Philadelphia Film Festival 2026 lineup: Eisenberg, DuVernay, Gray films lead 35th edition

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Film Festival is celebrating 35 years of cinema with an expansive 11-day lineup featuring new films from Jesse Eisenberg, Ava DuVernay, James Gray and more, along with major premieres, filmmaker appearances, special events and a few new ways for movie lovers to join the celebration.

The Philadelphia Film Society announced the full lineup Wednesday for the 35th Philadelphia Film Festival, running Oct. 15 through Oct. 25 at venues across Center City and Old City.

This year’s festival will open with Noah Segan’s "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York," starring John Turturro, before closing 11 days later with Jesse Eisenberg’s "The Debut," starring Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti and Halle Bailey.

Among the newly announced additions are James Gray’s "Paper Tiger," Ava DuVernay’s "14th," Jordan Firstman’s "Club Kid" and Brad Bird’s animated "Ray Gunn."

The festival will also welcome filmmaker Tony Gilroy for a special presentation of his new film "Behemoth!," while Eisenberg will take part in another major festival event on Closing Night.

Where will the Philadelphia Film Festival take place?

Festival screenings will be held across three Philadelphia Film Society venues:

Film Society Center
1412 Chestnut Street

Film Society Bourse
400 Ranstead Street

Film Society East
125 S. 2nd Street

The 35th Philadelphia Film Festival runs Oct. 15 through Oct. 25.

Badges, individual screening tickets, Opening and Closing Night party tickets, screening times and additional festival information are available through the Philadelphia Film Society.

Jesse Eisenberg joins Terry Gross for first-ever ‘Fresh Air Live’

For the first time, the Philadelphia Film Festival is partnering with WHYY’s "Fresh Air" for an in-person event featuring host Terry Gross and writer, director and actor Jesse Eisenberg.

"Fresh Air Live with Terry Gross and Jesse Eisenberg" will take place Sunday, Oct. 25, the same day Eisenberg’s "The Debut" closes the festival.

Produced in Philadelphia by WHYY, "Fresh Air with Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley" reaches millions of listeners around the world each week.

Tickets will be required for the live conversation.

Opening Night: ‘The Only Living Pickpocket in New York’

The festival kicks off Thursday, Oct. 15 with writer-director Noah Segan’s "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York."

John Turturro stars as Harry, an old-school New York pickpocket trying to survive in a world where cash and jewelry have increasingly been replaced by credit cards and cellphones. His routine changes after he steals a mysterious flash drive and handgun from the wrong person, setting off a chain of events that forces him to confront his place in a changing city.

The film also stars Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price and Tatiana Maslany, with Steve Buscemi among its supporting cast.

Segan is expected to attend the festival’s Opening Night presentation.

Following the movie, festivalgoers can head to the official Opening Night Party at F1 Arcade, 1333 Chestnut Street, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Presented by Cherry Hill Imports, the party will include food, drinks, music from DJ Dommis, live art from Lawren Alice, a Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey tasting, special guest Letterboxd and more.

And for the first time this year, individual tickets are being made available for both the Opening and Closing Night parties, giving people a chance to attend the celebrations without purchasing a larger festival package.

Closing Night: Jesse Eisenberg’s ‘The Debut’

The festival wraps Sunday, Oct. 25 with "The Debut," the latest film written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg.

Julianne Moore stars as Mona Friedman, a woman who unexpectedly decides to audition for a local musical despite having no previous stage experience.

After initially being rejected, Mona is brought back and cast in the production by legendary theater director Jerry, played by Paul Giamatti, who sees something in the inexperienced performer and pushes her to explore it. What follows is a strange, funny and heartfelt transformation as Mona goes from a self-conscious newcomer to an increasingly committed method actor.

The film marks a stylistic shift for Eisenberg following his 2024 film "A Real Pain." Eisenberg also wrote the original songs featured in the fictional musical.

The cast includes Moore, Giamatti, Halle Bailey and Eisenberg.

The festival will officially say goodbye afterward with its Closing Night Party at Stratus Lounge, 433 Chestnut Street, from 9:30 p.m. to midnight.

Presented by iHeart Radio, the 21-and-over celebration will feature complimentary drinks and bites, music by DJ Queen Kev and appearances from festival guests and award winners.

