Summer Screenings Program
Cinema/Chicago, together with the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and our consular and cultural partners, presents Summer Screenings, a free weekly film series that celebrates sports and games from around the world.
A long summer afternoon at the ballpark, an intense game of chess, early morning practices at the pool—sports, games, and competition are defining elements of the human experience. Through struggle and perseverance, victory and defeat, we learn about the joys, pains, and triumphs of being alive together. Featuring everything from timeless soccer legends and hilariously obsessed sports fans to breathtaking breakdance competitions and the epic clash of sumo wrestlers, this collection of films explores the ways in which sports, games, and competition shape our lives.
Virtual screenings take place on Wednesdays at 6:30pm CT, with each film available to stream for a 24-hour watch window. All films are free and open to the public, with free tickets available to reserve beginning 16 days in advance of each screening. Limited tickets are available. Films are unrated. Viewer discretion is advised.
Summer Screenings is presented by 
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Past Summer 2021 Screenings
June 2
Toklomati
This perceptive documentary follows 12-year-old Idan, a talented young athlete anticipating his Bar Mitzvah. More than a rite of passage, it represents the first time…
June 9
Gold (Goud)
In this sensitive yet fierce drama, top gymnast Timo, who is aiming for the World Championships, trains tirelessly with his exacting father, a former athlete…
June 16
With Drawn Arms
Tommie Smith is the track-and-field gold medalist who famously raised a gloved fist at the ’68 Olympic games to protest racial inequality in America. With…
June 23
Champions (Campeones)
Marco, an assistant coach in Spain’s top basketball league, has both attitude and anger issues. One night, after a particularly bad game, he finds himself…
June 30
Nadia, Butterfly
Young and in her prime, Nadia decides to retire from her career as a world-class swimmer to escape a rigid and demanding life of sacrifice…
July 7
Breaking Ice
Tired of watching the Winter Olympics pass by without any Irish representation, a ragtag band of determined and talented multi-sport athletes banded together to brave…
July 14
The Shiny Shrimps
(Les Crevettes pailletées)
Under fire after making a homophobic statement on TV, Olympic swimmer Matthias is in hot water. Desperate to make good, he’ll do anything to regain…
July 21
Knuckle City
Dudu, a womanizing, aging professional boxer is threatened by and young up-and-coming talent. When his career-criminal brother, Duke, is released from prison, the two leverage…
July 28
You Are My Passion
(Eres mi pasión)
Pedro eats, sleeps, and breathes soccer. He schedules his entire life around the sport, dropping anything and everything to watch his beloved, downtrodden club, Cruz Azul…
Live Q&A Presented By:
August 4
Sumodo: The Successors of Samurai (Sumodo – Samurai wo tsugu monotachi)
The world of sumo wrestling has always been something of a mystery to the world at large. Who are these gigantic athletes who willingly, violently…
Live Q&A Presented By:
August 11
Zen in the Ice Rift
Maia, a talented hockey player and relative loner, is isolated and focused on her future. Training with the boys’ team, she is antagonized for her…
August 18
Baseball Girl
Soo-in, Korea’s top female baseball player, can pitch with the best of them. Dreaming of becoming the first woman to join a professional club in Korea…
August 25
The Australian Dream
The life and legacy of celebrated Australian rules football star Adam Goodes is inspirational not only for his remarkable play on the field but also…
Director Q&A Presented By:
September 1
Puskás Hungary
Legendary footballer Ferenc Puskás was many things—a superstar player for Real Madrid, captain of the Magical Hungarians, a globetrotting political exile, and a soccer genius…
September 8
The Ice King
Fed up with the strictures and traditions of competitive figure skating, John Curry set out to change the sport forever, partly as the first openly gay…
September 15
We Are Champions
(Xia ban chang)
Tung-hao and Hsiu-yu are living on the fringes of society, struggling to help their family make ends meet. When a video of the brothers playing…
Live Q&A Presented By:
September 22
The Missed Round
(El Piedra)
In this unexpected and poignant drama, Reynaldo “El Piedra” Salgado is a once powerful boxer who, facing the end of his career, enters matches as “bait”…
Live Q&A Presented By:
September 29
Martha & Niki
In 2010, Martha Nabwire and Niki Tsappos became the first women to win the world’s biggest international street dance competition, Juste Debout, in Paris. Following…
Special Thanks
Cinema/Chicago’s Summer Screenings Program would not be possible without the support of the following individuals and organizations:
Australian Consulate-General in Chicago Consul-General David Bushby and Deputy Consul-General Jo Christopherson
British Consulate-General, Chicago Consul General Alan Gogbashian and Deputy Consul General Maria Rennie
Consulate General of Canada in Chicago Colleen Duke
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Mark Kelly
Chicago Film Office Thavary Krouch
Consulate General of Colombia in Chicago Consul General Dixon Moya
Dutch Culture USA / Netherlands Consulate General in Chicago
Cultural Service at the Consulate General of France in Chicago Tanguy Accart and Laurence Geannopulos
Alliance Française de Chicago Aimée Laberge
Consulate General of Hungary in Chicago Consul General Kovács Tamás and Erzsebet Pappne Mate
Goethe-Institut Irmi Maunu-Kocian
Illinois Arts Council Agency Teresa Davis
Instituto Cervantes of Chicago Executive Director Anastasio Sanchez and Cultural Program Curator Teresa Hernando
Consulate General of Ireland, Chicago Consul General Kevin Byrne and Vice Consul Sarah Keating
Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest Consul Daniel Aschheim and Zoe Puerner
Italian Cultural Institute in Chicago Luca Di Vito
Japan Information Center at the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago Consul-General Kenichi Okada, Tsutomu Shibata, and Wataru Inoue
Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Chicago Consul General Young Sok Kim, Consul Namjin Kim, and HeeJu Han
Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago Cónsul Reyna Torres Mendivil
SomosTV
South African Consulate General in Chicago Consul General Phumzile Mazibuko
Swedish American Museum Karin Moen Abercrombie
Honorary Consulate of Sweden – Chicago Karin Moen Abercrombie
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago Director General Johnson S. Chiang
Summer Screenings Sponsors
Major Sponsors
Additional Support
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