Festival Archives: Chicago Intl Film Festival

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Close up on a person holding up their shirt as a gray and white sock sticks out of their teal underwear.

Day with a Dick [short film]

  Kimberly Spohn

  United States     12 minutes

Synopsis

Facing a daunting task at work, a young woman explores a novel method to boost her confidence. Throughout the day, she discovers that her newfound audacity isn’t always beneficial.

This film screens as part of the City & State Shorts: Now and Then program.

 English 

Film Credits

  •   Tanja Meyer, Gregory Morgan, Emma Hutchinson, Mariel Mudrik
  •   Kimberly Spohn
  •   Vishaal Desai
  •   Drew Tieng
  •   Kimberly Spohn, John Zoitos, Kimberly Singh, Bryant Jager
  •   Blake Sokoloff
  •   Kimberly Spohn
  •   DePaul University

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Animated Shorts: Major Developments

  Various

  Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Singapore, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States     97 minutes

Synopsis

Showcasing a diverse mix of animation techniques, the films in this program focus on moments of transition where characters, both relatable and fantastic, make discoveries, face irreversible choices, and navigate outbursts. Featuring work by Loïc Espuche, Michèle Lemieux, Nina Gantz, Delia Hess, Bianca Lambert, Zohar Dvir, Olivia Griselda, Sarah Cheok, and Catapreta.

Leo tries to hide his big secret while still making the most of his summer in the world of Yuck! (Beurk!) (France), where wanting to kiss makes your lips glow. The painstaking pinscreen animation process is used to create a darkly poetic piece about the tragic life of Queen Mariana of Austria as captured by Baroque painter Diego Velázquez in The Painting  (Le tableau) (Canada). In the absurdist stop-motion piece Wander to Wonder (The Netherlands, Belgium, France, United Kingdom), unusual collaborators suffer through the loss of their TV show’s host. The frustration of being trapped in a hotline’s hold system starts to bleed into the physical world in On Hold (Switzerland). After taking more than the recommended dose of cannabis to assuage her fibroid pain, Amanda wades through the voices in her head in Super High: A Period Piece (United States). Carol’s fear of committing to her girlfriend aligns with the onset of unexpected world-changing circumstances in Butterfly Kiss (Germany, Israel). Dona Beatriz Ñsîmba Vita (Brazil) is a surreal and striking portrayal of the political life of African heroine Kimpa Vita, an overshadowed but significant historical figure who initiated the movement to save the Republic of Congo — as well as other parts of central Africa — from Portuguese colonial rule. And when a mail carrier makes a mistake, an unassuming woman enters a vibrant world of otherworldly pleasure in She and Her Good Vibrations (Singapore)

 English, French, German, No Dialogue, Portuguese 

Content Advisory

Screenings & Events

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With Support From

Logo: Canada 313x100Logo: German Film Office 141x125Logo: German Films - 315x100Logo: Goethe Institut 62x100logo: French Embassy in the United States 156x125Logo: Villa Albertine 203x60Logo: See NL / Eye Filmmuseum 160x85

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A boy with black hair and a girl with red hair pucker their glowing pink lips toward each other.

Yuck! [short film] Beurk!

  Loïc Espuche

  France     13 minutes

Synopsis

Leo lives in a world where those who want to kiss someone have glowing pink lips. At summer camp, he pokes fun at kissers alongside his friends. But his lips have started to glow as well.

This film screens as part of the Animated Shorts: Major Developments program.

 French with subtitles

Film Credits

  •   Juliette Marquet, Manon Messiant
  •   Loïc Espuche
  •   Noé Chabbat, Katell Varvat
  •   Aliénor Doublet, Maxime Roy, Grégoire Chauvot
  •   Ikki Films, Iliade et Films

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An arm of royalty displays bracelets with a bow and the ornate dress of the subject.

The Painting [short film] Le tableau

  Michèle Lemieux

  Canada     12 minutes

Synopsis

Using the shadow and light of the pinscreen animation technique, this film considers a portrait of Queen Mariana of Austria by Baroque painter Diego Velázquez. Forced to marry her uncle as a child, Queen Mariana’s traumatic life becomes a reminder of the cruelty of incest, as well as art’s deep resonance, in this delicately made work.

This film screens as part of the Animated Shorts: Major Developments program.

  

 French, English 

Film Credits

  •   Christine Noël, Julie Roy
  •   Michèle Lemieux
  •   Annie Jean
  •   Catherine Van Der Donckt, Robert Marcel Lepage
  •   Christine Noël, Julie Roy
  •   National Film Board of Canada
  •   https://mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/the-painting/

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A tiny woman with gray hair sits atop a VCR, staring at the tv in front of her.

Wander to Wonder [short film]

  Nina Gantz

  The Netherlands, Belgium, France, United Kingdom     14 minutes

Synopsis

Without their leader, a group of pocket-sized people must cope with increasingly harsh conditions while trying to maintain their sanity on an ’80s TV show. An absurd and humorous tale executed with exquisite stop-motion animation, this film asks what it takes to move on.

This film screens as part of the Animated Shorts: Major Developments program.

 English 

Film Credits

  •   Stienette Bosklopper, Maarten Sawrt
  •   Nina Gantz, Simon Cartwright, Daan Bakker, Stienette Bosklopper
  •   Beast Animation, Les Productions de Milou, Blink Industries, Pictanovo images en Hauts-de-France, Circle Films, Kaap Holland Film