Premiere Status Archives: Chicago Premiere

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A young man stands facing the camera, extending his palm to show various cartoon faces drawn onto his fingertips.

The Holy Boy La Valle dei Sorrisi

  Paolo Strippoli

  Italy, Slovenia     120 minutes

Synopsis

Disruptions to the idyllic lives of the people in Remis, also known as the happiest town in Italy, are rare. But when Sergio, a former Judo champion with a tragic past, arrives to take over the school’s physical education program, his palpable pain puts him at odds with the town’s otherwise supernaturally cheerful inhabitants. Soon, he is initiated into Remis’s best-kept secret: once a week, the townspeople gather in a church to meet Matteo, a fifteen-year-old with some secrets of his own. His embrace promises to free its recipient of all their suffering, but this healing touch comes with consequences. Being the town’s savior is soul-crushing work and leaves little room for Matteo to live a life of his own or explore his blossoming queer desires. As the pressures on Matteo mount, Sergio searches for answers about this so-called angel, and the darkness inside his gift comes into disturbingly detailed focus.

Director Paolo Strippoli elegantly weaves a tapestry of contrasts and moral ambiguities that are mirrored in the film’s striking cinematography and production design. The Holy Boy thoughtfully contemplates the place of pain in our lives, matching its melancholic beauty with more than enough spine-chilling spectacle.

 Italian with subtitles

Content Considerations

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Media

Film Credits

  •   Domenico Procacci, Laura Paolucci, Ines Vasilevic, Stefano Sardo
  •   Jacopo Del Giudice, Paolo Strippoli, Milo Tissone
  •   Federico Palmerini
  •   Cristiano Di Nicola
  •   Michele Riondino, Paolo Pierobon, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Sergio Romano, Anna Bellato, Sandra Toffolatti, Roberto Citran, Giulio Feltri
  •   Fandango, Vision Distribution, Nightswim

Sponsors

With support from

logo: CinecittàLogo: Italian Ministry of Culture / Cinema Audiovisivo179x80Consulate General of ItalyLogo: Italian Cultural Institute - 200x100

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A close up of a woman lying down in the sand, eyes glassy.

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

  Mary Bronstein

  U.S.     113 minutes

Synopsis

With her life crashing down around her, Linda (Rose Byrne) attempts to navigate her child’s mysterious illness, her absent husband, a missing person, and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist. With the whiplash pace of a thriller, writer-director Mary Bronstein takes audiences into a breathtakingly inventive, unexpectedly funny, yet startlingly relatable fever-dream of parental anxiety. Rose Byrne gives a one-of-a-kind cinematic portrait of ultra-pressurized motherhood.

 English 

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Media

Film Credits

  •   Sara Murphy, Ryan Zacarias, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, Conor Hannon, Richie Doyle
  •   Mary Bronstein
  •   Lucian Johnston
  •   Christopher Messina
  •   Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, Danielle Macdonald, Christian Slater, A$AP Rocky
  •   https://a24films.com/films/if-i-had-legs-id-kick-you

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A man stands on stage in green light, holding a microphone to his mouth with a smug expression on his face.

Is This Thing On?

  Bradley Cooper

  U.S.     120 minutes

Synopsis

As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex (Will Arnett) faces middle age and an impending divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while Tess (Laura Dern) confronts the sacrifices she made for their family—forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form.

 English 

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Media

Film Credits

  •   Bradley Cooper, Weston Middleton, Will Arnett, Kris Thykier
  •   Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett, Mark Chappell
  •   Charlie Greene
  •   Matthew Libatique
  •   Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andra Day, Bradley Cooper, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds, Scott Icenogle
  •   James Newberry
  •   Searchlight Pictures, Lea Pictures, Electric Avenue

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In a desert, a woman in a wedding dress and a man in a suit sit in the back of a trunk, another man standing next to them.

It Was Just an Accident Un Simple Accident

  Jafar Panahi

  Iran, France, Luxembourg     103 minutes

Synopsis

After accidentally hitting a dog on the road, Eghbal arrives at a garage for a damage assessment. Mechanic Vahid is shocked to recognize the man as his torturer from his time as a political prisoner. Bent on revenge, he immediately springs into action. He follows Eghbal home, kidnaps him, and stows him away in his van. The only problem now: he can’t be certain of the man’s true identity. Over the next 24 hours, he enlists the help of friends and acquaintances who had been detained at the same prison. Although Vahid is desperate for retribution, he’s wracked with doubt.

Director Jafar Panahi, previously banned from filmmaking and imprisoned for his political views, injects his intricate revenge thriller with affecting personal detail. Winner of this year’s Palme d’Or, It Was Just an Accident is a profound, brave rumination on the lasting effects of political trauma and the complex morality of recrimination.

 Persian with subtitles

Content Considerations

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Film Credits

  •   Jafar Panahi, Philippe Martin
  •   Jafar Panahi
  •   Amir Etminan
  •   Amin Jafari
  •   Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

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A man in a white suit stands smiling in the street, standing in front of a black and white portrait of himself.

Jay Kelly

  Noah Baumbach

  U.K., U.S., Italy     132 minutes

Synopsis

Jay Kelly, the new film from Academy Award nominee Noah Baumbach, follows famous movie actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) as he embarks on a journey of self discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler). Poignant and humor filled, epic and intimate, Jay Kelly is pitched at the intersection of life’s regrets and notable glories.

  

 English 

Screenings & Events

There are currently no upcoming screenings of this film.

Film Credits

  •   David Heyman, p.g.a., Amy Pascal, p.g.a., Noah Baumbach, p.g.a.
  •   Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer
  •   Valerio Bonelli, Rachel Durance
  •   Linus Sandgren, ASC, FSF
  •   George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Grace Edwards, Stacy Keach, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson, Eve Hewson, Greta Gerwig, Alba Rohrwacher, Josh Hamilton, Lenny Henry, Emily Mortimer, Nicôle Lecky, Thaddea Graham, Isla Fisher
  •   Donald Sabourin, Emily Mortimer
  •   Heyday Films, Pascal Pictures, NBGG Pictures

Sponsors

Presented by

Logo: Panavision 185x85

With support from

Logo: Italian Ministry of Culture / Cinema Audiovisivo179x80Consulate General of ItalyLogo: Italian Cultural Institute - 200x100

Film Patron

Lee Blackwell Baur and Tom Baur

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