Film Countries Archives: United Kingdom

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A pale woman in a yellow dress looks over her shoulder, her black hair cascading down her back. A man stands behind her.

Poor Things

  Yorgos Lanthimos

  United States, United Kingdom, Ireland     141 minutes

Synopsis

From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.

headshot: Holly WaddingtonTribute to Holly Waddington

This screening includes an in-person tribute to costume designer Holly Waddington and presentation of the Chicago International Film Festival’s Tour de Force Award.

Learn more about Festival Tributes

Screenings & Events

Media

Film Credits

  •   Ed Guiney p.g.a., Andrew Lowe p.g.a., Yorgos Lanthimos p.g.a., Emma Stone p.g.a.
  •   Tony McNamara
  •   Yorgos Mavropsaridis, ACE
  •   Robbie Ryan, BSC, ISC
  •   Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbot, Suzy Bemba, Jerrod Charmichael, Kathryn Hunter, Vicki Pepperdine, Margaret Qualley, Hanna Schygulla
  •   Jerskin Fendrix
  •   Element Pictures

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An older man with white hair leans back in his armchair. The room is blue, and on the table before him is 6 eggs.

The Pigeon Tunnel

  Errol Morris

  United Kingdom     94 minutes

Synopsis

Academy Award-winning documentarian Errol Morris (The Thin Blue LineThe Fog of War) pulls back the curtain on the storied life and career of former British spy David Cornwell — better known as John le Carré, author of such classic espionage novels as The Spy Who Came in from the ColdTinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Constant Gardener. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Cold War leading into present day, the film spans six decades as le Carré delivers his final and most candid interview, addressing, among others, the pivotal role of his con-man father. Punctuated with rare archival footage and dramatized vignettes, The Pigeon Tunnel is a deeply human and engaging exploration of le Carré’s extraordinary journey and the paper-thin membrane between fact and fiction.

 English 

Screenings & Events

Film Credits

  •   Errol Morris, Dominic Crossley-Holland, Steven Hathaway, Simon Cornwell, Stephen Cornwell
  •   Errol Morris
  •   Steven Hathaway
  •   Igor Martinovic
  •   David Cornwell
  •   Philip Glass, Paul Leonard-Morgan
  •   Hossein Amini, P.J. Van Sandwijk, Michael Lesslie, Arthur Wang, Joe Tsai, Michele Wolkoff, Katherine Butler
  •   Ink Factory Films, Fourth Forth Floor, Jago Films, Storyteller Productions, 127 Wall

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An overhead view of a woman sitting cross-legged on a bench in a backyard. Her palms lay on her knees facing up.

Africans With Mainframes [short film]

  Kima Hibbert

  United States     15 minutes

Synopsis

This mockumentary follows LaJoye Watkins, a reclusive Brooklyn woman with an unwavering determination to unearth a hidden truth that challenges conventional music history: that electronic music owes its roots to the ingenious innovation of black Southerners during the 1920s. Within the walls of her modest apartment, she harbors a treasure trove of forgotten records and fragmented memories. LaJoye’s historical tour de force explores themes of loneliness, revenge, and reclamation, taking us on a journey toward spiritual awakening.

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

  

 English 

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An activist wearing blue makeup and flowers on his head raises his fist.

Flores del otro Patio [short film]

  Jorge Cadena

  Colombia, Switzerland     15 minutes

Synopsis

A group of queer activists in the north of Colombia uses fearless performance art and direct action to protest the region’s largest coal mine. Visually lush vignettes are punctuated with urgent hand-held moments of action, reflecting the care and chaos the protestors must hold simultaneously in the fight to save their region from ecological disaster.

This film screens as part of the Shorts 5: Drama – Breaking Points program.

  

 Spanish with subtitles 

Content Considerations
Violence
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An idilic scene of a forest and a lake. A family lounges on the shore nearby, while some swim.

The Zone of Interest

  Jonathan Glazer

  United Kingdom, Poland, United States     105 minutes

Synopsis

The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig strive to build a dream life for their family in a house next to the camp. The two play host to all manner of guests, tend to a lavish garden, and take in the surrounding natural beauty, all the while the horrors of the Holocaust rage just beyond their garden wall. As the war nears its end, Hedwig refuses to abandon her “idyllic” homelife, while her husband works to further distinguish himself among the Nazi rank-and-file, both existing in a state of moral squalor and permanent denial.

Scathing, incisive, and unforgettable, The Zone of Interest is a masterpiece of the medium. Crafted with exacting precision by visionary director Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin), the film poses timely questions and uncovers uncomfortable truths about the banality of evil and humanity’s capacity for willful ignorance.

 German with subtitles 

Screenings & Events

Media

Film Credits

  •   James Wilson, Ewa Puszczyńska
  •   Jonathan Glazer
  •   Paul Watts
  •   Łukasz Żal
  •   Christian Friedel, Sandra Hüller
  •   Mica Levi