Bringing in another dose of international flavor to Chicago, the 44th Chicago International Film Festival packs in 175 films from 47 countries over the course of two weeks. There's something for every slice of Chicago's diverse population, especially with four main categories, including Main Competition (films competing for the festival's top honor, the Gold Hugo); New Directors Competition (first or second feature films); Gala Presentations (one-night-only showings); and World Cinema. If you're looking for more "underground" flicks, check out one of the other eight categories: DocuFest, After Dark, Restored & Rediscovered, Life (In Short), Black Perspectives, Cinema of the Americas, Spotlight Illinois and Green Screen. Overwhelmed? Just check out our picks and you'll quickly discover the best of the fest, CenterstageChicago.com-style.
CATEGORY: World Cinema
"24 City/Er Shi Si Cheng Ji"
Director: Jia Khang-ke (Hong Kong, China)
China's emergence on the global market affects every sector of the arts, and film is no exception. Focusing on how a century of experiments with socialism has impacted the Chinese people, Jia's film meshes both documentary and fictional elements. Playing with the idea of what exactly is a character, Jia includes real people as well as actors. But regardless of their preconceived roles, they are all bound by their connection to Factory 420, a state-owned entity whose 50-year history commenced when it was destroyed and then transformed into luxury condos. Commenting on both China's past and current transformation into global superpower, Jia aligns the political and the personal. Mandarin with English subtitles. 107 mins.
AMC River East 21
6 p.m. Saturday, October 18
2:30 p.m. Sunday, October 19
8:50 p.m. Thursday, October 23
CATEGORY: Main Competition
"Absurdistan"
Director: Veit Helmer (Germany/Azerbaijan)
We've seen hybrid Turkish/German films such as 2004's "Head On" (Gegen die Wand) hit the silver screen, but this Germany/Azerbaijan mix presents something altogether different. Presented in Russian with English subtitles, this 88-minute film focuses on women in the fictional country of Absurdistan. Sick of their husbands' apathetic ways, the women declare a strike: No sex until the men fix the water lines. A gender war breaks loose.
AMC Loews 600 N. Michigan 9
6:15 p.m. Thursday, October 23
6:45 p.m. Saturday, October 25
CATEGORY: Green Screen/DocuFest
"The Garden"
Director: Scott Hamilton Kennedy (USA)
Sometimes fact really is better than fiction. In Kennedy's new film, he captures the story of a "miracle garden" that sprouted up in South Central Los Angeles amidst the chaos of the early-'90s race riots. Latino farmers made their living here for more than a decade, growing produce on the sly. But when city officials and big businesses threaten their lifeline, they fight back, grassroots-organizing-style.
AMC River East 21
6:20 p.m. Friday, October 24
noon Saturday, October 25
CATEGORY: Black Perspectives
"In the Shadow of Hollywood: Race Movies and the Birth of Black Cinema"
Director: Brad Osborne (USA)
Did you know that between 1917 and 1947, 500 movies with all-black casts were created? It's hard to believe, especially since fewer than 100 of said films exist today. Osborne's documentary pieces together archival film clips, photographs and commentary from stars like Ruby Dee and "Bronze Buckaroo" Herb Jeffries in a documentary that recognizes little-known African-American directors and actors who had to pave their own way.
AMC River East 21
5 p.m. Sunday, October 19
CATEGORY: Revised & Rediscovered
"Faces"
Director: John Cassavetes (USA, 1968)
Like the cult following for the Le Tigre song "What's your take on Cassavetes?", this newly restored black-and-white film, originally shot in 16mm, also garnered a wide audience upon its release. A husband leaves his wife for a steamy night with a prostitute, and his wife finds solace with a swinger. A daring piece for the late '60s, indeed.
Music Box
2 p.m. Sunday, October 26
CATEGORY: Cinema of the Americas; World Cinema
"Déficit"
Director: Gael García Bernal (Mexico)
You've seen him in Almodovar's stunning film "La Mala educación" (2004), among others, but in his directoral debut, Bernal takes a look at issues of class consciousness in Mexico by examining the play-by-play of a fancy, day-long house party. Bernal stars as a rich college kid competing with the other boys for the affections of the new girl in town: an Argentine import. Spanish with English subtitles. 79 minutes.
AMC Loews 600 N. Michigan 9
6 p.m. Friday, October 24
8:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 28
Music Box
6 p.m. Monday, October 27
CATEGORY: Life (In Short)
Shorts 4: Intimate Relations
Don't have the attention span for a feature-length film? This collection of seven shorts hones in on the broad topic of intimate relations—perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon. In "From Head to Toe" (Canada), computer pixels and myriad colors form the image of a young woman; "Self Portrait with Cows Going Home and Other Works" (USA) investigates the rediscovery of Sylvia Plachy's photography. Three adolescents take a memorable trip to the beach in "A Good Day for a Swim" (Romania), while "Hokkaido Hotballs" (Singapore) tells the story of a fight between two loves. "Son" (UK) focuses on son-mother relations, while "Peter and Ben" (UK) captures human-animal relations. "Sick Sex" (USA) covers continued couple frustrations, "Odd Shoe" (UK) tells the story of a young boy and his missing shoe, and one man crosses into the unknown in "Surface" (Portagal).
AMC River East 21
12:45 p.m. Saturday, October 18
4:30 p.m. Saturday, October 25
12:10 p.m. Sunday, October 26
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