2025 Fall Film Festival Lineup Predictions

We’re just a few months removed from the Cannes Film Festival in May, and already, the conversation is shifting toward the fall festival circuit. With official announcements for TIFF and Telluride fast approaching, now is the perfect time to dive into what films might make a splash at the fall festivals this year. First up is the Venice Film Festival. As the oldest film festival in the world, Venice is known for hosting some of the most anticipated premieres from top-tier filmmakers all striving to win the coveted Golden Lion. Next up is Telluride, nestled in the Colorado mountains, it is the most low-key and least attended of the four major festivals, offering a more intimate atmosphere.

Regardless, it often hosts major premieres, typically from newer or more mainstream American filmmakers, many that go on to become major awards contenders. The Toronto Film Festival, often seen as the official kickoff to awards season, blends prestige with crowd-pleasers and features high-profile world premieres and glitzy red carpets that can often serve as a boost for films from earlier festivals. Rounding out the big four is the New York Film Festival. Though it has fewer exclusives, NYFF is known for its highly curated, refined slate, often spotlighting the year’s most artistically ambitious work. With that in mind, let’s dive into each festival and the films I believe could shape their 2025 lineups.

VENICE

The Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world, and its top prize, the Golden Lion, remains one of the most prestigious accolades on the festival circuit, second only to Cannes’ Palme d’Or. Year after year, Venice serves as a prime launchpad for major awards contenders, particularly films from acclaimed auteurs seeking Oscar gold and high-profile international directors whose work bypassed Cannes. This year, festival director Alberto Barbera has hinted at a lineup with an unusually large slate of major American titles.

So far, the only official entrant is Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia, which will open the festival. Beyond that, the program remains shrouded in speculation. However, a number of Venice regulars are widely expected to return to the Lido with buzzy new projects.

Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, who frequently debuts his films on his home turf, was in competition just last year at Venice with Queer. He’s anticipated to return with After the Hunt, a dramatic comeback vehicle for Julia Roberts and likely Amazon’s main priority this awards season, looking particularly strong in the acting categories. Another Venice mainstay, Yorgos Lanthimos, is expected to return to the Lido after winning the Golden Lion in 2023 with Poor Things. His new film, Bugonia, stars Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons and is a loose remake of the South Korean cult film, Save the Green Planet. Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, fresh off the success of The Brutalist, a film which earned Corbet Best Director at Venice last year, are also expected to return. This time, Fastvold takes the director’s chair for Ann Lee, a period musical centered on the leader of the Shakers religious movement.

Noah Baumbach, who premiered his last two films at Venice, seems very likely to be back with Jay Kelly. Early test screenings have reportedly gone over extremely well, and the film is expected to be Netflix’s top priority on the fall circuit. Julian Schnabel, who rarely releases films but typically debuts them at Venice when he does, may be back with In the Hand of Dante, a long-awaited drama starring Oscar Isaac and Jason Momoa. Another potential Lido premiere is Kornél Mundruczó’s At the Sea, an addiction drama starring Amy Adams. While the film’s subject matter and cast make it feel like a Telluride debut, Mundruczó’s pedigree, and the past success of Pieces of a Woman at Venice, makes a return to the festival very likely.

A surprising late entry could be The Wizard of the Kremlin, Olivier Assayas’ political thriller with Jude Law portraying Vladimir Putin. While many expected this one to premiere next year, it appears ready to go. Also near-certain is Sacrifice, a star-studded thriller led by Anya Taylor-Joy and directed by Roman Gavras, whose previous film Athena earned acclaim at Venice.

Alongside these Venice alumni, several filmmakers could make their Venice competition debut. Edward Berger, coming off the success of All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave, is heavily rumored to have a competition slot on lock with The Ballad of a Small Player, an introspective gambling-ghost story drama starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton. Benny Safdie’s solo directorial effort, The Smashing Machine, a biopic starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, also seems like a strong contender, as it feels like it fits Venice’s taste for artful takes on the biopic formula.

