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International Connections
International cinema plays a very important role in a multi-cultural city like Chicago. It can broaden awareness and understanding between diverse groups of people. Cinema/Chicago has a crucial responsibility to the city and its international communities – our job is to expose people to various viewpoints and to reveal the artistic sensibilities of many cultures through film.
The International Connections Program was created in 2003 to raise awareness of international cinema within the various ethnic communities throughout Chicagoland. Through this program, we collaborate with international organizations and institutions around the city in spotlighting Chicago’s diversity and international film community. The desired outcome of this program is to reach a diverse audience; to provide access to innovative world cinema; and to collaborate with the Chicago international community for more cooperative and cross over events.
Upcoming International Connections Event:
FREE INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCREENINGS!
(June 10 - September 16, 2009)
Cinema/Chicago, the presenting organization of the Chicago International Film Festival, brings the best in international cinema to Chicago through its year-round programming and events. Our mission is to foster better communication between people of diverse cultures through the art of film and the moving image.
In collaboration with the Chicago Cultural Center and our international and cultural partners throughout the city, we are pleased to host FREE public film screenings at our 6th Annual International Summer Screenings Program. These weekly Wednesday evening screenings, running June 10 - September 16, showcase fifteen films from around the world at the Chicago Cultural Center's Claudia Cassidy Theatre, 77 E. Randolph Street, Chicago. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis and is limited to theater capacity. Films are unrated. Viewer discretion is advised.
FREE ADMISSION.
Wednesday, June 10, 6:30PM
HANA
Hana yori mo naho
Dir. Kore-eda Hirokazu , Japan, 2006, Japanese with English subtitles, 127 minutes
Presented by: The Japan Information Center at the Consulate General of Japan at Chicago and Cinema/Chicago.
The young samurai Sozaemon has been sent to Edo by his clan to avenge the death of his father. In spite of his disciplined training, he is hardly a gifted swordsman, preferring the simple rhythms of daily city life to the way of the sword. When Soza finds the man he is looking for, he will have to decide whether to pursue his destiny as a samurai or choose peace and reconciliation. With a strong dose of humor and humanity, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Hana examines the precepts at the core of the samurai genre—loyalty, obligation, courage, and revenge. Courtesy of Funimation Entertainment.
Wednesday, June 17, 6:30PM
ELEVATOR
Dir. George Dorobantu, Romania, 2008, Romanian with English subtitles, 89 minutes
Presented by: The Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
George Dorobantu’s tale of two teenagers trapped in an elevator is a powerful psychodrama—alternately humorous, tedious, suspenseful, and devastating. Two unnamed youth retreating to an abandoned factory away from the watchful eyes of the city find more privacy than they could have possibly imagined or hoped for. After each failed attempt to escape from the unintentional prison of their own making, the tension continues to mount. Shot entirely within the space of the three-by-four meter metal box, Elevator is at once minimalist and monumental in its exploration of the limits of human emotions.
Wednesday, June 24, 6:30PM
LADY VENGEANCE
Chinjeolhan geumjassi
Dir: Park Chan-wook, South Korea, 2005, Korean with English subtitles, 112 min.
Presented by: The Korean Consulate General in Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
After being wrongfully convicted of kidnapping and murdering a young child, a beautiful young woman (Lee Young-ae) is imprisoned for 13 years and forced to give up her own daughter. While in prison she gains the respect and loyalty of her fellow cellmates, all the while plotting her vendetta against the man responsible. Upon her release she sets in motion an elaborate plan of retribution, but what she discovers is a truth so horrifying even revenge doesn’t seem punishment enough. This film contains violent content. Viewer discretion is advised.
Wednesday, July 1, 6:30PM
BON COP, BAD COP
Dir. Erik Canuel, Canada, 2007, English and French with English subtitles, 116 minutes
Presented by: The Consulate General of Canada in Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
When the corpse of hockey executive Benoit Brisset is discovered atop the border marker between Ontario and Québec, police detectives from both Canadian provinces have no choice but to join forces to solve the murder. Straitlaced, by-the-book Anglophone Martin Ward and reckless, rule-bending Francophone David Bouchard are the detectives assigned to work the case together. But their professional, personality, and cultural differences repeatedly get in the way of their efforts to cooperate. This multiple Genie Award®-winning film smartly dissects Canadian cultural prejudices through a thrilling murder mystery. Courtesy of Park Ex Pictures.
*post-screening discussion led by Ron Falzone, Film & Video Professor, Columbia College Chicago.
