Festival Film List

Receiving a disturbing prophecy regarding his elderly mother, Sakol piles the family into a van and sets out on a pilgrimage to reverse the bad karma.

Ava DuVernay investigates the 14th Amendment, exploring its many facets, from who gets to belong in America to the rights they’re entitled to.

This witty observational film follows two Turkish women who set out to start the first-ever ladies-only sharp-shooting competition in their village.

Man-eaters and monster women form the bloodthirsty backdrop of this moody genre program. Showcasing freaky folk phenomena, digital disturbances, provocative prosthetics, a slasher spoof, and more, these shorts pull a daring bait-and-switch, taking aim at one of the genre’s most enduring malefactors: Man.

When a developer offers to buy her family’s land in a village outside Cairo, pregnant Amal dreams of a very different kind of life in the big city.

Marie-Lou, the director of an elder care facility, is on the verge of burnout when a chance encounter sparks a deep, transcendent friendship.

Following her grandmother’s death in Paris, a young woman travels to Brazil where she encounters her exact double in this lyrical animated drama.

True crime junkie Ana cleans the homes of Chicago’s elite. When one of her clients’ wives suddenly disappears, Ana believes she’s uncovered a murder.

Envisioning the disturbing and delightful possibilities that exist beyond our fleshy forms, this program of animated shorts features different takes on death rendered in stop motion, colored pencil, and other formats. Using endings as a starting point, these shorts guide viewers toward the hopeful horizons that follow from painful transformations.

Gifted cellist Alex Serian (Pedro Pascal) returns home to Los Angeles after 20 years on the road to face a personal reckoning in this epic journey through time and music.

In 1977, disability rights activist Judy Heumann leads a historic 28-day occupation, uniting protesters in a fight for accessibility laws and equal rights.

When a legendary filmmaker (Javier Bardem) offers his estranged daughter a role in his latest film, tensions percolate and old wounds are reopened.

In this stunning, intimate portrait of defiance and forgiveness, a Rwandan genocide survivor’s convictions are tested by her daughter’s unexpected pregnancy.

The award-winning shorts of CineYouth 2026 showcase the exciting and reflective visions of eight young filmmakers from around the world. Shoe-stealing comedy, heartfelt documentary, thoughtful animation, and playful explorations of self comprise this wide-ranging program.

After deciding to end it all, Arash spends a final day with his family in this moving expression of life’s mysterious beauty and its ability to puncture despair.

The line between fiction and reality blurs as two filmmakers draw inspiration from the lives of those around them in Almodóvar’s latest metafiction on art and legacy.

From a contemporary, animated folktale to extraterrestrial activity with a religious bent, bold imaginations rule this program. Although these films differ in genre and approach, the throughline connecting them is the universal experience of grief, both the pain of losing loved ones and the eventual acceptance of the surprising paths life can take.

Comedians Bob Odenkirk and David Cross trek the Inca Trail in this hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt portrait of male friendship and mid-to-late-life crisis.

When an architect (Javier Bardem) is recruited to design a survivalist bunker for a tech billionaire, his wife (Penélope Cruz) begins to question their marriage.

This playful, crisp, and charming documentary captures the haute société of a French vineyard at a moment of generational change.

This intimate film explores the life of the visionary astronomer, author, and television star who transformed our understanding of the cosmos.

Izzy’s partner’s transition sparks her descent into TERF madness in the latest chapter of this unflinching shot-on-video magnum opus.

Stylish visual worlds collide when an erotic manga artist and a talented illustrator—both virgins—connect in this sensitive love letter to anime.

In 1990s NYC, a group of HIV-positive queer activists wage fierce guerrilla warfare on corrupt politicians in this sharp, militant comedy-drama.

In this raw and affecting portrait of resilience, a Gazan photographer captures the devastation while protecting his newborn son and older parents.

In this program featuring a selection of shorts from the 62nd Chicago International Film Festival’s City & State shorts program, anxieties, both real and imagined, take center stage in the face of unknown family lineage, romantic longings, career disappointments, and bloody satires. With a varied and profound lineup, this program highlights the immense talents of filmmakers based right here in Chicago.

Anxieties, both real and imagined, take center stage in the face of unknown family lineage, romantic longings, career disappointments, and bloody satires. With a funny, varied, and profound lineup, City & State once again showcases the immense talent based in Chicago and Illinois.

