promise as film journalists.
Annually, the Chicago Critics Film Festival features a selection of acclaimed films chosen by members of the organization. The selections are a combination of recent festival favorites and as-yet-undistributed works from a variety of filmmakers, from established Oscar winners to talented newcomers. In recent years, the festival has provided Chicagoans their first opportunity to see acclaimed films like Eva Victor’s Film Independent Spirit Award winner Sorry, Baby, Jay Duplass’ The Baltimorons; Angus MacLachlan’s A Little Prayer; Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow, Greg Kwedar’s Sing Sing, Celine Song’s Best Picture Oscar® nominee Past Lives, Sean Baker’s Red Rocket, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter and The Power of the Dog, for which Jane Campion won the Oscar for Best Director.
With every indication that this year’s program will be just as promising, the best way to ensure access to every aspect of the week-long event is to secure a festival pass, just $200 and available online here. Follow the CFCA and the festival on Twitter/X at @chicagocritics, on Facebook and Instagram.
The complete lineup for the Chicago Critics Film Festival is below, including screening dates/times and special guests expected to attend. Explore the entire schedule and lineup and secure tickets/passes in advance at www.chicagocriticsfilmfestival.com.
