
The Pigeon Tunnel
Synopsis
Academy Award-winning documentarian Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War) pulls back the curtain on the storied life and career of former British spy David Cornwell — better known as John le Carré, author of such classic espionage novels as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Constant Gardener. Set against the turbulent backdrop of the Cold War leading into present day, the film spans six decades as le Carré delivers his final and most candid interview, addressing, among others, the pivotal role of his con-man father. Punctuated with rare archival footage and dramatized vignettes, The Pigeon Tunnel is a deeply human and engaging exploration of le Carré’s extraordinary journey and the paper-thin membrane between fact and fiction.
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Errol Morris, Dominic Crossley-Holland, Steven Hathaway, Simon Cornwell, Stephen Cornwell
- Errol Morris
- Steven Hathaway
- Igor Martinovic
- David Cornwell
- Philip Glass, Paul Leonard-Morgan
- Hossein Amini, P.J. Van Sandwijk, Michael Lesslie, Arthur Wang, Joe Tsai, Michele Wolkoff, Katherine Butler
- Ink Factory Films, Fourth Forth Floor, Jago Films, Storyteller Productions, 127 Wall


Beyond the Frame: 376 Days (Nick Cave: Keep it Movin’) + Chronicle of a Summer Day
Synopsis
This suite of films explores the fusion of the natural world and cultural narratives, as well as the limitless possibilities of creative expression and transcending convention. Featuring works by Bronzeville Collective and Claude-Aline T Nazaire-Miller.
The community-made collage Chronicle of a Summer Day (U.S.) offers a poetic glimpse into John Caleb Pendleton’s Juneteenth floral installation of remembrance and celebration. Artist Nick Cave prepares for a career-spanning exhibition and a groundbreaking fashion performance celebrating gender identity in 376 Days (Nick Cave: Keep it Movin’) (U.S.).
Screenings & Events
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Sponsors
Black Perspectives Program Sponsor


Shorts 1: City & State – Revelations
Synopsis
The six shorts in this program represent distinct modes of storytelling through film, while reflecting the diversity and creativity of our region. Featuring works by Dustin Nakao-Haider, McKenzie Chinn, Linh Tran, Tetsuya Mariko, Ian Kelly, and Brian Zahm.
In Ethan Lim: Cambodian Futures (U.S.), we follow a chef with a mission to share and elevate Cambodian food using his family’s recipes. Two friends living on the south side of Chicago find their friendship tested when one reveals a tightly-held secret in A Real One (U.S.). In Video Funeral (U.S.), two Vietnamese sisters bond over their father’s death and funeral. Two small-time thieves encounter an abandoned car with a small child in the backseat in Before Anyone Else (Japan, U.S.). A grandson uses animation to reconstruct a loved one’s lost memories in the documentary Soft Lights and Silver Shadows (U.S.). Photosynthesis (U.S.) takes the viewer on a 3D journey in the form of a 1960s perceptual art-inspired experience.
Screenings & Events
Virtual Screening
This program will be available to stream from October 16 at 12:00pm CT to October 22 at 11:59pm CDT.
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Sponsors
Accessibility Partner
Live Captioning


The Space Race
Synopsis
Pioneers in civil rights and outer space, Black astronauts like Guion Bluford, Victor Glover, and Chicago’s own Mae Jemison boldly ventured where no Black Americans had ever gone before. The Space Race is the untold story of their adventures in flight and the social forces they endeavored to transcend. Anchored by the story of Ed Dwight — who was handpicked by JFK to be the first African-American in space before he was dropped from the mission — the film chronicles the personal and political battles these pioneers encountered through the decades.
Filled with rich historical footage and candid interviews with many self-proclaimed “Afronauts,” the film connects their ambitions with cultural forces like the Black Power movement and the Afrofuturism of icons like musician Sun Ra and author Octavia Butler. Expansive, moving, and uplifting, the film is a profound act of reclamation, giving voice to a group of trailblazers, who have been largely missing from the official history — until now.
Screenings & Events
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Media




Film Credits
- Alexandra Bowen, Aly Parker, Mark Monroe, Keero Birla, Lisa Cortés, Diego Hurtado de Mendoza
- Frank Marshall, Tony Rosenthal, Carolyn Bernstein, Leland Melvin
- Kennedy/Marshall Company
Sponsors
Documentary Program Sponsors
Black Perspectives Program Sponsors
Live Captioning


Synopsis
Simon, a talented and carefree drag artist, is the rising star of his club, aided by his costume designer sister. When he meets new performer Olivier, their chemistry is immediate and undeniable. The two dive headfirst into a whirlwind romance combined with artistic collaboration, and their love and performance are both passionate and destructive. Meanwhile, Simon also finds hope in the promise of a renewed relationship with his estranged mother, a famous opera singer from whom he is desperate to receive love and artistic validation.
An increasingly controlling Olivier, a cold and distant mother, and Simon’s neglect of his supportive sister illuminate the toxic cycles of codependency and disappointment in his life, empowering him to realize that perhaps he shines most brightly as a solo act. Sophie Dupuis (Family First) returns to the festival with a vibrant and scintillating tale of self-actualization, with stunning drag performances that hold up a mirror between art and life.


Screenings & Events
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Media






Film Credits
- Étienne Hensez
- Sophie Dupuis
- Marie-Pier Dupuis, Dominique Fortin, Maxim Rheault
- Mathieu Laverdière
- Théodore Pellerin, Félix Maritaud, Anne-Marie Cadieux, Alice Moreault
- Charles Lavoie
- BRAVO CHARLIE