Woo wee!! It’s less than 10 days away until the 2025 Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) touches down! The fest runs from October 16 – 25. More than 150 films will be showcased in a split fest and hybrid format, utilizing both screen and streaming options. More than 70 films will simultaneously stream online via the TCFF STREAMS platform at TwinCitiesFilmFest.org.

Happy Sweet 16 to TCFF! 🎉 With this milestone, there are some exciting changes as they expand to additional theaters. Along with Marcus West End Cinema, there will now be screenings and events at Edina Mann Theatre, offering audiences even more chances to enjoy the festival’s magic.

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✨ Festival Highlights

How awesome that the opening and closing night films are directed by female filmmakers! TCFF’s director Jatin Setia + the festival’s programmers sure know how to pick ’em!

Chloe Zhao’s latest feature, HAMNET*, is one of the most buzzed-about films of the year and will likely be one of the major awards contenders this year! My money is on Jesse Buckley in the Best Actress category and possibly another directing nod for Zhao.

Paul Mescal plays William Shakespeare in this powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of the Bard’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

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I’m just as excited for the closing night film: LOST & FOUND IN CLEVELAND* boasts a great cast: Martin Sheen, June Squibb, Stacey Keach, Jon Lovitz & more!

This film by Marisa Guterman & Keith Gerchak is a new American fable, a look at the post-Industrial American Dream in the Industrial Midwest – a slice of life depiction over a 24-hour period that follows the personal odysseys of five very different people, whose lives intertwine when America’s favorite televised antiques appraisal show comes to Cleveland. It’s “Best in Show” meets “The Wizard of Oz.”

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🎬 INDIE FEATURES + DOCUMENTARIES

(listed in alphabetical order)

I love that TCFF is a huge champion of indie films and indie filmmakers. TCFF’s HER Series showcases films made by women, featuring stories about women, for women, and it highlights narratives that promote empowerment in the film industry and beyond. Here at FlixChatter, I often put a spotlight on films directed by women, as part of the #52FilmsByWomen challenge that I do every year. So those films are marked with * next to the title.

1. A Better Man*

Directed by: Attiya Khan, Lawrence Jackman

A BETTER MAN follows a series of intimate conversations between a woman and her former boyfriend when she confronts him about their history of domestic abuse. More than 20 years have passed when filmmaker Attiya Khan asks her ex-boyfriend, Steve, to meet. Steve abused Attiya every day during the two years they lived together. She finally fled out of fear for her life, and has carried the emotional scars ever since. Now, Attiya wants to talk to Steve—on camera—searching to answer a question that is both simple and incredibly complicated: Will Steve take responsibility?

2. Anxiety Club*

Directed by: Wendy Lobel

ANXIETY CLUB offers a heartfelt and humorous exploration of anxiety through the lens of some of today’s most brilliant comedians: Tiffany Jenkins, Joe List, Marc Maron, Aparna Nancherla, Mark Normand, Baron Vaughn, and Eva Victor. With a mix of stand-up performances, sketch videos, exclusive interviews, and relatable everyday life scenarios, they candidly share their personal struggles with anxiety, the world’s most prevalent mental health condition, affecting more than 300 million people globally.

3. Between Goodbyes* (Doc)

Directed by: Jota Mun

Between Goodbyes adds new dimensions to the typical adoption story by focusing equally on an original (birth) mother and an adoptee. After over 10 years of searching, Okgyun was able to locate her daughter Mieke, a Korean adoptee raised in the Netherlands. Instead of that being the end of their story, it was merely the beginning. The film delves into their fraught reunion with a long term perspective. Through non-linear storytelling, Mieke’s 2021 visit with Okgyun in Seoul is interwoven with flashbacks of each woman’s past.

4. Espina

Directed by: Daniel Poler

Bitter after losing his job, Venezuelan expat Jonathan recruits a down-on-her-luck actress and a cynical playboy to aid in his journey from Mexico to Panama before spinal surgery. As the trio ventures into Panama’s wild side, it becomes unclear if Jonathan’s trip is for diversion— or to avenge a long-held grudge.

