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Banner: the 61st Chicago International Film Festival

Genre: Science Fiction


An animated young girl sits on the shoulders of a man in a large rainbow cloak. Beams of light shoot from his forehead.

Arco

Ugo Bienvenu  |   France
English  
Adventure, Animation, Environmental, Science Fiction

When a curious time traveler falls from the sky, 10-year-old Iris resolves to help her new friend return to the future in this thrilling animated adventure.

Best of CineYouth 2025

Various  |   Poland, Spain, U.S.
English, Korean, No Dialogue, Spanish  
Action, Animation, Drama, Horror, Music, Science Fiction, Social Commentary, Thriller

The award-winning shorts of CineYouth 2025 showcase the talent and vision of eight young filmmakers from around the world.

A woman in sunglasses walks to her car, parked outside of her lavish home.

Bugonia

Yorgos Lanthimos  |   U.K.
English  
Comedy, Environmental, Science Fiction, Thriller

Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.

A man with a pained expressin sits in a shadowy bathtub wearing headphones. A tear glistens under his right eye.

Earworm (Öronmask)

Patrik Eklund  |   Sweden
Swedish  
Comedy, Horror, Science Fiction
Ulph has been plagued by an earworm for weeks, fixating on the chorus of “Cotton Eye Joe” and bursting into song at the most inappropriate of times. When he finally [...]
A large group of students form a human pyramid outdoors. Two others stand facing them.

New Group

Yûta Shimotsu  |   Japan
Japanese  
Horror, Science Fiction, Social Commentary

If Invasion of the Body Snatchers traded pods for human pyramids and took place in a Japanese high school, it would be New Group.

A man stands on a balcony inside a broken down building, covered in smoke and blue light.

Resurrection

Bi Gan  |   China, France
Chinese  
Action, Fantasy, Film on Film, Science Fiction

In a future society that has lost the desire to dream, a curious creature catalogues the fantasies of rebel “Fantasmers,” creating a wild cinematic tapestry.

Shorts 1: After Dark

Various  |   France, Jordan, Palestine, Sweden, U.K., U.S.
Arabic, English, French, Swedish  
Comedy, Drama, Family Affairs, Horror, LGBTQ, Romance, Science Fiction, Social Commentary, Thriller, Women-Centered

Unfulfilled dreams, dark obsessions, and illicit desires take center stage in this program that transports viewers into the bold and blood-curdling world of genre film. From ventriloquist dummies to unrequited love, these shorts expose our darkest fears… and create new ones.

A black and white image of a person falling through an endless black abyss.

The Mechanization of Man

Eion Nunez, Age 17  |   Los Angeles, California, United States
English  
Science Fiction, Thriller

Diagnosed with terminal insomnia, Cillian clings to his past, obsessively building a time machine in his final days only for it to fail.

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