Wadjda is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is always pushing the boundaries of what she can get away with. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so that she can beat Abdullah in a race. Wadjda’s mother won’t allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl’s virtue. So Wadjda decides to try and raise the money herself. Soon enough, Wadjda’s plans are thwarted when she is caught running various schemes at school. Just as she is losing hope of raising enough money, she hears of a cash prize for a Koran recitation competition at her school. She devotes herself to the memorization and recitation of Koranic verses, determined to continue fighting for her dreams. Wadjda is the first feature length film to be shot completely in Saudi Arabia, as well as the first feature film made by a female Saudi director
![Two men sit on a planter in a city](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FF60_ToaLandUnknown1_1200x600.jpg)
To a Land Unknown
Synopsis
Displaced Palestinian cousins Chatila and Reda are stuck in Athens. They live in a crowded group home with other migrants, and steal and save what they can to pay for fake passports that will take them to Germany. When Reda relapses into his addictions and spends all their savings, Chatila devises what seems like a foolproof smuggling operation to earn the money back fast. Then things go terribly awry, and the cousins must concoct an even more sinister scheme in order to save themselves and their families back home.
With an intimate and naturalistic lens on the cousins’ bond and shared dream of a better life, To a Land Unknown is a tightly drawn thriller that presents an audacious, moving testament to the dire circumstances faced by migrants in purgatory.
Screenings & Events
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Media
![](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FF60_ToaLandUnknown1_1200x600-1024x512.jpg)
![](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FF60_ToaLandUnknown2_1200x600-1024x512.jpg)
![](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FF60_ToaLandUnknown3_1200x600-1024x512.jpg)
Film Credits
- Geoff Arbourne, Mahdi Fleifel
- Mahdi Fleifel, Fyzal Boulifa, Jason McColgan
- Halim Sabbagh
- Thodoris Mihopoulos (GSC)
- Mahmood Bakri (Chatila), Aram Sabbagh (Reda), Angeliki Papoulia (Tatiana), Mohammad Alsurafa (Malik), Mouataz Alshalton (Abu Love), Mohammad Ghassan (Yasser), Monzer Reyahnah (Marwan)
- Nadah El Shazly
- Elisa Van Waeyenberge, François De Villers, Frank Barat, Sawsan Asfari
- Inside Out Films, Nakba Filmworks, Salaud Morisset, Salaud Morisset Deutschland, Homemade Films, Studio Ruba
Sponsors
With Support From
![A group of girls dressed in pink sit on a riverbank looking out.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FF60_TheBrinkofDreams1_1200x600.jpg)
The Brink of Dreams Rafaat einy ll sama
Synopsis
In a small village in southern Egypt, a group of girls form a street theater troupe as both a creative outlet and a fearless act of defiance. Challenging the patriarchal norms of their conservative Coptic Christian community, the girls dream of becoming actresses, dancers, and singers. They take to the dusty roads of their town to enact short plays that offer provocative challenges to passersby, asking questions like why a girl cannot marry the boy she loves.
Shot over four years with extraordinary access to its subjects, Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir’s film follows these brave girls from adolescence to adulthood, charting the complex and myriad ways in which each must navigate growing up as they form romantic partnerships and face the social demands of womanhood. As feminist empowerment and aspirational dreams collide with the sobering realities of life, The Brink of Dreams offers a poignant and absorbing coming-of-age story of female solidarity and youthful rebellion. Winner of the top documentary prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
![](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FF60_TheBrinkofDreams-poster_600x900.jpg)
Screenings & Events
Sold Out/Rush Only? Learn when new tickets get released by signing up for our ticket availability email list!
Media
![](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FF60_TheBrinkofDreams1_1200x600-1024x512.jpg)
![](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FF60_TheBrinkofDreams2_1200x600-1024x512.jpg)
![](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FF60_TheBrinkofDreams3_1200x600-1024x512.jpg)
Film Credits
- Ayman El Amir, Nada Riyadh, Marc Irmer, Claire Chassagne
- Nada Riyadh, Ayman El Amir
- Véronique Lagoarde-Ségot, Ahmed Magdy Morsy, Ayman El Amir, Nada Riyadh
- Dina El Zeneiny, Ahmed Ismail, Ayman El Amir
- Majda Masoud, Haidi Sameh, Monika Youssef, Marina Samir, Myriam Nassar, Lydia Haroun, Youstina Samir
- Ahmad El Sawy
- Felucca Films, Dolce Vita Films, Magma Films
- https://www.thepartysales.com/movie/the-brink-of-dreams/
Sponsors
Documentary Program Partner
Documentary Program Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin
Film Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin
![](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/banner_CineYouth2024-FramesofReference_Documentary_1200x600.jpg)
CineYouth Program
Frames of Reference: Documentary
Synopsis
These five incredible shorts function as a window into diverse forms of the human experience, highlighting courageous expressions of identity, examples of uplifting community, and insightful responses to common misconceptions.
Please note: Films in this program contain themes, images, and language that may not be suitable for all ages.
Films
![CY24 TheHeel 1200x600 A young woman gazes ahead with her hair draped over her eyes and her right hand clawed over her chest.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CY24_TheHeel_1200x600-300x150.jpg)
The Heel
Jules Daddio, also known as Skylar Grey, is an up-and-coming female wrestler from North Haven, Connecticut. Jules paints a picture of the professional wrestling ecosystem and grapples with the history of women’s progress in the sport.
![CY24 BlindSighted 1200x600 A young man with a visual impairment closely inspects a clear mug of milk.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CY24_BlindSighted_1200x600-300x150.jpg)
Blind Sighted
Mitch, Jaden, and Stevie, three young students with visual impairments who attend the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind, detail common misconceptions and their struggles for accurate representation.
![CY24 FURSONA 1200x600 A red and white furry with fangs, black claws, and yellow goggles dances in front of the mirror.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CY24_FURSONA_1200x600-300x150.jpg)
Fursona
In Pessamit, Canada, Aly reflects upon the importance of their fursona, Dexter. Dexter helps Aly bring joy to others through his extroverted and social attitude.
![CY24 TheCapoeristas 1200x600 A group of aspiring martial artists excitedly prepares to engage in the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CY24_TheCapoeristas_1200x600-300x150.jpg)
The Capoeristas
A group of Chicagoans find companionship in the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira, exploring how it connects them not only to their community but also to their lost heritage.
![CY24 Brucey 1200x600 A harnessed camel with no rider stands in the sand in front of a group of people conversing under an umbrella.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CY24_Brucey_1200x600-300x150.jpg)
Brucey
This multimedia documentary follows Brucey–sailing slang for anchor–and his family as they give insight into the fishing trade and their connection to the ocean in Gaza.
Sponsors
Presented by