Genre: Coming of Age

A schoolyard tussle between two friends escalates when the kids’ self-righteous and macho fathers get involved.

When 17-year-old Christy moves in with his older brother as a last resort, he finds unexpected paths forward within a complex and tight-knit community.

In a matriarchal cotton-rich Sudanese village, teenage Nafisa is at the nexus of a power play that will determine the community’s future.

At 18, the warm and curious Emi is starting to spread his wings as he sets out in search of his biological parents and puzzle together the pieces of his own story.

This sensitive, deeply felt tale of friendship follows twelve-year-old best mates Ish and Maram, whose bond is tested after a police stop-and-search.

The chance meeting between an impish young girl and a superstitious millennial sends them on a riotous journey to author more meaningful lives.

A Nigerian shoe salesman in Australia juggles fatherhood, fading traditions, and a changing world when his adolescent son comes to live with him full time.

In this water polo camp-set thriller, newcomer Ben is told one of the boys has the “plague.” Will he join in the bullying or risk being cast out himself?

Unlucky nine-year-old Lamia is forced to get creative when she’s tasked with baking a cake in celebration of Saddam Hussein’s birthday.

In 1987 Tokyo, a quirky and sensitive eleven-year-old grapples with the fallout from her father’s illness in this impressionistic portrait of coming-of-age.

Eight-year-old Katya is spending summer with her grandparents in the Russian countryside. Just beyond the rolling hills and serene landscapes, a war is raging.

Some worlds can only truly be conjured outside of physical reality. These eight thrilling shorts unfold in an inventive array of visual and narrative styles that come together to form a vibrant snapshot of contemporary animation.

Close ties abound in these short films spanning Brazil, Kenya, Nigeria, and the U.S. These six shorts explore the complicated relationships between parents and children, aunts and nieces, artists and their craft, and even former lovers.

Chicago and Illinois-based filmmakers experiment with genre, topic, and form in this eclectic program by students, upcoming artists, and established directors.

Laugh away the woes of the world with this eclectic collection of comedies. From the absurd anxieties of wannabe filmmakers to the ridiculous delusions of the recently dumped, these stories are insightful, unexpected, and delightfully irreverent.

These films showcase the richness of the documentary form. Through observation, testimony, and poetic reimagining, six different complex corners of the world come into view.

In these five shorts, exceptional international filmmakers explore subjects ranging from sex and war to grief and hippos. Whether employing dark humor or grounded realism, these stories speak to the complexities of the human experience.

Inspired by his favorite TV detective Kojak, an eleven-year-old boy in 1980s Dublin is drawn into the city’s underbelly as he investigates his older brother’s disappearance.

On a family bicycle trip along the Danube, young Dídac’s encounters with a mysterious boy awaken new feelings in this lyrical coming-of-age story.

In 1930s French-colonized Martinique, an eleven-year-old boy becomes the hope for his community, and his grandmother will do anything to see his ambitions realized.

Shot over 10 years, this intimate family story charts the path of an aspiring cowboy’s coming-of-age struggle in the American heartland.

A young couple fleeing violence in their coastal town finds refuge in the mountains with a pastoral community, offering them a chance at redemption.