Festival Archives: Chicago Intl Film Festival

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An animated man, with chainsaws for his arms and his face, stands with his arms spread. Blood and debris fall around him.

Chainsaw Man—The Movie: Reze Arc Gekijô-ban chensô man reze-hen

  Tatsuya Yoshihara

  Japan     105 minutes

Synopsis

For the first time, Chainsaw Man slashes his way onto the big screen in an epic, action-fueled adventure that continues the hugely popular anime series. Denji worked as a Devil Hunter for the yakuza, trying to pay off the debt he inherited from his parents, until the yakuza betrayed him and had him killed. As he was losing consciousness, Denji’s beloved chainsaw-powered devil-dog, Pochita, made a deal with Denji and saved his life. This fused the two together, creating the unstoppable Chainsaw Man. Now, in a brutal war between devils, hunters, and secret enemies, a mysterious girl named Reze has stepped into his world, and Denji faces his deadliest battle yet, fueled by love in a world where survival knows no rules.

  

 Japanese with subtitles

Content Considerations

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Media

Film Credits

Sponsors

Co-presented by

Logo: Music Box Theatre 160x125

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In a bright and spacious building, a man embraces another man. The man getting held is crying.

Child of Dust Dziecko z pyłu

  Weronika Mliczewska

  Poland, Vietnam, Sweden, Czech Republic     92 minutes

Synopsis

This heartfelt and intimate documentary follows the extraordinary, emotional journey of Sang, a 55-year-old Vietnamese man who always dreamed of meeting his father, an American soldier. Among the thousands of “Amerasian” children born during the Vietnam War derogatorily known as “children of dust,” Sang has wrestled with his divided identity for the entirety of his life. But when he takes part in a genetic program to identify his birth father, he finally gets a chance to be reunited with his long-lost parent in hopes of becoming whole.

Sensitive and deeply moving, Child of Dust follows Sang as he confronts his troubles at home and his long-held personal wounds before venturing to the United States to meet a family he’s never known. Attuned to the complexities of both Sang and his American relations, the film charts their complicated reunion and the surprising paths they take upon encountering one another. It’s a profoundly humanist portrait of the painful legacy of the Vietnam War, five decades on.

 Vietnamese, English with subtitles

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Media

Film Credits

  •   Weronika Mliczewska, Bao Nguyen, Chi-Minh De Leo, Michal Sikora, Andrzej Łucjanek, Antonio Russo Merenda
  •   Weronika Mliczewska
  •   Marcin Sucharski PSM, Mateusz Romaszkan
  •   Mikael Lypinski
  •   Sang Ngo Tranh, Nelson Torres
  •   Joaquin Garcia
  •   Ya Man Studio SP, Fixa Film, Clubhouse Films, Ginestra Film, Lonely Production
  •   https://www.yamanstudio.com/services

Sponsors

Program Partner

Logo: WTTW (2019)

Program Patron

Cynthia Stone Raskin

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A young man stands in a yellowing field, with an umbrella-like statue in the background.

Christy

  Brendan Canty

  Ireland, U.K.     94 minutes

Synopsis

Kicked out of his last foster home, sullen and misunderstood 17-year-old Christy moves in with his older brother’s family in a working-class neighborhood in Cork. While the brothers struggle to reconnect after years of separation in the shadow of their shared traumatic pasts, Christy begins to find a sense of belonging among the rest of the community, allowing a softer side of himself to emerge. A meaningful life awaits him, if he can evade the darker forces threatening to undermine his future.

A vivid and complex study not only of its protagonist but also of the endearing and strong cast of characters of Cork’s North Side, Christy paints this tight-knit community with humor and tenderness. Rooted in impressive realism, this coming-of-age offers a hopeful portrait of a teen on the precarious threshold of adulthood.

