May 22 – Sept 25, 2024
Summer Screenings
Free films all summer long
Summer Screenings is Cinema/Chicago’s annual free film series that casts a spotlight on a different country’s national cinema each week all summer.
Celebrating films from women directors!
Women in Cinema 60
In celebration of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival, this year’s Summer Screenings draws on our rich history of programming women-directed films by showcasing new or little-seen work from our distinguished roster of Festival alumnae.
Featuring an eclectic mix of films and genres, from an off-beat collection of animated shorts and riveting family dramas to witty social satires and fiery historical musicals, the program is a dynamic exploration of incredible films made by women from around the globe.
Films are unrated. Viewer discretion is advised.
Free Tickets
Free TicketsAll Summer Screenings films are free and open to the public.
Tickets are released every Monday at 10 a.m. for the following week’s film. Seating is general and on a first-come, first-served basis and is limited to theater capacity. Theater is overbooked to ensure a full house. Admission is not guaranteed.
If the event is sold out online (rush only), pick up a numbered rush card at the screening. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. Open seats will be made available to Rush Card holders at 6:15 p.m. Subject to availability.
Accessibility
AccessibilityAll Summer Screenings venues are fully wheelchair accessible and both venues have a limited number of Assistive Listening Devices available.
Wheelchair and companion seating reservations, interpreter requests, and other accommodation requests can be made through our accommodation request form. Learn more and request accommodations…
Screening Venues
May 22 – July 2, 2024
Screenings will take place at:
Chicago History Museum
McCormick Theater
1601 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614
Plan your visit | Map it
July 10 – Sept 25, 2024
Screenings will take place at:
Chicago Cultural Center
Claudia Cassidy Theater
78 E Washington St, 2nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60602
Plan your visit | Map it…
2024 Summer Screenings Schedule
Wed, May 22 @ 6:30pm
Chiara
Assisi, 1211. 18-year-old Chiara is convinced by her friend Francesco to take a vow of poverty. Cutting ties with her wealthy family, she embarks on a journey of devotion, passion, and rebellion. Based on the real life of Santa Chiara of Assisi, this impassioned musical tracks one woman’s lifelong, revolutionary fight for equality.
Learn moreWed, May 29 @ 6:30pm
Klondike
July 2014. A Ukrainian family living near the border with Russia finds themselves in the center of an international conflict. The pregnant Irka and husband Tolik resolve to remain in their home, despite the fact that it’s now missing a wall. As they attempt to rebuild, they’re forced to reckon with a complicated new reality—one that includes a mysterious plane crash, rumors of a separatist movement, and the escalation of war.
Learn moreWed, Jun 5 @ 6:30pm
All of a Sudden Auf Einmal
In this bracing psychological thriller, the unassuming Karsten finds his life spiraling out of control. After hosting a small but wild party, a mysterious woman is found dead at his apartment. As the last person to see her alive, Karsten is met with immediate suspicion. He insists there was no foul play, but even his closest friends begin to doubt his innocence.
Learn moreWed, Jun 12 @ 6:30pm
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Perfect 10
Troubled at home and bullied at school, 15-year-old Leigh is struggling to focus on her upcoming gymnastics competition. When Joe, her previously unknown half-brother, shows up at the front door in need of a place to stay, she finds a much-longed-for sense of connection and belonging. As the two form a friendship, Leigh finds herself drawn into Joe’s dangerous world.
Learn moreTue, Jun 18 @ 6:30pm
Lies We Tell
Ireland, 1864. Newly orphaned heiress Maud becomes the ward of her distant Uncle Silas. She welcomes Silas and his children into her isolated manor but discovers that his intentions are far from benign as his chilling past comes into present focus. Up against escalating danger, Maud is determined to fight for her birthright to the bitter end in this white-knuckle, atmospheric thriller.
Learn moreWed, Jun 26 @ 6:30pm
The Body Remembers When the World Broke Apart
Áila encounters Rosie on a rainy Vancouver street—pregnant, barefoot, sobbing and fleeing domestic abuse. Compelled to help her, she offers her home as refuge. Over the course of a single day, the two connect, unpack Rosie’s traumas, and form an intimate bond. Shot in “real time” with an eye for delicate detail, this tender drama explores ideas of motherhood, self-care, and the drastically different lives of two Indigenous women.
