Festival Film List
Explore all of the films that this year’s festival has to offer, from thrilling dramas to outrageous comedies. Use the filter controls to find just the films you’re looking for, screening exactly the way you want to experience them.
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About Dry Grasses Kuru Otlar Üstüne
The harsh beauty of Turkish provincial life is highlighted in this intense character study of a teacher under investigation for inappropriate behavior.
After Work
In his funny and thought-provoking latest film, Erik Gandini (Videocracy) chronicles the past, present, and future of labor.
Alien Island Isla Alien
During Chile’s military dictatorship, radio operators receive messages from an alien race. Are they real, or is it something more insidious?
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
This lyrical, decades-spanning exploration of a woman’s life in Mississippi is a haunting, beautiful ode to the people and places that shape us.
All Happy Families
In this delightful Chicago-set comedy, an aspiring actor grapples with the arrival of his more successful brother at his dysfunctional family’s crumbling two-flat.
All of Us Strangers
As Adam falls into a new relationship, he’s drawn back to his childhood home. There, his parents are living just as they were on the day they died.
Anatomy of a Fall Anatomie d’une chute
A wife is suspected of murdering her husband in this bracing psychological showstopper. Winner of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
And the Party Goes On Et la fête continue
In this joyful, humanistic drama, Rosa, the heart and soul of her community, faces retirement with mounting disillusionment — until she meets Henri.
Anselm
Wim Wenders’ 3D documentary is a luminous portrait of iconoclastic German artist Anselm Kiefer, whose monumental work is captured in all its mythic splendor.
Bad Living Mal Viver
The first in a pair of intricately interconnected films, five women struggle to keep their decaying family hotel afloat.
Banel & Adama
Rebellious young lovers challenge tradition in this mesmerizing and emotionally charged romantic drama tinged with magical realism
The Battle A Batalha da Rua Maria Antônia
On a pivotal night during Brazil’s dictatorship, a leftist student movement braces for violent conflict in this moody, stylized nod to history.
The Beautiful Summer La bella estate
Summer 1938. Ginia moves to Turin and immerses herself in a sensual, bohemian world where she finds the courage to truly be herself.
Because We Have Each Other
This wondrous and warm-hearted documentary follows a neurodivergent Australian family as they experience the joys, misfortunes, and traumas of everyday life.
The Best of CineYouth 2023
Discover the next generation of great filmmakers with CineYouth’s 2023 award winners! From animated gems to impactful documentaries, experimental genre-benders to heartfelt dramas, this eclectic and impressive group of films are all made by directors 22-years-old or younger!
Bike Vessel
A father and son embark on an epic bike ride from St. Louis to Chicago in this stirring documentary that takes a hard look at health disparities in the Black community.
The Bikeriders
From writer-director Jeff Nichols comes a furious drama following the rise of a fictional 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members.
Black Box
A Berlin apartment building is placed under lockdown, igniting social, cultural, and familial tensions in this intoxicating potboiler.
Black Perspectives Special Program – Beyond the Frame
This suite of films explores the fusion of the natural world and cultural narratives, as well as the limitless possibilities of creative expression and transcending convention.
Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry
48-year old Etero’s world is turned upside down when she falls for a local deliveryman in this endearing and off-kilter dry comedy.
The Boy and the Heron Kimitachi wa Dou Ikiru ka
A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.
The Bride
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.
The Burdened
Beleaguered parents Isra’a and Ahmed are forced to make a difficult decision when they receive some unsettling news: Isra’a is pregnant again.
Bye Bye Tiberias
Filmmaker Lina Souaelm traces the journeys of her mother — Palestinian actress Hiam Abbas — and the women of her extended family, whose lives have been defined by separation, exile, and resilience.
Carnal Sins Almamula
Seduced by the myth of a local monster that punishes impure acts, gay teen Nino pursues temptation within a deeply religious community.
La Chimera
A group of misfits scour the Tuscan countryside for artifacts, until an invaluable find makes them question their role in plundering history.
Club Zero
Mia Wasikowska stars as a teacher who encourages her students to stop eating in this mannered blend of dry satire and gross-out body horror.
Community Cinema: Animated Shorts
Audiences of all ages can enjoy these three stories of adventure, all highlights from our Family Friendly Animation program, presented at the Harrison Park Field House in Pilsen.
Community Cinema: Black Perspectives Shorts
Discover stories that resonate, inspire, and spark meaningful conversations in this year’s Community Cinema Shorts Program.
Concrete Utopia
After a devastating earthquake, the residents of the last remaining apartment building in Seoul must fight both outsiders and each other for survival.
The Crime is Mine Mon crime
A penniless actress and lawyer put on the performances of a lifetime in the courtroom in this farcical caper set in 1930s Paris.
The Daughters of Fire [short film] As filhas do fogo
Directed by Pedro Costa, The Daughters of Fire represents a radical step forward in form and ambition for the singular Portuguese maestro.
The Delinquents Los delincuentes
Morán works a dead-end job at a bank. Fed up, he dreams up a scheme to break free: walk into the vault and steal enough cash for a comfortable retirement.
