< Back to Genre List 62nd Chicago International Film Festival banner

Genre: Social Commentary


9 Temples to Heaven

Sompot Chidgasornpongse

Receiving a disturbing prophecy regarding his elderly mother, Sakol piles the family into a van and sets out on a pilgrimage to reverse the bad karma.

14th

Ava DuVernay

Ava DuVernay investigates the 14th Amendment, exploring its many facets, from who gets to belong in America to the rights they’re entitled to.

32 Meters

Morteza Atabaki

This witty observational film follows two Turkish women who set out to start the first-ever ladies-only sharp-shooting competition in their village.

All of a Sudden

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

Marie-Lou, the director of an elder care facility, is on the verge of burnout when a chance encounter sparks a deep, transcendent friendship.

Being Heumann

Siân Heder

In 1977, disability rights activist Judy Heumann leads a historic 28-day occupation, uniting protesters in a fight for accessibility laws and equal rights.

Ben’Imana

Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo

In this stunning, intimate portrait of defiance and forgiveness, a Rwandan genocide survivor’s convictions are tested by her daughter’s unexpected pregnancy.

A Bit of Light Kami Nour

Ali Asgari

After deciding to end it all, Arash spends a final day with his family in this moving expression of life’s mysterious beauty and its ability to puncture despair.

Bunker

Florian Zeller

When an architect (Javier Bardem) is recruited to design a survivalist bunker for a tech billionaire, his wife (Penélope Cruz) begins to question their marriage.

Castration Movie Chapter iii. Junior Ghosts—Premorphic Drift; a fragmentary passage

Louise Weard

Izzy’s partner’s transition sparks her descent into TERF madness in the latest chapter of this unflinching shot-on-video magnum opus.

Chocolate Babies

Stephen Winter

In 1990s NYC, a group of HIV-positive queer activists wage fierce guerrilla warfare on corrupt politicians in this sharp, militant comedy-drama.

Citizen Osama Al mowaten Osama

Ahmed Hassouna

In this raw and affecting portrait of resilience, a Gazan photographer captures the devastation while protecting his newborn son and older parents.

A City in the Forest

Lev Omelchenko, Nolan Huber

After Atlanta officials move to destroy an urban forest to make way for a massive police training facility—aka “Cop City”—the people fight back.

Congo Boy

Rafiki Fariala

A Congolese teen refugee in Bangui fights to protect his family and hold onto his musical dreams through rap amid growing civil precarity.

Dao

Alain Gomis

Parallel timelines weave together a contemporary French wedding and an ancestral funeral in Guinea-Bissau for a West African diasporic family.

The Diary of a Chambermaid Le journal d'une femme de chambre

Radu Jude

In this potent satire, a Romanian nanny working in France grows weary of her employer’s exploitation while rehearsing a play that echoes her plight.

The Difficult Bride

Rubaiyat Hossain

A privileged bride’s reality starts to unravel as traditional pre-wedding beauty rituals begin to elicit strange visions and physical reactions.

The Dreamed Adventure Das geträumte Abenteuer

Valeska Grisebach

Searching for her missing friend Said in a Bulgarian border town, archeologist Veska unearths a secret criminal network in this engrossing, slow-burn epic.

Finding Your Laughter

Arlieta Hall, Brittany Alsot

In this joyful, moving documentary, Chicago comedian Arlieta uses improv comedy techniques to care for her father as he battles Alzheimer’s.

Gentle Monster

Marie Kreutzer

Concert pianist Lucy (Léa Seydoux) must protect her son after her husband is accused of an unspeakable crime in this thriller about trust and survival.

Going for Home

Eric Simonson

After the devastating L.A. fires leave families displaced, a Little League team carries the Altadena community through loss, recovery, and an improbable season.

A Good Little Soldier Un bon petit soldat

Stéphane Brizé

In this tense drama, HR manager Carla is given an impossible directive: create a supportive, human-centered workplace while casting off the slough.

Head to Head Sar beh Sar

Ghasideh Golmakani

A filmmaker returns home to Iran to shoot a new project—one in which male actors are costumed in headscarves and skirts—in this razor-sharp comedy.

I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming

Isabelle Stever

In this bold, empathic drama, a couple is pushed to the brink when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine upends their lives, throwing their partnership into confusion.

I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning

Clio Barnard

A tight-knit working class friend group’s bond is tested when Rian returns home to Birmingham in this compassionate portrayal of blue-collar life.

Ink

Danny Boyle

An explosive cinematic rollercoaster about a group of visionaries and misfits who completely transformed the world of tabloid news.

Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors Makikiraan Po

Lav Diaz

A 17th century Spanish priest brutally colonizing the Philippines orders his converts to transport a cartload of marble through a marauder-filled jungle.

The Liberation

Guy Nattiv

Rita (Carrie Coon), a mother escaping a harrowing past, finds solace in a female empowerment cult led by the charismatic Ricki (Lily James). But when Rita’s daughters arrive, she must choose between the freedom she’s found and the life she left behind.

The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd

Tim Blake Nelson

A mesmerizing Amanda Seyfried stars as a writing teacher whose relationship with an Oklahoma prisoner offers both a hope of escape in this riveting drama.

Liz Here Now

Sterling Macer Jr.

Aunjanue Ellis Taylor mesmerizes as a devoted caregiver shielding two white children from domestic dysfunction in this deeply affecting 1960s-set drama.

Marie Madeleine

Gessica Généus

In coastal Haiti, a fiercely independent sex worker and an evangelical preacher’s son navigate desire, Vodou roots, and rigid religious dogma.

Once Upon a Time in Harlem

William Greaves, David Greaves

This sublime snapshot of a 1972 cocktail party filled with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance reveals the complexities of the world-renowned artistic movement.

Species Sanguine

Marion Le Corroller

Cutthroat colleagues and strange skin conditions offer competing crises for medical intern Margot in this visceral body horror.

The Spiral L'Estranea

Paolo Strippoli

A Faustian bargain sends a once-perfect family on a harrowing downward spiral in this twisted fable from The Holy Boy director.

Tender Loving Care

Mike Leigh

Legendary British filmmaker Mike Leigh returns with a profoundly moving story—filled with humor, hardship, and compassion—about how we look after each other.

Tin Castle

Alexander Murphy

Irish Travelers Paddy and Lisa O’Reilly and their 10 children find their traditional way of life under threat in this immersive and tender portrait.

Victorian Psycho

Zachary Wigon

A psychopathic governess struggles to tamp down her murderous tendencies in this delightfully unhinged twist on 19th century social conventions.

While We Are Here

Reveca Torres

Beautifully expanding notions of disability, filmmaker Reveca Torres engages with iconic disabled artists Frida Kahlo, Vincent Van Gogh, and Henri Matisse.

Tickets on sale now!

See your most-anticipated screenings at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.

GET YOUR TICKETS
close-link
Scroll to Top