Chicago Critics Film Festival

Schedule:

12:00pm - Fabulous Fleischer Cartoons - 65 minutes
The Fabulous Fleischer Cartoons Restored project is one dedicated to gathering and restoring as many of the 700-odd animated shorts produced by Max Fleischer at the studio bearing his name between 1919-1942. We are honored to be showing seven of these restorations, including appearances by such favorite characters as Betty Boop, Popeye, Koko the Clown and Superman. These shorts serve as an eye-popping and side-splitting representation of the works of one of the mostly unsung pioneers of animation that will delight and astound viewers of all ages.

1:45pm - Shorts Program 1 With Guests - 91 Minutes
Various Directors
ME - A mysterious new musical from Don Hertzfeldt, Academy Award-nominated director of “It’s Such A Beautiful Day” and “World Of Tomorrow.”

Trapped - A high school janitor runs into a series of dangerous obstacles. Winner of the Special Jury Award for Narrative Shorts at SXSW. Directed by Sam & David Cutler-Kreutz.

If I Die In America - A young man fights for a chance to grieve his husband after his traditional Muslim in-laws demand their son's body be sent back to the Middle East mere hours after the untimely death. Directed by Ward Kamel.

Patient - Fiction, reality, the private, and the performed overlap on a routine but emotional day at a medical center. Directed by Lori Felker.

Bob’s Funeral - Searching for the root of generational trauma, the director sneaks a camera into his estranged grandfather’s funeral. Directed by Jack Dunphy.

4:15pm - Thelma - 97 minutes
Directed by Josh Margolin
The feature directorial debut of Josh Margolin, THELMA is a poignant action-comedy that gives veteran Oscar® nominee June Squibb (NEBRASKA) her first leading role and features the final performance of trailblazing actor Richard Roundtree (SHAFT). Squibb, who did most of her own stunts in the film, plays Thelma Post, a feisty 93-year-old grandmother who gets conned by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson (The White Lotus’ Fred Hechinger) and sets out on a treacherous quest across Los Angeles, accompanied by an aging friend (Roundtree) and his motorized scooter, to reclaim what was taken from her.

6:45pm - Babes with guest - 109 minutes
Directed by Pamela Adlon
BABES follows inseparable childhood best friends Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau), having grown up together in NYC, now firmly in different phases of adulthood. When carefree and single Eden decides to have a baby on her own after a one-night stand, their friendship faces its greatest challenge. BABES delves into the complexities of female friendship with a blend of laughter, tears, and labor pains. From co-writers Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz and directed by Pamela Adlon, BABES is a hilarious and heartfelt comedy about the bonds of friendship and the messy, unpredictable challenges of adulthood and becoming a parent.

9:45pm - In A Violent Nature - 94 minutes
Directed by Chris Nash
When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year-old crime, his body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving it. The undead golem hones in on the group of vacationing teens responsible for the theft and proceeds to methodically slaughter them one by one in his mission to get it back - along with anyone in his way. Co-presented by Music Box of Horrors.

12:00am - Oddity - 98 minutes
Directed by Damian McCarthy
In this supernatural spectacle, a blind medium uncovers the truth behind her sister's death with the help of a frightening wooden mannequin.

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