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Banner: the 59th Chicago International Film Festival

Genre: Comedy


In-Person
Virtual
A naked woman with her eyes closed sits in a field. Next to her is a flower and an insect.

27 [short film]

Flóra Anna Buda  |   France, Hungary
Hungarian  
Animation, Comedy

On the day that Alice turns 27, a drunken accident makes her question the choices she has made in her life thus far.

In-Person
Virtual
A child with one eye closed opens her mouth so a doctor can inspect her throat.

Aaaah! [short film]

Osman Cerfon  |   France
Animation, Comedy

Children display varied emotions with a singular expression.

In-Person
Virtual
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
English  
Comedy

A Brooklyn woman harbors the secret of electronic music’s true origins.

In-Person

All Happy Families

Haroula Rose  |   United States
English  
Comedy, Drama, Family Affairs

In this delightful Chicago-set comedy, an aspiring actor grapples with the arrival of his more successful brother at his dysfunctional family’s crumbling two-flat.

In-Person
A bald, bearded man wearing a white button up stands in front of a large home with an American flag hanging from it.

American Fiction

Cord Jefferson  |   United States
English  
Comedy, Political, Social Commentary

Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Starring Jeffrey Wright as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment.

In-Person
A woman sits on the floor in her bra and skirt while resting her hands on the man laying his head in her lap.

Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry

Elene Naveriani  |   Switzerland, Georgia
Georgian  
Comedy, Romance, Women Centered

48-year old Etero’s world is turned upside down when she falls for a local deliveryman in this endearing and off-kilter dry comedy.

In-Person
Virtual
A couple sits on a couch and looks ahead.

The Breakthrough [short film]

Daniel Sinclair  |   United States
English  
Comedy, Family Affairs

A surprise interruption during a fruitless therapy session brings a married couple closer than they thought possible.

In-Person
Virtual
A young girl standing outside a tall building holds a cigarette in her hand in front of her face.

Closing Dynasty [short film]

Lloyd Lee Choi  |   United States
English, Mandarin  
Architecture, Comedy

A day in the life of a streetwise kid named Queenie as she navigates her own path through New York City.

In-Person
Three women stand on the front steps of a grand building, looking at each other conspiratorially.

The Crime is Mine (Mon crime)

François Ozon  |   France
French  
Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Women Centered

A penniless actress and lawyer put on the performances of a lifetime in the courtroom in this farcical caper set in 1930s Paris.

In-Person
Five people watch an older man speak, while another man slumps over a desk in defeat.

The Delinquents (Los delincuentes)

Rodrigo Moreno  |   Argentina, Luxembourg, Brazil, Chile
Spanish  
Comedy, Crime, Drama, Social Commentary

Morán works a dead-end job at a bank. Fed up, he dreams up a scheme to break free: walk into the vault and steal enough cash for a comfortable retirement.

In-Person
A trippy, almost 3D colored image of a boy staring fearfully right into the camera.

Departing Seniors

Clare Cooney  |   United States
English  
Comedy, Horror, LGBTQ

In this Chicago-set update on the teen slasher, a gay Latinx high school student becomes an unlikely vigilante when he develops psychic powers.

In-Person
A woman in a sequin dress takes a selfie in a public bathroom. Another woman pokes her head in to look.

Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (Nu Aștepta Prea Mult De La Sfârșitul Lumii)

Radu Jude  |   Romania, Luxembourg, France, Croatia
Romanian  
Comedy, Political, Social Commentary

A production assistant attempts to cast actors for a workplace safety video in this wry, absurdist satire of capitalism in the digital age.

In-Person
A balding man in glasses and a parka stands in front of a car with the word 'loser' spray painted on the side behind him

Dream Scenario

Kristoffer Borgli  |   United States
English  
Comedy, Horror, Social Commentary

Family man Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams.

In-Person

Generations: Black Perspectives Shorts

Various  |   United States
English  
Comedy, Drama, Sports

Discover stories that resonate, inspire, and spark meaningful conversations in this year’s Community Cinema Shorts Program.

In-Person
Virtual
Two friends in their early twenties look up at a tree in a park at night. One of them drinks from a can.

Geranios [short film]

Lou Marino  |   Chile
Spanish  
Comedy, LGBTQ

An intimate and endearing work of docu-fiction which follows best friends whose effortless charisma and fierce dedication carries them through tough times.

In-Person
Three people look out at a snowy, mountainous landscape.

A Happy Day

Hisham Zaman  |   Norway
Norwegian  
Comedy, Coming of Age, Political

Endearingly deadpan, this wholly original tale finds three teenage friends plotting their escape from a frozen, hopeless place — until one falls in love.

In-Person
Virtual
Close-up of an emotional man standing outside in daylight. In the bakcground we see a blurry neighborhood.

The Heart [short film]

Malia Ann  |   United States
English  
Comedy, Drama

A lonely man is perplexed when his mother passes away and leaves him with her heart in a jar.

In-Person
A woman and two men sit in a dimly lit dining hall, having a meal. A Christmas tree stands behind them.

The Holdovers

Alexander Payne  |   United States
English  
Comedy, Coming of Age, Drama

Paul Giamatti stars as a curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school who is forced to babysit a handful of students over Christmas break.

In-Person
A couple sits side-by-side on a blue couch.