Departing Seniors
In this Chicago-set update on the teen slasher, a gay Latinx high school student becomes an unlikely vigilante when he develops psychic powers.
Depot – Reflecting Boijmans
This playful documentary chronicles the construction of the Depot, a shimmering open-concept space in Rotterdam that reimagines the possibilities for art storage and exhibition.
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World Nu Aștepta Prea Mult De La Sfârșitul Lumii
A production assistant attempts to cast actors for a workplace safety video in this wry, absurdist satire of capitalism in the digital age.
Dream Scenario
Family man Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams.
The Echo El Eco
From the acclaimed director of Prayers for the Stolen comes an exquisitely textured coming-of-age story about an adolescent girl in rural Mexico.
Eric LaRue
In his masterful directorial debut, Michael Shannon tells the riveting story of a mother grappling with the fallout of a school shooting.
Evil Does Not Exist Aku Wa Sonzai Shinai
In this captivating eco-thriller, life in the tranquil village of Harasawa is threatened when a Tokyo company announces plans for a glamping site for urbanites.
Explanation for Everything Magyarázat mindenre
Abel, a lovesick highschool student, is distracted. His life is turned upside down when his failed graduation history exam turns into a national scandal.
Fallen Leaves
Two strangers meet by chance in a karaoke bar. Despite an instant spark, a series of everyday obstacles threatens to derail their joint destiny.
Family Portrait
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.
Fingernails
In this offbeat romance, Anna and Ryan take a test that proves their love is true. Then Anna meets another man, throwing everything she knows into doubt.
firedream lumbrensueño
In an industrial city, aimless teenager Lucas searches for meaning and connection. A friend’s sudden departure will send him on a poetic odyssey.
Food Roots
This heartfelt tribute to food, family, and cultural identity charts Chicago restaurateur Billy Dec’s journey to reconnect with his Filipino heritage.
Foremost by Night Sobre todo de noche
Two mothers and a son, separated across space and time, come together and put a clever plot into motion in this unique contemporary noir.
Four Daughters
An artistic Cannes-winning tour-de-force blending documentary and fiction that explores the secret trauma at the heart of a Tunisian family.
Goodbye Julia
Two women from different class and racial backgrounds form a dangerous bond against the tumultuous backdrop of South Sudan’s impending secession.
Green Border Zielona Granica
The plight of a Syrian family on the Poland-Belarus border prompts an everyday woman to action in this clear-eyed portrait of a political crisis.
A Happy Day
Endearingly deadpan, this wholly original tale finds three teenage friends plotting their escape from a frozen, hopeless place — until one falls in love.
Hard Miles
A social worker at a juvenile detention center assembles an unlikely team of incarcerated teens who must outrace their pasts on a transformative 1000-mile bike ride.
The Holdovers
Paul Giamatti stars as a curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school who is forced to babysit a handful of students over Christmas break.
Holly
Holly’s uncanny premonition makes her the focal point of a community in need of healing, but is the teenaged outsider the answer to their prayers?
Housekeeping for Beginners Domakinstvo za pocetnici
When the head of the household passes away suddenly, a collective of queer misfits reluctantly come together to protect their found family.
The Hypnosis Hypnosen
On the eve of a big presentation, Vera tries hypnotherapy to quit smoking in this ironic, uproarious satire of entrepreneurial culture.
In the Rearview Skąd dokąd
In this sublime documentary, civilians fleeing war-torn Ukraine share intimate stories of struggle and resilience in the backseat of a minivan.
Infested Vermines
When a venomous spider escapes and multiplies in a Paris apartment building, a group of friends must find a way out of the web of nightmares.
The Killer
After a fateful near-miss, an assassin (Michael Fassbender) battles his employers — and himself — on an international manhunt he insists isn’t personal.
Late Night With the Devil
A flailing late-night talk show host (Chicago native David Dastmalchian) makes a desperate move for ratings in this retro possession chiller.
Living Bad Viver Mal
The events of companion film Bad Living are seen through the eyes of the hotel’s guests, who are juggling problems of their own.
Lost Country
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.
The Love Stories of Liv S. Les histoires d'amour de Liv S.
Filmmaker and post-punk singer Liv drifts through a cycle of love and separation in this charismatic, funny look at the pain and joy of partnership.
May December
Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple (Julianne Moore and Charles Melton) buckles under the pressure when an actress (Natalie Portman) arrives to do research for a film about their past.
The Mission
An absorbing, multilayered account of the journey of an American missionary who was killed while attempting to convert an Indigenous people.
The Nature of Love Simple comme Sylvain
A philosophy professor is forced to choose between sexual and intellectual gratification in this seductive, playful French-Canadian rom-com.
Nyad
Three decades after giving up marathon swimming in exchange for a prominent career as a sports journalist, at the age of 60, Diana (four-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening) becomes obsessed with completing an epic swim that always eluded her: the 110 mile trek from Cuba to Florida, often referred to as the “Mount Everest” of swims.
Occupied City
From the streets of Amsterdam, McQueen creates two interlocking portraits: a vivid journey through the last years of pandemic and protest, and a door-to-door excavation of the Nazi occupation that still haunts his adopted city.