 English with subtitles

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Film Credits

  •   Marina Brackenbury, Meredith Duff, Rory Gilmartin
  •   Alan O'Gorman
  •   Allyn Quigley
  •   Colm Hogan
  •   Danny Power, Diarmuid Noyes, Emma Willis, Cara Cullen, Helen Behan, Lewis Brophy, Chris Walley, Alison Oliver, Jamie Forde, Darren Stewart, Ian Tabone, Sophie McNamara, Rúaidhrí Conroy
  •   Daithí O'Dronai
  •   Yann Demange, Claudia Yusef, Niamh Fagan
  •   Wayward Films, Sleeper Films

Sponsors

Program Patron

Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation

With support from

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Two teenagers with glitter on their faces sit in the backseat of a car, purple light flooding them. One of them rests on the other's shoulder.

The Condor Daughter La Hija Cóndor

  Álvaro Olmos Torrico

  Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay     109 minutes

Synopsis

High in a remote community in the Bolivian Andes, a tender Quechua song ushers a new life into the world. Young Clara has learned these songs, and the sacred ways of midwifery, from her adoptive mother Ana, with whom she cares for the pregnant women of the surrounding villages. Despite her sense of duty to her people and respect for their midwifing tradition, Clara is a smart and curious girl tempted by the outside influences creeping into the community. When she runs off to the city to become a singer, she leaves a dark void in her wake.

Álvaro Olmos Torrico’s mesmerizing tale of encroaching modernity in an Indigenous family is a film of stunning contrasts: the sweeping pastoral landscapes and lush warmth of the village against the decadent neon of Cochabamba nightlife; the windswept quiet against the cacophonous city streets; the sounds of Quechua and Spanish. Grounded by deeply affecting performances and a cinematic exploration of music and song, Clara’s poetic journey is one toward the self.

 Quechua, Spanish with subtitles

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Media

Film Credits

  •   Álvaro Olmos Torrico, Cecilia Sueiro Mosquera, Diego Sarmiento Pagán, Federico Moreira, Iris Sigalit Ocampo Gil
  •   Álvaro Olmos Torrico
  •   Álvaro Olmos Torrico, Irene Cajías
  •   Nicolás Wong Díaz
  •   María Magdalena Sanizo, Marisol Vallejos Montaño, Nely Huayta
  •   Cergio Prudencio, Marcelo Guerrero
  •   Iris Sigalit Ocampo Gil, Aniceto Arroyo
  •   Empatía Cinema, Ayara Producciones, La Mayor Cine

Sponsors

Program Patron

Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation

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A close up of a young girl sitting outside, her face hopeful as she looks to the right. The sky behind her is bright white.

Cotton Queen

  Suzannah Mirghani

  Germany, France, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan     93 minutes

Synopsis

In a close-knit Sudanese village known for harvesting the purist cotton by virginal hands, teenage Nafisa is dreaming of something beyond fertile fields. Her ambitions are amplified with the arrival of a wealthy young businessman returning to Sudan after years abroad. His introduction of a genetically modified seed promises to make the village completely dependent on his profit-driven vision of the future.

Through a blend of magical realism rooted in local spiritual customs set by village legend and elder Al-Sit, the film explores the complications inherent in the pursuit of progress as commerce and cultural sustainability vie for the hearts of the community. Nafisa’s strong will, open mind, and profoundly principled nature deepens and uplifts her to become the new hero her village needs yet might not be ready for.

 Arabic with subtitles

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Media

Film Credits

  •   Caroline Daube, Didar Domehri, Annemarie Jacir, Ossama Bawardi, Jessica Khoury, Mohamed Hefzy, Alaa Karkouti, Maher Diab
  •   Suzannah Mirghani
  •   Amparo Mejías, Simon Blasi, Frank Müller
  •   Frida Marzouk
  •   Mihad Murtada, Rabha Mohamed Mahmoud, Talaat Fareed, Haram Bisheer, Mohamed Musa, Hassan Kassala
  •   Amine Bouhafa
  •   Strange Bird, Maneki Films, Philistine Films, Film Clinic, Mad Solutions

Sponsors

Program Patron

Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation

With support from

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