The Substitute El suplente
Synopsis
In this tense and timely drama, idealistic literature professor Lucio (Juan Minujíin) leaves behind university life to accept a position teaching high school in the working-class community where he grew up. Returning to the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Lucio is intent on making a difference in the lives of his students, but just as he begins to connect with his class, a drug smuggling operation is uncovered inside the school. Learning that the local drug cartel threatens one of Lucio’s promising young pupils, the educator must decide how far he’ll go to protect the boy’s life. Celebrated for the nuance and humanism with which he imbues his work, award-winning Argentine filmmaker Diego Lerman (A Sort of Family, Refugiado) returns to the Festival with this powerful piece of social realism.
Screenings & Events
Media
Film Credits
- Nicolás Avruj, Diego Lerman
- Diego Lerman, Maria Meira, Luciana de Mello
- Alejandro Brodersohn
- Wojciech Staron
- Juan Minujín, Alfredo Castro, Bárbara Lennie, Rita Cortese, María Merlino, Lucas Arrua, Renata Lerman
- José Villalobos
- Campo Cine
Sponsors
International Competition Patron
Jacolyn and John Bucksbaum Family Foundation
You might also enjoy...
Synopsis
1968 Italy. Soft-spoken poet and playwright Aldo Braibanti is arrested, accused of breaking a Fascist-era law against leading a person morally astray—coded language designed to criminilaize homosexuality. The accusers are the family of his romantic partner, a former student who is committed by his parents to a psychiatric hospital where he might be “cured.” With every aspect of his life scrutinized and his own freedom on the line, Braibanti takes up his own defense, even as he faces a years-long prison sentence. Meanwhile, a crusading journalist searches for the truth about the case, bringing it to the widespread attention of the public. Veteran filmmaker Gianni Amelio (Open Doors, The Stolen Children) crafts an impassioned, clear-eyed narrative based on Braibanti’s life, told from alternating perspectives, that feels all too resonant amid today’s turbulent landscape.
Screenings & Events
Media
Film Credits
- Simone Gattoni, Beppe Caschetto
- Gianni Amelio, Edoardo Petti, Federico Fava
- Simona Paggi
- Marta Maffucci
- Luan Amelio Ujkaj
- Luigi Lo Cascio, Elio Germano, Sara Serraiocco, Leonardo Maltese
- Domenico Granata
- Kavac Film SRL, IBC MOVIE SRL, Tenderstories SRL, Rai Cinema SPA
Sponsors
Cultural Support
You might also enjoy...
The March on Rome Marcia su Roma
Synopsis
For his latest absorbing inquiry into the history and power of the moving image, director Mark Cousins (The Story of Film) delves into Italy’s film archives to expose the machinations and faulty foundations of fascism. His focus is the infamous 1923 propaganda film A Noi, which was produced as the Italian Fascist Party’s official document of its “March on Rome.” Dissecting the film frame by frame and exposing its sleight of hand, Cousins reveals how the film tried to write history, sometimes ominously and often quite clumsily, eventually losing its sway on its intended viewers, as reflected in short fictionalized scenes with an Italian citizen of the time (played by Alba Rohrwacher). With Cousins’ characteristically witty and insightful narration as our guide, March on Rome is both a riveting analysis of the allure of cinema and a timely, provocative account of the politics of manipulation that persist today.
Screenings & Events
Media
Film Credits
- Carlo Degli Esposti, Nicola Serra
- Timo Langer
- Mark Cousins, Timoty Aliprandi
- Alba Rohrwacher
- Stefano Di Fiore
- Antonio Badalamenti, Andrea Romeo
- Palomar SPA
Sponsors
Documentary Sponsor
Documentary Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin
Cultural Support
You might also enjoy...
Monica
Synopsis
cineMonica is the intimate portrait of a woman who returns home to the Midwest for the first time in 20 years to care for her dying mother. Uncertain if her mother will recognize her, Monica moves into her childhood home, hoping to heal the wounds of the past and forge a new path of forgiveness and acceptance. Exploring the universal thematic dichotomies of aging and beauty, rejection and alienation, the film details Monica’s world and state of mind—the pain and fear, the needs and desires—of a woman whose journey ultimately illuminates the human condition. With a gentle grace and guardedness that veils a history of hurt, Trace Lysette (Transparent) shines as Monica, complemented by Patricia Clarkson’s frail mother fiercely facing death.
Screenings & Events
Media
Film Credits
- Gina Resnick PGA, Christina Dow, Eleonora Granata Jenkinson, Andrea Pallaoro
- Andrea Pallaoro, Orlando Tirado
- Paola Freddi
- Andrew Clark
- Katelin Arizmendi
- Trace Lysette, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Browning, Joshua Close, Adriana Barraza
- Mirko Perri
- Lina Cardillo
- Trace Lysette, Andrei Epifanov, David Schwarz, Steve Stanulis, Joana Henning, Stephanie Castagnier Dunn, Anthony Burns, Amy Gilliam, Eric Schnedecker, Eric Cook, Matteo Jenkinson, Brian O'Shea, Nat McCormick
- Varient Entertainment, Solo Five Production, Melograno Films
Sponsors
International Competition Patron
Jacolyn and John Bucksbaum Family Foundation
Cultural Support
You might also enjoy...
EO
Synopsis
In this loving homage to Robert Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar, the world is seen through the eyes of Eo, a sweet, sentient donkey. When the circus at which he performs shutters for good, Eo’s future is suddenly uncertain. Told through vignettes, the film chronicles the equine’s post-performing life as he journeys between ever-changing sets of new owners and unfamiliar circumstances, bearing witness to the best and worst of humankind. A superb, inventive visual style imagines Eo’s rich interior world and creates a powerfully sympathetic character from the animal’s silent, unknowable gaze. An elegant ode to the beauty of the natural world and mournful lament for humankind’s role in its slow destruction.
This film contains scenes of animal violence.
Screenings & Events
Media
Film Credits
- Ewa Piaskowska, Jerzy Skolimowski, Eileen Tasca
- Ewa Piaskowska, Jerzy Skolimowski
- Agnieszka Glińska
- Mirosław Koncewicz
- Michał Dymek
- Sandra Drzymalska, Lorenzo Zurzolo, Mateusz Kościukiewicz, Isabelle Huppert
- Radosław Ochnio
- Paweł Mykietyn
- Jeremy Thomas
- Skopia Film
You might also enjoy...
212 W Van Buren St., Suite 400Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: 312.683.0121 | Fax: 312.683.0122
info@chicagofilmfestival.com
Learn about our privacy policy...
