Chhaya, a woman of limited means, leads a good, decent life alongside her husband Arvind - until she becomes obsessed with a sculpture of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth. Chhaya will stop at nothing to bring home this statue, and soon her past weaknesses and disappointments (including a miscarriage) bubble to the surface, consuming and corroding her soul. Kshay is the latest example of an exciting new wave of independent Indian cinema.

Hindi with subtitles 92 min

Chhaya, a woman of limited means, leads a good, decent life alongside her husband Arvind - until she becomes obsessed with a sculpture of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth. Chhaya will stop at nothing to bring home this statue, and soon her past weaknesses and disappointments (including a miscarriage) bubble to the surface, consuming and corroding her soul. Corrode is the latest example of an exciting new wave of independent Indian cinema.

Hindi with subtitles 92 min

The small village of Mallayapuram is frantic when they realize the holy wooden statue of god Azhagarsamy’s horse is missing from the local temple. When a real horse turns up soon after, people are convinced it is the wooden horse come to life bringing luck to the drought-striken village. However when a man named (would you believe it) Azhagarsamy arrives claiming the horse is his, the entire village turns topsy-turvy in this delightful comic romp.

Tamil with subtitles 122 min

Deception, betrayal, and sleight of hand lie at the heart of this gripping drama of corporate intrigue. When multi-nationals threaten the existence of a family-owned dairy business, the company patriarch and his loyal financial advisor must find a way, any way, to keep the company going. Desperate times beget desperate measures and unsavory consequences.

Italian with subtitles 110 min

Lisbeth and Angelique Raeven are twin sisters who comprise the somewhat notorious video and performance duo L.A. Raeven. Their complex and strained relationship unfolds in front of Lisa Boerstra’s intimate camera while they work and live through the creation of two new performance pieces. Inter-cutting scenes from earlier work and home videos from their childhood, viewers are privy to the daily routines and conversations at the home and studio they share.

Dutch with subtitles 74 min

In this gripping film shot semi-clandestinely, a young disbarred female lawyer with an exiled husband and an unwanted pregnancy tries to secure a visa to leave the country. Tension builds slowly and meticulously as the heroine faces off against an oppressive regime, the walls slowly closing in around her. This powerful portrait of one woman's struggle against the system in modern-day Iran won a best director award at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Farsi with subtitles 104 min

The 43rd film from Academy Award®-winning director and French New Wave maverick Claude Lelouch (A Man and a Woman) elicits a vision that is as potent as ever. Driven by a spirited will, the turbulent life of Ilva Lemoine, from her delight-filled childhood through the Great War, the French Resistance, liberation, and memories of soldiers loved and lost, is recounted in this spectacular epic drama.

French with subtitles 120 min

Abandoned at their late grandfather’s house for the summer, teenage brothers Zak and Seth are left to their own devices. With the endless possibilities of summer fun and (mis-)adventure to be had in the idyllic Belgian countryside, the world, they feel, is their oyster. But when money runs short and with no help in sight, the boys scheme to support themselves by renting their home to a local drug dealer. A Mark Twain adventure-like tale takes a dark turn in The Giants, artfully capturing the underside of carefree youth.

French with subtitles 84 min

When violent images of Iraq are all the Western world is accustomed to, it’s easy to forget that life continues in the war-torn nation. At the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani, life does just that, as is extraordinarily personified by the school ’s women’s basketball team. In a sports movie for the ages, Salaam Dunk follows the team’s season, chronicling their triumphs and tragedies both on and off the court.

English, Arabic, Kurdish with subtitles 83 min

Daikichi spies a young girl standing apart from the family at his grandfather’s funeral. She turns out to be the old man’s love child and nobody wants anything to do with her. Feeling sorry and curious, Daikichi volunteers to take her in, without really understanding the demands of being a parent. As the two get to know each other and establish a routine, Daikichi must figure out how to balance his life, work and childcare in this charming film about parenthood.

Japanese with subtitles 115 min

Gandu (local slang for “asshole”) is a lovable loser who hates his life in modern-day Kolkata. When he isn’t stealing money from his mother to finance a fledgling rap career and lottery ticket obsession, Gandu spends his days with a Bruce Lee-obsessed rickshaw driver named Rickshaw. As their friendship develops, the two descend into a world of sex, drugs, and rap musical sequences. Audacious in both form and content, Gandu introduces audiences to a raucous and in your face side of Indian film they definitely won’t see from Bollywood. Mature audiences only.

