“-Ship: A Visual Poem” [Short Film]
A young boy wrestles with his sense of self on the day of his cousin’s funeral.
40 Years a Prisoner
A bracing examination of the U.S.’s longstanding racially and politically biased justice system, this powerful documentary bears witness to the lifelong efforts of Michael Africa, Jr. to secure the freedom of his parents, members of 1970s Black Liberation group MOVE, who were incarcerated for four decades.
Ammonite
And Tomorrow the Entire World Und morgen die ganze Welt
After idealistic law student Luisa is convinced by her best friend to move into an Antifa commune in Berlin, she falls under the sway of charismatic radical Alfa and is soon surprised by the changing nature of her own convictions. This urgent drama details the many faces of activism and dissects the nature of justice in the face of extremism.
Any Crybabies Around? Naku Ko wa Ineega
In this sensitive, assured drama, rising star Taiga Nakano plays young parent Tasuku, who flees to Tokyo in shame after being caught drunk and naked on national TV during a local festival. After years of rock-bottom city living, he returns home, ready to embrace adulthood. But will the town and his family have him back?
Apples Mila
As an amnesia-inducing pandemic rages across the globe, solitary Aris finds himself in a rehabilitation program for the afflicted. His treatment: performing tasks mimicking life’s milestones and capturing these new memories on Polaroid. Through images deadpan, strange, and surreal, the film posits a beguiling reflection on memory, identity, and loss.
Bad Hair
Becoming Mona Kom hier dat ik u kus
“Bella” [Short Film]
A striking and emotional blend of fiction and documentary that chronicles a woman and world in flux at the end of the Cold War.
Belushi
By age 30, John Belusihi conquered Hollywood as one of the founding cast members of Saturday Night Live and the star of The Blues Brothers. But as his fame grew, so did his struggles with substance abuse, leading to an untimely demise that shocked fans around the world. Through previously unheard audiotapes featuring the voices of collaborators, friends, and family, this fitting tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent captures the complicated essence of an American icon.
“Blocks” [Short Film]
An existential comedy about the mother of two young children who begins to spontaneously vomit toy blocks.
“Buzzkill” [Short Film]
Buzzkill follows an adolescent girl as she desperately tries to fit in with a group of South Florida teenagers.
Careless Crime Jenayat-e bi deghat
Charlatan
In this richly drawn portrait of real-life Czech faith healer Jan Mikolášek, who cured hundreds with natural remedies only to later be prosecuted for charlatanism, master filmmaker Agnieszka Holland shines a light on a singular, extraordinary figure and reveals the complexity of—and human susceptibility to—the political machinations of one’s times.
“The Chimney Swift” [Short Film] Der Schornsteinsegler
A British chimney sweeper describes his exploitive everyday routine forcing children to become workers in this beautifully hand-drawn animation.
City So Real
This epic docuseries from Hoop Dreams director Steve James captures Chicago at a crossroads, still reeling from the shooting of Laquan McDonald and in the midst of the contentious 2019 mayoral election. From protests to penthouses, James chronicles the divisions that separate and the issues that unite our city.
The Columnist De Kuthoer
The Comeback Revansch
“Comrades” [Short Film] Sau Zuk
Shot on the streets of Hong Kong during the 2019 Extradition Bill protests, Comrades is a moving portrait of uprising and solidarity.
The Dark and the Wicked
After adult siblings Louise and Michael return to their family farm to say goodbye to their dying father and comfort their distressed mother, they’re overwhelmed by an unstoppable evil that threatens to consume them all. The Dark and the Wicked taps into deep anxieties about our responsibilities to our loved ones—even as it plunges us ever further into a harrowing waking nightmare.
“David” [Short Film]
In dire straits and thinking of ending it all, David turns to his therapist, played by Will Ferrell, for help.
David Byrne’s American Utopia
Days Rizi
Dear Comrades! Dorogie Tovarischi!
In 1962, when a strike at a local factory catches ardent Communist Party official Lyudmila and her colleagues off guard, Moscow steps in. Left searching for her missing daughter, who joined the strike, Lyudmilla’s eyes are opened to the human toll of state-sanctioned violence. Filmed in arresting black and white, this historic tale bristles with immediacy.
“The Doe” [Short Film] La Biche
After an accident in the French countryside, a woman feverishly escapes to the woods in order to survive. She becomes The Doe.
“The End of Suffering (a proposal)” [Short Film]
Sofia’s anxiety attack becomes an intergalactic dialogue with the universe.
