This collection of uncanny and unhinged stories from around the world represent the growing global appetite for genre films. Full of inventive stories with stunning practical effects, this program will delight late night moviegoers of all stripes.

A cast of characters waiting in limbo must decide which memory they want to preserve before moving on in this fantastical and poignant drama.

A deadbeat dad is trapped with his family waiting out a typhoon. There, the fractured clan reckons with their past as they look to an uncertain future.

An eccentric film crew tours the monuments, museums, and roadside curios of Alberta in this hilarious, heartfelt Canadian road trip.

The lives of three women living in working-class Mumbai are explored in this soulful study of the transformative power of friendship and womanhood.

A father and son’s reunion in the Swiss Alps turns from tense to perilous when they embark on a backcountry ski day.

Audiences of all ages will enjoy these stories about companionship between characters navigating wild worlds. From fantastical to familial, this collection offers a colorful look into the push and pull of close camaraderie.

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.

Lucid, poetic, and chilling, Oscar nominee Petra Costa’s latest exposé investigates the increasing power of evangelicals in Brazilian politics.

A mother (Renate Reinsve) is called to school to account for her six-year-old’s behavior. But who can say with certainty what really happened?

This stunning early 20th century tale recounts the life of Modesta, a rebellious Sicilian born into poverty who believes she’s destined for more.

A young gay man is taken under the wing of his older lover, finding excitement and empowerment in learning new ways of surviving.

An actress delves into the life of Suzanne Césaire, merging reality and memory to reveal the complexities of the pioneering writer and activist.

Eight award-winning shorts from CineYouth 2024 including surrealist comedies, touching dramas, and boldly crafted stories — all made by young people.

Based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams.

A beautifully conceived and profoundly multilayered portrait of a Korean-born Dutch adoptee who reconnects with her birth parents after years of separation.

As her family and friend group slide into chaos around her, teenaged Bailey finds solace in an improbable stranger in this tough but tender fairy tale.

In these shorts from across the diaspora, our protagonists are forced to mature in the face of difficult and uncomfortable truths.

The delicate emotional balance of a married couple is put to the test when the past bursts back into their lives, in this perceptive, finely drawn drama.

London, WWII. 9-year-old George, sent to the countryside by his mother, embarks on an epic journey to return home and reunite with his family.

A group of Egyptian girls form a street theater troupe as both a creative outlet and an act of defiance. But dreams eventually collide with reality.

An overwhelmed new mother partners with two baby traffickers to find the perfect well-paying parents for her infant in this heartbreaking human story.

Escaping postwar Europe, a visionary architect (Adrien Brody) arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost.

A retired director is hired by a local university to direct a short play in this wistful meditation on regret, connection, and the creative process.

Two young queer Moroccans seek refuge and human connection as they wait at a luxury villa for a wealthy American who is nowhere to be found.

In a career-spanning odyssey, Jia Zhang-Ke delivers an epic look at the romantic destiny of his perennial heroine, Qiaoquio (Zhao Tao).

A program of shorts by Illinois filmmakers addressing how past experiences shape the present moment, showcasing the talent and vision of regional filmmakers.

Angry customers get their revenge on an amoral online reseller in this intriguingly bizarre thriller from Japanese genre master Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

In this intimate and affecting neorealist drama, a father takes his son to his first baseball game. But a series of obstacles will test him along the way.

Unbound obsessions and delusional desires fuel these hilarious shorts that embody the essence of “fake it ‘til you make it!” From the delightfully heartwarming to the absolutely bonkers, these films remind us to dream big, live large, and leave it all on the field.

Newly restored, this bold, original Chicago drama follows two love stories, set nearly a century apart, that echo each other in salient ways.

During the secretive process of selecting a new Pope, a Cardinal finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the foundation of the Church.

An imaginative, surreal chronicle of the return of 26 stolen artifacts from Paris to their rightful home in Benin. How should they be received?

In this hybrid documentary, a trans man becomes immersed in an LGBTQ archive, and its oral histories push against stigmas and binaries to illuminate his desires.

Using diverse methods of observation, animation, and essay, the filmmakers in this program showcase the flexibility of documentary form. Each zeroes in on a unique point of view, eliciting intimate first-person portraits about the broad spectrum of human experience and emotion.

