EUNIC CHICAGO Film Festival
Film Festival
The European Union National Institute for Culture (EUNIC) Film Festival debuts at FACETS from November 22-24, 2024, bringing a rich selection of European films to Chicago.
In its inaugural year, the festival showcases films that explore the diverse cultural landscapes of Europe, offering fresh perspectives on the continent’s evolving identities. This year’s lineup highlights powerful stories of personal and national transformation, with films delving into topics like generational change, artistic obsession, family dynamics, and legendary sports achievements.
France will present No Love Lost (La fille de son père), the latest film by Erwann Le Duc (2023) as part of Young French Cinema, a program of UniFrance and Villa Albertine that aims to bring French films that are not distributed in the US to art house cinemas, film societies, the Alliance Française network, and American universities.
PROGRAM
Friday, Nov 22, 2024
Opening Night Reception – 6AM
Generation.EU
DIR. Eimantas Belickas | Lithuania
LANGUAGE Lithuanian
This documentary follows the lives of Lithuanian children born on May 1, 2004—the day Lithuania joined the European Union—as they grow into adulthood, capturing the perspectives of a new EU generation.
Saturday, Nov 23, 2024
Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light – 3PM
DIR. Filip Pošivač | Czech Republic
LANGUAGE Czech
Tony, a boy who glows like a light, teams up with his magical neighbor Shelly to overcome mystical darkness and restore light to their building despite their parents’ objections.
Mixed by Erry – 5PM
DIR. Sydney Sibilia | Italy
LANGUAGE Italian
The rise and fall of the empire of two DJs from Naples and their “Mixed by Erry” pirated compilation cassettes that marked the young people of the nineties.
The Spell of Quijat – 7PM
DIR. Juan Manuel Chumilla-Carbajosa | Spain
LANGUAGE Spanish
Stage actor Rafael Álvarez, ‘El Brujo,’ becomes consumed with proving the Arab origins of Don Quixote as he prepares his performance, while his friend, filmmaker Chumilla-Carbajosa, searches for answers to Álvarez’s discoveries about a secret society tied to the novel’s myth.
Sunday, Nov 24, 2024
Little Things That Went Wrong – 1PM
DIR. Haris Vafeiadis | Greece
LANGUAGE Greek
An intense drama unfolds as two fathers—one a desperate former TV star and the other a complacent yet unraveling success—collide, exposing the hidden struggles haunting each of their lives.
Golden Legends – 3PM
DIR. Tamás Zákonyi S. & Ottó Ifj. Elek | Hungary
LANGUAGE Hungarian
The Hungarian men’s national water polo team, led by Dr. Dénes Kemény, achieved unprecedented success by winning three consecutive Olympic golds and securing a place on the podium in 22 of 23 world tournaments, combining skill, modesty, and a unique Hungarian style.
Closing reception – 6PM
No Love Lost
DIR. Erwann Le Duc | France
LANGUAGE French
Sixteen years after Valérie abandoned him and their young daughter, Étienne’s carefully built life is upended when he unexpectedly sees her on television, thrusting him and Rosa into an emotional journey to confront their past.