The 60th Chicago International Film Festival took place from October 16 to 27, 2024, in Chicago, United States. Malcolm Washington's directorial debut The Piano Lesson, adapted from August Wilson's 1987 play, served as the "Opening Night Film", while Robert Zemeckis' drama film Here, an adaptation of the graphic novel by Richard McGuire, was selected as the "Closing Night Film".
Festival events took place mainly around AMC NEWCITY 14, though other event venues throughout the city included the Music Box Theatre, the Gene Siskel Film Center, the Chicago History Museum, and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago.
Background American director Malcolm Washington received the Breakthrough Award for his debut The Piano Lesson. Additionally, actor John David Washington, who stars in the film, received the Spotlight Award. Robert Zemeckis received the Founder's Legacy Award, which was presented during the Closing Night celebration. American director Marielle Heller received the Visionary Award for her comedy horror film Nightbitch, which was selected as the "Centerpiece Film".
Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda received the Career Achievement Award, with a retrospective program presented on October 18, dedicated to honor his filmography. American actor Mike Myers also received the Career Achievement Award, presented on October 19 during a special event titled "An Evening with Mike Myers" hosted by Dave Foley.
Official Selection The films selected for each section are as follows:
Special Presentations English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Opening Night The Piano Lesson Malcolm Washington United States Centerpiece Nightbitch Marielle Heller United States Closing Night Here Robert Zemeckis United States, United Kingdom Special Presentations Better Man Michael Gracey Australia Blitz Steve McQueen United Kingdom Conclave Edward Berger United States, United Kingdom Maria Pablo Larraín Italy, Germany, United States A Real Pain Jesse Eisenberg United States, Poland The Room Next Door Pedro Almodóvar Spain September 5 Tim Fehlbaum Germany
International Competition The following films compete for the Gold Hugo of the International Feature Film Competition: English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) All We Imagine as Light ഭയായ് നിനച്ചതെല്ലാം Payal Kapadia France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg The End Joshua Oppenheimer Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, United Kingdom Grand Tour Miguel Gomes Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, Japan, China Harvest Athina Rachel Tsangari United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, France, United States On Becoming a Guinea Fowl Rungano Nyoni Zambia, United Kingdom, Ireland The Quiet Son Jouer avec le feu Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin France The Seed of the Sacred Fig دانهی انجیر معابد / Les Graines du figuier sauvage / Die Saat des heiligen Feigenbaums Mohammad Rasoulof Germany, Iran, France The Sparrow in the Chimney Der Spatz im Kamin Ramon Zürcher Switzerland Suçuarana Clarissa Campolina, Sérgio Borges Brazil Super Happy Forever Kohei Igarashi France, Japan Transamazonia Pia Marais France, Germany, Switzerland, Taiwan, Brazil Vermiglio Maura Delpero Italy, France, Belgium When the Light Breaks Ljósbrot Rúnar Rúnarsson Iceland, Netherlands, Croatia, France
New Directors The following films compete for the Gold Hugo of the New Directors section: English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Cabo Negro Abdellah Taïa France, Morocco Ghost Trail Les Fantômes Jonathan Millet France, Germany, Belgium Hanami Denise Fernandes Switzerland, Portugal, Cape Verde Happy Holidays ينعاد عليكو Scandar Copti Palestine, Germany, France, Italy, Qatar Listen to the Voices Kouté vwa Maxime Jean-Baptiste Belgium, France, French Guiana My Favourite Cake کیک محبوب من Maryam Moqadam, Behtash Sanaeeha Iran, France, Sweden, Germany Peacock Bernhard Wenger Austria, Germany Rita Paz Vega Spain Toxic Akiplėša Saulė Bliuvaitė Lithuania Transplant Jason Park United States The Village Next to Paradise Mo Harawe Austria, France, Germany, Somalia Who Do I Belong To ماء العين / Là d'où l'on vient Meryam Joobeur Tunisia, France, Canada
