The first films were announced today for the 53rd Chicago International Film Festival.  This year’s festival will run October 12-26 and will be headlined by special presentations of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Goodbye Christopher Robin, and The Square.

One change entering this year’s edition is that Mimi Plauché took over for Michael Kutza as the artistic director of the festival.  Kutza is now the CEO and president of Cinema/Chicago.

The following films have been announced so far:
Blade of the Immortal, dir. Takashi Mikke (Japan)

The Cakemaker, dir. Ofir Raul Graizer.  The film stars Tim Kalkhof, Sarah Adler, Roy Miller, Zohar Strauss, and Sandra Sade.  Logline: “A young German pastry maker travels to Jerusalem in search of the wife and son of his dead lover.”

Chasing the Blues, dir. Scott Smith.  The Chicago-set comedy stars Grant Rosenmeyer, Ronald L. Conner, Chelsea Tavares, Clem Cheung, Steve Guttenberg, Anna Maria Horsford, and Jon Lovitz.

The Experiemental City, dir. Chad Freidrich.  A documentary of the MXC (Minnesota Experimental City).

Faces Places, dir. Agnes Varda and JR. Documentary (France)

Felicite, dir. Alain Gomis (France/Senegal)

Fortunata, dir. Sergio Castellitto.  Starring Jasmine Trinca, Stefano Accorsi, Alessandro Borghi, Edoardo Pesce, Nicole Centanni, and Hanna Schygulla. (Italy)

Gemini, dir. Aaron Katz.  Lola Kirke, Zoë Kravitz, John Cho, Greta Lee and Ricki Lake star.

God’s Own Country, dir. Francis Lee.  Starring Josh O’Connor, Alec Secareanu, Ian Hart, and Gemma Jones.

Goodbye Christopher Robin, dir. Simon Curtis.  Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Margot Robbie and Kelly Macdonald.

Have a Nice Day, dir. Liu Jian (China)

The Insult, dir. Ziad Doueiri (France/Lebanon)

In the Fade, dir. Fatih Akin.  Diane Kruger won best actress at Cannes. (Germany)

The Line, dir. Peter Bebjak. (Slovak/Ukrainian)

No Date, No Signature, dir. Vahid Jalilvand (Iran)

Paris Square, dir. Lúcia Murat

Princess Cyd, dir. Stephen Cone

Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me, dir. Sam Pollard.  Documentary

Spoor, dir. Agnieszka Holland (Poland)

The Square, dir. Ruben Östlund.  Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, and Terry Notary star in the Palme d’Or winner.  The film features English, Swedish, Danish with subtitles.

 

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, dir. Martin Mcdonagh.  Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson star.

Under the Tree, dir. Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson (Iceland)

The Workshop, dir. Laurent Cantet (France)

Shorts:
Turtles are Always Home (Qatar/Lebanon)
500,000 Years (Thailand)