“The Ephemeral Orphanage” [Short Film]
A group of tattered paper dolls daydream alternate realities and explore the hidden lives of their caregivers.
“Ethereality” [Short Film]
A blend of fiction and documentary creates a moving reflection about migration, home, and belonging.
“The Fabric of You” [Short Film]
Michael, a gay mouse in his twenties, sees an old jacket and begins to sorrowfully reminisce.
Farewell Amor
After 17 years apart, Walter’s wife Esther and daughter Sylvia arrive in New York from Angola; time apart has rendered them virtual strangers, and the three must find a way to reconnect. This beautifully conceived film captures the immigrant experience with complexity and nuance.
Finding Yingying
In 2017, Chinese student Yingying Zhang went missing just weeks after arriving at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Filmmaker Jiayan “Jenny” Shi investigates the mystery surrounding Yingying’s disappearance and its devastating impact on her family and her community.
Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds
The legendary German filmmaker and his volcanologist collaborator take viewers on a globe-trotting journey to discover the deep impact that meteorites—from the tiniest micrometeoroids to massive shooting stars—have had on our planet, both physical and psychic.
“Flick” [Short Film]
A reclusive college student is driven insane after picking a booger he can’t get rid of.
For Madmen Only
Through inspired re-enactments, archival clips, and interviews with famous fans, this poignant look at the life of improv impresario Del Close tracks the comedy trailblazer from “human torch” sideshow act to his influential rise at The Second City, where he mentored such greats as Bill Murray, John Candy, and Tina Fey.
Gaza Mon Amour
“Gramercy” [Short Film]
A young New Jersey native returns to his hometown, where his ongoing battle with depression becomes a poetic exploration of brotherhood and personal struggle.
“Heaven Reaches Down to Earth” [Short Film] Legodimo Le Kopana Le Lefatshe
Tau and Tumelo journey across the South African landscape. When Tau comes to a realization about their sexuality, it sets in motion a cascade of thoughts and emotions.
“Homeless Home” [Short Film]
Expressive, detailed animation depicts characters adrift and alone in a dark fantasy world.
“How to Disappear” [Short Film]
An essayistic contemplation of the act of desertion within the world of a videogame.
“Huntsville Station” [Short Film]
An obesrvation on the comings and goings of a Greyhound station near Huntsville State Penitentiary—the first stop for inmates released on parole.
I Am Greta
An intimate and candid portrait of a savvy, indefatigable teen, this captivating documentary tracks climate activist Greta Thunberg for 13 momentous months from her initial school strike for climate justice outside the Swedish Parliament to her astonishing wind-powered voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to speak at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York. A Hulu Original Documentary.
I’m Your Woman
Kubrick by Kubrick Kubrick par Kubrick
A trove of never-before-heard audio recordings forms the spine of this cinematic essay on the methods and madness of master director Stanley Kubrick (A Clockwork Orange, The Shining), teasing out some of the notoriously reclusive filmmaker’s inspirations—from Jungian philosophy to anti-authoritarian politics—while celebrating the mysteries inherent in his work.
“The Last Day of Autumn” [Short Film] Le dernier jour d'automne
All of the animals of the forest gathering together for a great bicycle race as winter slowly approaches.
“Laura Hasn’t Slept” [Short Film]
An insomniac solicits the help of her therapist in a desperate attempt to escape her nightmares.
“Listening In” [Short Film] HaMa'azin
A solider surveilling a gay Palestinian couple begins to question everything.
Little Girl Petite Fille
In this beautifully crafted gem of a film about the joys and pain of living your truth, seven-year-old Sasha works to realize her lifelong dream of being accepted as a girl by her peers, by her parents and by her extended family.
“Look Then Below” [Short Film]
Look Then Below conjures futuristic beings and smoke-filled landscapes as it documents fantastic new worlds beyond the realms of time and space.
Mama Gloria
Meet Mama Gloria. Chicago’s Black transgender icon Gloria Allen emerged from the South Side’s drag ball culture in the 1960s to trailblaze a path for transgender youth to follow. With positivity and polish, she overcame prejudice and traumatic violence to become a proud leader in her community.
“Melting Heart Cake” [Short Film] Cœur Fondant
Excited to share a sweet treat with a friend, Anna must first pass through a spooky forest supposedly haunted by a bearded giant.
Memory House Casa de Antiguidades
MLK/FBI
“A Mystery to Me” [Short Film]
An inspiring portrait of a woman named Vanetta and her determined battle against a rare neuromuscular disease.
