Film Countries Archives: Mexico

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A bearded man and a red-haired woman look at each other while sitting in a forest in winter.

Memory

  Michel Franco

  Mexico, United States     100 minutes

Synopsis

Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard star in this penetrating psychological drama about two apparent strangers in New York City whose fateful encounter one night spins both of their lives in profoundly new directions. Sylvia (Chastain) is a single mother, 13 years sober and still reeling from a traumatic incident that she can’t forget, while Saul (Sarsgaard), suffering from early onset dementia, struggles to live an autonomous life. Can these two damaged souls find salvation?

ChicagoIFF award-winner Michel Franco, director of such acclaimed films as SundownNew Order, and After Lucia, returns to the Festival with his most compassionate film. Though told in his precise and assured filmmaking style, he allows Chastain and Sarsgaard to fully embody the anguish of their characters–and the troubling complexities and tentative promise of their relationship. Winner of a Best Actor Prize at the Venice Film Festival for Sargaard’s subtle performance, Franco’s latest is a trenchant story of suffering and recovery–and memory itself and the ways it defines us.

headshot: PEter Sargaard

Tribute to Peter Sarsgaard

This screening includes an in-person tribute to actor Peter Sarsgaard and presentation of the Chicago International Film Festival’s Career Achievement Award.

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Screenings & Events

Media

Film Credits

  •   Michel Franco, Eréndira Núñez Larios, Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery
  •   Michel Franco
  •   Oscar Figueroa Jara, Michel Franco
  •   Yves Cape
  •   Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Brooke Timber, Merritt Wever, Jessica Harper, Elsie Fisher, Josh Charles
  •   Paula P. Manzanedo, Moises Chiver, Jack Selby, Patricio Rabuffetti, Tatiana Emden, Joyce Zylberberg, Ralph Haiek, Michael Weber, Efe Cakarel, Bobby Allen, Jason Ropell
  •   Teorema, High Frequency Entertainment

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Adventures/Aventuras: Family Friendly Animated Shorts

  Various

  Germany, Mexico, Portugal, United States     30 minutes

Synopsis

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.

A girl connects with her Mayan heritage on a camping trip with her father that turns into an exciting adventure in Balam (Mexico, U.S.). After a tiger escapes from the zoo, a bored subway worker gets the surprise of a lifetime in Town Hall Square (Germany). A curious girl gets sucked into the bizarre and magical world of the book she is reading in Ana Morphose (Portugal).

 English 

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Shorts 2: Animation – Desires

  Various

  Argentina, Belgium, France, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, The Netherlands, United States     76 minutes

Synopsis

These animated shorts create an idiosyncratic mosaic of the difficulties, joys, enigmas, and triumphs of the human experience. Featuring works by Nienke Deutz, Osman Cerfon, Patricio Plaza, Flóra Anna Buda, Tzor Edery, Tom Prezman, Vishavjit Singh, and Ryan Westra.

The Miracle (Belgium, The Netherlands, France) is a hotel where Irma, a 40-year-old woman surrounded by families, tries to find comfort in her solitary life. Children display varied emotions with a singular expression in Aaaah! (France). An ailing priest in the Mexican colonial era is given a medicine that confronts him with his spiritual ailments in Carne de Dios (Argentina, Mexico). On the day that Alice turns 27 (France, Hungary), a drunken accident makes her question the choices she has made in her life thus far. Remembrances of a former drag queen’s experience in one of the first queer bars in Paris are imaginatively told in Maurice’s Bar (France, Israel). Based on true events, American Sikh (U.S.) tells the story of a courageous man in post-9/11 New York City who faced prejudice and racism with humor and heroism.

 Arabic, Dutch, English, French, Hungarian, Spanish with subtitles 

Content Considerations
Violence, gendered violence, and racial violence
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Screenings & Events

Virtual Screening

This program will be available to stream from October 16 at 12:00pm CT to October 22 at 11:59pm CDT.

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Shorts 9: Family Friendly Animation – Better Together

  Various

  Canada, Germany, Mexico, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United States     75 minutes

Synopsis

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. Featuring works by Shira Avni, Lena von Döhren, Eva Rust, Guillermo Casarin, Seungbae Jeon, Christian Kaufmann, João Rodrigues, Afnan Bawyan, Adriel Meka, and Mitra Shahidi.

Two One Two (Canada) offers a poetic and deeply personal glimpse into motherhood in the form of a gorgeous, glimmering two-headed monster. A gassy fish allies with other sea creatures to fend off a hungry seagull in the hilarious and melodious underwater tale POND (Switzerland). A girl connects with her Mayan heritage on a camping trip with her father that turns into an exciting adventure in Balam (Mexico, U.S.). Peek into the inner lives of batteries with the oddball charmer Battery Mommy (South Korea). After a tiger escapes from the zoo, a bored subway worker gets the surprise of a lifetime in Town Hall Square (Germany). A curious girl gets sucked into the bizarre and magical world of the book she is reading in Ana Morphose (Portugal). A woman attempts to overcome language barriers by preparing a cultural dish that takes on a life of its own in Saleeg (Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands, Sweden). A friendly boy makes an unexpected connection when he attends a mysterious summer camp in Camp Kona (U.S.). In Starling (U.S.), a couple is visited by their child in her new spiritual form for a beautiful meditation on grief and eternal love.

 Arabic, English, Korean, Mayan, Spanish, Tigrinya, Urdu with subtitles 

Screenings & Events

Virtual Screening

This program will be available to stream from October 16 at 12:00pm CT to October 22 at 11:59pm CDT.

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Film Supporters

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Two women sit next to each other on a couch, looking ahead.

Look Back at It [short film]

  Felicia Pride

  United States     12 minutes

Synopsis

Following an unsuccessful date, a 40-something single mother gets her groove back with a little assistance from her teenage daughter. Along the way, she discovers the rewards of daring to take risks and the essential importance of savoring life’s pleasures. Look Back at It beautifully portrays loving intergenerational relationships and women rediscovering their emotional, social, and sexual empowerment.

This film screens as part of the Shorts 7: Black Perspectives – Resonance program.

  

 English