‘All We Imagine As Light’, ‘The End’, ‘Harvest’ among Chicago International Film Festival line-up (exclusive) | News

Payal Kapadia’s Cannes grand prix winner All We Imagine As Light and Mohammad Rasoulof’s special prize recipient The Seed Of The Sacred Figalong 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 Sucurana 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 Favorite 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 winning 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 win the Silver Hugo for Best Director award at the 2020 edition.

Previous Chicago honorees have gone on to Oscar recognition, including last year’s Best Documentary nominee Four Daughters2022’s Closeand 2021’s Drive My Car and The Worst Person In The Worldwhich 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 honored with a retrospective program including Nobody Knows, Like Father, Like Son, Shopliftersand Broker.

The full slate of films will be announced on September 23.

International Feature Competition

All We Imagine As Light (Fr-India-Nether-Lux)
Payal Kapadia Director

The End (Ire-Germ-Swe-Den-It-UK)
Director Joshua Oppenheimer

The Grand Tour (Por-It-Fr-Ger-Japan-China)
Director Miguel Gomes

Harvest (UK-Ger-Gre-Fr-USA)
Director: Athina Rachel Tsangari

On Becoming A Guinea Fowl (Zam-UK-Ire)
Rungano Nyoni Director

The Quiet Son (Jouer Avec The Feu; Fr)
Dirs. Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin
North American premiere

The Seed Of The Sacred Fig (Iran-Fr-Ger)
Director Mohammad Rasoulof

The Sparrow In The Chimney (Switz)
Director Ramon Zürcher
US premiere

Sucurana (Bro)
Dirs. Clarissa Campolina, Sérgio Borges
World premiere

Super Happy Forever (French-Japan)
Directed by Kohei Igarashi
US premiere

Transamazon (Fr-Ger-Switz-Tai-Bra)
Director Pia Marais

Vermillion (It-Fr-Bel)
Directed by Maura Delpero

When The Light Breaks Ljósbrot (Ice-Neth-Cro-Fr)
Dir. Runar Runarsson
US premiere

New Directors Competition

Cabo Negro (Fr-Mor)
Dir. Abdellah Taïa
North American premiere

Ghost Trail Les Fantômes (Fr-Ger-Bel)
Director: Jonathan Millet
US premiere

Hanami (Switz-Por-Cape Verde)
Director Denise Fernandes
North American premiere

Happy Holidays (Pal-Ger-Fr-It-Qat)
Director Scandar Copti
US premiere

Listen To The Voices Kouté Vwa (Bel-Fr-French Guiana)
Director Maxime Jean-Baptiste
North American premiere

My Favorite Cake (Keyke Mahboobe Man; Iran-Fr-Swe-Ger)
Dirs. Maryam Moghaddam, Behtash Sanaeeha
US premiere

Peacock (Austria-Ger)
Director Bernhard Wenger
North American premiere

Rita (Sp)
Dir. Paz Vega
North American premiere

Toxic Akiplėša (Lithium)
Dir. Saulė Bliuvaitė
US premiere

Transplant (USA)
Director 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)
Director Max Kestner
North American premiere

Mistress Dispeller (China-USA)
Director Elizabeth Lo

My Stolen Planet (Ger-Iran)
Dir. Farahnaz Sharifi
US premiere

Once Upon A Time In A Forest (Finn)
Dir. Virpi Suutari
US premiere

The Return Of The Projectionist (The Projectionist’s Return; Fr-Ger)
Dir. Orkhan Aghazadeh
North American premiere

Wishing On A Star (It-Slo-Czech-Austria-Cro)
Director: Péter Kerekes
US premiere

OutLook Competition

Baby (Br-Fr-Neth)
Director Marcelo Caetano

Between Goodbyes (USA)
Dir. Jota Mun
North American premiere

Cabo Negro (Fr-Mor)
Dir. Abdellah Taïa
North American premiere

Desire Lines (USA)
Jules Rosskam, Director

Four Mothers (Ire)
Director Darren Thornton
North American premiere

My Sunshine (Japan-Fr)
Directed by Hiroshi Okuyama

Thesis On A Domestication (Tesis Sobre Una Domesticación; Arg-Mex)
Director Javier Van de Couter
World premiere

Three Kilometers To The End Of The World (Trei Kilometri Până La Capătul Lumii; rom)
Director Emanuel Parvu
US premiere

Time Passages (USA)
Dir. Kyle Henry

Viet Nam (Vietnam)
Dir. Trung Minh Quy.