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Banner: the 59th Chicago International Film Festival

Genre: Women Centered


In-Person
Virtual
Point-of-view shot looking at a computer screen that's playing a video of someone talking to a microphone.

AliEN0089 [short film]

Valeria Hofmann  |   Chile, Argentina
Spanish  
Drama, Women Centered

In this tense thriller, a gamer reveals the sexist harassment and threats she receives from online trolls and finds they infiltrate more than just her computer.

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
A man lies in the snow, blood pooling behind his head. Two people stand nearby, embracing eachother, one holds a phone.

Anatomy of a Fall (Anatomie d’une chute)

Justine Triet  |   France
English, French, German  
Crime, Drama, Mystery, Women Centered

A wife is suspected of murdering her husband in this bracing psychological showstopper. Winner of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

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
A man and woman lay in the grass, gazing at each other.

Banel & Adama

Ramata-Toulaye Sy  |   Senegal, France, Mali
Pulaar  
Drama, Romance, Women Centered

Rebellious young lovers challenge tradition in this mesmerizing and emotionally charged romantic drama tinged with magical realism

In-Person
People dancing in a vintage dance hall. Two women at center screen dance together.

The Beautiful Summer (La bella estate)

Laura Luchetti  |   Italy
Italian  
Coming of Age, LGBTQ, Romance, Women Centered

Summer 1938. Ginia moves to Turin and immerses herself in a sensual, bohemian world where she finds the courage to truly be herself.

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
A woman sits on the floor in her bra and skirt while resting her hands on the man laying his head in her lap.

Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry

Elene Naveriani  |   Switzerland, Georgia
Georgian  
Comedy, Romance, Women Centered

48-year old Etero’s world is turned upside down when she falls for a local deliveryman in this endearing and off-kilter dry comedy.

In-Person
A man and woman sit beside eachother in front of a fireplace. The man looks pleased and relaxed, the woman is upset.

The Bride

Myriam U. Birara  |   Rwanda
Kinyarwanda  
Drama, LGBTQ, Social Commentary, Women Centered

Kidnapped and forced into marriage, Eva forms a tender friendship with her new husband’s cousin as together they face the ghosts of Rwanda’s past.

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 woman in an orange polo and red shorts strides confidently through a courtyard. Two women watch from behind her.

Club Zero

Jessica Hausner  |   Austria, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark
English  
Drama, Social Commentary, Women Centered

Mia Wasikowska stars as a teacher who encourages her students to stop eating in this mannered blend of dry satire and gross-out body horror.

In-Person
Virtual
A teenager standing in the background looks at another teenager, who is out of focus, eating.

Consumer [short film]

Stephanie Izsak  |   Canada
English  
Social Commentary, Women Centered

A teen girl discovers a new way to keep up with toxic beauty standards, but things don’t go as planned.

In-Person
Three women stand on the front steps of a grand building, looking at each other conspiratorially.

The Crime is Mine (Mon crime)

François Ozon  |   France
French  
Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Women Centered

A penniless actress and lawyer put on the performances of a lifetime in the courtroom in this farcical caper set in 1930s Paris.

In-Person
A girl in a warm hooded coat leads a horse by the bridle.

The Echo (El Eco)

Tatiana Huezo  |   Mexico, Germany
Spanish  
Coming of Age, Documentary, Women Centered

From the acclaimed director of Prayers for the Stolen comes an exquisitely textured coming-of-age story about an adolescent girl in rural Mexico.

In-Person
A woman looks to the side, resting her chin on her hands.

Eric LaRue

Michael Shannon  |   United States
English  
Drama, Religion, Social Commentary, Women Centered

In his masterful directorial debut, Michael Shannon tells the riveting story of a mother grappling with the fallout of a school shooting.

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 women relax by a body of water in reclined chairs, shaded by a tree.

Foremost by Night (Sobre todo de noche)

Víctor Iriarte  |   Spain, Portugal, France
Spanish  
Crime, Drama, Noir, Women Centered

Two mothers and a son, separated across space and time, come together and put a clever plot into motion in this unique contemporary noir.

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
A woman in a silk pink robe watches a young Sudanese woman with a smile.

Goodbye Julia

Mohamed Kordofani  |   Sudan
Arabic  
Drama, Political, Women Centered

Two women from different class and racial backgrounds form a dangerous bond against the tumultuous backdrop of South Sudan’s impending secession.

In-Person
A man kneels next to a little girl while a soldier holds out his hands.

Green Border (Zielona Granica)

Agnieszka Holland  |   Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium
Arabic, English, French, Polish  
Drama, Political, Social Commentary, Women Centered

The plight of a Syrian family on the Poland-Belarus border prompts an everyday woman to action in this clear-eyed portrait of a political crisis.

In-Person
A young woman with blue eyes, wrapped in an embrace, looks over a woman's shoulder.

Holly

Fien Troch  |   Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, France
Flemish  
Coming of Age, Drama, Women Centered

Holly’s uncanny premonition makes her the focal point of a community in need of healing, but is the teenaged outsider the answer to their prayers?

