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59th Chicago International Film Festival banner

New Directors Competition

Screening for the first time in the U.S., these dynamic films from emerging talents showcase exciting new voices in international cinema.


In-Person
A man and woman lay in the grass, gazing at each other.

Banel & Adama

Ramata-Toulaye Sy  |   Senegal, France, Mali
Pulaar  
Drama, Romance, Women Centered

Rebellious young lovers challenge tradition in this mesmerizing and emotionally charged romantic drama tinged with magical realism

In-Person
The black and white image of a woman leaning against a wall, the city street with a vintage car can be seen beyond.

The Battle A Batalha da Rua Maria Antônia

Vera Egito  |   Brazil
Portuguese  
Drama, Historical, LGBTQ, Political

On a pivotal night during Brazil’s dictatorship, a leftist student movement braces for violent conflict in this moody, stylized nod to history.

In-Person
A man and woman sit beside eachother in front of a fireplace. The man looks pleased and relaxed, the woman is upset.

The Bride

Myriam U. Birara  |   Rwanda
Kinyarwanda  
Drama, LGBTQ, Social Commentary, Women Centered

Kidnapped and forced into marriage, Eva forms a tender friendship with her new husband’s cousin as together they face the ghosts of Rwanda’s past.

In-Person
Three children sit in the backseat of a car, their parents in the front seat in the foreground.

The Burdened

Amr Gamal  |   Yemen, Sudan, Saudi Arabia
Arabic  
Drama, Family Affairs, Social Commentary

Beleaguered parents Isra’a and Ahmed are forced to make a difficult decision when they receive some unsettling news: Isra’a is pregnant again.

In-Person
A girl in a pink button-up, soaking wet, looks off camera. Behind her a pond surrounded by lush trees

Family Portrait

Lucy Kerr  |   United States
English  
Drama, Family Affairs, Women Centered

Spring 2020. A Texas family reunion morphs into a hectic mess when a family matriarch goes missing in this potent distillation of early pandemic paranoia.

In-Person
Two men wearing matching yellow polos lean against a fence topped with barbed wire, one smokes a cigarettes.

firedream lumbrensueño

José Pablo Escamilla  |   Mexico
Spanish  
Coming of Age, Drama, Family Affairs

In an industrial city, aimless teenager Lucas searches for meaning and connection. A friend’s sudden departure will send him on a poetic odyssey.

In-Person
Two women relax by a body of water in reclined chairs, shaded by a tree.

Foremost by Night Sobre todo de noche

Víctor Iriarte  |   Spain, Portugal, France
Spanish  
Crime, Drama, Noir, Women Centered

Two mothers and a son, separated across space and time, come together and put a clever plot into motion in this unique contemporary noir.

In-Person
A woman in a silk pink robe watches a young Sudanese woman with a smile.

Goodbye Julia

Mohamed Kordofani  |   Sudan
Arabic  
Drama, Political, Women Centered

Two women from different class and racial backgrounds form a dangerous bond against the tumultuous backdrop of South Sudan’s impending secession.

In-Person
A couple sits side-by-side on a blue couch.

The Hypnosis Hypnosen

Ernst de Geer  |   Sweden, Norway, France
English, Norwegian, Swedish  
Comedy, Social Commentary, Women Centered

On the eve of a big presentation, Vera tries hypnotherapy to quit smoking in this ironic, uproarious satire of entrepreneurial culture.

In-Person
A young boy, wearing smeared red lipstick, lays back in bed holding back tears. A older woman lay next to him, comforting.

Lost Country

Vladimir Perišić  |   Serbia, France, Luxemburg, Croatia
Serbian  
Coming of Age, Drama, Historical, Political

Serbia, 1996. When an election is stolen, 15-year-old Stefan is forced to confront his mother, a television spokesperson for the corrupt Milosevic regime.

In-Person
Three teenage girls, dressed brightly, sit together in front of a metal fence.

Sisterhood HLM Pussy

Nora El Hourch  |   France, Morocco
French  
Coming of Age, Drama, Social Commentary

The bond between three teenage girls is tested when a viral video denouncing a sexual assault exposes the divides between them.

In-Person
A red-headed child and an old man with a beard stare each other down over a chessboard set out on a kitchen table.

Solitude Tilverur

Ninna Pálmadóttir  |   Iceland, Slovakia
Icelandic  
Coming of Age, Drama, Social Commentary

As gentle and idiosyncratic as its characters, Solitude is a transformative tale of friendship between a latchkey kid and fish-out-of-water farmer.

In-Person
A very disheveled pregnant woman sits on a rock by a waterfall, looking at the shirtless man lounging next to her.

Sweet Dreams

Ena Sendijarević  |   The Netherlands, Sweden, Indonesia
Dutch, Indonesian  
Drama, Historical, Social Commentary, Women Centered

A Dutch plantation owner’s death sparks a rancorous clash over his estate in this surreal satire of the end of Indonesia’s colonial era.

In-Person
A woman with short hair works at a desk, behind her the sky is painted orange from the setting sun.

Through the Night Quitter la nuit

Delphine Girard  |   Belgium, Canada, France
French  
Crime, Drama, Social Commentary, Women Centered

Late one night, a woman in danger calls the police. Anna fields the call. A man is arrested. Weeks go by and tensions build. What really happened?

New Directors Competition Sponsor

Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation