![A woman with short hair works at a desk, behind her the sky is painted orange from the setting sun.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FF59_ThroughtheNight1_1200x600.jpg)
Through the Night Quitter la nuit
Synopsis
Late one night, Aly calls the police from the passenger seat of a car racing along a deserted road. She feels she is in danger from Dary, the man in the driver’s seat whose behavior is becoming increasingly explosive. Anna fields the call, deftly decrypting Aly’s conversation with her “sister” and talking her through the unfolding nightmare. Dary is arrested, and an investigation is underway. Weeks go by, and tensions mount. Aly must figure out what it means to carry on. Anna becomes obsessed with Aly’s future. Dary must account for his actions.
An intelligent and provocative expansion of director Delphine Girard’s Oscar-nominated short of the same title, Through the Night turns the traditional thriller on its head, intertwining the paths and points of view of these three characters in the aftermath of a sexual assault. The film deftly navigates between the shifting perspectives and story lines to create a tense, 360-degree view that never loses sight of the trauma’s impact rippling out over time and across communities.
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Versus production (BE) – Haut et court (FR) – Colonelle Films (CA) – The Reunion (BE)
- Delphine Girard
- Damien Keyeux
- Juliette Van Dormael
- Selma Alaoui, Veerle Baetens, Guillaume Duhesme, Anne Dorval
- Ben Shemie
- Gwennaëlle Libert
- Versus Production, Haut et Court, Colonelle Films, The Reunion
- https://playtime.group/film/626b30db8d97dd0004c5bb1a
Sponsors
New Directors Program Sponsors
Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation
![A young girl looks off to the side with a sad expression on her face as candles are lit in front of her.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FF59_Totem1_1200x600.jpg)
Synopsis
Seven-year-old Sol spends the day at her grandfather’s house, helping her sprawling family prepare a birthday party for her dying father, Tonatiuh. Behind the closed doors of his bedroom, Tona attempts to gather the strength for a celebration he never wanted, yet may be his last. As the daylight fades, complex webs of family tensions begin to tangle and break as each of Tona’s loved ones is overwhelmed by the duality of this celebration of life and death.
The childlike illusion of a harmonious family fades from Sol’s vision, and as the celebration comes to a close, she must learn to embrace the essence of letting go. A film whose spirituality transcends its story, Tótem is a warm and delicate meditation on life and loss.
Screenings & Events
Digging Deeper into Movies with Nick Davis
Sat, Oct 14 @ 12:00pm
Join Northwestern Professor and film critic Nick Davis for an interactive conversation before the Oct 14 screening of Tótem.
Free and open to the public.
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Media
![](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FF59_Totem1_1200x600-1024x512.jpg)
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Film Credits
- Tatiana Graullera, Lila Avilés, Louise Riousse
- Lila Avilés
- Omar Guzmán
- Diego Tenorio
- Naíma Sentíes, Montserrat Marañon, Marisol Gasé, Saori Gurza, Mateo García Elizondo, Teresita Sánchez, Juan Francisco Maldonado, Iazua Larios, Alberto Amador
- Thomas Becka
- Limerencia Films, Laterna, Paloma Productions, Alpha Violet Production
Sponsors
International Competition Program Sponsor
John and Jacolyn Bucksbaum Family Foundation
![A group of well-dressed people dance in a ballroom.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FF59_ThePersianVersion1_1200x600.jpg)
![A group of well-dressed people dance in a ballroom.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FF59_ThePersianVersion1_1200x600.jpg)
The Persian Version
Synopsis
Coming from two countries that are at odds with each other, Iranian-American Leila (Layla Mohammadi) strives to find balance. She embraces her opposing cultures, while boldly challenging the ways she’s been defined by each of them. When her big, traditional family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant, Leila must confront both her own identity and long-held conflicts — as well as some surprising parallels — with her mother, Shireen.
Punctuated by a bright color palette, snappy comic dialogue, and vibrant dance numbers, The Persian Version delivers an honest portrayal of a woman who remains unapologetically herself, blended seamlessly into a heartfelt story about family, belonging, and the undeniable influence of pop music. Winning both the Audience Award and Screenwriting Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Maryam Keshavarz delivers a universal and timely story reflecting the Iranian and Iranian-American experience.
