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Banner: the 60th Chicago International Film Festival

Genre: Literary Adaptation


A woman sits in front of a microphone, an anxious expression on her face. Behind her, a group of women are out of focus.

Belén

Dolores Fonzi  |   Argentina
Spanish  
Biopic, Drama, Literary Adaptation, Women-Centered

When a woman is wrongly charged with infanticide, a court case brought to vindicate her ignites both outrage and solidarity in this riveting true story.

An elderly man in a feathered headband stands in front of a mirror, putting in vampire teeth.

Dracula

Radu Jude  |   Romania, Austria, Luxembourg, Brazil
Romanian  
Comedy, Film on Film, Literary Adaptation, Social Commentary

A vampire hunt, an AI-generated Vlad the Impaler, a vulgar folktale, and much more collide in this unforgettable retelling of the Dracula myth.

A man stands in front of an audience, holding a cylindrical object with a wild expression on his face.

Frankenstein

Guillermo del Toro  |   United States
English  
Drama, Fantasy, Literary Adaptation

Brilliant but egotistical scientist Victor Frankenstein brings a creature to life in an experiment that leads to the undoing of both creator and his tragic creation.

A man and a woman closely stand face to face in a deeply wooded area.

Hamnet

Chloé Zhao  |   United Kingdom
English  
Biopic, Drama, Literary Adaptation, Romance

From Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet.

A woman stands in the middle of a lavish party, toying with the key on her necklace.

Hedda

Nia DaCosta  |   United States
English  
LGBTQ, Literary Adaptation, Sex and Sexuality, Women-Centered

In this provocative reimagining of Ibsen’s classic play, Hedda finds herself torn between the lingering ache of past love and the quiet suffocation of her present.

Leonora in the Morning Light

Lena Vurma, Thor Klein  |   Germany, Mexico, Romania, United Kingdom
English, French, Spanish  
Art, Biopic, Literary Adaptation, Women-Centered

Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington’s life and work are vividly brought to life in this textured and insightful reflection on a truly original spirit.

The Stranger (L'Étranger)

François Ozon  |   France
French  
Crime, Drama, Literary Adaptation

Algiers, 1938. A young man shows utter indifference to the events of his life, even as he lands in jail on murder charges in this searing adaptation of Camus’ classic.

Sugar Cane Alley (Rue Cases Nègres)

Euzhan Palcy  |   France, Martinique
Creole, French  
Coming of Age, Family Affairs, Historical, Literary Adaptation

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.

Three Goodbyes (Tre Ciotole)

Isabelle Coixet  |   Italy, Spain
Italian  
Drama, Literary Adaptation, Romance, Women-Centered

This elegant and emotional drama finds Marta reeling after a breakup until a world-shifting diagnosis brings clarity and purpose to her life.

Train Dreams

Clint Bentley  |   United States
English  
Drama, Family Affairs, Historical, Literary Adaptation

Based on Denis Johnson’s novella, Train Dreams is a moving portrait of a railroad worker, who leads a life of depth and beauty in early 20th century America.

The Wizard of the Kremlin (Le Mage du Kremlin)

Olivier Assayas  |   France
English  
Drama, Historical, Literary Adaptation, Political

Russia, early 1990s. A brilliant young artist turned TV producer charts his astronomical rise, becoming an unlikely advisor to Vladimir Putin in this satire-laced political thriller.