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Banner: the 59th Chicago International Film Festival

Genre: Family Affairs


In-Person
A woman wearing a white dress, cradles a baby in a diaper in a neighborhood surrounded by trees.

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt

Raven Jackson  |   United States
English  
Coming of Age, Family Affairs, Women Centered

This lyrical, decades-spanning exploration of a woman’s life in Mississippi is a haunting, beautiful ode to the people and places that shape us.

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
An older man and woman sit across from each other, sharing glasses of wine.

And the Party Goes On (Et la fête continue)

Robert Guédiguian  |   France
French  
Family Affairs, Political, Romance

In this joyful, humanistic drama, Rosa, the heart and soul of her community, faces retirement with mounting disillusionment — until she meets Henri.

In-Person
Virtual
Shot of a father and son sitting on a couch. The son is in the background and out of focus.

Baba [short film]

Anya Chirkova, Meran Ismailsoy  |   Canada
English, Persian  
Drama, Family Affairs

An Iranian immigrant enlists his son’s help to negotiate with his landlord with both disastrous and humorous results.

In-Person
A woman emraces a girl, kissing the side of her head, and holds a small black dog in her other arm.

Bad Living (Mal Viver)

João Canijo  |   Portugal, France
Portuguese  
Architecture, Drama, Family Affairs, Women Centered

The first in a pair of intricately interconnected films, five women struggle to keep their decaying family hotel afloat.

In-Person
Virtual
Under a tent lined with string lights, a man and a woman stand closely. He looks down while she gazes as him.

Because We Have Each Other

Sari Braithwaite  |   Australia
English  
Documentary, Family Affairs, Women Centered

This wondrous and warm-hearted documentary follows a neurodivergent Australian family as they experience the joys, misfortunes, and traumas of everyday life.

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
Three children sit in the backseat of a car, their parents in the front seat in the foreground.

The Burdened

Amr Gamal  |   Yemen, Sudan, Saudi Arabia
Arabic  
Drama, Family Affairs, Social Commentary

Beleaguered parents Isra’a and Ahmed are forced to make a difficult decision when they receive some unsettling news: Isra’a is pregnant again.

In-Person
Two women stand on a rooftop, staring out at the countryside.

Bye Bye Tiberias

Lina Soualem  |   France, Palestine, Belgium, Qatar
French, Palestinian Arabic  
Documentary, Family Affairs, Political, Women Centered

Filmmaker Lina Souaelm traces the journeys of her mother — Palestinian actress Hiam Abbas — and the women of her extended family, whose lives have been defined by separation, exile, and resilience.

In-Person
A girl in a pink button-up, soaking wet, looks off camera. Behind her a pond surrounded by lush trees

Family Portrait

Lucy Kerr  |   United States
English  
Drama, Family Affairs, Women Centered

Spring 2020. A Texas family reunion morphs into a hectic mess when a family matriarch goes missing in this potent distillation of early pandemic paranoia.

In-Person
Two men wearing matching yellow polos lean against a fence topped with barbed wire, one smokes a cigarettes.

firedream (lumbrensueño)

José Pablo Escamilla  |   Mexico
Spanish  
Coming of Age, Drama, Family Affairs

In an industrial city, aimless teenager Lucas searches for meaning and connection. A friend’s sudden departure will send him on a poetic odyssey.

In-Person
A colorful truck weaves through winding mountain roads, two people sit on its roof observing the passing scenery.

Food Roots

Michele Josue  |   United States, Philippines
English, Tagalog  
Culinary, Documentary, Family Affairs

This heartfelt tribute to food, family, and cultural identity charts Chicago restaurateur Billy Dec’s journey to reconnect with his Filipino heritage.

In-Person
Four women lay together, holding each other tenderly.

Four Daughters

Kaouther Ben Hania  |   France, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Tunisia, Cyprus
Arabic  
Documentary, Family Affairs, Religion, Women Centered

An artistic Cannes-winning tour-de-force blending documentary and fiction that explores the secret trauma at the heart of a Tunisian family.

In-Person
In a large brick waiting room, 4 people sit across a table from two others, all dressed professionally.

Housekeeping for Beginners (Domakinstvo za pocetnici)

Goran Stolevski  |   North Macedonia, Poland, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo
Albanian, Macedonian, Romani  
Drama, Family Affairs, LGBTQ, Sex and Sexuality

When the head of the household passes away suddenly, a collective of queer misfits reluctantly come together to protect their found family.

In-Person
A dark haired woman leans over the shoulder of another woman, her shoulder strap sliding down, as they look out a window.