The Hypnosis (Hypnosen)

Ernst de Geer  |   Sweden, Norway, France
English, Norwegian, Swedish  
Comedy, Social Commentary, Women Centered

On the eve of a big presentation, Vera tries hypnotherapy to quit smoking in this ironic, uproarious satire of entrepreneurial culture.

In-Person
Virtual
Two women sit next to each other on a couch, looking ahead.

Look Back at It [short film]

Felicia Pride  |   United States
English  
Comedy

A Baltimore-based single mother finds her groove with the help of her teenage daughter.

In-Person
A woman in a red swimsuit smiles as she stares at something. Behind her, the vast blue ocean glistens in the sunlight.

The Love Stories of Liv S. (Les histoires d'amour de Liv S.)

Anna Luif  |   Switzerland
French  
Comedy, Romance, Sex and Sexuality, Women Centered

Filmmaker and post-punk singer Liv drifts through a cycle of love and separation in this charismatic, funny look at the pain and joy of partnership.

In-Person
Virtual
In a messy bed we see a naked couple. The man is on his knees, and the woman is lying on her back with her legs up.

Making Babies [short film] (Faire un enfant)

Éric K. Boulianne  |   Canada
French  
Comedy, Sex and Sexuality

The ups and downs of a couple’s journey trying to get pregnant are humorously and compassionately explored.

In-Person
A dark haired woman stands with her arms, covered in rubber gloves, bent in front of her.

The Nature of Love (Simple comme Sylvain)

Monia Chokri  |   Canada, France
French  
Comedy, Sex and Sexuality, Women Centered

A philosophy professor is forced to choose between sexual and intellectual gratification in this seductive, playful French-Canadian rom-com.

In-Person
A woman wearing a vibrant green wig and elaborate makeup, blows smoke into the air from a cigarette.

The People’s Joker

Vera Drew  |   United States, Canada, Scotland
English  
Comedy, LGBTQ

A trans coming-of-age story encased in a comic-book parody, The People’s Joker kicks down the doors of IP with witty humor and surprising heart.

In-Person
A group of well-dressed people dance in a ballroom.

The Persian Version

Maryam Keshavarz  |   United States
English, Persian  
Comedy, Family Affairs, LGBTQ, Music

In this snappy comedic drama featuring vibrant dance numbers, an Iranian-American woman must navigate her relationship with her opposing cultural identities and her mother.

In-Person
Virtual
A little girl stands and looks ahead in the middle of a kitchen.

Rizoo [short film]

Azadeh Navai  |   Iran, United States
Persian  
Comedy, Coming of Age

This endlessly charming film follows a rebellious 8-year-old who recently moved back to Tehran from the United States as she navigates familial and societal expectations.

In-Person
A man in a tuxedo is seated at a mirrored table. His face is reflected up at him between the table settings.

Saltburn

Emerald Fennell  |   United Kingdom
English  
Comedy, Drama, LGBTQ, Sex and Sexuality

Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.

In-Person
Virtual

Shorts 2: Animation – Desires

Various  |   Argentina, Belgium, France, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, The Netherlands, United States
Arabic, Dutch, English, French, Hungarian, Spanish  
Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Horror, LGBTQ

These animated shorts create an idiosyncratic mosaic of the difficulties, joys, enigmas, and triumphs of the human experience.

In-Person
Virtual

Shorts 6: Comedy – Awkward Laughs

Various  |   Canada, Chile, Iran, United States
English, French, Persian, Spanish  
Comedy, Coming of Age, Drama, Family Affairs, LGBTQ, Science Fiction, Sex and Sexuality

The works in this program muck around the dark corners of human experience, bringing forth the darkly comedic, can’t-help-but-laugh moments that arise in difficult times.

In-Person
Virtual

Shorts 7: Black Perspectives – Resonance

Various  |   Tanzania, United States
English  
Comedy, Documentary, Drama, LGBTQ, Sports

Vibrant cultural legacies come to life, hidden histories are unearthed, everyday life is illuminated, and resonant stories unfold in captivating splendor in this collection of shorts.

In-Person
Virtual

Shorts 8: Architecture – Versions of Home

Various  |   France, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Ukraine, United States
French, Mandarin, Russian, Ukrainian  
Animation, Architecture, Comedy, Documentary

In celebration of this year’s Chicago Architecture Biennial, this program tracks how we establish strong connections to a place, and the complications of staying in it.

In-Person
Virtual
A woman looks at her phone in a hotel lobby. Behind her, we see other guests sitting.

The Miracle [short film]

Nienke Deutz  |   Belgium, The Netherlands, France
Dutch, English  
Animation, Comedy

Irma, a 40-year-old woman surrounded by families, tries to find comfort in her solitary life in a hotel called The Miracle.

In-Person
Virtual
A woman with red hair, yellow glasses and a septum piercing leans against the window from inside a red car.

The Vacation [short film]

Jarreau Carrillo  |   United States
English  
Comedy

A barber’s quest for a holiday becomes an exploration of identity and experience.

In-Person
Virtual
Behind a slightly open door we see a couple in towels arguing. In front of the door, we see another couple talking.

Variations on a Theme [short film]

Peter Collins Campbell  |   United States
English  
Comedy, Science Fiction

A couple starts literally splitting into multiple versions of themselves.