Payal Kapadia’s Cannes grand prix winner All We Imagine As Light and Mohammad Rasoulof’s special prize recipient The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, along with Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Venice selection Harvest are among the international competition selections at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival running October 16-27.
A packed line-up also brings Joshua Oppenheimer’s Telluride entry The End to the International Feature Competition, along with the North American premiere of The Quiet Son from Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin, which debuted on the Lido.
There are world premieres for Clarissa Campolina and Sérgio Borges’s Suçuarana from Brazil in International Feature Competition, as well as Jason Park’s US entry Transplant in New Directors Competition, and Javier Van de Couter’s Thesis On A Domestication from Argentina in OutLook Competition.
New Directors also sees the US premiere of Berlinale Iranian selection My Favourite Cake from Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, as well as North American premieres of Abdellah Taïa’s Moroccan entry Cabo Negro from Karlovy Vary, and Bernhard Wenger’s Venice pick Peacock from Austria.
This year’s competitive titles include three world premieres, 13 North American premieres, and 14 US premieres, with titles from Azerbaijan, China, Brazil, Germany, Tunisia, Australia, Italy, and France among those vying for the festival’s Gold Hugo award in the categories of International Feature, International Documentary, and New Directors, in addition to OutLook and Shorts competitions.
As previously announced, the festival will open with Malcolm Washington’s August Wilson adaptation and awards season hopeful The Piano Lesson.
Several competition filmmakers are making their return to Chicago International Film Festival, including Virpi Suutari, Max Kestner, Joshua Oppenheimer, Miguel Gomes, Mohammad Rasoulof, Maura Delpero, and Péter Kerekes, whose 107 Mothers won the Silver Hugo for Best Director award at the 2020 edition.
Previous Chicago honourees have gone on to Oscar recognition, including last year’s Best Documentary nominee Four Daughters, 2022’s Close, and 2021’s Drive My Car and The Worst Person In The World, which were all nominated for best international feature film Oscar.
Japanese filmmaker Kore-eda Hirokazu will receive the Career Achievement Award on October 18 and will be honoured with a retrospective programme including Nobody Knows, Like Father, Like Son, Shoplifters, and Broker.
The full slate of films will be announced on September 23.
International Feature Competition
All We Imagine As Light (Fr-India-Neth-Lux)
Dir. Payal Kapadia
The End (Ire-Germ-Swe-Den-It-UK)
Dir. Joshua Oppenheimer
Grand Tour (Por-It-Fr-Ger-Japan-China)
Dir. Miguel Gomes
Harvest (UK-Ger-Gre-Fr-USA)
Dir. Athina Rachel Tsangari
On Becoming A Guinea Fowl (Zam-UK-Ire)
Dir. Rungano Nyoni
The Quiet Son (Jouer Avec Le Feu; Fr)
Dirs. Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin
North American premiere
The Seed Of The Sacred Fig (Iran-Fr-Ger)
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
The Sparrow In The Chimney (Switz)
Dir. Ramon Zürcher
US premiere
Suçuarana (Bra)
Dirs. Clarissa Campolina, Sérgio Borges
World premiere
Super Happy Forever (Fr-Japan)
Dir. Kohei Igarashi
US premiere
Transamazonia (Fr-Ger-Switz-Tai-Bra)
Dir. Pia Marais
Vermiglio (It-Fr-Bel)
Dir. Maura Delpero
When The Light Breaks Ljósbrot (Ice-Neth-Cro-Fr)
Dir. Rúnar Rúnarsson
US premiere
New Directors Competition
Cabo Negro (Fr-Mor)
Dir. Abdellah Taïa
North American premiere
Ghost Trail Les Fantômes (Fr-Ger-Bel)
Dir. Jonathan Millet
US premiere
Hanami (Switz-Por-Cape Verde)
Dir. Denise Fernandes
North American premiere
Happy Holidays (Pal-Ger-Fr-It-Qat)
Dir. Scandar Copti
US premiere
Listen To The Voices Kouté Vwa (Bel-Fr-French Guiana)
Dir. Maxime Jean-Baptiste
North American premiere
My Favourite Cake (Keyke Mahboobe Man; Iran-Fr-Swe-Ger)
Dirs. Maryam Moghaddam, Behtash Sanaeeha
US premiere
Peacock (Austria-Ger)
Dir. Bernhard Wenger
North American premiere
Rita (Sp)
Dir. Paz Vega
North American premiere
Toxic Akiplėša (Lith)
Dir. Saulė Bliuvaitė
US premiere
Transplant (USA)
Dir. Jason Park
World premiere
The Village Next To Paradise (Austria- Fr-Ger-Som)
Dir. Mo Harawe
US premiere
Who Do I Belong To (Mé el Aïn; Tun-Fr-Can)
Dir. Meryam Joobeur
US premiere
Documentary Competition
Between Goodbyes (USA)
Dir. Jota Mun
North American premiere
The Brink Of Dreams (Rafaat Einy ll Sama; Egy-Fr-Den-Qat-Sau)
Dirs. Nada Riyadh, Ayman El Amir
North American premiere
Life And Other Problems (Livet Og Andre Problemer; Den-UK-Swe)
Dir. Max Kestner
North American premiere
Mistress Dispeller (China-USA)
Dir. Elizabeth Lo
My Stolen Planet (Ger-Iran)
Dir. Farahnaz Sharifi
US premiere
Once Upon A Time In A Forest (Fin)
Dir. Virpi Suutari
US premiere
The Return Of The Projectionist (Le Retour du Projectionniste; Fr-Ger)
Dir. Orkhan Aghazadeh
North American premiere
Wishing On A Star (It-Slo-Czech-Austria-Cro)
Dir. Péter Kerekes
US premiere
OutLook Competition
Baby (Br-Fr-Neth)
Dir. Marcelo Caetano
Between Goodbyes (USA)
Dir. Jota Mun
North American premiere
Cabo Negro (Fr-Mor)
Dir. Abdellah Taïa
North American premiere
Desire Lines (USA)
Dir. Jules Rosskam
Four Mothers (Ire)
Dir. Darren Thornton
North American premiere
My Sunshine (Japan-Fr)
Dir. Hiroshi Okuyama
Thesis On A Domestication (Tesis Sobre Una Domesticación; Arg-Mex)
Dir. Javier Van de Couter
World premiere
Three Kilometres To The End Of The World (Trei Kilometri Până La Capătul Lumii; Rom)
Dir. Emanuel Pârvu
US premiere
Time Passages (USA)
Dir. Kyle Henry
Viet And Nam (Viet)
Dir. Trương Minh Quy.
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