Tony Gilroy coming to Philadelphia for ‘Behemoth!’

Another major filmmaker is headed to Philadelphia during this year’s festival.

Writer, director and producer Tony Gilroy will attend a presentation of "Behemoth!," one of the festival’s Centerpiece selections.

Gilroy is expected to participate in the special presentation, giving local audiences an opportunity to see his latest project and hear from the filmmaker in person.

"Behemoth!" joins a Centerpieces slate that also includes Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s "All of a Sudden," Simon Stone’s "Elsinore," Cristian Mungiu’s "Fjord," Beth de Araújo’s "Josephine," Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s "La Bola Negra," Martin McDonagh’s "Wild Horse Nine," James Gray’s "Paper Tiger" and Jordan Firstman’s "Club Kid."

"Paper Tiger" will also screen on 35mm film.

Philly stories take center stage

The Filmadelphia program once again puts locally connected stories and filmmakers in the spotlight.

Four previously announced films will make their world premieres at the festival: Hoag Kepner’s "Big Phan," Doree Simon Hatfield’s "Gentle by Birth," Andrew Sullivan’s "I Don’t Want to Drink Your Blood Anymore" and Max Korman’s "Joy Will Prevail."

The section also includes "The Haunting of Pennhurst," directed by Nathan Stenberg, Mike Attie and Katarina Poljak, along with Jay Silverman’s "Yale," which will have its East Coast premiere.

The Filmadelphia Shorts Program includes another world premiere with Justin Crowell’s "Philly Pretzels," along with the North American premiere of Vadim Egoul’s "Casualty."

Other shorts in the program include "Deuce Purgatory," "Fletcher Street," "The Second Life of Freddie Nole," "Six Sixty Six" and "The Wonka of Worcester."

International and U.S. premieres

Several films will make major regional and international debuts in Philadelphia this year.

The festival will host the North American premieres of Julien Gaspar-Oliveri’s "The Blow" and Warwick Thornton’s "Wolfram," as well as the U.S. premiere of Michaël R. Roskam’s "Le Faux Soir."

East Coast premieres include Félix de Givry’s "Goodbye Cruel World," Jay Silverman’s "Yale," Neto Villalobos Brenes’ "Love is the Monster," Ken Kwapis’ "We Are the Shaggs," Katharina Rivilis’ "I’ll Be Gone in June" and Rafiki Fariala’s "Congo Boy."

Ava DuVernay joins State of the Union slate

Ava DuVernay’s "14th" joins the festival’s State of the Union program, which examines contemporary issues and stories across the United States and beyond.

The section also features Patrick X. Bresnan’s "First They Came for My College," Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s "Naza," Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman’s "Nuisance Bear," Sharon Liese’s "Seized" and Dawn Porter’s "When a Witness Recants."

New 70mm projection makes its festival debut

The Philadelphia Film Society is also using the 35th anniversary to debut a new 70mm projection system.

Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 classic "2001: A Space Odyssey" and Steven Spielberg’s 1977 "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" will both screen in 70mm as part of the festival’s From the Vaults program.

The new system was made possible through support from the Wyncote Foundation at the recommendation of Leonard C. Haas.

Other repertory selections include a 4K presentation of Masaki Kobayashi’s "Kwaidan," a 4K presentation of Zhang Yimou’s "Raise the Red Lantern," Julia Loktev’s "My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow" and annual cult favorite "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

Masters of Cinema

The Masters of Cinema section brings together new work from several of international cinema’s most recognizable filmmakers.

The lineup includes:

• "Bitter Christmas," directed by Pedro Almodóvar
• "The Diary of a Chambermaid," directed by Radu Jude
• "Fatherland," directed by Paweł Pawlikowski
• "Ink," directed by Danny Boyle
• "A Long Winter," directed by Andrew Haigh
• "Look Back," directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
• "Minotaur," directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev
• "My Undesirable Friends: Part II – Exile," directed by Julia Loktev
• "Once Upon a Time in Harlem," directed by David Greaves and conceived by William Greaves
• "Possible Love," directed by Lee Chang-dong
• "Tender Loving Care," directed by Mike Leigh

World View

The festival’s international World View slate includes "Adult Supervision," "Ah Girl," "The Assassin(s)," "Ben’imana," "The Burning Giants," "Clarissa," "Coward," "The Dreamed Adventure," "Everytime," "Extra Geography," "Ground Floor," "I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning," "I’ll Be Gone in June," "Labrador — Autopsy of Silence," "Love is the Monster," "The Meltdown," "Salvation," "We Are All Strangers," "Wolfram" and "Yellow Letters."

