Attending the 2024 Philadelphia Film Festival? What you need to know about tickets, the lineup, and more
The festival has a 100+ film lineup, including Sean Baker’s 'Anora' and Steve McQueen’s 'Blitz' starring Saoirse Ronan.
Cinephiles rejoice, the Philadelphia Film Festival is back for its 33rd year.
The Philadelphia Film Society gathers film lovers and talented filmmakers every October for 11 days of cinematic fun. This year, there will be more than 100 films (shorts and full-length features) spanning a variety of genres, and they’ll screen at the Film Society Center, Film Society Bourse, and Film Society East from Oct. 17 to 27.
“We’re so excited to be bringing such a dynamic and diverse slate of new films from around the world to Philly audiences this fall,” J. Andrew Greenblatt, PFS’ CEO and executive director, said in a statement.
The opening night film, Sept. 5, is a historical, behind-the-scenes thriller of a TV news team scrambling to cover an unfolding hostage situation at the 1972 Munich Olympics. It’s directed by Tim Fehlbaum and stars Peter Sarsgaard, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch, and John Magaro.
The lineup includes the Philly premiere of Sean Baker’s Anora, the romantic drama about a sex worker who marries the son of an oligarch. The film won the Cannes Palme d’Or.
The festival’s centerpiece screenings include the screenplay from John Hindman (La La Land) for Unstoppable, which centers on the life of wrestler Anthony Robles; actors Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin uniting as cousins for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother in A Real Pain; and Nickel Boys, a film based on Pulitzer Prize-winning Colson Whitehead’s novel about two young African American men navigating a Florida reform school.
Other films include The Brutalist, starring Adrien Brody (The Pianist), The Last Showgirl, starring Pamela Anderson (Baywatch) and Jamie Lee Curtis (Freaky Friday, Everything Everywhere All at Once); Conclave starring Stanley Tucci (Devil Wears Prada); Maria, starring Angelina Jolie (Maleficent, Salt); and The Order, starring Jude Law (Cold Mountain, The Holiday) and Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies, The Great).
No One Died: The Wing Bowl Story by Pat Taggart and The Philly Sound … Heard ‘Round the World’ by Bill Nicoletti will have their world premieres in the Filmadelphia category, which showcases dynamic films from the Greater Philly area. Other titles include filmmakers Ami Canaan Mann’s Audrey’s Children, Glenn A. Holsten’s Citizen George, and Jack McCafferty’s Dreaming of You.
The closing night film, on Oct. 25, will be the Philadelphia premiere of Steve McQueen’s Blitz starring Saoirse Ronan. The film follows a group of Londoners during the bombing of the British capital in WWII.
Check out the complete lineup at www.filmadelphia.org.
How to get tickets?
Tickets are on sale and can be purchased in-person at the box office at the Philadelphia Film Center. Head to the box office at all venues for tickets during the festival.
Regular screenings are $17 and $12 for PFS members; weekday matinees (before 5 p.m.) are $12 and $7 for members. Senior and student evening and weekend tickets are $15. There are also badges, with such perks as priority admission and no-ticket entry, ranging from $75 to $500.
Under a “PFS on Us” category, screenings from local filmmakers each month during the Philly Film Showcase will be free of charge and do not require a badge.
Where will the festival take place?
Philadelphia Film Center
📍 1412 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19102
PFS Bourse
📍400 Ranstead St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19106
PFS East
📍125 S. 2nd St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19106
Philadelphia Film Festival schedule
📆 Oct. 17 to Oct. 27, 🕒 filmadelphia.org