Wednesday, July 8, 6:30PM
PALOMA DELIGHT
Délice Paloma
Dir. Nadir Moknèche, France, 2007, French and Arabic with English subtitles, 134 minutes
Presented by: The Cultural Services of the French Embassy in Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
Need a building permit? Feeling lonely tonight? Call the fixer. When it comes to surviving in contemporary Algeria, no scam is too daunting for the resourceful Madame Aldjeria, a con woman who fancies herself a benefactress. If they’re pretty and unprincipled, Aldjeria’s recruits can make a career for themselves, like her newest enlistee Paloma. But Paloma is nothing but trouble. When Aldjeria sets her sights on a high-class score that will let her leave her tarnished past behind, it proves to be one deal too many. At turns scandalous, funny, and heartbreaking, Paloma Delight is a gritty tale of swindle and survival.
Wednesday, July 15, 6:30PM
EMMA’S BLISS
Emmas Glück
Dir. Sven Taddicken, Germany, 2006, German with English subtitles, 99 minutes
Presented by: The Goethe-Institut Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
Slick city car dealer Max and lonely provincial pig breeder Emma are an unlikely couple. But when Max, recently diagnosed with cancer, crashes a stolen Jaguar filled with embezzled cash into the fence surrounding Emma’s failing farm, Emma rescues both the man and the money. As she nurses him back to health, the contrary two-some unexpectedly find mutual attraction—and salvation—in each other. Emma’s Bliss is a beautifully wrought parable that poignantly explores the limits of life, love, and mortality.
Wednesday, July 22, 6:30PM
A LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN WOMAN
Yi ge mo sheng nu ren de lai xin
Dir. Xu Jinglei, The People’s Republic of China, 2004, Mandarin with English subtitles, 90 minutes
Presented by: The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Chicago,
the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
Peking, 1948. A man rides home through a war-ridden city on a bleak winter night and finds a letter waiting for him upon his arrival. It’s from a woman, written just before her death. In it, she tells him of her lifelong unrequited passion for him, to which he was impervious. She recounts their brief but fiery affair, her struggles raising their child alone, and their final meeting at which he failed to even recognize her. Now that she has lost their son, she no longer has the strength to live... Shaken by the letter, the man racks his brains trying to recall the unknown woman.
Wednesday, July 29, 6:30PM
THE DAY OF THE HUNTER
O dia da Caça
Dir. Alberto Graça, Brazil, 1999, Portuguese with English subtitles, 113 minutes
Presented by: The Consulate General of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
It’s been four years since ex-drug trafficker Nando has left the business. When corrupt federal police agent Branco insists that Nando return to Colombia to smuggle some cocaine as a favor to the man who helped him get out of drugs, he cannot refuse. It isn’t until the return trip that Nando realizes he has been set up. His only option is to devise a suicidal plan of retribution against the authorities complicit in his set up. This stylish thriller weaves a complex tale of corruption, betrayal, and revenge.
Wednesday, August 5, 6:30PM
GIRAFFES
Girafot
Dir. Tzahi Grad, Israel, 2001, Hebrew, English and French with English subtitles, 115 minutes
Presented by: The Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
The directorial debut of actor Tzahi Grad, Giraffes unfolds as a mischievous, self-referencing, ever-engaging caper. One night, fate laughs at Avigail, Dafna, and Efrat, and the three women’s lives become inextricably intertwined. Avigail mistakenly goes to Dafna's film shoot, while Dafna ends up on Efrat's blind date, and Efrat finds herself in a precarious situation with a genial taxi driver. When the taxi driver turns up dead, Efrat discovers a great deal of money, and the confusions of earlier in the evening mix them all up in the murder. As plot twists continue to unfold and tensions build, it becomes clear that their reality is not what they, or we, think it is.
Wednesday, August 12, 6:30PM
THE OTHER
El Otro
Director: Ariel Rotter, Argentina, 2007, Spanish with English subtitles, 83 minutes
Presented by: The Consulate General of the Argentine Republic, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
A run-of-the-mill one day business trip to the country becomes another journey entirely when Juan Desouza discovers that the man traveling at his side is dead. When he secretly decides to adopt the dead man’s identity, he is happily confronted with a world of seemingly limitless opportunities and the tempting possibility of never returning. In the process of reinventing himself with a new profession, a new home, and a new lifestyle, Juan in effect rediscovers himself. In a stunning visual style, The Other poetically explores the idea that the life each of us lives is not the only one available to us.