International Documentary Competition The following films compete for the Gold Hugo of the International Documentary Competition: English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Apocalypse in the Tropics Apocalipse nos Trópicos Petra Costa Brazil, United States, Denmark Between Goodbyes Jota Mun United States The Brink of Dreams Nada Riyadh Ayman El Amir Egypt, France, Denmark, Qatar, Saudi Arabia Dahomey Mati Diop France, Senegal, Benin Desire Lines Jules Rosskam United States Ernest Cole: Lost and Found Raoul Peck France The Last Republican Steve Pink United States Life and Other Problems Livet og andre problemer Max Kestner Denmark, United Kingdom, Sweden The Light of Truth: Richard Hunt's Monument to Ida B. Wells Rana Segal United States Mistress Dispeller Elizabeth Lo China, United States My Stolen Planet Sayyareye dozdide shodeye man Farahnaz Sharifi Germany, Iran No Other Land Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor Palestine, Norway Once Upon a Time in Forest Havumetsän lapset Virpi Suutari Finland Pavements Alex Ross Perry United States A Photographic Memory Rachel Elizabeth Seed United States The Return of the Projectionist Le Retour du projectionniste Orkhan Aghazadeh France, Germany Save the Children (1973) Stan Lathan United States Separated Errol Morris United States, Mexico Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts. Matthew Salleh United States Time Passages Kyle Henry United States Wellness Warrior Chaz Ebert United States Wishing on a Star Péter Kerekes Italy, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia Zurawski v Texas Maisie Crow, Abbie Perrault United States, United Kingdom
Spotlight English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) The Art of Joy L'arte della gioia Valeria Golino Italy, United Kingdom Bird Andrea Arnold United Kingdom, France The Brutalist Brady Corbet United Kingdom By the Stream 수유천 Hong Sang-soo South Korea Caught by the Tides 风流一代 Jia Zhangke China Emilia Pérez Jacques Audiard France The Girl with the Needle Pigen med nålen Magnus von Horn Denmark, Poland, Sweden Hard Truths Mike Leigh United Kingdom, Spain I'm Still Here Ainda Estou Aqui Walter Salles Brazil, France It's Not Me Cést pas moi Leos Carax France La cocina Alonso Ruizpalacios United States, Mexico Misericordia Miséricorde Alain Guiraudie France Nickel Boys RaMell Ross United States The Return Uberto Pasolini Italy, United Kingdom Sicilian Letters Iddu Fabio Grassadonia, Antonio Piazza Italy, France Small Things Like These Tim Mielants Ireland, Belgium Unstoppable William Goldenberg United States
Snapshots English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Alberta Number One Alexander Carson Canada Alpha. Jan-Willem van Ewijk Netherlands, Slovenia, Switzerland Armand Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich United States Bliss Hemda Shemi Zarhin Israel Color Book David Fortune United States Eephus Carson Lund United States, France Faruk Aslı Özge Germany, Turkey, France Flow Straume Gints Zilbalodis Latvia, France, Belgium The Kingdom Le Royaume Julien Colonna France The Knife Nnamdi Asomugha United States Memoir of a Snail Adam Elliot Australia Okie Kate Cobb United States The Other Way Around Volveréis Jonás Trueba Spain, France Pepe Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias Dominican Republic, Namibia, Germany, France Santosh Sandhya Suri United Kingdom The Time It Takes Il tempo che ci vuole Francesca Comencini Italy, France To a Land Unknown Mahdi Fleifel United Kingdom, Palestine, France, Greece, Netherlands, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia Turning Tables Klandestin Angelina Maccarone Germany We Were Dangerous Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu New Zealand
Outlook The following films compete for the Q Hugo Awards, for films with LGBTQ+ themes, some films competing for the award appear in other sections and are already listed in previous tables: English Title Original Title Director(s) Production countrie(s) Baby Marcelo Caetano Brazil, France, Netherlands Four Mothers Darren Thornton Ireland My Sunshine ぼくのお日さま Hiroshi Okuyama Japan, France Thesis on a Domestication Tesis sobre una domesticación Javier Van de Couter Argentina, Mexico Three Kilometres to the End of the World Trei kilometri până la capătul lumii Emanuel Pârvu Romania Viet and Nam Trong lòng đất Minh Quý Trương Vietnam
Shorts The following short films compete for the Gold Hugo of the Shorts Competition: