Synopsis

With an uneasy beauty and a blistering moral force, Innocence explores the militarization of Israeli society and its impact on the lives of its young people, most of whom are conscripted into the army. Through intimate narration taken from the diaries of dead recruits and the rare home movies they left behind, the film reveals the inner turmoil of the soldiers, while also depicting the insidious and widespread ways in which children are indoctrinated into the culture of war at an early age. Filmmaker Guy Davidi, who co-directed with Emad Burnat the seminal Oscar-nominated Palestinian-Israel co-production Five Broken Cameras, creates another essential and emotional portrait of the personal devastation caused by war and the guileless victims left in its wake.

Synopsis

In this gripping political conspiracy docu-thriller, Chicago-born, Bucharest-based filmmaker Matt Sarnecki tracks the story of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnirova, who were brutally murdered in Slovakia in 2018. Following the trail of evidence uncovered by Kuciak’s colleagues, the film traces the mob-style hit to a brazen oligarch closely connected to the highest echelons of Slovakia’s ruling government. Drawing comparisons to last year’s Oscar-nominated Collective and this year’s documentary hit Navalny, The Killing of a Journalist offers both a shocking look at the widespread corruption that exists in Eastern Europe and an inspiring tribute to the power of the press and social protest to affect change.

Synopsis

Sensual, arresting, and graceful, The Blue Caftan tells the story of Halim, a master tailor, who spends his days in the back of his shop making beautiful, hand-embroidered caftans. Dedicated to keeping a dying tradition alive, he labors over every stitch to meet his own high standards of perfection, while his wife Mina deals with the customers and the store’s day-to-day business. Their quiet life of routine is thrown off-kilter when Halim reluctantly takes on the earnest if inexperienced Youssef as an apprentice to keep up with orders. The two work together intimately and begin to form a tentative bond that extends beyond that of student and mentor, ever fearful that their mutual attraction will be found out. Director Maryam Touzani captures each tender touch and subtle glance in this visually breathtaking, intensely sympathetic reflection on adoration, love, and longing.

Winner

58th Chicago International Film Festival Silver Hugo: Best Director. Learn more…