The 46th Chicago International Film Festival is coming, and The Scorecard Review will be there will exclusive interviews, movie reviews and red carpet events beginning October 7, 2010.
Here's the first 20 films announced for the festival. Below is the news release.
October 7 – 21, 2010
CHICAGO, August 25, 2010 – Cinema/Chicago is proud to announce the first 20 new films that will appear at this year’s Chicago International Film Festival. Among them are some of the most anticipated domestic and foreign films featuring well-respected talent and directors as well as the work of exceptional newcomers. From Slumdog Millionaire and Resevoir Dogs to Martin Scorsese and Werner Herzog, The Chicago International Film Festival has consistently brought the brightest and boldest new films and filmmakers to Chicago first. Audiences will be delighted to find that this year’s Festival will be no different. Below is just a taste of the more than 150 films that will be shown at this year’s Chicago International Film Festival, which will take place October 7th through the 21st at the AMC River East 21 Theater (322 E. Illinois St - Chicago). Film Festival passes are on sale now!
FILMS
UK Tamara Drewe Director: Stephen Frears When former ugly duckling Tamara Drewe sashays back into her hometown, life for her neighbors is thrown upside down. Now a devastating beauty, Tamara sets a contemporary comedy of manners into play using the oldest magic in the book: sex appeal.
USA Trust Director: David Schwimmer After carefree teenager Anna has her life shattered by an online sexual predator, her parents (Clive Owen, Catherine Keener) must find a way to cope with their own grief and anger while helping Anna to pick up the pieces. Chicago’s own David Schwimmer directs this powerful tale of familial devastation.
Thailand Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Loong Boonmee raleuk chat) Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul Winner of the top prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, this visionary yet playful film is an enchanting blend of heady spiritual imagery and tender human drama that confronts the largest of questions—what happens to us after we die? Thai, French with subtitles.
UK/Brazil Waste Land Director: Lucy Walker One of the most inspiring and award-winning docs of the year follows Brazilian artist Vik Muniz deep into the world’s largest landfill on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro as he transforms the lives of its residents through a large-scale art project. English, Portuguese with subtitles.
Japan Big Tits Zombie (Konkyu Dragon) Director: Takao Nakano A raucous crowd-pleaser that is definitely not for the whole family, this 3-D spectacle pits brassy strippers against a mob of the undead, which the ladies unwittingly revive by reading aloud from an ancient tome. Japanese with subtitles.
Argentina Brother & Sister (Dos hermanos) Director: Daniel Burman Acclaimed director Daniel Burman helms this graceful portrait of two idiosyncratic siblings who, after their elderly mother’s death, find themselves forced to confront the fissures in their relationship, with amusing and touching results. Spanish with subtitles.
Italy Come Undone (Cosa voglio di più) Director: Silvio Soldini By turns sexy and thought provoking, this realistic exploration of infidelity follows two people who fall into an extramarital affair almost by accident, at great risk to their own inner peace. Italian with subtitles.
USA Go for It! Director: Carmen Marron In this coming-of-age tale from Chicago filmmakers, feisty teen Carmen faces the prospect of leaving her urban community when a teacher challenges her to use her talent and passion for dancing as a ticket to a brighter future.
South Korea The Housemaid (Hanyo) Director: Im Sang-soo Im Sang-soo reimagines a classic of Korean cinema with this erotic thriller centering on the illicit affair between a wealthy, married pianist and his housekeeper. The resulting pregnancy ignites a powder keg of scheming and intrigue. Korean with subtitles.
Hungary The Last Report on Anna (Utolsó jelentés Annáról) Director: Márta Mészáros Behind the Iron Curtain in Hungary, the secret police task a critic-turned-informant with convincing Anna Kéthly, a fiery exiled politician, to return to her homeland to face her accusers. From venerable, award-winning auteur Márta Mészáros. Hungarian with subtitles.
Mexico Leap Year (Año bisiesto) Director: Michael Rowe Laura leads a meager life in her dingy apartment, doing little more than searching for the latest in a string of emotionless one night stands. Her routine changes when grim, intense Arturo enters her life. Spanish with subtitles.
USA Louder than a Bomb Directors: Greg Jacobs, Jon Siskel Who ever said poetry was boring? In this award-winning documentary, four supremely talented Chicago high school poetry teams harness the ecstatic power of words as they prepare to compete in the world’s largest youth poetry slam.
USA Mooz-lum Director: Qasim Basir Pulled between his strict Muslim upbringing and the normal social life he’s never had, Tariq enters college questioning his faith, values, and identity. He searches for answers with the help of friends and mentors, but the sudden cataclysm of 9/11 changes everything.
Ukraine/Germany/Netherlands My Joy (Schastye moe) Director: Sergei Loznitsa Russia’s open road is the setting for this striking, noirish directorial debut, in which a truck driver contends with the dangers of trackless back roads and hostile locals during what should be a routine delivery. Russian with subtitles.
France Nannerl, Mozart’s Sister Director: René Féret In this biopic centering on the other child prodigy in the Mozart family, Nannerl lives in the shadow of her famous younger brother, forbidden by her father and society from composing and performing her own music. French with subtitles.
USA Polish Bar Director: Ben Berkowitz The wayward son of a prosperous Jewish clan, Reuben moonlights as a cocaine dealer, telling himself that it’s only until he makes it big as a nightclub DJ. But a visit from his Hasidic cousin causes him to question the life he’s chosen.
France The Princess of Montpensier (La princesse de Montpensier) Director: Bertrand Tavernier Chicago favorite Bertrand Tavernier (’Round Midnight) directs this lush, unsentimental take on the historical romance. A young, beautiful noblewoman in 16th-century France inspires passion, violence, and power struggles among the men around her as civil war tears the country apart. French with subtitles.
Australia Red Hill Director: Patrick Hughes In this genre-bending Australian Western, city cop Shane Cooper relocates to the remote country town of Red Hill for the sake of his pregnant wife, not suspecting that a bloodthirsty escaped convict, bent on vengeance, is heading their way.
Germany Sasha (Saša) Director: Dennis Todorovic Sasha harbors a crush on his piano teacher Gebhard, but he struggles with coming out to his conservative family. When Gebhard’s impending departure abroad forces Sasha to act, they both face dire consequences. German, Serbian, Croatian with subtitles.
France/Belgium/Chad A Screaming Man (Un homme qui crie) Director: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun Civil war rages in Chad, but pool attendant Adam cares only for his job and his son. When he loses his job, Adam finds himself contemplating a shocking act of betrayal in this Cannes Jury Prize–winner. Arabic, French with subtitles.
TICKETS
Film Festival passes for the 46th Chicago International Film Festival are now on sale at www.chicagofilmfestival.com or call the Cinema/Chicago offices at (312) 683-0121. Individual tickets and Gala Presentation tickets go on sale September 24th.