After Atlanta officials move to destroy an urban forest to make way for a massive police training facility—aka “Cop City”—the people fight back.

Adapting Mrs. Dalloway to modern Lagos, this evocative drama captures post-colonial class tensions, memory, and desire across a single momentous day.

Over 24 hours, an unlikely connection forms between a woman catfished by her penpal lover and the prisoner on parole who isn’t who he claimed to be.

A hard-partying New York City club promoter sees his whirlwind lifestyle upended by the arrival of the 10-year-old son he never knew he had.

Delight in the absurdities of the modern world through these hilarious and eccentric comedies—and take comfort in the fact that we all experience awkwardness, anxiety, and clumsy attempts to connect with one another. No matter the outcome, at least we’re trying!

In this elegiac, emotionally rich drama, empty-nesters Erika and Mauro must navigate relationships and desires anew, as they face an unfamiliar future.

A Congolese teen refugee in Bangui fights to protect his family and hold onto his musical dreams through rap amid growing civil precarity.

A New York nightlife photographer and his lover accept an invitation to a mysterious party upstate in this supernaturally charged erotic thriller.

Parallel timelines weave together a contemporary French wedding and an ancestral funeral in Guinea-Bissau for a West African diasporic family.

Jo, an angst-ridden 15-year-old, makes an instant connection with new student Phaedra in this inventive slice-of-life drama of cosmic proportions.

In this keenly observed drama, a filmmaker returns home to lead a workshop with a childhood friend, but the exercise illuminates the growing distance between them.

When an unassuming housewife (Julianne Moore) is unexpectedly cast in a small community theater production, she loses herself in the role under the spell of a strong-willed director (Paul Giamatti).

In this potent satire, a Romanian nanny working in France grows weary of her employer’s exploitation while rehearsing a play that echoes her plight.

A privileged bride’s reality starts to unravel as traditional pre-wedding beauty rituals begin to elicit strange visions and physical reactions.

Questions of personhood, loss, and global belonging propel these moving documentary portraits of people and the places they call home. Through formally distinct methods ranging from fly-on-the-wall observation to personal filmmaking and archival montage, these films all grapple with the same question: “Where am I in all of this?”

Navigate the intimate relationships, familial and beyond, that define our very sense of who we are with this poignant collection of shorts. The exceptional filmmakers whose work is featured here use humor, heart, and profound insight to convey the complex beauty of our most treasured connections—from spectral presences to weighty absences.

Searching for her missing friend Said in a Bulgarian border town, archeologist Veska unearths a secret criminal network in this engrossing, slow-burn epic.

A therapist and a music producer are drawn into an unlikely affair in this riveting psychological drama interrogating desire, addiction, and obsession.

This fascinating portrait traces the life of charismatic Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said, celebrated as a prophet and vilified as a terrorist.

A mesmerizing study of light, movement, and American infrastructure, this observational film contemplates a series of bridges across the United States.

A Kinnar matriarch is torn between duty and a secret love when one of the daughters from her community disappears under suspicious circumstances.

This deeply emotional true story follows Ian Charleson, an actor facing his own mortality, who delivers the most courageous performance of his lifetime.

Michelin-star chef Curtis Duffy launches a new world-class restaurant during a pandemic in the relentless pursuit of culinary perfection and a personal reckoning.

A pretentious television crew stumbles through an interview with composers Rosa and Tere in this hilarious, satirical chamber comedy.

A year after a tragic loss, three people united in grief search for healing during an island vacation where memory and reality blur.

Deep relationships and the vulnerability it takes to maintain them inform this vibrant, stunningly animated family program featuring a floating house, a capybara, and a boy who shines like the sun. Presented as a relaxed screening and recommended for cinema-enthusiasts ages 8 years and older.

A sound artist capturing recordings across Peru is pursued by the ghosts of her family’s legacy of exile in this journey through memory and identity

At the height of the Cold War, writer Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller) embark on a road trip across a divided Germany.

In this joyful, moving documentary, Chicago comedian Arlieta uses improv comedy techniques to care for her father as he battles Alzheimer’s.

Home from studying in Europe, Elsa returns to Costa Rica to find her family in disarray and feels compelled to help those who have no desire to be saved.

Concert pianist Lucy (Léa Seydoux) must protect her son after her husband is accused of an unspeakable crime in this thriller about trust and survival.

