2025 Chicago Critics Film Festival Preview

Please enjoy my rendering of what the Music Box marquee will look like in a few weeks

It's almost time for one of my favorite weeks of the year, the seven days in May that make up the Chicago Critics Film Festival. With the lineup announced recently, I thought I'd share a brief preview of this year's festival and some tips and tricks I've learned from my previous CCFF experiences.

What is the Chicago Critics Film Festival?

The Chicago Critics Film Festival (CCFF) is a weeklong film festival organized by the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA). To my knowledge, it is the only film festival out there programmed by a critics' group. The festival typically focuses on new releases emerging out of the indie and arthouse scenes worldwide, and most films are either buzzy titles or under-the-radar gems from recent high profile film festivals like Sundance, South by Southwest, Slamdance, and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). In addition to new movies, CCFF typically programs 2-3 older titles, usually aligning with some sort of anniversary year (25th, 30th, 40th, etc.). There's also frequently an emphasis on special guests and Q&A sessions with directors, actors, and crew.

I've attended the previous two CCFFs and have my festival pass ready to go for this year. I think it's a great festival that offers some unique advantages compared to other festivals out there. For one, the festival is hand-picked by critics, so the percentage of "good" films you're likely to see is pretty high, assuming your tastes align with the typical CFCA member. The festival is also designed so it's possible for every attendee to attend every film - no films are double-booked, and everything takes place at the same location (the Music Box Theatre in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago). It's also an incredibly welcoming festival, the CFCA members and festival volunteers are very friendly and willing to engage in conversation. And it's a pretty good deal financially - even if you didn't get the early bird pass, attending a majority of the titles with the festival pass comes out to under $10 per screening.

Q&A with cast & crew of Ghostlight, the closing film of CCFF 2024

The 2025 CCFF Lineup

The 2025 CCFF lineup is presented below. All times in CST. For more details on each of the titles / programs, visit https://www.chicagocriticsfilmfestival.com/films.

Friday, May 2:

• The Baltimorons (dir. Jay Duplass) - 7:00 PM
• w/ special guests Jay Duplass, Michael Strassner, and Liz Larsen
• Lurker (dir. Alex Russell) - 9:45 PM
• Best Wishes to All (dir. Yûta Shimotsu) - 11:59 PM

Saturday, May 3:

• Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight (dir. Embeth Davidtz) - 11:30 AM
• Shorts Program 1 (Various Directors) - 1:45 PM
• w/ special guests Joe Hunting, Carlos Lerma, and Philip Thompson
• Brother Verses Brother (dir. Ari Gold) - 4:15 PM
• Twinless (dir. James Sweeney) - 6:30 PM
• Strange Days (1995, dir. Kathryn Bigelow) - 9:00 PM
• 30th anniversary screening in 35mm
• Mr. K (dir. Tallulah Hazekamp) - 11:59 PM

Sunday, May 4:

• The Great Dictator (1940, dir. Charles Chaplin) - 11:30 AM
• 85th anniversary screening in 35mm
• Shorts Program 2 (Various Directors) - 2:15 PM
•  w/ special guests Bri Klaproth, Jon Walkup, and Elizabeth Rao
• Friendship (dir. Andrew DeYoung) - 4:30 PM
• It Ends (dir. Alex Ullom) - 7:00 PM
• w/ special guest Alex Ullom
• 40 Acres (dir. R.T. Thorne) - 9:30 PM

Monday, May 5:

• Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted (dir. Isaac Gale, Ryan Olsen and David McMurry) - 4:30 PM
• Sorry, Baby (dir. Eva Victor) - 7:00 PM
• w/ special guest Eva Victor
• Sister Midnight (dir. Karan Kandhari) - 9:45 PM

Tuesday, May 6:

• April (dir. Dea Kulumbegashvili) - 4:30 PM
• Fantasy Life (dir. Matthew Shear) - 7:15 PM
•  w/ special guest Matthew Shear
• Obex (dir. Albert Birney) - 9:45 PM

Wednesday, May 7:

• Happyend (dir. Neo Sora) - 4:30 PM
• Familiar Touch (dir. Sarah Friedland) - 7:00 PM
• w/ special guest Kathleen Chalfant
• Zodiac Killer Project (dir. Charlie Shackleton) - 9:30 PM

Thursday, May 8:

• Desert Road (dir. Shannon Triplett) - 5:00 PM
• A Little Prayer (dir. Angus MacLachlan) - 7:15 PM
•  w/ special guests Angus MacLachlan, David Strathairn, and Jane Levy

A Brief Lineup Breakdown

I feel like I usually have a pretty good understanding of the hot indie films playing the festival circuit, but I'm excited that there's several titles in this lineup that I've never heard of before. It feels like the CFCA programming team went for some deeper cuts this year compared to the previous two years I've attended, and I'm eager to learn more about underdiscussed films like Fantasy Life, Familiar Touch, Sister Midnight, Desert Road, 40 Acres and Best Wishes to All that were not on my radar in the coming weeks.

That's not to say there aren't some buzzy entries. The big word-of-mouth Sundance hit Sorry, Baby is here, with director Eva Victor in attendance. Based on the great relationship CCFF has had with A24 in recent years (including securing screenings and Q&As for Past Lives and I Saw the TV Glow in the past couple of years), I'm not surprised to see another hot A24 title at the festival. The Paul Rudd vehicle Friendship is opening theatrically once the festival ends, so its presence here should play like a fun advanced screening that I suspect will draw a good crowd. There's two international titles - April and Happyend - that I've heard great things about that I'm also really looking forward to seeing.

