PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Film Society announced the first wave of films for the 35th edition of the Philadelphia Film Festival.

On Wednesday, PFS unveiled the first 50 films that will play as part of the film festival, which runs from Oct. 15-25.

The lineup includes films such as the Venice Film Festival-premiering Martin McDonagh’s "Wild Horse Nine". Among the star-studded lineup are the Cannes-premiering films Cristian Mungiu’s "Fjord" and Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s "All of a Sudden" and Beth de Araújo’s "Josephine," which premiered at Sundance earlier this year. Simon Stone’s "Elsinore," which stars Andrew Scott, is also part of the program.

PFF35 will also host the world premieres of four films by area filmmakers in the Filmadelphia section. That list includes 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."

Among other program highlights are Pedro Almodóvar’s "Bitter Christmas," Danny Boyle’s "Ink" and William and David Greaves’ "Once Upon a Time in Harlem," a film that was shot in 1972 by William Greaves but completed by his son David years after his death.

J. Andrew Greenblatt, PFS CEO and executive director, said this year’s milestone is “incredibly special” and he and other organizers anticipate this year’s edition will be the most expansive in the festival’s history.

“This one, I think, will be larger, with features and a couple dozen narratives we’ve had for the last several decades. The intention is for it to be larger than that.”

Like every year, this year’s festival will feature filmmaker Q&As, red carpet events, opening and closing night parties and surprise guests.

Greenblatt anticipates upward of 110 films will be screened throughout the 11-day festival, across PFS’s three theaters.

The PFS will also host a preliminary event that honors both the 35th anniversary of the festival and the 25th anniversary of PFS. That event, called Reel October, is a two-week showcase of films projected on 35 mm at Film Society Center.

The series kicks off with screenings of Quentin Tarantino’s "Reservoir Dogs" and Robert Rodriguez’s" El Mariachi" on Sept. 30, and ends on Oct. 11 with "The Exorcist."

Greenblatt said the dual celebration is one he and other programmers have anticipated for years.

“It’s a lot of fun and something we have been planning for a long time because it’s something special for the industry. And it’s something we haven’t taken lightly,” he said.

PFS board director Jen Su said these collective efforts are designed to demonstrate how the festival has forged community and continuously sparked viewers’ curiosity.

“They come because they genuinely want to discover something new, hear from filmmakers and experience films together in a theater,” she said.

But it’s also a moment, she said, for viewers to look ahead at the next generation of filmmakers and to inspire emerging storytellers to continue pursuing their dreams.

The full festival lineup will be announced on Oct. 7.

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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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