Only the River Flows He Bian De Cuo Wu
A body washes up in a river in rural China. A hasty arrest is made, but the mystery lingers in the police chief’s mind. What kind of darkness is truly at play here?
Paradise is Burning Paradiset Brinner
The anarchic freedom of three sisters, left alone by an absent mother, is threatened by social services, confronting them with the realities of growing up.
The People’s Joker
A trans coming-of-age story encased in a comic-book parody, The People’s Joker kicks down the doors of IP with witty humor and surprising heart.
Perfect Days
Living a life of solitary, quiet contentment, a public toilet cleaner’s routine is interrupted when his niece arrives for an unexpected visit.
The Persian Version
In this snappy comedic drama featuring vibrant dance numbers, an Iranian-American woman must navigate her relationship with her opposing cultural identities and her mother.
Pet Shop Days
Two young men meet in New York City and enter a whirlwind romance, sending them into a dead-end world of passion, drugs, and depravity.
Pictures of Ghosts Retratos fantasmas
From acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho comes an incisive and whimsical essay film about movies, memory, and the places of one’s past.
The Promised Land Bastarden
A retired soldier (Mads Mikkelsen) embarks on a quest to tame the unforgiving Danish Jutland, where he violently clashes with a local landowner.
Raging Grace
In this bold, bloody gothic horror film, a Filipina worker and her daughter confront the shocking colonialist legacy of a wealthy English family.
Robot Dreams
1980s New York City. Dog builds himself a robot companion, and their adventures begin in a charming and bittersweet celebration of friendship.
Rustin
Saltburn
Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
Shayda
After Shayda takes refuge in an Australian women’s shelter with her young daughter, the arrival of her husband jeopardizes her path to freedom.
Shorts 1: City & State – Revelations
The six shorts in this program represent distinct modes of storytelling through film, while reflecting the diversity and creativity of our region.
Shorts 2: Animation – Desires
These animated shorts create an idiosyncratic mosaic of the difficulties, joys, enigmas, and triumphs of the human experience.
Shorts 3: After Dark – Twisted Tales & Shadows of Innocence
These tense and terrifying shorts reflect how everyday life can turn into horror.
Shorts 4: Documentary – In Motion
These short documentaries offer singular looks into lives that have been transformed by pivotal events.
Shorts 5: Drama – Breaking Points
These powerful shorts reflect on life’s twists and turns, exploring what we do in moments of profound impact.
Shorts 6: Comedy – Awkward Laughs
The works in this program muck around the dark corners of human experience, bringing forth the darkly comedic, can’t-help-but-laugh moments that arise in difficult times.
Shorts 7: Black Perspectives – Resonance
Vibrant cultural legacies come to life, hidden histories are unearthed, everyday life is illuminated, and resonant stories unfold in captivating splendor in this collection of shorts.
Shorts 8: Architecture – Versions of Home
In celebration of this year’s Chicago Architecture Biennial, this program tracks how we establish strong connections to a place, and the complications of staying in it.
Shorts 9: Family Friendly Animation – Better Together
All ages are welcome in this family-friendly program, full of colorful films that celebrate play, encourage curiosity, and emphasize the importance of communal bonds.
Silver Dollar Road
Acclaimed director Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) tells the shocking story of a Black family who fought for decades to keep their ancestral land.
Sisterhood HLM Pussy
The bond between three teenage girls is tested when a viral video denouncing a sexual assault exposes the divides between them.
Solitude Tilverur
As gentle and idiosyncratic as its characters, Solitude is a transformative tale of friendship between a latchkey kid and fish-out-of-water farmer.
Solo
A talented drag performer searches for love from a passionate yet domineering new relationship, and from his long-estranged mother.
The Space Race
Pioneers in civil rights and outer space, Black astronauts boldly ventured where no Black Americans had ever gone before. This is their untold story.
Stamped from the Beginning
Based on the book by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi (How to Be An Antiracist), this searing documentary explores the roots of anti-Black racism in America.
Sweet Dreams
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.
The Taste of Things La passion de Dodin Bouffant
Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel star in this mouthwatering romantic drama, about a gourmand wooing his longtime love with a decadent meal.
The Teachers’ Lounge Das Lehrerzimmer
An idealistic high school teacher who advocates for a student accused of stealing becomes embroiled in conflict when she becomes the target of a theft herself.
Terrestrial Verses
Incisive, often darkly comic vignettes offer a glimpse into the world of everyday citizens grappling with the absurdity of life in modern Iran.
They Shot the Piano Player
In this lively animated music documentary, a New York journalist (Jeff Goldblum) seeks the truth behind the disappearance of a Brazilian jazz pianist.
Through the Night Quitter la nuit
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?
Tótem
Over the course of a day preparing a birthday party for her ailing father, young Sol watches her family’s bonds erode as they honor life and loss.
The Universal Theory Die Theorie Von Allem
1962. A PhD student investigates a dark secret in the Swiss Alps after a scientist goes missing and bizarre cloud formations appear in the sky.
We Grown Now
In this heartfelt story set in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green projects in the early 1990s, two boys come of age amid change in their community.
The Zone of Interest
The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig strive to build a dream life for their family in a house next to the camp.