From unforgettable chance encounters to complex lifelong relationships, these powerful films from visionary auteurs explore the depth of human connections, the transcendent nature of shared language, and the ways life’s twists and turns can strengthen — or challenge — those bonds.

Two adult baseball teams play one final game on their beloved field in this shaggy, delightful, and nostalgic portrait of a fading America.

Through liberating song and dance and bold visuals, this Mexican odyssey follows the journey of four remarkable women, each pursuing happiness.

In this Golden Age musical about one of the last families on earth, the sudden arrival of a stranger threatens the equilibrium of their seemingly perfect existence.

A powerful reclamation of pioneering South African photographer Ernest Cole, whose astute, vivid portraits of racial injustice have been largely forgotten – until now.

The seven short films in this program radically push towards new and singular forms of expression. Through the use of archival footage, historical recreation, and dreamlike narratives, these films grapple with the past and the future of cinema — and the world.

An elderly widower tries to fight the urban redevelopment scheme threatening his Istanbul condo building. With nostalgia, he navigates a changing world.

When his home is devastated by a great flood, a courageous cat teams up with an unlikely band of animal friends in this thrilling animated spectacle.

A writer is torn between his burgeoning career in another country and caring for his aging mother at home in this charming Irish comedy.

What appears to be a simple home-care assignment turns into a supernatural identity crisis for an Irish nurse in this terrifying folk-horror film.

A Syrian exile in France hunts the man responsible for torturing him — and countless other political prisoners — in a tension-filled game of cat and mouse.

Karoline, a pregnant factory worker in post-WW1 Copenhagen, accepts a job at an adoption agency where she uncovers a terrible secret.

A young scientist struggling to fit in in a new country uses her experimental skin-grafting research to get vengeance on those who wronged her.

1917. A British civil servant flees his post in Burma to avoid his fiancee. Undeterred, she embarks on a journey across Asia to find him.

When a young girl falls ill with a strange fever, she is sent to the foot of her island’s volcano, where she encounters a surreal world between dreams and reality.

A minor car accident triggers a cascading chain of events exposing lies and unspoken truths in this panoramic portrait of a patriarchal society.

Legendary British filmmaker Mike Leigh directs this fierce, compassionate, and darkly humorous study of family and the thorny ties that bind us.

A medieval English village is threatened when a nefarious landowner makes plans for profit-driven agriculture in this breathtaking atmospheric fable.

The director, writer and stars of Forrest Gump reunite for an emotional journey through generations of human experience.

Brazil, 1971. Amid a military dictatorship, a mother of five is forced to reinvent herself after a violent and arbitrary act by the authorities.

Iconoclastic French filmmaker Leos Carax reflects on his work, life, and filmography in this playful, personal cinematic essay.

A teenager’s bond with her outlaw father is tested during a hot Coriscan summer in this heart-pounding coming-of-age thriller.

After an African-American father confronts an intruder in his home, his actions spark a tense and confrontational investigation with far-reaching consequences.

An impassioned line cook stirs up chaos that threatens to collapse a frenzied Times Square kitchen in this kaleidoscopic portrait of the American Dream.

This humorous and harrowing documentary follows Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger through one of the most difficult years of his life.

The killing of a giraffe in a Copenhagen Zoo is the launching pad for this wry, provocative essay film about life, death, biology, and human and animal consciousness.

Following artist Richard Hunt as he sculpts a monument to civil rights icon Ida B. Wells, this inspiring film weaves the stories of these two Black pioneers.

A couple learns that, due to a hospital mix-up years ago, they must welcome their unknown biological son — and bid farewell to the boy they’ve long loved.

Melrick, 13, summers with his grandmother in French Guiana. After discovering his family’s tragic past, he searches for ways to connect to his history.

A rural curmudgeon grappling with old age finds his routine turned upside down when a free-spirited artist enters his secluded life.

In this touching deadpan comedy, a welder, who finds himself in Helsinki and experiencing total amnesia, sets out to rebuild his life with a ragtag group of outsiders.

Maria tells the tumultuous, beautiful and tragic story of the life of the world’s greatest female opera singer, reimagined during her final days in 1970s Paris.