The CFCA often tries to select a fun crowdpleaser for the opening night film, and by all accounts The Baltimorons is just that. Likewise, A Little Prayer is a title I've heard CFCA members praising for over two years now (since Sundance 2023!) so it will be great to finally see that close out the festival after a long wait. Both The Baltimorons and A Little Prayer have great Q&As scheduled as well that should mark excellent ways to both kick off and wrap up the festival.

And as excited as I am to check out all the new releases here, the highlight may very well be the two retro screenings. In my dream scenario I was pulling for a 40th anniversary screening of my beloved After Hours, but a 30th anniversary screening of Kathryn Bigelow's classic Strange Days is darn near just as good. I'm already salivating at the chance to see Angela Bassett kick ass and Juliette Lewis sing her heart out with a lively Music Box crowd. Then, a Sunday matinee of the Charlie Chaplin masterpiece The Great Dictator is about as good as it gets. It's a film I've always really liked but haven't seen in several years, and I've never seen it with a crowd or on the big screen before, so I can't wait for this opportunity.

I am a little surprised to see only two feature-length documentaries here - Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted and Zodiac Killer Project - but there's definitely a few in the shorts programs. And when it comes to titles that aren't here, there's definitely several that I thought had a shot (due to the festival's relationship with Matt Johnson I thought we might see Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, for example) but I'd rather not focus on what's not here and instead get excited about what is, in fact, going to play.

The crowd files in during last year's festival

Advice to CCFF Attendees

If by some chance you're reading this and are in the Chicago area and are considering attending, I'd definitely recommend trying to make it to a film or two if you can. While the festival pass remains the best "bang for your buck" if you want to dedicate yourself for the whole week, individual tickets are readily available if you just want to squeeze one or two titles into your busy schedule. All tickets are purchased through the Music Box Theatre's website. Some shows may sell out, so you might want to prioritize some of the more "high demand" titles if you're interested in those. I suspect Sorry, Baby will sell out, and some of the other films with special guest Q&Aa's will likely go quickly too.

The theater itself is pretty easy to navigate but can be a little confusing if you've never been there before (as was my case in 2023). The theater entrance is on Southport Ave right under the marquee. Just north of this entrance is a door to the lounge. For individual film ticket holders, the box office is at the theater entrance if you need to retrieve your ticket; otherwise, staff members will be scanning your ticket in the hallway after you enter. If you are a festival passholder, there is typically a table staffed by CFCA members (also selling merch) set up just to the right of the main hallway as you walk in. This is where you check in to receive your festival badge and will check in for every film that you see during the festival.

The "main hallway" of the Music Box. Door is behind you, concessions to the left, theater straight ahead, festival check-in table to your right

While there are two theaters in the Music Box, the CCFF films (assuming no changes from last year) are exclusively in Theatre 1 (the big theater). Seating is first come, first serve, however last year they allowed festival passholders to leave their belongings in the seat while the theater was cleaned between shows in order to essentially save your previous seat for the next film. There is always a risk associated with leaving your belongings unattended, however, so definitely don't leave any valuables if you choose that option. I don't think there's any truly bad seats in the theater, and I have frequently moved around from place to place between shows to test out different angles. The only major issue (especially if you're short like me) that may arise is if someone is directly in front of you during a film with subtitles, as the subtitles may be cut off by that person's head. Sometimes the place is too crowded and you'll just have to deal with it (Past Lives in 2023, for example) but if you have the opportunity to move somewhere with a clearer line of vision, I'd recommend it.

I'd advise getting to the theater about 10-15 minutes before showtime, to make sure you have enough time to get settled in and listen to the fantastic organ music from house organist Dennis Scott. This will also give you time for bathrooms and concessions. Bathrooms may get congested - the men's room is in pretty tight quarters and will back up during more crowded films, and I have to imagine the women's room is even worse. There are additional single-person bathrooms in the lounge if you walk past the bar area. The lounge itself is attached to the theater and is frequently open between shows for socialization and cocktails. They sometimes have themed drinks to match the film being screened (see below).

The cocktail for I Saw the TV Glow last year... I wonder what will be in store this year!

For transportation, the Music Box is within reasonable walking distance of both the Southport station on the Brown Line and the Addison station on the Red Line. I can usually make it to the theater in about 10 minutes from either spot, although I sometimes walk faster than the average person. Due to the theatre's proximity to Wrigley Field, I'd recommend checking the Cubs schedule to make sure you factor in enough time to deal with added Cubs game traffic. This year, the Cubs are away the weekend of May 2 but will have home night games on Monday, May 5 and Tuesday, May 6, and a home day game Wednesday, May 7. Hence, when going to any of the Monday or Tuesday screenings and potentially the 4:30 PM Wednesday screening, you may run into some big crowds and police directing traffic at some intersections. For parking, I'd defer to the Music Box website - I've never driven or parked near the theater, but allegedly there's some spots to the west not too far away.

There's no shortage of dining options near the Music Box. On the same block of Southport there's Steingold's Deli, Coalfire Pizza, 5411 Empanadas, and more. The entire stretch of Southport from Irving Park to Belmont has several restaurant options (as well as a Jewel grocery store). I have enjoyed trying out different places each day throughout the festival and am excited to try more this time too. The window between films is often too short to really have a full sit-down meal at these restaurants, so I'd recommend ordering to-go and eating outside somewhere if you're pressed for time.

If I think of some more helpful tidbits I may tack on this post as needed, otherwise stay tuned for a post-festival recap some time in May, and feel free to say hi if you're also attending the festival!