Synopsis

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.

In “The End of Suffering (a proposal)” (Greece), a young  woman’s anxiety attack becomes an intergalactic dialogue with the universe. A young New Jersey native returns to his hometown in “Gramercy” (United States), where his ongoing battle with depression becomes a poetic exploration of brotherhood and personal struggle. Sifting through old letters between his parents, Adam uncovers an extraordinary family secret in “We Have One Heart” (Poland). An essayistic contemplation of the act of desertion within the world of a videogame in “How To Disappear” (Austria). “Tie” (Portgual, France) finds two characters search for missing pieces of themselves in a gloomy, surreal landscape. And “Step Into The River” (China, France) presents a sumptuously-drawn fable about the consequences of China’s one-child policy.

Synopsis

Founded in the 1970s by Frenchman Claude Vorilhon (a.k.a Raël), the International Raëlian Movement is a quasi-religious cult built on the idea that aliens created the human race. When acclaimed Israeli director Yoav Shamir (Checkpoint) is invited by the charismatic Raël to chronicle his followers’ colorful ways of life and meet free-spirited members across the globe, the director finds more questions than answers: Is Raël a modern-day prophet or a scam artist? And even if Raëlism is bunk, is it really so different from other religions? This funny and fascinating documentary examines the complexities of belief and devotion in ways both unexpected and enlightening.

“The Prophet is enlivened by Shamir’s warm rapport with the gentle, unassuming Rael, who seems relatively level-headed — except, of course, for his strange anecdotes about being picked up by extra-terrestrials”
-Screendaily.com

Synopsis

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.

Shot on the streets of Hong Kong during the 2019 Extradition Bill protests, Comrades (Hong Kong) is a moving portrait of uprising and solidarity. Huntsville Station (U.S.) observes the comings and goings of a Greyhound station near Huntsville State Penitentiary—the first stop for inmates released on parole. Sifting through old letters between his parents, Adam uncovers an extraordinary family secret in the emotional animated We Have One Heart (Poland). Profiling a pastor, his wife, and a dwindling congregation, When Two or Three (U.S.) is a picture of faith and the search for God in small-town Arizona. Radia (UK) 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. How to Disappear (Austria) contemplates the act of desertion within the world of a videogame.

Synopsis

An essayistic contemplation of the act of desertion within the world of a videogame.