Philadelphia Film Festival unveils first titles for 35th edition
The Philadelphia Film Festival has revealed the first titles for its 35th edition, which runs Oct. 15-25. The early selection is led by Wild Horse Nine, Fjord and La Bola Negra, according to details reported by Variety. The full programme, billed as PFF35, will be announced on Oct. 7.
Wild Horse Nine is directed by Martin McDonagh. Fjord is directed by Cristian Mungiu. La Bola Negra is directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, who work as a directing team.
The next group of titles widens the range. Ink is directed by Danny Boyle. Josephine is directed by Beth de Araújo and arrives with a Sundance Grand Jury prize, the top award voted by a jury at that Utah festival. Elsinore is directed by Simon Stone and stars Andrew Scott, while Behemoth! is directed by Tony Gilroy.
Non-fiction has a strong place in the first announcement. The documentary selection includes Naza, a film titled Jean-Michel Basquiat, When a Witness Recants and Seized, as listed by Variety. It also includes The Match, The Last Critic and The Oldest Person in the World. That is seven documentary titles in the early reveal. It gives audiences an early map of the factual side of the programme.
Another strand is Filmadelphia. It will host four world premieres. Those are Big Phan, Gentle by Birth, I Don't Want to Drink Your Blood Anymore and Joy Will Prevail. A world premiere means the festival hosts the first public screening anywhere.
What makes this stand out is the mix. Established directors sit beside first screenings and a long documentary list. Festival organisers often release titles in waves like this. It lets audiences note names early, then fill in schedules once the complete line-up lands.
La Bola Negra is also travelling on the autumn circuit. It appears in the 2026 Montclair Film Festival line-up, which was detailed on Sept. 25 by Variety, alongside Peter Farrelly's I Play Rocky and Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut. Films often play several regional festivals in sequence. That movement helps them reach different audiences city by city.
For moviegoers in Philadelphia, this first list is a planning tool. It flags titles to watch before tickets and showtimes are confirmed. The complete picture for the 35th anniversary edition follows on Oct. 7, with screenings across the city's theatres from Oct. 15.