There were several films widely expected to play at Cannes this year that either weren’t ready in time or were outright rejected, and are now likely to make their debut at Venice instead. Jim Jarmusch’s family drama Father Mother Sister Brother, starring Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver, was reportedly turned down for an in-competition slot at Cannes at the last minute, so it’s been held back for Venice. Another highly anticipated title that was rumored for Cannes but wasn’t finished in time is Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice. The latest from the South Korean auteur follows a man on a desperate search for new employment after being fired from a job he held for 25 years. Given today’s climate of rapid inflation and widespread job insecurity, this one could resonate. It was just announced that NEON has picked up North American rights, adding to their already crowded fall slate.

Other films from international auteurs widely expected to premiere at Venice include Agnieszka Holland’s Franz, a film about Franz Kafka; Alice Winocour’s fashion drama Couture, starring Angelina Jolie; Claire Denis’ The Fence; László Nemes’ Orphan; Lucrecia Martel’s long-awaited documentary Chocobar; and İlker Çatak’s follow-up to The Teachers’ Lounge, Yellow Letters.

And of course, there’s always space reserved for Italian cinema. Beyond the new films from Sorrentino and Guadagnino, safe bets for Venice include Pietro Marcello’s Duse and Gianfranco Rosi’s Below the Clouds. Karim Aïnouz’s Rosebush Pruning, is also technically an Italian production based on Italian literature, despite the director and cast not having Italian roots. That film seems destined for a spot on the lineup, boasting an ensemble cast that includes Riley Keough, Callum Turner, Elle Fanning, Jamie Bell, Lukas Gage, Tracy Letts, and Pamela Anderson.

A few out-of-competition titles to keep an eye on include Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing, which is slated for theatrical release just two days after the festival kicks off; Werner Herzog’s Bucking Fastard; and Greg Araki’s I Want Your Sex. As for the blockbuster slot that Venice always likes to feature, Rob Reiner’s Spinal Tap II: The End Continues looks like it could be a fun, crowd-pleasing addition.

TELLURIDE

Tucked away in the scenic mountains of a small Colorado town, the Telluride Film Festival has become a critical stop on the awards season circuit. While it’s the most exclusive, and by far the least attended of the major fall festivals, its quiet prestige and casual atmosphere make it a strategic launchpad for studios. Many studios use Telluride to debut high-profile films in a lower-pressure environment before expanding to larger markets like TIFF, or to reignite buzz for titles that premiered earlier in the year at Sundance, Berlin, or Cannes.

One filmmaker with deep ties to Telluride is Chloé Zhao. Although her status as a Golden Lion winner and former Venice jury president might suggest her upcoming film Hamnet would premiere at Venice, I have a feeling it will be launched at Telluride. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, the film is a fictional exploration of the life of William Shakespeare’s wife following the death of their son. Period dramas and literary adaptations have historically done well at Telluride, and with Focus Features distributing, its presence there seems like a strong bet. Focus may also use the festival to unveil Anemone, the directorial debut of Roman Day-Lewis, which marks the return of his father, Daniel Day-Lewis, after an eight-year acting hiatus. Though Netflix will likely be largely focused on Venice and TIFF this year, I think they will bring Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite to Telluride for its world premiere. Bigelow’s first film in eight years is said to be a politically charged action-thriller starring Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson

Searchlight Pictures may not have a massive slate this year, but they appear to have a major player in Rental Family, directed by Beef alum Hikari. The film, which stars Brendan Fraser as a man who works for a company that rents out actors to play family members in Tokyo, has reportedly tested exceptionally well and is shaping up to be a significant awards contender. Its premise and emotional core make it a natural fit for Telluride. Another strong possibility for Disney is Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, a Bruce Springsteen biopic from 20th Century Studios starring Jeremy Allen White. Springsteen has a long history with film festivals, making Telluride a logical place to premiere this fall release.

