34th Philadelphia Film Festival to Open with ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’

The 34th Philadelphia Film Festival spanning October 16 through 26, 2025, unveiled its lineup, opening with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

Directed by Rian Johnson, the newest installment of the “Knives Out” franchise stars Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church.

The Closing Night film, Sentimental Value, a complex family drama stars Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Stallan Skarsgård.

Eight titles are selected as this year’s Centerpieces, including Bugonia starring Emma Stone; Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein; Hamnet, Academy Award Winner Chloé Zhao’s stirring drama inspired by William Shakespeare and his wife’s heart-wrenching struggle as they cope with the loss of their son; Is This Thing on?, directed by Bradley Cooper; Eternity stars Elizabeth Olsen as a woman forced to make an impossible choice between her lifelong partner (Miles Teller) and a lost love (Callum Turner); Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident; Jay Kelly, from Academy Award nominee Noah Baumbach starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler; and Rental Family, where Brendan Fraser portrays an American actor searching for meaning in Japan.

“This year’s lineup is a perfect reflection of what makes the Philadelphia Film Festival such a singular experience: a bold mix of highly anticipated premieres, daring international discoveries, and innovative works from some of the world’s most exciting filmmakers,” said Michael Lerman, Artistic Director & Senior Director of Programming for the Philadelphia Film Society. “I really feel like this year is something truly special. As we’ve watched our audiences grow and their tastes change, we’ve pushed the boundaries of what kinds of films we’re allowing ourselves to show and now it truly is a survey of the best of the year”.

In the World View category, highlights include Sirât, a gripping tale of a father and son’s search for a missing daughter across southern Morocco and the UK-based drama Urchin, directed by Harris Dickinson, following a young man’s journey toward redemption as he struggles with addiction.

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
The Dating Game, Director Violet Du Feng. 2025 USA, UK, Norway
Ghost Boy, Director Rodney Ascher. 2025 USA
The Python Hunt, Director Xander Robin. 2025 USA
The Tale of Silyan, Director Jessica Earnshaw. 2025 USA

Sight & Soundtrack

Brother Verses Brother, Director Ari Gold. 2025 USA
Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt, 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
Arguments in Favor of Love, Director Gabriel Abrantes, 2025 Portugal
As if Swallowed by Earth, Director Natalia León. 2024 France
The Beguiling, Director Ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby. 2024 USA
The Care Team, Director Danielle Harris. 2025 USA
Chasing the Party, Director Jessie Komitor. 2025 USA
The Eating of an Orange, Director May Kindred-Boothby. 2025 UK
The Garden Sees Fire, 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
Kuchar (The Itch), Director Vaidaangi Sharma, 2025 India
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