1936 Paris. Pioneering photojournalist Gerda Taro spends a final day before returning to the Spanish Civil War, as past and present intertwine.

In this tense drama, HR manager Carla is given an impossible directive: create a supportive, human-centered workplace while casting off the slough.

A filmmaker returns home to Iran to shoot a new project—one in which male actors are costumed in headscarves and skirts—in this razor-sharp comedy.

An aspiring music student attempts to save her town from an onslaught of vicious flying sharks in this riotous flick brimming with outrageous B-movie thrills.

The electrifying true story of how Sylvester Stallone bet everything on himself to play the lead role in Rocky against seemingly impossible odds.

In this bold, empathic drama, a couple is pushed to the brink when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine upends their lives, throwing their partnership into confusion.

A tight-knit working class friend group’s bond is tested when Rian returns home to Birmingham in this compassionate portrayal of blue-collar life.

These two powerful documentary shorts astutely chronicle the brutal tactics used by ICE forces, and the bravery and resourcefulness of local communities fighting against them.

An introspective German exchange student searches for meaning and kinship over a transformative year in newly post-9/11 New Mexico.

Filmed over 25 years, this profound study of female intimacy tracks two Argentine cousins as their days of adolescent wonder give way to sobering adulthood.

An explosive cinematic rollercoaster about a group of visionaries and misfits who completely transformed the world of tabloid news.

In this dreamy ink and watercolor animation, music and romance provide escape from rigid family obligation for an imaginative child in an iron back brace.

Feeling stymied by the world of fine-dining, sommelière Isabel sets out to open her own natural wine bar in this effervescent love letter to São Paulo.

After an unforgettable meet-cute, Matteo and Greta’s paths cross over the years – but the timing is never right in this seductive tale of love and its possibilities.

Channing Tatum delivers a knockout performance as a father struggling to manage the fallout after his young daughter witnesses a brutal assault.

A high school trip to Naples becomes the staging ground for a profound coming-of-age experience in this spellbinding, mythic portrait of teenhood.

A 17th century Spanish priest brutally colonizing the Philippines orders his converts to transport a cartload of marble through a marauder-filled jungle.

Rita (Carrie Coon), a mother escaping a harrowing past, finds solace in a female empowerment cult led by the charismatic Ricki (Lily James). But when Rita’s daughters arrive, she must choose between the freedom she’s found and the life she left behind.

A mesmerizing Amanda Seyfried stars as a writing teacher whose relationship with an Oklahoma prisoner offers both a hope of escape in this riveting drama.

Aunjanue Ellis Taylor mesmerizes as a devoted caregiver shielding two white children from domestic dysfunction in this deeply affecting 1960s-set drama.

When a real estate company targets blues legend Al Cook’s apartment for demolition, he’s forced to forge a new path in this winning blend of reality and fiction.

In 1950s Colorado, a family in an isolated mountain home is rocked by tragedy just as snow squalls and plummeting temperatures descend for the season.

This ode to the creative spirit follows two small-town girls whose friendship is fueled by their shared passion and dream of becoming manga artists.

In a tropical dystopia ruled by fear and inequality, a woman trying to right wrongs with her young granddaughter faces dangerous choices.

In coastal Haiti, a fiercely independent sex worker and an evangelical preacher’s son navigate desire, Vodou roots, and rigid religious dogma.

Spanning a decade, this sprawling yet intimate war-time epic follows several youth as their world is upended and they adapt to the crushing reality of life in Ukraine.

A Russian businessman’s comfortable life is thrown into chaos when he begins to suspect his wife of infidelity in this dark, sardonic moral fable.

The latest gem from the talented Chicago filmmaking duo (Ghostlight) follows teenager Minnie, who forms a complicated relationship with her best friend’s mother.

A depressed slacker and a man harboring an alien secret accidentally procreate in this outrageous horror comedy bursting with practical effects.

Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney delivers the definitive portrait of one of the most controversial and unchecked figures of our time: Elon Musk.

In a bucolic village, a rekindled friendship between former sisters-in-law gently unspools much unspoken longing and mourning within the community.

This lively cultural history charts the rise and fall of the Schwinn bicycle, from its Chicago roots to the fads and forces leading to its collapse.

Gothic romance meets folk horror and Christian repression in this beautiful yet tragic gay vampire film set in the 19th century Faroe Islands.