Bengali with subtitles 85 min

Legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Johnny To (Triad Election) returns to the world of comedy with this achingly sweet tale. Charming Zixin finds herself in a love triangle with two men that are as handsome as they are different. To tells a heartfelt whimsical tale where neither time nor space can hold back love’s grand gestures, while revealing an amusing touch that might not be familiar to the fans of his action-packed films.

Cantonese, Mandarin with subtitles 115 min

An unconventional coming-of-age tale wrapped in a tender love story, this debut feature presents a portrait of compassionate devotion and an unflinching look at aging. When Hannes retires at age 67, it seems that life "well, meaningful life" has come to an end. Estranged from family and friends, Hannes' most intimate relationship is with his boat, until a series of drastic events causes him to take stock of his life.

Icelandic with subtitles 99 min

Voice-over and radio legend Ken Nordine has recorded hundreds of radio and TV spots and movie trailers over the past seven decades and has been the voice of our Festival for 46 years. His 1957 album Word Jazz virtually created a new art form that combined the free flow of improvisational jazz with poetry. Ken is currently developing a series of multimedia projects called Image Jazz that will combine words with computer-generated images. This event offers a rare and unique opportunity to hear Ken talk in person about his long and innovative career and to experience some of his best work, followed by a Q&A.

100 min

Can you ever really go home again? In Chicago-born Prashant Bhargava’s visually stunning feature debut, a successful Delhi businessman returns to his familial home, urban-bred daughter in tow, for a surprise visit during India’s largest kite festival. The excitement of their homecoming soon fades as long-held resentments and distrust surface.

Hindi with subtitles 93 min

A beautifully cinematic, character-driven documentary, The Bully Project follows five kids and families over the course of a school year. Stories include two families who have lost children to suicide and a mother awaiting the fate of her 14-year-old daughter who has been incarcerated after bringing a gun on her school bus. With an intimate glimpse into homes, classrooms, cafeterias and principals’ offices, the film offers insight into the often cruel world of the lives of bullied children.

90 min

In a tour-de-force performance, Tilda Swinton plays reluctant mother Eva grappling with her fraught relationship with troubled son Kevin (Ezra Miller). Based on Lionel Shriver’s eponymous novel and featuring a shining performance by Chicago’s very own John C. Reilly as Eva’s husband, Lynne Ramsay’s masterful psychological thriller presents a provocative tale, which crescendos to a chilling, unforgettable climax.

112 min

In a nod to Sergio Leone, Turkish master Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s unconventional crime drama unfolds into an immersive experience. What seems to begin as a typical police procedural quickly spirals into anything but when a confessed murderer is saddled into leading the cops to the buried body. Dead-ends, subtle clues, and red-herrings all coalesce into an intense study on the nature of truth and our ability to grasp the reality of any given moment.

Turkish with subtitles 150 min

Not everyone is pleased when wild Bill Hayward rolls into town after serving eight years in jail on drug charges. His two sons, Dean and Jimmy, have been living alone ever since their mother abandoned them, and his old cohorts want Bill back in the “saddle” again. Bill and his sons begin to bond, but trouble strikes when Jimmy gets mixed up with his father’s old crew, causing Bill to realize that the town ain’t big enough for the both of them in this contemporary Western influenced gangster vehicle set in London’s East End.

96 min

Saddled with a guilt no teenager should have to bear, 17-year-old brooding Simon feels starkly out of place on his parents’ struggling dairy farm. Life on the farm is demanding, but no matter how hard Simon tries, he cannot live up to his father’s expectations.  Resentments simmer, so when a tragic accident hits close to home, the question of blame haunts the family and possibilities for forgiveness seem ever remote, in this captivating family drama.

French with subtitles 111 min

Literature has the power to change the world, or so university students Bernward Vesper and Gudrun Ensslin believe. Gudrun soon discovers that words are not enough and, seduced by one of Andreas Baader’s more direct and violent approaches to change, joins forces with him as co-founder of the Red Faction Army. This stirring political drama takes audiences back to a tumultuous time in history when ideologies clashed, love was made, bombs were exploded and bullets fired.

German with subtitles 124 min

It’s one thing to talk, or even sing, about revolution. It’s another to take one up. Ray and Ramona are not blind to the corruption and injustice that engulf the less fortunate in their country. Ramona finds an outlet in her music, but Ray struggles to find a cause

Spanish with subtitles 85 min

Based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft, The Whisperer in Darkness is an eerily deft recreation of classic 1930’s studio horror fare. Professor Albert Wilmarth, a smug skeptic, is forced to question his views by a series of increasingly bizarre encounters with the supernatural. Genuinely terrifying and highly entertaining, Whisperer is a fitting homage for Lovecraft aficionados and, for newcomers, a perfect introduction to one of the great horror masterminds of the 20th century.

103 min