Learn moreTue, Jul 2 @ 6:30pm
Killing Jesus Matar a Jesús
Two men on a motorcycle. Shots are fired. Another man is left dead on the ground: Paula’s father has been assassinated. The authorities offer no answers. With revenge in her sights, Paula, an art student, desperately sets out to find her father’s killer. By chance, she meets him—dancing, smiling—at a nightclub. The two grow closer. His name is Jesús. He wants to be with her. She wants to kill him.
Learn moreWed, Jul 10 @ 6:30pm
Sibyl
Sibyl is struggling. Unsatisfied with her work as a therapist, she decides to curb her caseload and attempt to write a novel. Suffering from writer’s block, she reluctantly agrees to counsel Margot, a mercurial young film actress embroiled in a messy affair with her co-star. Taking a page straight out of Margot’s tumultuous life, the novel practically starts to write itself.
Learn moreWed, Jul 17 @ 6:30pm
Zurich
Adrift and searching, Nina wanders Europe in an attempt to flee her painful past. While taking refuge at a rest stop, she befriends Matthias, a German trucker and the two form a bond. As their intimacy intensifies, memories of her former life begin to haunt her. What is she running from? Steeped in mystery, this film is a nuanced portrait of trauma, love, and healing.
Learn moreWed, Jul 24 @ 6:30pm
Next Sohee Daeum Sohee
Sohee, an overachieving high schooler, is optimistic about her future. After accepting an internship at a call center, she’s thrown into a chaotic world of grueling hours, crippling expectations, and low pay. Under mounting pressure, she takes her own life. Police detective Yoo-Jin begins an all-consuming investigation into Sohee’s tragic death. This ripped-from-the-headlines social procedural is a gripping condemnation of modern working culture.
Learn moreWed, Jul 31 @ 6:30pm
The Chambermaid La camarista
Eve is invisible—as a maid at a high-end Mexico City hotel, it’s her job to stay out of sight. Long hours leave her dreaming of a better life for her family as she attempts to rise above workplace hierarchies. Set entirely within the hermetic confines of the hotel, The Chambermaid is both a deeply moving character study and a frankly observed examination of social class.
Learn moreWed, Aug 7 @ 6:30pm
Radiance Hikari
Misako writes and records film audio descriptions for vision-impaired audiences, passionately translating cinematic experiences through verbal description. While soliciting feedback from a focus group panel, she meets Masaya, a renowned photographer who is slowly losing his eyesight. The two form an unlikely connection as she draws inspiration from his photographs and his way of seeing the world.
Learn moreWed, Aug 14 @ 6:30pm
Rosa’s Wedding La boda de Rosa
Facing her 45th birthday, Rosa has a startling revelation. She is unhappy. Between long work hours and caring for her elderly father, there’s little time left for herself. Drastic measures are in order. The plan? To get married, wedding and all, to herself. Equal parts human, hilarious, and inspirational, Rosa’s Wedding is an affecting story of independence and self-determination.
Learn moreWed, Aug 21 @ 6:30pm
Electrophilia Los Impactados
After surviving a lightning strike during a terrifying countryside storm, Ada is reeling. As she recovers physically from the blast, a series of strange visual and auditory hallucinations begin to plague her. Searching for answers, she joins a support group for lighting strike survivors led by a charismatic, controversial doctor. Will his unconventional methods lead to a cure?
Learn moreWed, Aug 28 @ 6:30pm
Murmer of the Hearts Nian Nian
This tender and introspective drama connects the lives of three seemingly disparate characters: an unexpectedly pregnant painter, a distracted tour guide, and a talentless boxer. Each at a crossroads in their lives, they’re forced to reflect on their pasts as they prepare for uncertain futures. Intricately weaving together the threads of their lives, the film offers an elegant, surreal portrait of a generation at a crossroads.
Learn moreWed, Sep 4 @ 6:30pm
Sights and Sounds: Australian Short Films
This collection of short films, all by Festival alumnae filmmakers, showcases the breadth and depth of Australian filmmaking.
Learn moreWed, Sep 11 @ 6:30pm
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Going Places: Chicago Short Films
These shorts, all featured at past Festivals, display the brilliance and variety of our city’s incredible filmmakers.
Learn moreWed, Sep 18 @ 6:30pm
The Wednesday Child Szerdai gyerek
Headstrong teen mother Maja has lost custody of her toddler. Abandoned as a child herself, she’s determined to avoid her mother’s mistakes and earn back the right to care for her child. When a social program offers small business loans, she jumps at the chance for redemption. Anchored by a raw, natural performance, this moving coming-of-age tale is a testament to the power of second chances.
Learn moreWed, Sep 25 @ 6:30pm
Short Film Showcase: The Wonderfully Weird World of Niki Lindroth von Bahr
Over the past decade sculptor and animator Niki Lindroth von Bahr has utilized stop motion animation to breathe life into anthropomorphised animal puppets. From pigeons singing in a zoo to a pedantic spa manager to the delightful rabbit and fox neighbors to an existential marketplace musical, this showcase of her work conjures hilarious, bizarre, and even profoundly moving worlds where human and animal merge.
Learn morePast 2023 Summer Screenings
Special Thanks 2024
Cinema/Chicago’s Summer Screenings Program would not be possible without the support of the following individuals and organizations:
Allstate Insurance Company
Consulate General of Argentina in Chicago: Consul General Lucas Andres Gioja; Cultural Attaché Jorge Manghi
Australian Consulate-General in Chicago: Consul-General Chris Elstoft; Policy Officer Jessica Jamaica
British Consulate-General, Chicago: Consul General Alan Gogbashian and Deputy Consul General John Murphy
Consulate General of Canada in Chicago: Senior Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Services Officer Colleen Duke
Chicago Cultural Center
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events: Commissioner Clinée Hedspeth
Chicago Film Office: Deputy Commissioner Jonah Zeiger, Betsey Grais, Tim Olson, Natalia Salazar, Alex Vazquez
Chicago History Museum
Consulate General of Colombia in Chicago: Consul General Diego Alexander Angulo Marínez; Vice Consul Jonnathan Gamboa
Dutch Culture USA / Netherlands Consulates General in Chicago & New York
Goethe-Institut Chicago: Director Leonhard Emmerling; Program Curator Leah Gallant
Consulate General of Hungary in Chicago: Consul General Tamas Kovacs and Cultural Affairs Erzsebet Mate
Illinois Arts Council Agency
Instituto Cervantes of Chicago: Executive Director Anastasio Sanchez and Cultural Program Curator Teresa Hernando
Consulate General of Ireland, Chicago: Consul General Kevin Byrne; Vice Consul Pádraig Manning; Public Diplomacy Officer Sandra Hamilton
Italian Cultural Institute in Chicago: Director Luca Di Vito; Associate Director of Programs Fabiola Tosi
Japan Information Center at the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago: Consul-General Jun Yanagi, Rikidai Sako, and Byron Ovalle
Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Chicago: Consul General Junghan Kim, Vice Consul Jongyun Ra
Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago: Consul General Ambassador Reyna Torres Mendivil
Swedish American Museum: Karin Moen Abercrombie
Honorary Consulate of Sweden – Chicago: Karin Moen Abercrombie and Anna Engstrom Patel
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago: Director General Dennis Yen-Feng Lei
Taipei Cultural Center in New York, Ministry of Culture, ROC (Taiwan): Director Hui-Chun Chang
Consulate General of Ukraine in Chicago: Consul General Serhiy Koledov & Deputy Consul General Yevgeniy Drobot
Villa Albertine Chicago & the Cultural Services of the French Embassy: Cultural Attaché Axelle Moleur; Coordinator Laurence Geannopulos
Summer Screenings Sponsors 2024
In Partnership With
Program Sponsor
Additional Support
Accessibility Partner
212 W Van Buren St., Suite 400