Screenings & Events
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Media
![](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FF59_ThePersianVersion1_1200x600-1024x512.jpg)
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Film Credits
- Anne Carey, Ben Howe, Luca Borghese, Maryam Keshavarz
- Maryam Keshavarz
- Abolfazl Talooni, Joanne Yarrow, A.C.E.
- André Jäger
- Layla Mohammadi, Niousha Noor, Kamand Shafieisabet, Bijan Daneshmand, Bella Warda, Chiara Stella, Tom Byrne, Shervin Alenabi, Arty Froushan, Samuel Tehrani, Jerry Habibi, Reza Diako, Andrew Malik, Parmida Vand, Ash Goldeh
- Rostam Batmanglij
- Nyla Hazratjee, Amy Nauiokas
- Stage 6 Films, Marakesh Films, Archer Gray Production, AGX, A Bigger Boat
Sponsors
Comedy Program Sponsor
![People dancing in a vintage dance hall. Two women at center screen dance together.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FF59_TheBeautifulSummer1_1200x600.jpg)
![People dancing in a vintage dance hall. Two women at center screen dance together.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FF59_TheBeautifulSummer1_1200x600.jpg)
The Beautiful Summer La bella estate
Synopsis
Turin, 1938. Young Ginia has just moved from the countryside to the big city and takes a job at a dressmaker’s atelier. She demonstrates talent, and with the promise of a successful career, the future feels wide open. But war looms, casting shadows over the present and creating a sense of restlessness and unease. Desperate for adventure, Ginia befriends Amelia, who introduces her into a bohemian world of impetuous artists. Sensual and provocative, Amelia is different from anyone Ginia has ever known, opening her up to a world of new possibilities. During her “beautiful summer,” Ginia will surrender to her first great love and find the courage to be her true self.
Inspired by the 1949 novella of the same name by celebrated author Cesare Pavese (whose third novella in the same trilogy inspired Michelangelo Antononi’s Le amiche), The Beautiful Summer is steeped in the warm and glowing tones of radiant youth. Laura Luchetti elicits magnetic performances from the always sensitive Yile Yara Vianello (an Alice Rohrwacher regular also seen in La Chimera and Corpo Celeste) and radiant newcomer Deva Casel as two young women coming to terms with their own power and taking control of their destinies.
![](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FF59_TheBeautifulSummer-poster_600x900.jpg)
![](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FF59_TheBeautifulSummer-poster_600x900.jpg)
Screenings & Events
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Media
![](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FF59_TheBeautifulSummer1_1200x600-1024x512.jpg)
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Film Credits
- Giovanni Pompili, Luca Legnani
- Laura Luchetti
- Simona Paggi
- Diego Romero Suarez Llanos
- Yile Yara Vianello, Deva Cassel, Nicolas Maupas. Alessandro Piavani, Adrien Dewitte, Cosima Centurioni, Gabriele Graham Gasco. Anna Bellato, Andrea Bosca
- Francesco Cerasi
- Kino Produzioni, 9.99 Films, Rai Cinema, Lucky Red, True Colours, Tapelessfilm
Sponsors
Film Supporters
![In the center of a brick city street gathers a group of people in strange vintage costumes.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FF59_PicturesofGhosts1_1200x600.jpg)
![In the center of a brick city street gathers a group of people in strange vintage costumes.](https://cinemachicago.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FF59_PicturesofGhosts1_1200x600.jpg)
Pictures of Ghosts Retratos fantasmas
Synopsis
In this incisive and whimsical personal essay film about movies, memory, and the places of one’s past, acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau, Neighboring Sounds) explores the changing domestic and urban spaces of his native coastal town of Recife. Split into three sections, the film opens with his family apartment — the site of his early filmmaking endeavors. It then observes the glorious movie houses of Mendonça’s formative years, culminating with a meditation on the transfiguration of theaters into churches and new sites of community.
Through the film’s playful mix of wry narration, amateur (and actual) movies, and archival footage, Mendonça imparts a range of engaging personal musings, from the role of dogs, cats, and termites in his neighborhood to fascinating historical details. A nostalgic love letter to cinema and cities, Pictures of Ghosts creates evocative connections between past and present, fiction and reality, and dilapidated and beautiful.
Screenings & Events
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Media
Film Credits
- Emilie Lesclaux, Silvia Cruz, Felipe Lopes
- Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Matheus Farias
- Pedro Sotero
- Cinemascópio, Vitrine Filmes