Synopsis

In 2019, Rotterdam’s famed Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen shuttered for renovations, making way for a radical new shimmering art mecca just down the street. Called the Depot, this ambitious construction — composed of walls of curved mirrored glass — was a shared dream of architect Winy Maas and irreverent museum director Sjarel Ex. It reimagines art exhibition as a gigantic, glorified storage unit, with all of its treasures on view for everyone to see.

With a playful approach that even includes musical numbers, ChicagoIFF alumnus Sonia Herman Dolz (The Master and His Pupil, Yo soy así) tracks these two ambitious and passionate visionaries as they work together to break down the old museum, construct the new one, and delicately transport precious masterpieces into their new home. A captivating portrait of both institutions from the inside out, Depot is a glorious ode to both art and architecture.

A pandel discussion will follow the October 12th screening.

Synopsis

Married writers Sandra and Samuel live in an idyllic mountain chalet in the snow-covered French Alps with their visually impaired son Daniel. When Samuel’s body is found lying bloodied in the snow, the initial presumption is suicide. As the investigation proceeds, the police begin to suspect foul play. The evidence mounts, and Sandra is brought to trial. Could she have committed such a crime?

Featuring an electrifying lead performance from the mesmerizing Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall trains a microscope on one couple’s troubled relationship while posing questions about the legal system’s ability to interpret the nuances of life and the complexities of marriage. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Justine Triet’s tension-filled opus is a bracing, Hitchcockian showstopper.

Synopsis

A majestic follow up to his 2011 tour-de-force Pina, Wim Wenders’ latest 3D documentary is another luminous portrait of an iconoclastic artist, Anselm Kiefer, one of the most innovative painters and sculptors of our time. Wenders traces Kiefer’s path from his native Germany to his current home in France, connecting his life and controversial work over five decades in a mesmerizing visual experience.

While Wenders’ 6K high-resolution cameras track around monumental installations, sculptures, and enormous paintings, capturing in lucid detail all their mythic splendor and elemental power, the film also touches on the personal history of the man. Featuring stylized dramatic reenactments (with Wenders’ grandnephew Anton and Kiefer’s son Daniel portraying the artist), the film explores Anselm’s complicated relationship with his country’s Nazi past and his outsized impact on contemporary art.

Synopsis

A Berlin courtyard becomes an unwitting battleground as a xenophobic property owner, the threat of gentrification, and simmering political unrest converge in Azli Özge’s volatile drama Black Box. When an apartment building is put under lockdown by police after an undisclosed event, tensions within the tight-knit community escalate on multiple fronts. Frustrations boil over and conflicts collide as residents unite to take legal action against their landlord, an unemployed mother faces a critical job interview, and the discovery of a corpse in an abandoned unit forces the residents to confront their personal politics and prejudices.

Özge’s deft direction creates a unique crucible where the boundaries of power, fear, and community are tested, raising unsettling questions about the rights and autonomy of those who call this courtyard home. Their preconceived biases deepen the divisions, unearthing long-buried conflicts as residents reveal their true natures, driven by personal agendas in a complex web of capitalism and power.

Synopsis

Ivie is a 30-something Afro-German woman and aspiring teacher struggling to land a job. Her world is upended when Naomi, an unknown half-sister, shows up with news that their father (a man neither knows) has died. As the sisters grow closer, Ivie begins to question her life. Showcasing Leipzig’s canals, parks, and nightlife, Precious Ivie is a moving chronicle of cultural identity, inner strength, and everyday racism.