Living Bad (Viver Mal)

João Canijo  |   Portugal, France
Portuguese  
Architecture, Drama, Family Affairs, Women Centered

The events of companion film Bad Living are seen through the eyes of the hotel’s guests, who are juggling problems of their own.

In-Person
In a bathroom mirror, a dark haired woman takes notes and observes as an older blonde woman applies makeup to her skin.

May December

Todd Haynes  |   United States
English  
Drama, Family Affairs, Women Centered

Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple (Julianne Moore and Charles Melton) buckles under the pressure when an actress (Natalie Portman) arrives to do research for a film about their past.

In-Person
A bearded man and a red-haired woman look at each other while sitting in a forest in winter.

Memory

Michel Franco  |   Mexico, United States
Drama, Family Affairs, Social Commentary

Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) is a social worker who leads a simple and structured life: her daughter, her job, her AA meetings. But when Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) follows her home from their high school reunion one night, their surprise encounter will profoundly impact their lives.

In-Person
Two young children, splattered with mud, look towards the camera with serious expressions.

Monster (Kaibutsu)

Hirokazu Kore-eda  |   Japan
Japanese  
Drama, Family Affairs, LGBTQ, Mystery

Young Minato is behaving strangely, and his mother demands answers. Through the eyes of mother, teacher, and child, a complex truth emerges.

In-Person
Two young women and a girl lay in the middle of a grassy field laughing and smiling with each other.

Paradise is Burning (Paradiset Brinner)

Mika Gustafson  |   Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Finland
Swedish  
Coming of Age, Drama, Family Affairs, Women Centered

The anarchic freedom of three sisters, left alone by an absent mother, is threatened by social services, confronting them with the realities of growing up.

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
A man in the passanger seat of a car looks backwards over his shoulder past camera.

Pet Shop Days

Olmo Schnabel  |   United States, Italy, United Kingdom, Mexico
English, Spanish  
Drama, Family Affairs, LGBTQ, Sex and Sexuality

Two young men meet in New York City and enter a whirlwind romance, sending them into a dead-end world of passion, drugs, and depravity.

In-Person
A dark haired woman and child share a warm smile as the girl rests her hand on the womans.

Shayda

Noora Niasari  |   Australia
English, Persian  
Drama, Family Affairs, Women Centered

After Shayda takes refuge in an Australian women’s shelter with her young daughter, the arrival of her husband jeopardizes her path to freedom.

In-Person
Virtual

Shorts 5: Drama – Breaking Points

Various  |   Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, France, Qatar, Switzerland, Turkey
Arabic, English, Persian, Spanish, Turkish  
Crime, Drama, Family Affairs, LGBTQ, Social Commentary

These powerful shorts reflect on life’s twists and turns, exploring what we do in moments of profound impact.

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 9: Family Friendly Animation – Better Together

Various  |   Canada, Germany, Mexico, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United States
Arabic, English, Korean, Mayan, Spanish, Tigrinya, Urdu  
Animation, Coming of Age, Family Affairs

All ages are welcome in this family-friendly program, full of colorful films that celebrate play, encourage curiosity, and emphasize the importance of communal bonds.

In-Person
A drag queen in a long wig and leotard performs in front of an adoring crowd.

Solo

Sophie Dupuis  |   Canada
English, French  
Drama, Family Affairs, LGBTQ, Music

A talented drag performer searches for love from a passionate yet domineering new relationship, and from his long-estranged mother.

In-Person
Virtual
A glowing blue star with a face looks at its reflection in the street. Behind it are multicolored flowers.

Starling [short film]

Mitra Shahidi  |   United States
Animation, Family Affairs

A couple is visited by their child in her new spiritual form for a beautiful meditation on grief and eternal love.

In-Person
A young girl looks off to the side with a sad expression on her face as candles are lit in front of her.

Tótem

Lila Avilés  |   Mexico, Denmark, France
Spanish  
Coming of Age, Drama, Family Affairs, Women Centered

Over the course of a day preparing a birthday party for her ailing father, young Sol watches her family’s bonds erode as they honor life and loss.

In-Person
Virtual
A ghostly green adult carries a ghostly green child on their back in an black void

Two One Two [short film]

Shira Avni  |   Canada
English  
Animation, Family Affairs

A poetic and deeply personal glimpse into motherhood in the form of a gorgeous, glimmering two-headed monster.

In-Person
A young boy smiles, his back to the bright blue sky, with his arms and legs spread as if tossed in the air.

We Grown Now

Minhal Baig  |   United States
English  
Coming of Age, Drama, Family Affairs

In this heartfelt story set in Chicago’s Cabrini-Green projects in the early 1990s, two boys come of age amid change in their community.