Chicago Film Festival Sets International Competition Lineup With New Films From Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda and Lee Chang-dong

The Chicago International Film Festival has unveiled the international competition selections for its 62nd edition, with new films from Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Hirokazu Kore-eda and Lee Chang-dong among the highest-profile titles in the lineup.

Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden, Kore-eda’s Look Back and Lee’s Possible Love will compete for the Gold Hugo in the International Feature Competition. The 13-film section also includes Radu Jude’s The Diary of a Chambermaid, Clio Barnard’s I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning, Valeska Grisebach’s The Dreamed Adventure and Andrea Pallaoro’s The Echo Chamber, which will have its North American premiere in Chicago.

The festival, which runs Oct. 14-25, said the competitive program includes 25 North American or U. S. premieres across its International Feature, New Directors, Documentary and OutLook sections. Films from Germany, Japan, Spain, the Central African Republic, Brazil, Nigeria and Turkey are represented.

Four selections have been submitted by their countries for the best international feature Oscar: All of a Sudden, Sandra Wollner’s Everytime, Ahmed Hassouna’s documentary Citizen Osama and Lee’s Possible Love. The festival’s fourth annual International Contenders Panel, bringing together filmmakers behind national Oscar submissions, will be moderated by The Hollywood Reporter‘s Seth Abramovitch on Oct. 17.

The New Directors Competition includes Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri’s Clarissa, Ashgan El-Hamus’ Al Baraneya, Rafiki Fariala’s Congo Boy, Gessica Geneus’ Marie Madeleine and The Riverbank from Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias. Other selections include Anna Foglietta’s A Common Story, Valentina Maurel’s Forever Your Maternal Animal and Bruno Santamaria Razo’s Six Months in a Pink and Blue Building.

Documentary contenders include Alessandra Sanguinetti’s The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer, Erik Shirai’s Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing and Mila Aung-Thwin’s The Ultra Runner. Citizen Osama, Mariinka, Summer Drift and Tricontinental, Letter to Open in Case Of will make their North American premieres.

The festival’s OutLook Competition, devoted to LGBTQ+ stories and perspectives, includes Ira Sachs’ The Man I Love, Kōji Fukada’s Nagi Notes, Corrin Evans’ Corpus, Abinash Bikram Shah’s Elephants in the Fog and Kris Rey’s Trash Mountain. The Riverbank, Six Months in a Pink and Blue Building and Summer Drift will compete in both OutLook and another international section.

Recent Chicago winners that went on to Academy Award recognition include Sirat, The Voice of Hind Rajab, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Close, Drive My Car and The Worst Person in the World, all nominated for best international feature, as well as best documentary nominee Four Daughters.

The complete festival lineup will be announced Sept. 17. Jordan Firstman’s Club Kid will open the festival, while Mouse, from filmmakers Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson, has been selected as the centerpiece presentation. Tickets for the remaining programs go on sale Sept. 28, following a Cinema/Chicago members presale beginning Sept. 18.