New Order Nuevo orden
Night of the Kings La nuit des rois
“Nightingale” [Short Film]
Pondering a hospital’s eerie hallways, a nurse makes her rounds on the night shift.
Nomadland
Notturno
“O Black Hole!” [Short Film]
A wild blend of animation styles and techniques depict a young woman afraid of losing everything in this cosmic ode.
Of Fish and Men Von Fischen und Menschen
In this taut thriller set in the idyllic Swiss countryside, a single mom is raising her young daughter and running the family fish farm with the help of a farmhand-turned-friend. When his brother unexpectedly appears in search of debts owed, the specter of impending disaster looms large.
One Night in Miami
Adapted from the award-winning play of the same name, One Night in Miami is a fictional account of the incredible night in 1964 when underdog Cassius Clay, soon to be called Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), defeats heavyweight champion Sonny Liston at the Miami Convention Hall—Clay memorialized the event with three of his friends: Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge).
“One Stormy Night” [Short Film] Eine Stuermische Nacht
Padrenostro
1976 Rome. After 10-year-old Valerio witnesses the attempted assassination of his father, he and his famility are overwhelmed by fear and anxiety. When Christian, a slightly older and bolder rebellious boy appears seemingly out of nowhere and befriends Valerio, his outlook starts to shift. Loosely based on his own childhood experience, director Claudio Noce deploys magical realist elements to both wondrous and nightmarish effect.
“Pegasus” [Short Film]
A brutal interaction with the Chicago police finds a young black father searching for freedom beyond the limits of the atmosphere.
“Pilar” [Short Film]
A stunning hand-painted animation about a woman fascinated with the wilderness beyond the walls of her post-apocalyptic village.
“Play Schengen” [Short Film]
The story of a gaming company’s hilariously fraught effort to educate children about the European Union.
Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time Felkészülés meghatározatlan ideig tartó együttlétre
After building a successful career in the U.S., gifted neurosurgeon Márta impulsively returns home to Hungary in pursuit of the man of her dreams, but when she tracks him down in Budapest, he claims they’ve never met. Is he spinning an elaborate deception or has her obsession trapped her in a world of illusions?
“The Price of Cheap Rent” [Short Film]
An aspiring artist discusses the challenges of finding affordable housing in a new city and the compromises she has to make with her spooky new roommates.
The Prophet and the Space Aliens
Founded in the 1970s by Frenchman Claude Vorilhon, the International Raëlian Movement is a quasi-religious cult built on the idea that aliens created the human race. In this funny and fascinating documentary, director Yoav Shamir (Checkpoint) chronicles the order’s colorful way of life, examining the complexities of belief and devotion in ways both unexpected and enlightening.
“Radia” [Short Film]
Radia is a shepherd and farmer whose childhood and circumstances prevented her from access to education. The film is an urgent observation about prescriptive fate, agency, and determination.
The Reason I Jump
“Regret” [Short Film]
A man in the throes of regret must survive the night when the physical manifestation of his inner demons begins to stalk him.
“The Reversal” [Short Film]
The Reversal arranges and animates thousands of stunning glass-plate photographs to ponder the reversal and transformation of the Chicago River.
The Road Up
From the award-winning team behind the Chicago International Film Festival hit documentary Louder than a Bomb comes this inspiring and emotional film following Jesse Teverbaugh, a charismatic leader at the job-training program Cara, as he mentors four Chicagoans during their precarious journey from homelessness, addiction, and incarceration to stable employment.
“Sacred Brick Technology” [Short Film]
An incisive contemplation over the history and legacy of brickwork in Chicago.
Schoolgirls Las Niñas
Shorts 1: What We’re Made Of (City and State)
These innovative shorts showcase the very best in Chicago and Illinois filmmaking across a wide variety of genres and forms. Featuring works by Andre Muir and Danielle Alston, Jennifer Boles, Hannah Welever, Orlando Leroi, Lisa Barcy, Ian Bertorelli, Alex Heller, and Ben Strang.
Shorts 2: Disconnect the Dots (Animation)
Surreal visions, distant memories, and fantastic underworlds teem with life in this program of animated films from around the world. A wide variety of styles gives voice to the depth and wonder of memory, character and landscape. Featuring works by Yngwie Boley, J.J. Epping, Diana van Houten, Frédéric Schuld, Alberto Vázquez, Josephine Lohoar Self, Weija Ma, Alexandra Ramires, and Renee Zhan.
Shorts 3: A Creeping Chill (After Dark)
From bodily fluids to walking nightmares, grave peril abounds in this program of audacious late-night fare. Triumphs of mood and tone, these films give voice to persistent feelings of dread and unease. Featuring works by Santiago Menghini, Ariel Zengotita, Jennifer Lumbroso, Parker Finn, Jasper De Bruin, and Ariane Boukerche.
Shorts 4: The World As We Know It (Documentary)
Personal, political, philosophical, and emotional, this collection of films showcases the very best in documentary form—from essayistic meditations to vérité assemblages and deeply-felt human portraits. Featuring works by Kanas Liu, Jamie Meltzer and Chris Filippone, Katarzyna Warzecha, Carmine Grimaldi, Erica Beebe, and Robin Klengel, Leonhard Müllner and Michael Stumpf.
Shorts 5: The Life of the Mind (Drama)
Deeply-felt characters and stirring performances are featured in this program of films that reckon with humanity, history, and time. An eclectic mix of styles and subjects is united by their expertly-rendered observations about lives past and present. Featuring works by Baran Sarmad, Omer Sterenberg, Kathy Esquenazi Mitrani, Phạm Ngọc Lân, Nawaf Al Janahi, and Thelyia Petraki.
Shorts 6: It Hurts to Laugh (Comedy)
Pitch-black comedies, absurd deadpan oddities, and farcical send-ups are featured in this program of films that revel in the hilarity of life’s stresses and contradictions. Featuring works by Bridget Moloney, Gunhild Enger, Georgi M. Unkovski, Zach Woods, Kerli Kirch Schneider, Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson.
Shorts 7: Evidence of Things Unseen (Black Perspectives)
This program showcases the talents of Black filmmakers from across the diaspora, painting a sweeping image of Black life in the United States and abroad. A collection of varied genres and styles, these films are reflective, observant, and sometimes hilarious. Featuring works by Terrance Day, Nico Opper and Shannon St. Aubin, Kantarama Gahigiri, Amina Sutton, Maya Tanaka, Tebogo Malebogo, and Pat Heywood and Jamil McGinnis.
Shorts 8: Realms Unknown (Experimental)
This collection of aesthetically bold works envisions new worlds both personal and cosmic. Masterfully crafted and elegantly composed, these experiments in science fiction embark on an odyssey toward the outer reaches of human experience and cinema. Featuring works by Jacqueline Lentzou, Dorian Jespers, and Ben Rivers.
Shorts 9: Daydreams (Family-Friendly Animation)
Outrageous animals, sentimental memories, and mysterious creatures are featured in this program of animated films. From stop-motion wonders to handdrawn oddities, this collection is hilarious, sentimental, and sweet. Featuring works by Taylor Meacham, Benoit Chieux, Gil Alkabetz, Helena Hilario and Mario Pece, Atsushi Wada, Cristina Vilches Estella and Paloma Canonica, Marjolaine Perreten, and Aline Höchli.
Shorts: Best of the Fest
Otherworldly. Transcendent. Heartwarming. Insightful. Powerful. These six Hugo Award-winning short films have been selected by our juries as the best of the 56th Chicago International Film Festival.
Sleep Schlaf
After a woman’s recurring nightmares send her on a search for answers, both she and her daughter find themselves drawn to a hotel where they become trapped in a web of unsettling visions as dreams and reality collide. A horror-tinged thriller that channels Grimms’ Fairy Tales by way of David Lynch.
“Somewhere in Time” [Short Film] مكان في الزمن
An abandoned old man is adrift in his apartment as he battles death with a beautiful memory.
“Souvenir” [Short Film]
Souvenir uses beautiful stop-motion animation to tell the story of a father, daughter, and an extraordinary journey through their memories.
The Special Especial
In this deftly told and uplifting debut, a profoundly charming young man must navigate the challenges of early adulthood with Down Syndrome as he seeks to build a life of independence from his troubled father. Long separated by an ocean of silence and shame, will the two men be able to assemble a common future?
“Spotted Yellow” [Short Film] Zarde khaldar
A young girl with a yellow spot on her face begins to understand what it means to be a giraffe.
Spring Blossom 16 Printemps
Writer-director Suzanne Lindon delivers an astonishingly assured turn as a restless Parisian teen bored by her peers and confronting her burgeoning sexuality. She embarks on a love affair with an actor 20 years her senior—only to wonder if the more innocent pleasures of youth are passing her by.
“Step Into the River” [Short Film] He An
A sumptuously-drawn fable about the consequences of China’s one-child policy.
“Sticker” [Short Film]
After an unsuccessful attempt to renew his car registration, Dejan falls into a bureaucratic trap that tests his determination.