While many are predicting David Lowery’s Mother Mary to debut at Venice, there have been reports suggesting the film is a mess, but it does seem ready to come out this fall. A24 may use Telluride as a soft-launch platform to recalibrate expectations before moving to larger festivals. I also have a feeling that Derek Cianfrance’s Roofman will debut at Telluride before hitting TIFF. The film seems like a very different kind of film for Cianfrance and could be a fun showcase for Channing Tatum.

As always, Telluride will likely feature a strong slate of  festival-season carryovers. Films from earlier in the year that could get a second wind at Telluride include Sentimental Value, It Was Just An Accident, The Secret Agent, Train Dreams, The History of Sound, The Chronology of Water, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Blue Moon. Additionally, look for titles like Bugonia, Jay Kelly, and The Smashing Machine to screen at Telluride shortly after their Venice premieres.

TIFF

TIFF is shaping up to be the must-attend festival of the year. Despite being the largest publicly attended film festival in the world and a key launching pad for awards contenders, it often has to play second fiddle to Venice and Telluride with certain major world premieres. With 2025 marking the festival’s 50th anniversary, this year looks poised to deliver a larger slate of high-profile world premieres than usual.

Five major world premieres have already been announced: Nia DaCosta’s Hedda, a new take on the classic Ibsen play starring Tessa Thompson; Steven Soderbergh’s The Christophers, his third release this year; The Captive from Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar; Mile End Kicks, a portrait of Montreal’s indie music scene from Canadian filmmaker Chandler Levack; and Good News, the latest from South Korean director Sung-hyun Byun. Another near-confirmed world premiere is Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man, the next chapter in the Knives Out franchise, which has already been slated for an international premiere at the London Film Festival, making TIFF the clear favorite for its debut.

One of the biggest questions of the season surrounds Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. Though rumors have swirled about a Venice premiere, the film was shot in Toronto and del Toro has recently curated a horror series at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, so I wouldn’t be surprised if TIFF locked down the world premiere. Likewise, there’s speculation that Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, may skip Venice and head straight to TIFF. If true, that would represent a major win for the festival. Another major possibility is Edgar Wright’s The Running Man, starring Glen Powell. Wright has a longstanding relationship with the festival and with Toronto itself, where he filmed Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, making his return feel fitting.

Kogonada’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, feels like the kind of film that would thrive at TIFF. Bradley Cooper’s new film Is This Thing On?, a smaller scale project compared to his last two directorial efforts, starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern, could arrive at TIFF if completed in time. Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama, with Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, also feels like a strong contender, while James L. Brooks’ long-awaited return to directing with Ella McCay would be a huge moment for the festival. David Michôd’s untitled Christy Martin biopic starring Sydney Sweeney fits right in line with the festival’s love for the sports biopic, while the Jordan Peele-produced horror film Him, which centers around football, seems like a perfect fit for the Midnight Madness section. Paul Greengrass’ The Lost Bus, a timely drama about wildfires in California, is another rumored contender, and if ready in time, Taika Waititi’s Klara and the Sun, based on the acclaimed Kazuo Ishiguro novel and starring Amy Adams and Jenna Ortega, seems like a lock.

Other strong contenders for world premieres include Steve, starring Cillian Murphy; Song Sung Blue, a musical comedy about a Neil Diamond cover band with Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson and distributed by Focus Features; Sons, written by Sarah Polley and starring Bill Nighy; John Carney’s new film Power Ballad; Pressure, a D-Day drama with Brendan Fraser portraying Dwight Eisenhower; Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut Good Fortune starring Canadians Seth Rogan and Keanu Reeves; the  A24 project Eternity starring Elizabeth Olson and Miles Teller; and Nuremberg featuring Rami Malek, Russell Crowe, and Michael Shannon.

I’m also predicting that TIFF will serve as a key relaunch platform for several buzzy titles that premiered earlier in the year like All That’s Left of You, Alpha, Sirat, Eleanor the Great, Nouvelle Vague, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Sound of Falling, and Resurrection. I also expect the highly anticipated Nirvanna the Band the Show: The Movie to play to a raucous hometown crowd at Midnight Madness, and for The Rivals of Amziah King, starring Matthew McConaughey, to continue its festival run by making a high-profile appearance at TIFF.

