Cotton Queen
Synopsis
In a close-knit Sudanese village known for harvesting the purist cotton by virginal hands, teenage Nafisa is dreaming of something beyond fertile fields. Her ambitions are amplified with the arrival of a wealthy young businessman returning to Sudan after years abroad. His introduction of a genetically modified seed promises to make the village completely dependent on his profit-driven vision of the future.
Through a blend of magical realism rooted in local spiritual customs set by village legend and elder Al-Sit, the film explores the complications inherent in the pursuit of progress as commerce and cultural sustainability vie for the hearts of the community. Nafisa’s strong will, open mind, and profoundly principled nature deepens and uplifts her to become the new hero her village needs yet might not be ready for.
Screenings & Events
Screening
Sat, Oct 18 @ 5:30pm
at AMC NEWCITY 14, Screen 01
Venue information...
Director Suzannah Mirghani
Screening
Sun, Oct 19 @ 12:00pm
at AMC NEWCITY 14, Screen 01
Venue information...
Director Suzannah Mirghani
Standby Only? Learn when new tickets get released by signing up for our ticket availability email list!
Media
Film Credits
- Caroline Daube, Didar Domehri, Annemarie Jacir, Ossama Bawardi, Jessica Khoury, Mohamed Hefzy, Alaa Karkouti, Maher Diab
- Suzannah Mirghani
- Amparo Mejías, Simon Blasi, Frank Müller
- Frida Marzouk
- Mihad Murtada, Rabha Mohamed Mahmoud, Talaat Fareed, Haram Bisheer, Mohamed Musa, Hassan Kassala
- Amine Bouhafa
- Strange Bird, Maneki Films, Philistine Films, Film Clinic, Mad Solutions
You might also enjoy...
Palestine 36
Synopsis
Palestine 1936: Rising numbers of Jewish immigrants are arriving to escape persecution in Europe just as Palestinian villages are uniting in the largest and longest uprising against Britain’s 30-year colonial rule. The region is reaching a breaking point, spiraling toward an inevitable collision that will be a decisive turning point for the British Empire and the future of the land.
Within this tumultuous setting, Palestine 36 follows several characters caught up in the conflict. Yusuf drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest, while young Afra tries to navigate the seismic changes with the aid of her grandmother. Meanwhile, a dissatisfied port worker finds the pressures of earning a living drawing him into the rebel movement. In this powerful and suspenseful work of historical fiction, starring such notable actors as Hiam Abbass and Jeremy Irons, renowned filmmaker Annemarie Jacir (Wajib, When I Saw You, and Like Twenty Impossibles, a winner at the Festival in 2023) uses a wide cinematic canvas to offer context, humanity, and complexity to a story that is still tragically unfolding.
Screenings & Events
Screening
Tue, Oct 21 @ 8:00pm
at AMC NEWCITY 14, Screen 06
Venue information...
Closed Captions
Assistive Listening Devices available
Audio Description
Screening
Thu, Oct 23 @ 8:00pm
at Gene Siskel Film Center, Screen 1
Venue information...
- Closed Captions
- Assistive Listening Devices available
- T-Coil Devices available
- Audio Description
Standby Only? Learn when new tickets get released by signing up for our ticket availability email list!
Media
Film Credits
- Ossama Bawardi, Cat Villiers, Azzam Fakhreddin, Hani Farsi, Nils Åstrand, Olivier Barbier, Nathanaël Karmitz, Katrin Pors, Hamza Ali
- Annemarie Jacir
- Tania Reddin
- Hélène Louvart, Sarah Blum, Tim Fleming
- Hiam Abbass, Kamel Al Basha, Yasmine Al Massri, Jalal Altawil, Robert Aramayo, Saleh Bakri, Yafa Bakri, Karim Daoud Anaya, Wardi Eilabouni, Ward Helou, Billy Howle, Dhafer L'Abidine, Liam Cunningham, Jeremy Irons
- Ben Frost
- Philistine Films, Autonomous, Corniche Media, MK Productions, Snowglobe
You might also enjoy...
Two Prosecutors
Sergei LoznitsaFrance, Germany, Netherlands, Latvia, Romania, Lithuania
Learn more...
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk
Synopsis
Driven to document the war in Gaza, filmmaker and Festival alum Sepideh Farsi (2014’s Red Rose) tries to enter the region. Blocked at the border, Farsi strikes up a relationship via cellphone with a bright-eyed young Palestinian photographer and poet named Fatma Hassouna, who is holed up in her bombed-out neighborhood. Through a series of intimate video conversations, by turns lighthearted and heartbreaking, Sepideh and Fatma grow closer despite the layers of screens between them, even as the conditions around Fatma become increasingly dire.
Mirroring in its construction the distance between Gaza and the rest of the world, this cleverly conceived Cannes Film Festival stunner also subtly explores potent contrasts between the two women: the Iranian filmmaker’s world travels and her long life in exile vs. Fatma’s isolation, entrapment, and dreams of escape. As weeks turn to months, the film chronicles their deepening relationship, becoming a compassionate portrait of a life under siege that celebrates the remarkable fortitude of the Palestinian people.
Screenings & Events
Screening
Wed, Oct 22 @ 2:00pm
at Gene Siskel Film Center, Screen 1
Venue information...
- T-Coil Devices available
Standby Only? Learn when new tickets get released by signing up for our ticket availability email list!
Media
Film Credits
- Javad Djavahery, Annie Ohayon-Dekel
- Sepideh Farsi
- Sepideh Farsi
- Fatma Hassona
- Rêves d'Eau Productions
You might also enjoy...
Shorts 1: After Dark
Synopsis
Unfulfilled dreams, dark obsessions, and illicit desires take center stage in this program that transports viewers into the bold and blood-curdling world of genre film. From ventriloquist dummies to unrequited love, these shorts expose our darkest fears… and create new ones.
Blue Violet is a camcorder video compilation for Violet’s birthday that captures just how far Blue will go to prove her devotion to her beloved. While driving home alone on a deserted West Bank road, a Palestinian woman’s flat tire forces her to accept the help of a stranger with unknown intentions in Coyotes. Dummy! takes place in an alternate universe populated by ventriloquist dummies, where a human woman dreams of following in her domineering mother’s footsteps as a cabaret singer. In Earworm, an office worker seeks medical attention after being driven to madness by the notorious earworm “Cotton Eye Joe.” Between a tough-as-nails instructor, apathetic classmates more interested in partying than practicing medicine, and a lack of cadavers to help him hone his skills, Wolfe feels he has no choice but to take his dream of becoming an anesthesiologist into his own hands in Pinpoint. Following her partner’s death, a pregnant woman with a mysterious wound along her spine is visited by an old lover who wants to help her heal in Hotel Acropole.
Screenings & Events
Standby Only? Learn when new tickets get released by signing up for our ticket availability email list!
You might also enjoy...
Coyotes
Synopsis
When Israeli soldiers interrupt her commute home, a Palestinian doctor is forced down a desolate road and her future is thrown into disarray.
This film screens as part of Shorts Program 1: After Dark.
Film Credits
- Myriam Sassine, Laura Jumel
- Said Zagha
- Mattieu Taponier
- Simone D'Arcangelo
- Maria Zreik, Ali Suliman, Yumna Marwan, Jamal Meri, Eslam El-Awadi
- Amin Goudarzi
- Ali Suliman, Sophie Heard, Flavia Zanon, Frank Barat
- Night Owls, The Imaginarium Films, Saffuriya & Ma'alul Productions
- https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2025/orizzonti/coyotes
212 W Van Buren St., Suite 400
Tickets on sale now!
See your most-anticipated screenings at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.
