French Films at the 58th Chicago International Film Festival

Saint Omer
DIR. Alice Diop  |   France
LANGUAGES French  
GENRES Crime, Drama, Social Commentary, Women Centered
IN-PERSON Black Perspectives International Competition Women in Cinema

In this profound character study, a novelist observes the trial of a Senegalese woman accused of infanticide—a crime she admits to having committing yet maintains her innocence.

Winter Boy (Le lycéen)
DIR. Christophe Honoré  |   France
LANGUAGES French  
GENRES Coming of Age, Drama, LGBTQ
IN-PERSON Out Look Spotlight

When 17-year-old Lucas finds his blithe teenage world suddenly shattered, his worried mother sends him to Paris where he plunges into a sea of excitement, possibility, and anonymity with near reckless abandon.

One Fine Morning (Un Beau Matin)
DIR. Mia Hansen-Løve  |   France
LANGUAGES French  
GENRES Romance, Sex and Sexuality, Women Centered
IN-PERSON International Competition Women in Cinema

From Cannes winner Mia Hansen-Løve comes this engrossing story of a young widow whose friendship with a married friend soon blossoms into a passionate love affair.

Pacifiction (Tourment sur les îles)
DIR. Albert Serra  |   France, Spain, Germany, Portugal
LANGUAGES French  
GENRES Historical, Mystery, Political
IN-PERSON Snapshots

De Roller, France’s top man in post-colonial Tahiti, grows paranoid as rumors of military tests begin circulating throughout the island in this mesmerizing, elliptical vision of declining colonial enterprise and imperialist corruption.

The Passengers of the Night (Les passagers de la nuit)
DIR. Mikhaël Hers  |   France
LANGUAGES French  
GENRES Family Affairs, Social Commentary, Women Centered
IN-PERSON Snapshots

In this sublime 1980s Paris-set drama, newly single mother Élizabeth (Charlotte Gainsbourg) takes a job at a late-night call-in radio show, a decision that redefines her place in the world and reshapes her destiny

Return to Seoul (Retour à Séoul)
DIR. Davy Chou  |   South Korea, France, Germany, Belgium, Quatar
LANGUAGES English, French, Korean  
GENRES Coming of Age, Family Affairs, Social Commentary
IN-PERSON Snapshots

After Freddie, 25, returns to her native South Korea for the first time, she finds herself on an unexpected journey, taking her life in new directions.

The Beasts (As bestas)
DIR. Rodrigo Sorogoyen  |   Spain, France
LANGUAGES French, Galician, Spanish  
GENRES Drama, Thriller
IN-PERSON International Competition

In this gripping, primal thriller, a French couple living in rural Spain becomes embroiled in an escalating conflict with the local community that reaches a point of no return.

Close
DIR. Lukas Dhont  |   Belgium, France, Netherlands
LANGUAGES French  
GENRES Coming of Age, Drama, LGBTQ
IN-PERSON International Competition Out Look

Following a perfect summer vacation, the intimate friendship of Leo and Remi, thirteen-year-old best friends, is tragically tested by the social pressures of the new school year.

Corsage
DIR. Marie Kreutzer  |   Austria, France, Germany
LANGUAGES English, French, German, Hungarian  
GENRES Drama, Historical, Women Centered
IN-PERSON International Competition Women in Cinema

Vicky Krieps delivers a tour-de-force performance as Austria’s Empress Elisabeth in a bold and timely revisionist costume drama.

Falcon Lake
DIR. Charlotte Le Bon  |   Canada, France
LANGUAGES English, French  
GENRES Coming of Age, Mystery, Romance
IN-PERSON New Directors Competition Women in Cinema

A 14-year-old boy vacationing with his family in rural Quebec falls for a rebellious older girl in this tenderly-observed, haunting rumination on first love.

King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones
DIR. Harriet Marin Jones  |   France, United States
LANGUAGES English, French  
GENRES Historical, Social Commentary
IN-PERSON – VIRTUAL Black PerspectivesCity & State Documentary Women in Cinema

The thrilling life story of the legendary African American powerbroker, who built a multimillion-dollar empire running a racketeering syndicate on Chicago’s South Side in the 1930s and ’40s.