Wednesday, August 19, 6:30PM
42 PLUS
Dir. Sabine Derflinger, Austria, 2007
German with English subtitles, 95 minutes
Presented by: The Austrian Consulate General in Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
Attractive and successful TV host Christine and her doctor husband Georg have settled into a comfortably detached life together. Each has taken a clandestine lover while their teenage daughter, Sonja, is slowly pulling away. Their domestic life seems perfectly tranquil on the surface until the family heads to Italy for their summer holiday. When Christine falls for the young and handsome Tamaz, she happily realizes that even at 42 her wildest dreams can come true. But life is always full of surprises and nothing ever turns out as planned, particularly in this upside-down comedy of errors.
Wednesday, August 26, 6:30PM
LIFE FOR SALE
Luftbusiness
Dir. Dominique de Rivaz, Switzerland, 2008, German with English subtitles, 89 minutes
Presented by: The Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
Looking for easy money, three young dropouts auction themselves on the internet. One sells his future. One sells his past. The third sells his soul. What starts off as an absurd prank turns into a nightmare when they discover they’ve sold their very existences. And there are no refunds… Inspired by real events, Life for Sale presents a searing drama that examines the contemporary relevance and consequences of the Faustian pact.
*post-screening discussion led by Hank Sartin, Film Editor, Timeout Chicago
Wednesday, September 2, 6:30PM
NIGHT BUS
Notturno Bus
Dir: David Marengo, Italy, 2007, Italian with English subtitles, 105 minutes
Presenters : Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
Franz, a bored bus driver with a gambling habit and ever-mounting debts, holds out hope for a lucky streak. Leila, young and beautiful, uses her good looks and cunning nature to beguile men out of a bit of cash. Their lives come colliding together when a series of misunderstandings places them in the middle of cold-blooded struggle over a microchip. Finding themselves in a high-stakes web of blackmail, deceit, and entrapment, Leila and Franz start to think that the payoff might be worth the peril. Based on the eponymous novel by Giampiero Rigosi, Night Bus presents a noir-ish caper, inflected with a touch of irony.
Wednesday September 9, 6:30PM
TWIN SISTERS
De tweeling
Dir. Ben Sombogaart, The Netherlands, 2002, Dutch and German with English subtitles, 137 minutes
Presented by: The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
1920s Germany. After the deaths of their parents, inseparable twin sisters Anna and Lotte Bamberg are unhappily torn apart. Sickly Lotte is sent to the Netherlands to live in the comfortable home of their upper-middle-class aunt, while Anna remains in Germany, put to work on their German uncle’s farm. In the years following their separation, the girls desperately try to get in touch again. At long last, a reunion is arranged. But it is the eve of World War II, and their lives have taken them in opposing, possibly irreconcilable, directions.
* post-screening discussion
Wednesday, September 16, 7:00PM
FRIDA
Frida, naturaleza viva
Dir. Paul Leduc, Mexico, 1986, Spanish with English subtitles, 108 minutes
Presented by: The Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago, the Mexico Tourism Board, the Chicago Cultural Center and Cinema/Chicago.
In a vibrant visual style evocative of the work of the artist herself, Paul Leduc’s Frida presents the life of Frida Kahlo’s as a meditative deathbed reverie. Defining scenes from the painter’s life are intimately rendered as a series of impressions, from her crippling childhood accident and her turbulent relationship with muralist Diego Rivera to her discovery of painting, her struggle to be accepted as an artist, and her connection to the political life of contemporary Mexico. Ofelia Medina’s stunning emotional portrayal of the iconic artist pays tribute to one of twentieth century Latin America’s greatest women.
*post-screening discussion
International Connections Committee is comprised of representatives from:
Austrian Consulate General in Chicago
British Consulate General in Chicago
Chicago Cultural Center
Consulate General of the Republic of Argentine
Consulate General of the Federative Republic of Brazil in Chicago
Consulate General of Canada in Chicago
Consulate General of People's Republic of China
Consulate General of Egypt in Chicago
Consulate General of Hungary in Chicago
Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest
Consulate General of Japan/Japan Information Centre
Consulate General of Lithuania in Chicago
Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago
Consulate General of Romania in Chicago
Consulate General of Sweden in Chicago
Consulate General of Switzerland in Chicago
Consulate General of The Kingdom of the Netherlands in Chicago
Department of Cultural Affairs
French Cultural Services of the French Embassy in Chicago
Global Chicago Center/The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations
Goethe-Institut Chicago in Chicago
Hong Kong Trade Economic Trade Office
Instituto Cervantes in Chicago
Istituto Italiano Di Cultura di Chicago
Italian Trade Commission
Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Chicago
Romanian Cultural Institute in New York
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago
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