PHILADELPHIA — After teasing the first wave of selections, the Philadelphia Film Society has unveiled the full lineup for the 35th rendition of the Philadelphia Film Festival.

This year’s lineup will feature more than 140 screenings, including world premieres from filmmakers Jesse Eisenberg, Ava DuVernay and James Gray. The 11-day celebration opens on Oct. 15 with Noah Segan’s "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York," and closes with Jesse Eisenberg’s "The Debut" on Oct. 25, fresh off its screening at the New York Film Festival.

The festival this year is a dual celebration: It marks the 35th edition of the annual event and the 25th anniversary of PFS, which began organizing the festival in 2001. The inaugural festival was launched as the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema in 1992.

“We were super excited when we made the first announcement of 50 [films], but now that we’ve got the supersized lineup out, it’s exciting,” said PFS CEO and executive director J. Andrew Greenblatt.

Newly announced selections include Ava DuVernay’s new historical documentary "14th," a follow-up to her 2016 Oscar-nominated doc, "13th." Other additions include James Gray’s crime-thriller "Paper Tiger," Jordan Firstman’s feature-length directorial debut "Club Kid" and Brad Bird’s animated neo-noir "Ray Gunn."

These films join a slate of programs dedicated to international cinema, independent films, documentaries, and animation films.

Based on early badge sales, Greenblatt and PFS artistic director Michael Lerman anticipate this year’s festival will attract the largest audience in the organization’s history.

This achievement, Greenblatt said, is “sweeter” knowing the obstacles the organization has endured throughout the years — from unexpected programming challenges to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s really reassuring to see that you can go through the struggle, build something, and then still succeed,” he said.

“We put in a lot of work to get here, and we didn’t do it alone,” Lerman added. “There are a lot of people who have contributed and have put in a ton of work to get the organization and festival where it is right now.”

A star-studded lineup of premieres

This year’s festival sections include World View, Animated Life, Non/Fiction, State of the Union, Spotlights, Cinema de France, Made in USA, Sight & Soundtrack, After Hours, Community Screenings, Special Events, From the Vaults, and others.

"Paper Tiger" and "Club Kid" join the expanded Centerpieces slate, which includes previously announced selections such as Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s "All of a Sudden," Tony Gilroy’s "Behemoth!" and Cristian Mungiu’s "Fjord."

Newly announced premieres include the North American premieres of Julien Gaspar-Oliveri’s Cannes-premiering "The Blow" and Warwick Thornton’s "Wolfram," which premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival last year.

Other debuts at PFF include the U.S. premiere of Michaël R. Roskam’s "Le Faux Soir," and the East Coast premieres of Félix de Givry’s "Goodbye Cruel World," Jay Silverman’s "Yale," Neto Villalobos Brenes’ "Love is the Monster" and Ken Kwapis’ "We Are the Shaggs."

The Filmadelphia section includes the world premieres of Hoag Kepner’s "Big Phan," Doree Simon Hatfield’s "Gentle by Birth," Andrew Sullivan’s "I Don’t Want to Drink Your Blood Anymore" and Max Korman’s "Joy Will Prevail."

The Filmadelphia Shorts Program also includes the world premiere of Justin Crowell’s "Philly Pretzels" and the North American premiere of Vadim Egoul’s "Casualty."

The Masters of Cinema program will feature projects from veteran filmmakers such as Pedro Almodóvar, Radu Jude, Paweł Pawlikowski, Danny Boyle, Andrew Haigh, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Andrey Zvyagintsev and others.

‘Audience first’

The first Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema took place at the International House Philadelphia, which then operated as a theater house dedicated to independent and international cinema.

The festival was led by cineaste Linda Blackaby, with support from former International House president Ellen Davis and others, who recognized the city’s need for a regional celebration of new, independent, and international film.

“They saw film festivals from around the world and said, ‘We should bring one to Philly,’” Greenblatt said. “And they did, and they were incredibly successful. They had films that we still talk about today with directors who have gone on to have tremendous careers.”

Among the films screened at the inaugural festival was Guillermo del Toro’s 1992 fantasy horror, "Cronos."

The International House then brought in members of the TLA Entertainment Group to help program the festival. And when the festival “got too big,” Greenblatt said, the theater house allowed TLA to manage the event independently.

In 2001, TLA assumed management of the festival, which was later renamed the Philadelphia Film Festival. That same year, TLA established the Philadelphia Film Society to steward the festival.

Under the leadership of Greenblatt, who was appointed CEO and executive director in 2008, PFS began independently operating the celebration.

Lerman said in the years he and Greenblatt have organized the festival, it’s been a joy to see the filmmaking audience evolve as the festival has grown.

“In the 20-plus years [Greenblatt] and I have been doing this, we’re finding a meeting point between our taste and the audiences’ taste,” he said. “We’ve always thought audience first.”

As people attend this year’s festival, Greenblatt said, he wants people to walk away with the same feeling he had after his first year: With a new appreciation for cinema and a new favorite film.

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The 35th Philadelphia Film Festival takes place from Oct. 15-25. Festival badges and passes are available for purchase. filmadelphia.org.

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