In this unique stop-motion animation, a melancholy misfit recounts the tragic but beautiful tale of her life to her pet snails.

Jérémie returns to his sleepy hometown to attend a funeral. When a mysterious disappearance disturbs the community, a cloud of suspicion begins to form.

A single mother working as an archivist at a local paper is drawn into an investigation when a Soviet nuclear missile crashes near her Lapland town.

In this real-life docudrama, a woman in China desperate to save her marriage hires a professional “mistress dispeller” to break up her husband’s affair.

Widowed Mahin, 70, lives alone in Tehran. Out to tea one afternoon, she’s inspired to break from her routine and revitalize her love life.

Director Sharifi shares her own story alongside images of Iranian women, past and present, to form a vivid and collective act of resistance.

Coached by a former skating champion, two school children train as an ice dancing duo and navigate a blossoming bond in this gentle coming-of-age tale.

Based on the award-winning novel, the film chronicles the powerful friendship between two Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of a reform school in Florida.

A woman (Amy Adams) pauses her career to be a stay-at-home mom, but her new domesticity takes a surreal turn. In this penetrating, funny, and outrageous look at the realities of being an American mom, Marielle Heller has crafted a wildly entertaining tale of female struggle and strength.

Palestinian activist Adra and idealistic Israeli journalist Yuval join together to chronicle the assaults on Adra’s community in this compelling portrait of resilience.

When their mother disappears, a young boy and his three siblings must figure out how to get by on their own in this at once heartfelt and heartbreaking drama.

When a famous novelist returns to his rural Illinois hometown, he receives a mixed welcome that’s equal parts admiration and resentment.

On an empty road in the night, Shula stumbles across her uncle’s dead body. As his funeral begins, family secrets prompt a reckoning.

Young climate activists fight to save the Finnish forest in this beautifully photographed, bittersweet ode to youthful dreams and our natural world.

A couple decides to throw a party to celebrate their amicable breakup. Their loved ones are skeptical, but they say it’s what they want. Is it really?

Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones star in this densely plotted, Chicago-set thriller about an army veteran who becomes a pawn in a sprawling conspiracy.

Young brothers hiding a dark and disturbing secret in their basement fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic world.

Iconic, ironic ‘90s slacker-rock band Pavement gets an appropriately wry and subversive doc, both heartfelt tribute and absurdist deconstruction.

In need of a “cultured boyfriend”? A “perfect son”? Matthias is available for rent in this incisive comedy that levels up the “rent-a” genre.

Relocated from his African home to Pablo Escobar’s Colombian compound, Pepe the hippo reflects on his chaotic life in this inventive cinematic essay.

A filmmaker pieces together a picture of her mother, a renowned Chicago-born photojournalist, attempting to close the gap between herself and the woman she never knew.

A family clash over an heirloom piano explodes. The battle between brother and sister — one hopes to sell it, the other refuses to give it up — unleashes haunting truths about how the past is perceived and who defines a family legacy.

When his sons’ paths begin to radically diverge, a father must figure out how to love and support them both in this intimate, urgent family drama.

This emotional comedic journey follows mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) on a tour through Poland to honor their grandmother.

After 20 years away, Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) returns home to win back his queen (Juliette Binoche) and kingdom from a group of power-hungry suitors.

In rural Azerbaijan, an aging projectionist teams up with an aspiring young filmmaker to bring movies back to their small town.

Seen through the eyes of 7-year-old Rita, a mother (Paz Vega) struggles to protect her children in this poignant look at innocence and violence in the home.

In Almodóvar’s latest exquisite look at women’s inner lives, Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton star as old friends whose relationship is put to the test.

John Lithgow stars as a sadistic menace who terrorizes a retirement home with an unusual doll-based game. Will Stefan (Geoffrey Rush) be able to stop him?

Newly widowed Santosh is compelled to take her husband’s old job on the police force, where she’s thrust into an intriguing murder investigation.

Virtually unseen for 50 years, this jubilant documentary features a soul-stirring display of contemporary Black musicians at Chicago’s 1972 Black Expo.

When Iman’s handgun mysteriously goes missing, he reaches a breaking point in this tense domestic drama crossed with a paranoid political thriller.