Striding into the Wind Ye Ma Fen Zong
Fed up with his final year at film school, skilled sound recordist Kun takes up with a student production and embarks on a journey of self-discovery across China’s lush, varied landscape. Featuring winning performances and directed with a wry emotional clarity, Striding into the Wind is a keenly-observed meditation on movies, modern China, and the meandering restlessness of youth.
“Stump the Guesser” [Short Film]
A vaudevillian showman embarks on an absurd quest to disprove the theory of heredity.
Summer of ’85 Été 85
After capsizing in a storm, teenage Alexis is rescued by the charismatic David, then seduced by his irresistible charm. But what begins as a carefree romance for Alex becomes something more sinister as demons from David’s past emerge. Inimitable French filmmaker François Ozon’s mesmerizing tale slowly builds and then races toward an inexorable conclusion.
“Sun Dog” [Short Film]
Sun Dog follows the wanderings of a young locksmith living in a frozen city in the Russian Arctic. His surreal dreams corrode his relationship to reality and create a phantasmagoric universe.
Sweat
Loneliness and insecurity in the digital age are on full display in this candy-colored chronicle of three days in the life of social media celebrity Sylwia Zajac, a fitness instructor who documents her every move for her 600,000 followers. Will the sudden appearance of a stalker prompt Sylwia to reconsider her life lived fully online?
“Swipe Up, Vivian!” [Short Film]
A futuristic dating app becomes a lifeline for an agoraphobic woman.
Sylvie’s Love
There Is No Evil Sheytan vojud nadarad
“They Salivate” [Short Film] Ils salivent
A couple’s kiss becomes an unforgettable, hypnotic study of human relationships.
Things We Dare Not Do Cosas que no hacemos
In the small town of El Roblito, 16-year-old Ñoño has a secret that runs counter to the local culture defined by machismo; he loves to dress in women’s clothes. This gorgeously photographed snapshot of rural Mexico tells the exquisite story of an individual who bravely defies the gender norms of their society.
“Tie” [Short Film] Elo
Two characters search for missing pieces of themselves in a gloomy, surreal landscape.
The Ties
‘Til Kingdom Come
This riveting exposé investigates the unlikely connection between Jews and evangelical Christians in the U.S. and Israel, uncovering a shocking alliance rooted in apocalyptic prophecy and driven in unprecedented ways by Donald Trump’s White House.
“To: Gerard” [Short Film]
A heartfelt story about the art of illusion and the magic of inspiring someone to follow their dreams.
Transoceánicas
True Mothers Asa ga Kuru
Twilight’s Kiss Suk Suk
After a taxi driver and a retired single father meet, their budding, if hesitant, friendship unleashes a torrent of feelings that they’ve taken great pains to repress. As each casts back over his personal history, the promise of a loving future together takes hold.
“Umbrella” [Short Film]
Inspired by true events, Umbrella tells the story of Joseph, a boy whose only dream is to have a yellow umbrella.
Under the Open Sky Subarashiki Sekai
Hirokazu Kore-eda protégée Miwa Nishikawa (Dear Doctor) returns to the Festival with her compassionate yet pointed chronicle of an ex-con’s rough re-entry into society. Koji Yakusho (13 Assassins, Shall We Dance?) delivers a nuanced lead performance as former Yakuza Mikami, who struggles to secure both employment and a new sense of self after years of incarceration.
Undine
When the man she loves leaves her, Berlin city historian Undine (Paula Beer, Transit, Frantz) is confronted by the myth of the water nymph whose name she bears—is she truly fated to take the life of the one who betrayed her or can she reclaim her own destiny?
“The Unseen River” [Short Film] Giòng Sông Không Nhìn Thay
An old woman visits an ex-lover while a sleepless young boy seeks the advice of a monk — a dreamy document of the rhythms of the Mekong.
“Virago” [Short Film]
The people of the village Virago brace themselves for an unusually perilous 40th birthday celebration.
“We Have One Heart” [Short Film]
Sifting through old letters between his parents, Adam uncovers an extraordinary family secret.
“When I Write It” [Short Film]
A warm-hearted portrait of teenage summer days, When I Write It follows two young Oakland artists as they come to grips with the change all around them.
“When Two or Three” [Short Film]
Profiling a pastor, his wife, and a dwindling congregation, When Two or Three is a picture of faith and the search for God in small-town Arizona.
“Why Slugs Have No Legs” [Short Film]
Slugs are having a hard time keeping up with the pace of the city insects. When the stock market hits rock bottom, the bees see only one solution.