Sanghee arrives at a windswept Jeju Island to reconnect with her mother in this gentle rumination on aging, parenthood, and artistic expression.

This sublime snapshot of a 1972 cocktail party filled with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance reveals the complexities of the world-renowned artistic movement.

A veteran pickpocket (John Turturro) finds himself in a race against time to return a stolen USB drive or face the wrath of a vengeful crime family.

The strange, the sensual, the terrible, and the absurd meet and mingle in this program. From tales of psychosexual frustration to revolutionary longing, this selection of live-action and animated films serves up unrestrained storytelling and stylistic bravura.

Adam Driver and Miles Teller deliver standout performances as brothers who get entangled with the Russian mafia in James Gray’s intense family drama.

When an affluent documentarian centers a working-class couple in her new film, their lives become dangerously intertwined in this bold, searing drama.

From Oscar winner Brad Bird comes this noir-infused sci-fi epic about a private eye and a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star.

Iranian filmmaker Pegah Ahangarani traces over 40 years of her country’s tumultuous history through five personal portraits of resistance.

When Izaquiel falls for the mysterious fisherman Jeremias, the two journey into the heart of the mangroves to seek justice for encroaching violence.

When an unknown soldier arrives in a pious 17th century village staking claim to land there, the villagers’ suspicions about his identity force a reckoning.

The bond between teen best friends is tested when they react in drastically different ways to a traumatic event in this intimate coming-of-age.

While reluctantly caring for her dying mother, Lali finds a new purpose when she joins a band of misfit thieves who steal religious artifacts.

Filmmaker Bruno recalls the hazy memories from his eleventh year, reconciling his budding queerness with his father’s diagnosis with HIV.

Cutthroat colleagues and strange skin conditions offer competing crises for medical intern Margot in this visceral body horror.

A Faustian bargain sends a once-perfect family on a harrowing downward spiral in this twisted fable from The Holy Boy director.

A young woman whose life is upended by a crash that requires her to use a wheelchair meets an aspiring standup comic whose subversive spirit helps her heal.

Swiss watch technician Johanna sets out to restore her beloved VW bug and return to the tracks where she once raced in this celebration of trans identity.

Sumo wrestlers, both up-and-comers and veterans, train to reach the sport’s highest rank while adhering to its storied traditions in this illuminating film.

A young queer woman grapples with her vibrant mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis in this charming and deeply moving animated memoir.

Finland, 1898. Banished to an island colony for troubled women, Amanda finds friendship and romance—but betrayal pushes her toward madness.

Legendary British filmmaker Mike Leigh returns with a profoundly moving story—filled with humor, hardship, and compassion—about how we look after each other.

An artist dying of AIDS throws himself into one final theater role in this vivid portrait of artistic community in 1980s New York City.

Three stories connect across the Pan-African flag as an injured athlete, an evicted mother, and a sitcom star fight to survive modern Black America.

Irish Travelers Paddy and Lisa O’Reilly and their 10 children find their traditional way of life under threat in this immersive and tender portrait.

In this witty, queer coming-of-age comedy, Gavin (Caleb Hearon) leaves Chicago for his Missouri hometown after his father dies.

This electrifying film essay tracks the short life of film critic Michèle Firk and the anti-imperialist movements of the 1960s that she joined.

A spectacularly shot film profile of Romanian athlete Tiberiu Uşeriu, who has spent much of his life running—in extreme races and from his past.

Playing in the U.S. for the first time in Japanese, this cult animated dark fantasy delivers a vampire adventure brimming with style.

A psychopathic governess struggles to tamp down her murderous tendencies in this delightfully unhinged twist on 19th century social conventions.

A video clerk unearths the hidden history of a 1930s Black actress in Cheryl Dunye’s landmark queer comedy.

When thief Kasia discovers a man’s body while on a job, a scam to collect his life insurance money becomes something more in this elusive mystery.

Beautifully expanding notions of disability, filmmaker Reveca Torres engages with iconic disabled artists Frida Kahlo, Vincent Van Gogh, and Henri Matisse.

Ahead of the 1973 Chilean coup, two CIA agents (John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell) travel to Easter Island, where their dark pasts threaten to reveal their current conspiracies.

The intimate friendship of Jun and Jasper is threatened when a conflict erupts between their families in this heartfelt portrait of adolescence.