In-Person
A couple sits side-by-side on a blue couch.

The Hypnosis (Hypnosen)

Ernst de Geer  |   Sweden, Norway, France
English, Norwegian, Swedish  
Comedy, Social Commentary, Women Centered

On the eve of a big presentation, Vera tries hypnotherapy to quit smoking in this ironic, uproarious satire of entrepreneurial culture.

In-Person
Virtual
A woman sitting on the bathroom floor looks at the black goo on her fingers with disgust

In the Flesh [short film]

Daphne Gardner  |   United States
English  
LGBTQ, Women Centered

Tracey is pleasuring herself in the shower when the pipes explode and she starts to leak black goo.

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
A woman in a red swimsuit smiles as she stares at something. Behind her, the vast blue ocean glistens in the sunlight.

The Love Stories of Liv S. (Les histoires d'amour de Liv S.)

Anna Luif  |   Switzerland
French  
Comedy, Romance, Sex and Sexuality, Women Centered

Filmmaker and post-punk singer Liv drifts through a cycle of love and separation in this charismatic, funny look at the pain and joy of partnership.

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
Virtual
A woman with zombie-like skin and orange, bloodshot eyes lays on the floor looking towards the camera.

Mosquito Lady [short film]

Kristine Gerolaga  |   United States
English, Tagalog  
Women Centered

A pregnant teen girl tries to get an abortion despite the objections of her conservative parents, forcing her into an unconventional and horrific experience.

In-Person
Virtual
Close-up of two older women holding up a long lit lighter.

Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó [short film]

Sean Wang  |   United States
Mandarin  
Documentary, Women Centered

A moving portrait of an elderly pair, their quirky rituals, and their strong sentiments for life.

In-Person
A dark haired woman stands with her arms, covered in rubber gloves, bent in front of her.

The Nature of Love (Simple comme Sylvain)

Monia Chokri  |   Canada, France
French  
Comedy, Sex and Sexuality, Women Centered

A philosophy professor is forced to choose between sexual and intellectual gratification in this seductive, playful French-Canadian rom-com.

In-Person
An older woman treads water a few yards beyond a boat. Smiling, she wears a swim cap and goggles.

NYAD

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin  |   United States
English  
Biopic, Drama, Sports, Women Centered

Three decades after giving up marathon swimming in exchange for a prominent career as a sports journalist, at the age of 60, Diana (four-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening) becomes obsessed with completing an epic swim that always eluded her: the 110 mile trek from Cuba to Florida, often referred to as the “Mount Everest” of swims.

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 pale woman in a yellow dress looks over her shoulder, her black hair cascading down her back. A man stands behind her.

Poor Things

Yorgos Lanthimos  |   United States, United Kingdom, Ireland
English  
Drama, Sex and Sexuality, Social Commentary, Women Centered

The fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life from the brink of death by the brilliant, daring scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe).

In-Person
A woman stands at the base of a winding staircase in a grand entryway, the furniture covered with sheets.

Raging Grace

Paris Zarcilla  |   United Kingdom
English, Tagalog  
Horror, Mystery, Social Commentary, Women Centered

In this bold, bloody gothic horror film, a Filipina worker and her daughter confront the shocking colonialist legacy of a wealthy English family.

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.

Drive-In
In-Person
Virtual

Shorts 3: After Dark – Twisted Tales & Shadows of Innocence

Various  |   Canada, France, United States
English, French, Tagalog  
Coming of Age, Horror, LGBTQ, Social Commentary, Women Centered

These tense and terrifying shorts reflect how everyday life can turn into horror.

In-Person
Virtual

Shorts 4: Documentary – In Motion

Various  |   Bhutan, Germany, Switzerland, Ukraine, United States
Dzongkha, English, French, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainain  
Documentary, Environmental, Social Commentary, Sports, Women Centered

These short documentaries offer singular looks into lives that have been transformed by pivotal events.

In-Person
A very disheveled pregnant woman sits on a rock by a waterfall, looking at the shirtless man lounging next to her.

Sweet Dreams

Ena Sendijarević  |   The Netherlands, Sweden, Indonesia
Dutch, Indonesian  
Drama, Historical, Social Commentary, Women Centered

A Dutch plantation owner’s death sparks a rancorous clash over his estate in this surreal satire of the end of Indonesia’s colonial era.

In-Person
A woman with ginger hair, wearing a red sweater, yells while standing in a classroom.

The Teachers’ Lounge (Das Lehrerzimmer)

İlker Çatak  |   Germany
English, German, Polish, Turkish  
Drama, Social Commentary, Women Centered

An idealistic high school teacher who advocates for a student accused of stealing becomes embroiled in conflict when she becomes the target of a theft herself.

In-Person
A woman with short hair works at a desk, behind her the sky is painted orange from the setting sun.

Through the Night (Quitter la nuit)

Delphine Girard  |   Belgium, Canada, France
French  
Crime, Drama, Social Commentary, Women Centered

Late one night, a woman in danger calls the police. Anna fields the call. A man is arrested. Weeks go by and tensions build. What really happened?

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.