ACFNY SUPPORTED | 54th CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The Chicago International Film Festival is North America’s oldest competitive film festival, presented by its parent organization, Cinema/Chicago. For the 54th Chicago International Film Festival, the programming team has put together a stellar lineup of films from around the world and from around the corner. This year’s films will stir your soul, engage your mind, have you in stitches, reduce you to tears, or even make your skin crawl.
The Austrian Cultural Forum supports JOY by Sudabeh Mortezai and STYX by Wolfgang Fischer.
JOY (2018)
In this lucid social drama, a young Nigerian woman finds herself caught in the vicious cycle of sex trafficking. Having worked the streets for years, Joy has almost paid off her debt to “Madame.” When she is charged with supervising Precious, a newbie teenage girl who is not ready to accept her fate, Joy begins to see the exploitation for what it is and is inspired to take action.
DIRECTOR Sudabeh Mortezai
COUNTRY Austria
PROGRAM(S) International Feature Competition, Spotlight: Women in Cinema
GENRES Drama, Political, Women’s Experiences
LANGUAGE(S) English, German with subtitles
RUN TIME 102 minutes
STYX (2018)
In this work of unrelenting intensity, ER doctor Rike embarks on a solo sail to Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean. When she comes across a sinking ship of refugees, she must make a momentous decision. Susanne Wolff turns in a riveting performance as a woman pushed to the physical, psychological, and moral limits in this masterful piece of filmmaking that is as poetic as it is austere.
DIRECTOR Wolfgang Fischer
COUNTRY(IES) Germany, Austria
PROGRAM World Cinema
GENRES Action, Drama, Political
LANGUAGE(S) English, German with subtitles
RUN TIME 94 minutes
VENUE
Cinema/Chicago
AMC River East 21 (322 E Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60611)