Synopsis

July 2014. A Ukrainian family living near the border with Russia finds themselves in the center of an international conflict. The pregnant Irka and husband Tolik resolve to remain in their home, despite the fact that it’s now missing a wall. As they attempt to rebuild, they’re forced to reckon with a complicated new reality—one that includes a mysterious plane crash, rumors of a separatist movement, and the escalation of war.

Synopsis

In celebration of this year’s Chicago Architecture Biennial, this program tracks how we establish strong connections to a place, and the complications of staying in it. Featuring works by Camille Authouart, Mariia Ponomarova, Lloyd Lee Choi, and Ufuoma Essi.

An artist explores, observes, and draws scenes of La Défense, a neighborhood west of Paris whose large-scale public artworks constitute the largest open-air museum in Europe, in The Great Arc (France). Former residents remember happier times in a beloved apartment in Three Windows on South West (The Netherlands, Ukraine). Closing Dynasty (U.S.) follows a day in the life of a streetwise kid named Queenie as she navigates her own path through New York City. And Is My Living In Vain (U.K., France, New Zealand) explores the Black church as a site of personal and political belonging through portraits of communities across west Philadelphia and southeast London.

Synopsis

These short documentaries offer singular looks into lives that have been transformed by pivotal events. Featuring works by Mila Zhluktenko, Daniel Asadi Faezi, Sean Wang, Jon Siskel, Kevin Jerome Everson, Claudrena N. Harold, Arun Bhattarai, Francesca Scalisi, and Mark Olexa.

Displaced by war, Ukrainian children make a former military barrack their playground in waking up in silence (Germany, Ukraine). Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (U.S.) is a moving portrait of an elderly pair, their quirky rituals, and their strong sentiments for life. The community of Highland Park, Illinois, commemorates those who lost their lives in the Independence Day shooting of 2022 in Memorial (U.S.). In Accidental Athlete (U.S.), Paulette Jones Morant recounts her athletic journey at the University of Virginia in the 1970s. Mountain Man (Bhutan) chronicles Phuntsho Tshering and his annual sacred journey to the Himalayas to track the movement of the glaciers. The poetry of the passage of time is seen on the faces of the elderly and in the voices of a youth choir in A reflection (Switzerland).

Synopsis

Former residents remember happier times in a beloved apartment. A timely discussion of how to lose a beloved place unfolds in this photo-based documentary.

This film screens as part of the Shorts 8: Architecture – Versions of Home program.

Synopsis

Displaced by war, Ukrainian children explore their new home, a former Wehrmacht military barrack now serving as a refugee camp. Making the surrounding fields and parking lots their playgrounds, the children find ways to inhabit the space as their own existing between the historical resonances of two wars almost a century apart.

This film screens as part of the Shorts 4: Documentary – In Motion program.