NYFF

The New York Film Festival, the final stop on the major fall festival circuit, typically focuses on curated selections and second screenings rather than world premieres. However, this year it’s likely to feature a few notable exclusives. Kent Jones’ Late Fame, which could position Willem Dafoe as a major awards contender, seems like a strong bet to premiere at NYFF given Jones’ deep ties to the festival. Die, My Love also feels like a potential high-profile centrepiece film for NYFF, along with Kelly Reichardt’s latest film The Mastermind, both films having premiered at Cannes. Additionally, I’m expecting the Dardenne brothers’ new film The Young Mothers to have its international premiere at NYFF.

Here’s my full list of predictions:

• After the Hunt (Dir. Luca Guadagnino) – Venice, TIFF, NYFF
• All That’s Left of You (Dir. Morad Mustafa) – TIFF
• Alpha (Dir. Julia Ducournau) – TIFF
• & Sons (Dir. Pablo Trapero) – TIFF
• Anenome (Dir. Roman Day-Lewis) – Telluride, TIFF
• Ann Lee (Dir. Mona Fastvold) – Venice, TIFF, NYFF
• Arco (Dir. Ugo Bienvenu) – TIFF
• At the Sea (Dir. Kornél Mundruczó) – Venice, TIFF
• The Ballad of a Small Player (Dir. Edward Berger) – Venice, TIFF
• Below the Clouds (Dir. Gianfranco Rosi) – Venice, NYFF
• A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (Dir. Kogonada) – TIFF
• Blue Moon (Dir. Richard Linklater)* – Telluride, NYFF
• Bucking Fastard (Dir. Werner Herzog) – Venice, Telluride
• Bugonia (Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos) – Venice, Telluride, NYFF
• The Captive (Dir. Alejandro Amenábar) – TIFF
• Caught Stealing (Dir. Darren Aronofsky) – Venice
• Chocobar (Dir. Lucrecia Martel) – Venice, Telluride, TIFF, NYFF
• The Christophers (Dir. Stephen Soderbergh) – TIFF
• Christy Martin (Dir. David Michôd – TIFF
• The Chronology of Water (Dir. Kristen Stewart)* – Telluride, NYFF
• Couture (Dir. Alice Winocour) – Venice, TIFF
• Die, My Love (Dir. Lynne Ramsey) – NYFF
• The Drama (Dir. Krisopher Borgli) – TIFF
• Duse (Dir. Pietro Marcello) – Venice, NYFF
• Eleanor the Great (Dir. Scarlett Johansson) – TIFF
• Ella McCay (Dir. James L. Brooks) – TIFF
• Father, Mother, Sister, Brother – Venice, TIFF, NYFF
• The Fence (Dir. Claire Denis) – Venice, NYFF
• Frankenstein (Dir. Guillermo Del Toro) – TIFF
• Franz (Dir. Agnieszka Holland) – Venice, TIFF, NYFF
• Good Fortune (Dir. Aziz Ansari) – TIFF
• Hamnet (Dir. Chloe Zhao) – Telluride, TIFF
• Hedda (Dir. Nia DaCosta) – TIFF
• HIM (Dir. Justin Tipping) – TIFF
• A House of Dynamite (Dir. Kathryn Bigelow) – Telluride, TIFF
• The History of Sound (Dir. Oliver Hermanus) – Telluride
• I Want Your Sex (Dir. Greg Araki) – Venice, NYFF
• If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (Dir. Mary Bronstein) – TIFF, NYFF
• In the Hand of Dante (Dir. Julian Schnabel) – Venice, NYFF
• Is This Thing On? – TIFF, NYFF (Dir. Bradley Cooper)
• It Was Just An Accident (Dir. Jafar Panahi) – Telluride, TIFF, NYFF