Made in USA

American independent filmmaking is showcased through the Made in USA program.

Selections include "Bedford Park," directed by Stephanie Ahn; "Being Heumann," directed by Siân Heder; "Brian," directed by Will Ropp; "Mouse," directed by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson; "Test," directed by Sam McConnell; and "Ugly Cry," directed by Emily Robinson.

Cinema de France

French and Francophone cinema is represented through "The Blow," "Goodbye Cruel World," "La Gradiva," "Le Faux Soir" and "Too Many Beasts."

Documentaries

The Non/Fiction section includes a wide-ranging slate of documentaries.

Among them is Nanette Burstein’s "Carl Sagan: We Are Made of Star Stuff," alongside Luke Lorentzen’s "Boatbuilders," Mohammed Ali Naqvi’s "Hanging by a Wire," Quinn Whitney Wilson and Viridiana Lieberman’s "Jean-Michel Basquiat," Eleanor Coppola’s "Making Marie Antoinette," Juan Cabral and Santiago Franco’s "The Match," Pegah Ahangarani’s "Rehearsals For a Revolution," Allison Berg’s "Time Warp" and Jason Osder and William Lafi Youmans’ "Who Killed Alex Odeh?"

Music and movies collide

The Sight & Soundtrack section includes "Congo Boy," "Downbeat," "The Last Critic," the North American premiere of "Rider" and the East Coast premiere of "We Are the Shaggs."

Late-night movies return with After Hours

Moviegoers looking for horror, thrillers and genre films can turn to the festival’s After Hours program.

The lineup features "5 More Minutes," "Arrested Memory," "The Cycle," "Half," "Never After Dark," "Sick" and "Victorian Psycho."

Animation on the big screen

Brad Bird’s "Ray Gunn" headlines the festival’s This Animated Life section.

It is joined by "In Waves," "Iron Boy," "Tangles," "Vertiginous," "Viva Carmen" and "We Are Aliens."

The festival will also present a separate Animated Shorts Program featuring "Because Today is Saturday," "Busy Bodies," "Cartoon Physics," "The End," "Ivar," "Living with a Visionary," "Marble & Lemons" and "Terminal."

Spotlight selections

The Spotlights program includes "Bunker," directed by Florian Zeller; "Chili Finger," from Edd Benda and Stephen Helstad; Tim Blake Nelson’s "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd"; Lance Hammer’s "Queen at Sea"; Anton Corbijn’s "A Talent for Murder"; and Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson’s "Wicker."

Community Screenings

The Community Screenings slate includes "Elephants in the Fog," "Flies," "Kikuyu Land," "The Oldest Person in the World" and "Sentient."

Special events

Karina Longworth, host of the film-history podcast "You Must Remember This," will host a special 35mm presentation of Douglas Sirk’s 1956 film "Written on the Wind."

The Special Events section also includes Bassam Tariq’s "Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother."

Shorts programs

In addition to its Filmadelphia and animated shorts, the festival will feature separate documentary and narrative shorts programs.

The Documentary Shorts Program includes "Eructation," "Escalation," "Going Sane: The Rise and Fall of the Center for Feeling Therapy," "Jimmy’s Custom Coffin," "Luigi" and "Still Standing."

The Narrative Shorts Program includes "A Crime Across Four Landscapes," "Crisis Actor," "The Dream is a Snail," "Gamberra," U.S. premieres "Nobody Said Anything" and "Spiritus Sanctus," and "We Were Here."

What you can do:

Tickets for member presale are available starting Wednesday, October 7, at 2:00 p.m.; general admission tickets open Friday, October 9, at 10:00 a.m. The Opening Night Party occurs at F1 Arcade at 9:00 p.m. on October 15, with live music, art and food, while the Closing Night Party at Stratus Lounge on October 25 celebrates the festival’s conclusion and is presented by iHeart Radio.

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