The Rule of Jenny Pen
Synopsis
Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush), an elderly judge, moves into a retirement home after a near-fatal stroke leaves him partially paralyzed. There, Mortensen clashes with another resident, the slightly off-kilter Dave Crealy (John Lithgow), who secretly terrorizes the residents with a sadistic, doll-based game called “The Rule of Jenny Pen.” Although it’s supposed to be used for dementia therapy, in Crealy’s hand the puppet is an instrument of torture. As Crealy’s actions escalate, Mortensen must struggle against his own aging body and mind to put an end to Crealy’s reign of terror.
In one of the most unexpected performances of the year, Oscar-nominated actor John Lithgow (also in this year’s Conclave) delivers a marvelously menacing performance as the perverse Crealy, while Oscar-winner Rush (Shine) is a formidable match. Full of creepily twisted and originally unsetting set pieces, The Rule of Jenny Pen doesn’t just tap into the universal fear of death, but also the perils of getting old.
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Film Credits
- Catherine Fitzgerald, Orlando Stewart
- Eli Kent, James Ashcroft
- Gretchen Peterson
- Matt Henley
- John Lithgow, Geoffrey Rush, George Henare
- John Gibson
- Blueskin Films
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Santosh
Synopsis
As the result of an obscure government rule, the newly widowed Santosh has no choice but to take up her husband’s former post as a police officer in order to keep his pension. Then a lower-caste girl is found dead in rural Northern India, and Santosh finds herself at the center of an investigation under the tutelage of no-nonsense feminist inspector Sharma. As the intrigue deepens, Santosh must navigate a complicated web of corruption, misogyny, and murder.
A star turn from Shahana Goswami in the title role leads audiences through the twists and turns of Santosh’s exhilarating plot, making for an unforgettable, finely crafted study of power and those who wield it.
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Media
Film Credits
- Mike Goodridge, James Bowsher, Balthazar De Ganay, Alan McAlex
- Sandhya Suri
- Maxime Pozzi-Garcia
- Lennert Hillege
- Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar
- Luisa Gerstein
- Good Chaos, Razor Film Produktion, Haut et Court, BBC Film
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Save the Children (1973)
Synopsis
In 1972, during a period of political and racial unrest, Rev. Jesse Jackson and his organization Operation PUSH held a Black Exposition on Chicago’s South Side to celebrate Black excellence in business and culture. This new version of the film captures the epic five-day event — virtually unseen since its original release more than 50 years ago — with a glorious display of legendary musical performances, creating a jubilant and soul-stirring snapshot of the times.
The Temptations’ singing “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” Bill Withers crooning “Lean on Me.” Gladys Knight & The Pips pounding out “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.” A show-stopping number from The Jackson 5 singing “I Want You Back.” These and many more rousing moments — from the Staples Sisters to Issac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield to Quincy Jones — keep on coming. There are also somber moments that evoke the contentious time period, from Sammy Davis, Jr.’s confessional “I’ve Gotta Be Me” to Marvin Gaye’s political ballad “What’s Going On.” Like Questlove’s Summer of Soul, director Stan Lathan has crafted and restored this transportive film, which is both a reclamation of forgotten Black history and a testament to the power of music.
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Matt Robinson
- George Bowers, Paul Evans
- Charles Blackwell, Bob Fletcher, Robert Grant, Doug Harris, Rufus Hinton, Roy Lewis, Leroy Lucas, David Myers
- Clarence Avant
- 1973
Sponsors
Black Perspectives Program Sponsor
Documentary Program Partner
Documentary Program Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin
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The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Synopsis
Iman, an ambitious family man, receives an appointment to become an investigating judge in Iran’s Revolutionary Court. Such a professional step means major advancement for him, his wife, and his two independently minded teenage daughters. His rise is complicated, though, when nationwide student-fueled protests against the government cause violent unrest in the streets, forcing Iman to work overtime. When his handgun mysteriously goes missing, his nerves are strained to the breaking point.
Equal parts tension-fueled domestic drama and paranoid political thriller, the film offers an excoriating examination of an oppressive, patriarchal society about to reach a tipping point. Currently living in exile to avoid an eight-year prison sentence for his films’ criticism of Iran’s hardline conservative government, veteran auteur Mohammad Rasoulof (There Is No Evil, 2020) returns to the Festival with this exhilarating, timely work that rises to the urgency of the moment.
In Focus: Germany on Screen
This film is part of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival’s In Focus: Germany on Screen collection highlighting the work of Germany’s most gifted auteur filmmakers.
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Film Credits
- Mohammad Rasoulof, Amin Sadraei, Jean-Christophe Simon, Mani Tilgner, Rozita Hendijanian
- Mohammad Rasoulof
- Andrew Bird
- Pooyan Aghababaei
- Misagh Zare, Soheila Golestani, Mahsa Rostami, Setareh Maleki, Niousha Akhshi, Reza Akhlaghi, Shiva Ordooei, Amineh Arani
- Karzan Mahmood
- Run Way Pictures
Sponsors
International Competition Program Patron
Jacolyn and John Bucksbaum Family Foundation
With Support From
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Separated
Synopsis
Veteran filmmaker Errol Morris makes his most powerful political documentary in years, combining the effective investigative stories of Standard Operating Procedure and The Thin Blue Line with the cautionary tales of American Dharma and The Fog of War. His target: the Trump administration’s controversial 2018 policy of separating immigrant children from their parents at the Mexico-US border.
The film lays out in detail how Stephen Miller, Jeff Sessions, and Kirstjen Nielsen pursued the program with little regard for human rights, morality, or constitutional law. It also introduces characters like Captain Jonathan White at the Office for Refugee Resettlement, who becomes the film’s central compelling figure thanks to his determination to intervene and protect the well-being of those in his care. Filled with sobering indignation and disturbing revelations, Separated offers a riveting exposé of the Trump administration’s unjust programs and the brave people on both sides of the political divide trying to hold them at bay.
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Film Credits
- Errol Morris, Robert Fernandez, Molly O'Brien, Steven Hathaway
- Steven Hathaway
- Igor Martinović
- Subject: Jonathan White, Cast: Gabriela Cartol, Diego Armando Lara Lagunes
- Paul Leonard-Morgan
- Liz Cole, Noah Oppenheim, Elizabeth Fischer, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Jacob Soboroff
- NBC News Studios, Participant
Sponsors
Documentary Program Partner
Documentary Program Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin
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