5. The Floaters*

Directed by: Rachel Israel

The Floaters follows a struggling musician, Nomi (Jackie Tohn), who accepts a last-resort job from her overachiever best friend Mara (Sarah Podemski): mentoring the misfit campers known as “Floaters” at their childhood Jewish summer camp. The film also stars Seth Green, Steve Guttenberg and Jonathan Silverman.

6. Go On

Directed by: Landon Ashworth

In a burned-out wilderness that feels both familiar and otherworldly, Jim lives alone, bound to routines and rituals that keep him from confronting a past he can’t escape. His days are marked by small victories that ring hollow and quiet defeats that seem endless—until a stranger named Zac unexpectedly arrives.

7. Rosemead

Directed by: Eric Lin

An ailing woman is stricken by the discovery of her teenage son’s violent obsessions and must go to great lengths to protect him, and possibly others, in this portrait of a Chinese American family. Starring Lucy Liu in a “transformative, revelatory” performance, Rosemead premiered at Tribeca, won Bentonville’s Best Narrative Feature Award, and will make its international premiere at Locarno’s Piazza Grande. Inspired by true events.

8. The Opener (Doc)

Directed by: Jeff Toye

THE OPENER is a feel-great story about a street performer who wrote 30 songs in 30 days to process his grief and isolation during the pandemic, and found that his music spoke to millions. When it reached the ears of one of his heroes, Grammy-winner Jason Mraz, he was invited on his very first tour and given a chance to prove himself on the big stage.

I quite like road trip movies and chance encounters, and this film merges the two in an amusing fashion. Placing Tom’s journey through grief against the stunning scenery of America’s national parks promises a fascinating juxtaposition.

9. Searching for the Light (Doc)

Directed by: Andrés A. Parra

Searching for the Light celebrates Melissa, mother to 3 boys ages 9-14, full time caregiver to her 11 yr. old severely disabled boy, woman and loving spouse to Ryan, capturing her unshakable spirit and the beauty of her everyday life despite the many challenges life throws her way.

10. She Dances

Directed by: Rick Gomez

Forced to reconnect on the road to her final dance competition, a father and daughter (starring real-life father and daughter Steve and Audrey Zahn) must confront their fractured relationship. As they navigate a shared tragedy, the whirlwind of the Young Miss Southeast Regional Dance Finals becomes the backdrop for their journey toward healing. The ensemble cast include Ethan Hawke, Sonequa Martin-Green, and Rosemarie DeWitt.

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🎞️ 5 MUST-SEE STUDIO FEATURES

CHRISTY

Directed by David Michod

Christy Martin (Sydney Sweeney) never imagined life beyond her small-town roots in West Virginia—until she discovered a knack for knocking people out. Fueled by grit, raw determination, and an unshakable desire to win, she charges into the world of boxing under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, Jim (Ben Foster). But while Christy flaunts a fiery persona in the ring, her toughest battles unfold outside it—confronting family, identity, and a relationship that just might become life-or-death.

BUGONIA

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

The latest feature by Yorgos Lanthimos marks the fourth feature collaboration between the Greek filmmaker and Emma Stone. Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. Also starring Alicia Silverstone and Jesse Plemons.

HEDDA*

Directed by Nia DaCosta

A provocative reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play, Hedda follows enigmatic newlywed Hedda (Tessa Thompson), who is outwardly composed but hiding a simmering discontent that threatens to explode when the brilliant and charismatic Eileen Lovberg (Nina Hoss) reenters her life. Over the course of a raucous party, the high and low of society endure the consequences of this dangerous and unknowable woman yearning for a past love. What ensues is a ruthless game of manipulation, where lust, jealousy, and betrayal collide. Also starring Imogen Poots and Tom Bateman.

GOOD FORTUNE

Directed by Aziz Ansari

In GOOD FORTUNE, a well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker (Aziz Ansari) and a wealthy venture capitalist (Seth Rogen).

RENTAL FAMILY*

Directed by Hikari

Set in modern-day Tokyo, RENTAL FAMILY follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.

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Ticket prices range from $10 online to $15 in person. Opening and Closing Night / Centerpiece/ Spotlight film events will all be $25 with a handful of non-matinee films also available to view at no cost.

Can’t make it to the theaters? You can buy a Streaming Pass and get access to ALL of TCFF’s films available online.

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Which of these films are you most excited about?