Chicago Festival Puts Hamaguchi, Kore-eda and Lee Chang-dong in Gold Hugo Race
New films from Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda and Lee Chang-dong will face off in Chicago this October, as the 62nd Chicago International Film Festival revealed its International Competition line-up, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hamaguchi's All of a Sudden, Kore-eda's Look Back and Lee's Possible Love will compete for the Gold Hugo. That prize is the festival's top award for an international feature. The race is tight. Thirteen films made the International Feature Competition cut.
The selection spans Europe and the Americas as well. It includes Radu Jude's The Diary of a Chambermaid and Clio Barnard's I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Andrea Pallaoro's The Echo Chamber will have its North American premiere in Chicago as part of the same strand. A North American premiere means Chicago is its first public screening in the United States and Canada.
Chicago has also set its bookends. Jordan Firstman's Club Kid, described by the festival as a breakout A24 film, will open the event, according to the Chicago International Film Festival. Mouse by Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson is the centrepiece presentation. Elsewhere, Ira Sachs' The Man I Love is selected for the OutLook Competition.
The festival runs Oct. 14-25, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The complete 62nd edition line-up will be announced Sept. 17. Filmmakers in the international race will also take part in the fourth annual International Contenders Panel, moderated by The Hollywood Reporter's Seth Abramovitch on Oct. 17.
What makes this stand out for fans is the access around the screenings. Passes are on sale now, according to the Chicago International Film Festival. The festival will hold a preview event on Sept. 17 at 6:30 pm and stage a first-ever Physical Media Fair during Opening Weekend. The event was named the No. 2 Best Film Festival in the U.S. for 2026.