An eye-opening investigation of the Trump-era policy of separating immigrant families—and the brave people from both parties trying to stop it.

Set during the 1972 Munich Olympics, the film follows a U.S. broadcasting team that quickly adapts from sports reporting to live coverage of the Israeli athletes taken hostage.

A tight-knit unit of petty thieves and outsiders comes together to shelter an abandoned child, but an unforeseen incident threatens to tear apart their newfound family.

After serving time, a corrupt politician is enlisted by Italy’s secret service to take down Sicily’s last godfather using only handwritten letters.

This playful ode to early cinema features a widower casting off his worldly possessions, moonshiners and their pig, and a space-bound lighthouse keeper.

Small business owners who have transformed old Pizza Hut franchises present a rich tapestry of the American experience in this delectable documentary.

Cillian Murphy delivers a powerhouse performance as a devoted family man who wrestles with speaking out in the face of wrongdoing in his small town.

Still grieving the death of her overbearing mother, Karen hosts a family gathering that turns fiery as the ghosts of her past reveal themselves.

A Black CIA agent secretly uses his training to lead a guerrilla army against the U.S. government in a powerful tale of resistance and liberation.

Wandering in search of her mother’s homeland, a woman forms an unlikely bond with workers in an abandoned factory in this mystical road movie.

A heartbroken Sano returns to the seaside resort where he fell in love with his wife five years earlier in this unconventional, affecting romance.

A successful trans actress defiantly embarks on a more settled chapter of her life, writing a new narrative around work, love, and family.

In a conservative village, a brutal attack on a closeted gay teen sparks a moral panic that upends a seemingly tranquil rural community.

A filmmaker immerses his daughter in the magic of cinema, where chaos meets fantasy. This creates a deep bond that will sustain them through good and bad.

In a moving, playful testament to the bond between mother and son, a filmmaker journeys into his past during an especially challenging year.

Stranded in Athens, displaced Palestinian cousins devise a dark scheme in order to reach Germany and start a new life.

A prickly corporate consultant is at her wit’s end after her hippie father disguises himself as a life coach in an effort to reconnect in this offbeat comedy.

In a small industrial town, two 13-year-old girls enroll in a modeling school where they are confronted with extreme, impossible beauty standards.

A healer and her evangelist father are at the center of a conflict between an indigenous community and illegal loggers in this mystical eco-thriller.

Whiplash meets Grey’s Anatomy in this intense psychological drama about an ambitious Korean-American resident training under a notorious heart surgeon.

The lives of a politician, her aide, an artist, and a refugee become intertwined as values and allegiances are tested in this political thriller.

Sandra Hüller leads a stellar cast in this heist comedy about a group of East Germans who steal a fortune in soon-to-be-obsolete currency.

Three overlapping stories set in a surreal, not-too-distant future create a deadpan picture of life in Winnipeg that’s both hilarious and heartwarming.

This inspiring drama follows Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg but whose unbreakable resolve empowered him to defy the odds and pursue his dreams.

Set amid the majestic Italian Alps, this intimate drama chronicles a year in the life of a young war bride and her sisters in the wake of WWII.

Coal miners in love find solace in one another as a mother searches for her husband’s remains in this haunting tale of longing and memory.

The humble dreams of a group of Somali misfits form the backbone of this gentle, gorgeously realized ode to the persistence of life in the face of death.

Middle-aged buddies walk in the woods towards an unknown destination. Are these overgrown adolescents blowing off steam, or is something darker afoot?

Three rebellious friends trapped at a remote New Zealand institution for delinquent girls grasp at freedom in this riveting coming-of-age tale.

This documentary explores the incredible life of “Godmother of Fitness” Deborah Szekely, and the trials and triumphs of being a woman entrepreneur.

A group of art students reckon with a sudden, inexplicable loss over the course of a long Icelandic summer day.

An isolated village in northern Tunisia is beset by strange events when matriarch Aicha’s son returns from war with a mysterious pregnant bride.

In this surprising, poignant documentary, an Italian astrologer promises her clients happiness if they follow the stars on a special birthday trip.

Part courtroom thriller and part chronicle of families in crisis, this riveting doc follows three women fighting the battle for reproductive rights.