Transplant
Synopsis
In this intense psychological drama, Jonah (Eric Nam), a highly motivated Korean-American surgical resident, is committed to getting ahead. When he gets the chance to train under the notorious Dr. Edward Harmon (Bill Camp), a legendary heart transplant surgeon, Jonah must choose between appeasing his abusive mentor and staying true to his values, as well as between career and family, ambition and morality.
Following the success of his award-winning Chicago-made short BJ’s Mobile Gift Shop, Chicago native Jason Park’s feature debut operates like Whiplash meets Grey’s Anatomy with Jonah and Dr. Harmon on an increasingly unnerving collision course. As the tensions between teacher and student come to a head and conflicts escalate with surprising — and sometimes shocking — outcomes, Jonah learns that perfection comes at a high cost.
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Jason Park
- David J. Lee, Jason Park
- Zoe Kraft
- Eric Lin
- Bill Camp, Eric Nam, Michelle Okkyung Lee, April Grace, Adam Arkin
- Colin Benders
- Bill Camp
- Significant Productions, AUM Group, Fifth Season
Sponsors
New Directors Program Patron
Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation
Oct 18 Screening Sponsored by
Associate Board of Cinema/Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival
Turning Tables Klandestin
Synopsis
A bombing in Munich has reverberations throughout the city, setting into motion a chain of events with far-reaching political and personal consequences. Conservative politician Mathlide (Barbara Sukowa, Lola, Rosa Luxembourg, Hannah Arendt) has been a staunch advocate for strict EU border controls to limit migrant populations. When she’s asked to hide Malik (Habib Adda), a young Moroccan who has entered the EU illegally, by close friend and artist Richard (Lambert Wilson, Of Gods and Men, The Matrix series) her ideological and private loyalties collide. When Malik is unjustly identified as a suspect in the bombing, Mathlide’s aide Amina (Banafshe Hourmazdi) begins to question her own allegiances.
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.
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Martina Haubrich, Claudia Schröter
- Angelina Maccarone
- Gergana Voigt
- Florian Foest
- Barbara Sukowa, Lambert Wilson, Banafshe Hourmazdi, Habib Adda, Katharina Schüttler
- Freya Arde
- Dorissa Berninger
- CALA Film - Berlin, Erfurt, Darmstadt
- https://www.calafilm.de/klandestin
Sponsors
With Support From
Two to One Zwei Zu Eins
Synopsis
A heist always comes with a certain amount of tension. But what if the spoils of the crime had to be spent quickly as well? A variation on that absurd scenario actually played out in the summer of 1990, when the East German government gave its citizens six days to exchange their old currency for new Deutschmarks as part of the reunification effort. That poses a particular challenge for an unlikely group of thieves, who are sitting on a fortune in soon-to-be-obsolete Ostmarks lifted from a government vault.
Anatomy of a Fall‘s Sandra Hüller leads an all-star cast in Natja Brunckhorst’s breezy crime comedy, with Max Riemelt (Sense 8), Ronald Zehrfeld (Phoenix), and Peter Kurth (A Heavy Heart) rounding out the core ensemble. The film is colored with a sense of nostalgia for the old GDR, which plays out in cheerfully madcap fashion as these socialist citizens suddenly find themselves in very capitalist circumstances.
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.
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Susanne Mann, Karsten Stöter, Paul Zischler, Martin Rehbock
- Natja Brunckhorst
- Ramin Sabeti
- Martin Langer
- Sandra Hüller, Max Riemelt, Ronald Zehrfeld, Ursula Werner, Peter Kurth
- Hannah von Hübbenet, Amaury Laurent Bernier
- ROW Pictures GmbH, zischlermann Filmproduktion GmbH
Sponsors
Comedy Program Partner
With Support From
Universal Language Une Langue Universelle
Synopsis
In this surreal vision of the not-too-distant-future, the official language of Canada is now Farsi. Against this oddball background, three slice-of-life stories emerge: Two young friends venture to retrieve money found frozen in a block of winter ice. A man quits his painfully bureaucratic government job and returns home. And a peculiar tour guide shows off some of Winnipeg’s dullest attractions to a group of discombobulated tourists. Taken together, these deadpan stories create a picture of life in the “heart of Canada” that’s both hilarious and heartwarming. Featuring masterful production design with an eye toward the absurd, director Matthew Rankin (The Twentieth Century) describes his second feature as “a love letter to Iranian cinema,” combining the soulfulness of Abbas Kiarostami with the visual whimsy of Wes Anderson to create an appealingly unusual odyssey.
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Sylvain Corbeil
- Matthew Rankin, Pirouz Nemati, Ila Firouzabadi
- Xi Feng
- Isabelle Stachtchenko
- Rojina Esmaeili, Saba Vahedyousefi, Sobhan Javadi, Pirouz Nemati, Matthew Rankin, Mani Soleymanlou, Danielle Fichaud, Bahram Nabatian, Ila Firouzabadi, Hemela Pourafzal, Dara Najmabadi
- Amir Amiri, Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux
- Pirouz Nemati, Ila Firouzabadi, Daniel Berger, Aaron Katz, Matthew Rankin
- Metafilms
- https://universallanguage.oscilloscope.net/
Sponsors
Comedy Program Partner
With Support From
Unstoppable
Synopsis
Based on a true story, this inspiring drama follows Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome) who was born with one leg but whose indomitable spirit and unbreakable resolve empowered him to defy the odds and pursue his dreams. With the unwavering love and support of his devoted mother Judy (Jennifer Lopez) and the encouragement of his coaches, Anthony fights through adversity to earn a spot on the Arizona State Wrestling team. But it will demand everything he has, physically and mentally, to achieve his ultimate quest to become an NCAA champion.
Unstoppable features standout performances from a stellar cast: Moonlight actor Jerome’s fiercely committed performance as the determined athlete, Lopez’s wrenching portrayal of a conflicted mother, and Don Cheadle as a hardened wrestling coach who pulls no punches. Viscerally capturing both the thrilling physicality of the matches (overseen by the real-life Robles) and the emotional turmoil off the mat, Unstoppable is the apotheosis of the powerfully inspirational sports drama.
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Ben Affleck, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Anthony Robles, Andrew Fraser, Gary Lewis, David Crockett
- Eric Champnella, Alex Harris, John Hindman
- Brett M. Reed
- Salvatore Totino
- Jharrel Jerome, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Anthony Robles, Don Cheadle, Jennifer Lopez
- Alexandre Desplat
- Matt Damon, Michael Joe, Kevin Halloran, Dani Bernfeld, Jack Murray
- Amazon MGM Studios, Artists Equity