Mark your fall calendars, because the Chicago International Film Festival is turning 60, and this year promises to be its most spectacular yet! Running from October 16 to 27, 2024, this milestone celebration will illuminate Chicago with the magic of cinema at beloved venues such as the AMC NEWCITY 14, the Music Box Theatre, and Gene Siskel Film Center. As North America’s longest-running competitive film festival, you can expect no shortage of can’t-miss spectacles, replete with a dazzling lineup of 122 feature films and 71 shorts, some even star-studded in attendance! Audiences can anticipate four incredible World Premieres, 19 North American Premieres, and 16 U.S. Premieres, showcasing an diversely eclectic mix of genres from over 60 countries from Argentina to South Korea, Italy, Zambia, and more.
With a vibrant arsenal of dramas, thrillers, documentaries, comedies, and experimental cinema, this year’s program spans intersectional competitive categories like Black Perspectives, Women in Cinema, OutLook, International Comedy, and After Dark. This festivity is truly for everyone far and wide- bringing neighbors together with visitors to support and uplift local venues in honor of filmmaking, such as special community screenings at the National Museum of Mexican Art and the Hamilton Park Cultural Center.
For AAPI representation on-screen, expect a prestigious breadth of projects classic and contemporary, with narratives that will compel, encourage, and resonate deeply. Here is a list of a few key AAPI films to not miss while being immersed in this grand cinematic occasion.
Date: Thu, Oct 17 @ 5:15pm, Fri, Oct 18 @ 1:00pm
Location: AMC New City 14
About: Directed by award-winning filmmaker Elizabeth Lo, this captivating docudrama offers a deeply intimate look at modern Chinese relationship dynamics, skillfully blending personal drama with striking urban imagery. “Mistress dispeller” Wang Zhenxi reveals the complexities of love, loyalty, and manipulation as she infiltrates the life of her cheating spouse.
Date: Thu, Oct 17 @ 10:00pm, Fri, Oct 18 @ 2:45pm
Location: Music Box Theatre, AMC New City 14
About: Grafted follows Wei, a gifted young scientist continuing her late father’s controversial research on skin grafting, all while battling her own hereditary facial disfigurement and familial ostracization. This film intersects thrillingly visceral body horror with commentary on societal beauty standards against intellectual brilliance.
Date: Thu, Oct 17 @ 5:30pm
Location: AMC New City 14
About: Luminary filmmaker Kore-eda Hirokazu creates a poignant drama involving different individuals stuck in limbo deciding on which treasured memory to keep in the afterlife.
Date: Fri, Oct 18 @ 5:30pm, Sat, Oct 26 @ 5:45pm
Location: AMC New City 14
About: Between Goodbyes tells the poignant story of Mieke, a queer woman adopted from South Korea and raised in the Netherlands, whose life is thrown into turmoil when her estranged birth parents reach out after years of separation. As she confronts the complexities of her identity and the homophobia prevalent in South Korea, Mieke must reconcile her past and present. Between Goodbyes is a beautifully layered exploration of family, identity, and the quest for belonging.
Date: Fri, Oct 18 @ 7:30pm, Sat, Oct 19 @ 2:15pm
Location: AMC New City 14
About: In Transplant, Jonah (Eric Nam), a driven Korean-American surgical resident, faces a moral dilemma when he trains under the notorious Dr. Edward Harmon (Bill Camp), a legendary but abusive heart transplant surgeon. Directed by Jason Park in his feature debut, the film blends the intensity of Whiplash with the medical drama of Grey’s Anatomy, as Jonah grapples with the high cost of ambition, perfection, family, and integrity.
Date: Sat, Oct 19 @ 5:00pm, Mon, Oct 21 @ 2:00pm
Location: AMC New City 14
About: After her husband’s death, Santosh is forced to take his place as a police officer in rural India. When a lower-caste girl is found dead, she becomes embroiled in a tense investigation led by feminist inspector Sharma that confronts cultural corruption, misogyny, and power dynamics.
Date: Sun, Oct 20 @ 1:45pm
Location: AMC New City 14
About: An overwhelmed new mother interacts with two baby traffickers in her desperate quest to find the proper caretakers for her infant. This drama explores the inner world of child trafficking with moral dilemmas of sacrifice.
Date: Tue, Oct 22 @ 5:00pm, Thu, Oct 24 @ 5:30pm
Location: AMC New City 14
About: All We Imagine as Light is the fiction feature debut by Cannes Grand Prize winner Payal Kapadia, and offers a luminous exploration of contemporary working-class life in Mumbai. Three women—head nurse Prabha, her new colleague Anu, and their coworker Parvaty shine as the protagonists, examining their friendships, romances, secrets, and meanings of sisterhood.
Date: Wed, Oct 23 @ 2:00pm, Thu, Oct 24 @ 8:15pm
Location: AMC New City 14
About: Young coal miners Viêt and Nam find stolen moments of intimacy deep underground, however their love is jeopardized when Nam plans to smuggle himself out of their troubled country. Set against vivid landscape shots, generational trauma, queer love, and cultural identity are illuminated in this captivatingly heartfelt sophomore feature from Trương Minh Quý.
Date: Fri, Oct 25 @ 5:00pm, Sun, Oct 27 @ 11:30am
Location: AMC New City 14
About: In 1954 New Zealand, friends Nellie, Daisy, and Lou plan an escape from their abusive remote institution, stimulating an engaging journey that celebrates rebellious girlhood against the detrimental confinements of their gender and age roles imposed by adults.
Date: Fri, Oct 25 @ 5:00pm, Sat, Oct 26 @ 1:45pm
Location: Gene Siskel Film Center
About: In Super Happy Forever, a heartbroken Sano returns to the closing coastal resort of Izu with his friend Miyata to revisit where he fell in love with his wife Nagi five years earlier. Director Igarashi Kohei crafts a narratively playful and emotionally rich seaside romance, seamlessly blending flashbacks and reality to explore the exhilarating highs and inevitable end of a relationship.
Date: Sat, Oct 26 @ 1:45pm
Location: Gene Siskel Film Center
About: In Caught By the Tides, acclaimed director Jia Zhang-Ke embarks on an ambitious journey through the romantic history and destiny of his recurring heroine, Qiaoqiao, portrayed by his own wife, Zhao Tao. This is a fascinating tapestry of a film made across decades to chronicle Qiaoqiao’s life over 21 years and China’s changing society through documentary footage, showcasing the enduring legacy of a master filmmaker and his muse.
Whether you’re a seasoned cinephile or simply desiring a magical dive into a world of captivating stories in the heart of Chicago, this 60th anniversary edition promises to be the unmissable cultural community event of the year!