• Jay Kelly (Dir. Noah Baumbach) – Venice, Telluride, TIFF, NYFF
• John Candy: I Like Me (Dir. Colin Hanks) – TIFF
• Kiss of the Spider Woman (Dir. Bill Condon) – Telluride, TIFF
• La Grazia (Dir. Paolo Sorrentino) – Venice
• Late Fame (Dir. Kent Jones) – NYFF
• Left-Handed Girl (Dir. Shih-Ching Tsou) – Telluride, TIFF
• The Little Sister (Dir. Hafsia Herzi) – TIFF, NYFF
• The Lost Bus (Dir. Paul Greengrass) – TIFF
• The Love That Remains (Dir. Hlynur Pálmason) – Telluride, TIFF, NYFF
• A Magnificant Life (Dir. Sylvain Chomet) – Telluride
• The Mastermind (Dir. Kelly Reichardt) – NYFF
• Mile End Kicks (Dir. Chandler Levack) – TIFF
• Mirrors No. 3 (Dir. Christian Petzold) – TIFF, NYFF
• Mother Mary (Dir. David Lowrey) – Telluride, NYFF
• The Myserious Gaze of the Flamingo (Dir. Diego Céspedes) – Telluride
• My Father’s Shadow (Dir. Akinola Davies Jr.) – TIFF, NYFF
• Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie (Dir. Matt Johnson) – TIFF
• No Other Choice (Dir. Park Chan-Wook) – Venice, TIFF, NYFF
• Nouvelle Vague (Dir. Richard Linklater) – TIFF, NYFF
• Nurenberg (Dir. James Vanderbilt) – TIFF
• Orphan (Dir. Lazlo Nemes) – Venice, TIFF
• Orwell 2+2=5 (Dir. Raoul Peck) – NYFF
• Pillion (Dir. Harry Lighton) – TIFF
• The Plague (Dir. Charlie Polinger) – TIFF
• Power Ballad (Dir. John Carney) – TIFF
• The President’s Cake (Dir. Hasan Hadi) – Telluride, NYFF
• Pressure (Dir. Anthony Maras) – TIFF
• Rental Family (Dir. Hikari) – Telluride, TIFF
• Resurrection (Dir. Bi Gan) – TIFF, NYFF
• The Rivals of Amziah King (Dir. Andrew Patterson) – TIFF
• Romeria (Dir. Carla Simón) – TIFF
• Roofman (Dir. Derek Cianfrance) – Telluride, TIFF
• Rosebush Pruning (Dir. Karim Aïnouz) – Venice, TIFF
• Sacrifice (Dir. Roman Gavras) – Venice, TIFF
• The Secret Agent (Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho) – Telluride, TIFF, NYFF
• Sentimental Value (Dir. Joachim Trier) – Telluride, TIFF, NYFF
• Sirāt (Dir. Oliver Laxe) – TIFF, NYFF
• The Smashing Machine (Dir. Benny Safdie) – Venice, Telluride, TIFF
• Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere – Telluride, TIFF
• Song Sung Blue (Dir. Craig Brewer) – TIFF
• Sound of Falling (Dir. Mascha Schilinski) – TIFF, NYFF
• Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (Dir. Rob Reiner) – Venice
• Train Dreams (Dir. Clint Bentley) – Telluride, NYFF
• Urchin (Dir. Harris Dickinson) – Telluride, TIFF
• Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Dir. Rian Johnson) – TIFF
• The Wave (Dir. Sebastian Lelio) – TIFF
• The Wizard of the Kremlin (Dir. Olivier Assayas) – Venice, NYFF
• Woman & Child (Dir. Saeed Roustayi) – TIFF, NYFF
• The Young Mothers Home (Dir. Luc Dardenne & Jean-Pierre Dardenne) – NYFF
• Yellow Letters (Dir. İlker Çatak) – Venice, TIFF, NYFF
• Yes! (Dir. Nadav Lapid) – NYFF

Stay tuned for our ongoing coverage of the fall festival season here on keithlovesmovies.com.

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Tristan French