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Banner: the 60th Chicago International Film Festival

Genre: Action


A brown-haired woman floats back in dark blue space holding a cervical exam instrument and looking into camera.

Chhaya [short film]

Sophiyaa Nayar  |   United States
English  
Action, Comedy, Women-Centered

Paralyzed by anxiety at her OB/GYN appointment, painful memories resurface for Jiya during her pelvic exam. She dissociates and relives her recent assault — this time with sequined boots and red lipstick as her battle gear.

A man stares and points a handgun straight into the camera lens.

Cloud

Kiyoshi Kurosawa  |   Japan
Japanese  
Action, Crime, Thriller

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

Closeup of an older woman smiling.

Motorcycle Mary [short film]

Haley Watson  |   United States
English  
Action, Sports, Women-Centered

Mary McGee’s bold life as America’s first woman motorcycle racer is told firsthand in this joyful documentary short. Watson’s restrained portrait allows Mary’s humor, grace, and determination to shine as she recounts major moments in her career.

Three kids look at something bloody in the foreground. One of them has blood on their face.

Párvulos

Isaac Ezban  |   Mexico
Spanish  
Action, Coming of Age, Horror

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

A weathered warrior nocks an arrow.

The Return

Uberto Pasolini  |   Italy, United Kingdom
English  
Action, Drama, Historical

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.

An older man and a younger man stand by a whirring projector.

The Return of the Projectionist (Le Retour du projectionniste)

Orkhan Aghazadeh  |   France, Germany
Azerbaijani, Talysh  
Action, Drama, Historical

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

Two old men in a hospital room. One works on a baby doll.

The Rule of Jenny Pen

James Ashcroft  |   New Zealand
English  
Action, Horror

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?

A black man wearing a sharp suit and glasses stands alone in a hallway lined by lockers.

The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973)

Ivan Dixon  |   United States
English  
Action, Crime, Drama, Social Commentary

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.

A young boy practices Kung Fu, punching a roped tree in a forest.

Stero [short film]

Tevin Kimathi & Millan Tarus  |   Kenya
English, Swahili  
Action, Coming of Age, Social Commentary

Bruce is in elementary school, and starting to trust his own instincts over the lessons instilled in him by teachers and authority figures. Using the guiding voice of his own personal superhero, he puts his bravery to the test and defies his school in the name of self-respect.