Film Festival Announces International Feature Competition

The 51st Chicago International Film Festival (Oct. 15-29, 2015) announces the films selected for its International Feature Competition. Films in the competition are receiving their World, U.S., or Chicago Premiere at the Festival. Representing a wide variety of styles and genres, the films in the International Features Competition vie for the Festival’s top honor, the Gold Hugo. This year’s competition showcases an exciting mix of films from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Chile, Croatia, France, Israel, Iran, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, UK, and Uruguay.

The films in competition include works from veteran directors (Jia Zhang-ke, Corneliu Porumboiu, Arnaud Desplechin) to those from the next generation of new talents (Santiago Mitre, Gabriel Mascaro, Majid Barzegar). Highlights include the world premiere of Barzegar’s A Very Ordinary Citizen (co-written by Jafar Panahi); the critically acclaimed relationship drama 45 Years, starring Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling; Chronic, the latest film by Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco who previously won the Festival’s 2012 Silver Hugo Special Jury Prize for After Lucia; and Naomi Kawase’s delightfully poetic film about life and sweet pastries, Sweet “It has been a great year for movies, so far. The sixteen films competing for the Gold Hugo are strong and diverse,” said Founder & Artistic Director Michael Kutza. “This year’s competition includes some of the most anticipated films of the season as well as new discoveries from around the world and we can’t wait to share them with Chicago.”

“Year after year the submissions we receive demonstrate the great diversity and excellence of cinema today, making the process of selection for our international competition both challenging and exciting. I am inspired by the creativity and power of these filmmakers,” added Programming Director Mimi Plauché. “I have no doubt that some of these films will be contenders in the upcoming awards season.” The International Features Competition is supported by the John and Jacolyn Bucksbaum Family Foundation.

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