‘Sound Of Falling’, ‘Sirât’, ‘La Grazia’ among Chicago international competition picks

EXCLUSIVE: The 61st Chicago International Film Festival (October 15-26) has unveiled its international competition line-ups, with German Oscar submission Sound Of Falling and fellow Cannes pick Sirât, as well as Venice entries La Grazia and Tunisia’s Oscar submission The Voice Of Hind Rajab among the line-up.

All play in the International Feature Competition alongside the likes of Cannes entry and Brazilian Oscar submission The Secret Agent, and Radu Jude’s Berlinale world premiere Kontinental ’25.

The roster includes North American premieres for Francois Ozon’s The Strangerand US premieres for Chie Hayakawa’s Renoir, Ildikó Enyedi’s Silent Friend, and Nanouk Leopold’s Whitetail. Also screening are Shahram Mokri’s Black Rabbit, White Rabbit, and Milagros Mumenthaler’s The Currents, Hlynur Pálmason’s Icelandic Oscar submission The Love That Remains, and Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father’s Shadow.

Screening in New Directors Competition is the world premiere of Nurzhamal Karamoloeva’s Only Heaven Knows. Recent Toronto selection Christy starring Sydney Sweeney gets its North American premiere, as do Louise Hémon’s The Girl In The Snow, Suzannah Mirghani’s Cotton Queen, Imran Perretta’s Ish, Carolina Cavalli’s The Kidnapping Of Arabella, Sven Bresser’s Reedland from Cannes Critics’ Week, and Nastia Korkia’s Short Summer.

Receiving their US premieres are Sophy Romvari’s Blue Heron, Danzuka Yuigas’ Japanese Brand New Landscape, Álvaro Olmos Torrico’s The Condor Daughter, Karla Badillo’s Oca, Jaume Claret Muxart’s Strange River, and Stefan Djordjevic’s Wind, Talk To Me.

Nia DaCosta’s recent TIFF world premiere Hedda screens in OutLook Competition, as do Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s Japanese Oscar submission A Useful Ghost, and Ezequiel Erriquez Mena’s Emizi, which is a world premiere. The selection includes Bouchra from Orian Barki and Meriem Bennani, Paolo Strippoli’s The Holy Boy, Paula Tomás Marques’s Two Times João Liberada, Rowan Haber’s We Are Pat, and Diego Céspedes’ Chilean Oscar submission The Mysterious Gaze Of The Flamingo.

Documentary Competition selections include Sepideh Farsi’s Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk, and North American premieres for Dea Gjinovci’s The Beauty Of The Donkey, Arthur Franck’s The Helsinki Effect, Celtic Utopia from Dennis Harvey and Lars Lovén, Weronika Mliczewska’s Child Of Dust, and Jihan K.’s My Father And Quaddafi. Rounding out the selection are Tamara Kotevska’s The Tale Of Silyan and Michèle Stephenson’s True North.

Kevin Shaw’s One Golden Summer is the opening night presentation. The full slate will be announced September 18.

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