A program of 6 short films – selected amongst more than 350 submissions – that map France and its era in a certain way by delicately questioning genres and territories.
Unforgettable images, bursts of laughter, new tones of voice that we will continue to cherish for their unveiled fragilities, the subtlety of things left unsaid, the power of their desires and the ardor of their anger. Ten works that all together allow their protagonists to become one, to find each other (again), to claim their place and to sometimes exist even beyond the frame.
A succession of gazes that allow us to see the other differently and that offer them the possibility to see themselves differently, with strength and love.
November 18, 5 PM. Doc Films by the University of Chicago. At the Max Palevsky Theater. Doors open at 4:30 pm.
Followed by a Q&A in English and French with Champs-Elysées Film Festival Artistic Director Justine Lévêque moderated by prof. Etienne Labbouz.
Fiction - 20 min
France
SYNOPSIS
Lola, 17, joins an educational detention center reserved for teenage girls in the heart of her native countryside. Despite the tensions, she admires the bond that the other girls have. But around the center lurks a terrible threat.
CAST
With Mina Boudjani, Alix Bourgeron, Awa Camara, Lucie Charles-Alfred, Etienne Diallo, Théo Fresnée, Khalissa Houicha, Shirel Nataf, Ramatoulaye Ndongo, Karine Revelant.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Born on August 9, 1985, Thomas Vernay developed a fascination with pictorial art from a very young age. After his studies in graphic design, he joined Martinière-Terreaux for a higher diploma in applied arts where he affirmed his desire for artistic direction. He launched his audiovisual production agency in 2014 in Lyon. Little by little, he moved towards directing and producing video clips, with several of them awarded by international festivals. He produced and directed his first short film Dryad in 2015, a pictorial and sensory film. In 2019, he produced and directed his second feature film Miss Chazelles, set in his childhood village. The film addresses social and sentimental determinism. Megan Northam won the performance prize at Clermont-Ferrand and the film went on to win the Arte prize at the Fiff de Namur, as well as the Unifrance prize for young professionals. It was in 2022 that Thomas Vernay began directing his third short film Furieuses. He chose to return to his native region and to evoke once again a social and sentimental emancipation often restricted by the presence of male domination. This time around, the film highlights the powerful role of sisterhood.
Fiction - 15 min
Martinique
SYNOPSIS
Daniel is a father, widower, who lives in the North of Martinique with his 8-year-old daughter, Soraya. Fisherman and restaurateur, he tries to make ends meet in a commune affected by a strong economic and social crisis. His daily life is turned upside down the day his daughter sets out to summon sirens using a conch shell. If the girl just wants to make friends, Daniel sees in his new obsession the risk of a dangerous invasion...
CAST
With Julien Béramis, Jade Cyrille, Patrick Hierso.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
A 2015 graduate of CEEA, Sarah Malléon writes episodes for several series, including Sam and Mercato, and won the Sopadin Junior Jury Prize. She co-directed Doubout and recently co-wrote the TV movie Le Fantôme des Saintes for France 3. Currently, she is working on Black Musketeer, a new Disney+ series, as well as the biopic La Guêpe for LincolnTV, and is developing her first series with Aux Singuliers.
Animation - 14 min
France
SYNOPSIS
There's a man swimming in the sea. It reminds him of his past. All of them linked to water, from his childhood to his adult life. This will be the story of his last swim.
CAST
With Fayçal Zafi, Yassine Mestaoui, Alexandre Liebe, Johannes Olivier Hamm, Hocine Ben.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Born in 1956, Florence Miailhe is a graduate of Arts Décos, and made her mark as soon as she directed her first film, with a very personal style that make use of painting, pastels, or even sand.
Documentary - 25 min
Mayotte
SYNOPSIS
An old tire is running in the historical tire race of Mayotte where the destinies of two women will cross paths under a heavy, blistering sun.
CAST
With Soihili Zitouni, Houssounati Abdallah Houmadi.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Germain is a filmmaker and screenwriter living in Mayotte, on the Indian Ocean. After several experiences in production, consultancy and documentary research, between Europe, the United States and Argentina, he directed two short films in France that were selected in several festivals. Thereafter, in Mayotte: Laka (2023) and Haraka, Haraka (2024), his first documentary.
Fiction - 18 min
France
SYNOPSIS
Ali and Leila visit their mother who has just been discharged from hospital. They have some revelations to make. But they are shocked to discover that she is now living with Elyo, a medical assistance robot. With this strange machine at their side, lunch turns into a family affair. Elyo, feeling that her owner is in trouble, steps in to stop the sources of the attacks, whatever the cost...
CAST
With Myriam Akheddiou, Saadia Bentaïeb, Djanis Bouzyani, Adrien Dantou.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Hakim Atoui made his career as a producer and filmmaker. He produced several films that were screened internationally and graduated from Atelier Ludiwsburg-Paris in 2020. That same year, he directed the documentary La première marche which was distributed by OutPlay Films and broadcasted by Ciné+. The film was awarded Best First Film by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics.
In 2023, he directed his first fiction feature, Adieu Soleil, with the support of Canal+, followed by Les liens du sang, a French-Belgian coproduction supported by OCS.
Documentary - 11 min
Ivory Coast, France
SYNOPSIS
Confronted with the prospect of an imminent farewell, two friends reunite on the football field they grew up in.
CAST
With André Cédric, Kone Inza, Kouamé Michael, Diabate Siaka.
ABOUT THE DIRECTORS
Maky Margaridis &Tristan Feres work as an artistic duo for BLEUNUIT, a Belgian collective that specialises in film and photography. At the intersection of art, culture, and technology, they crafted a signature style using analog films and a bold treatment of lights and textures. Drawing inspiration from everyday life, the duo creates immersive films and imagery based on singular faces, foreign cultures and personal photographs. Maky and Tristan collaborated with iconic artists and prestigious brands. Their previous works include the 2023 Built to Resist campaign for Eastpak, the SS21 film for Versace Jeans Couture, the music video "20/20" for the artist Rimon, and the short film What They Called Me.
French Short Films
1. 6000 Mensonges by Simon Rieth (5 min)
2. Mes Racines d'Amour by Juliette Marrécau (23 min)
3. Petit Spartacus by Sara Ganem (27 min)
November 19, 6 PM. Alliance Française of Chicago.
Documentary | Liban, France, Qatar, KSA | 2024 | 110mn
SYNOPSIS
In 2018, Joumana, a fiery feminist writer, poet and activist runs for election defying a political system that has been suffocating Lebanon for 40 years. She gets elected, only to be ousted the very next day through fraud, leaving her supporters furious.
In 2019, the people's rage turns into a revolution. The streets swell with thousands of voices. Among them Perla Joe, a fearless woman who rapidly becomes a symbol of this uprising. Her unyielding voice echoes the frustration of a youth struggling to find its place. But the past looms like a shadow over their aspirations for progress and change. Georges is the guardian of that mysterious and violent past. He is a veteran of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) where he lost a leg but clung to his delusions of “glory.”
In Diaries from Lebanon, director Myriam El Hajj narrates four tumultuous years of a nation in turmoil, battling to break free from its own chains. As the country is shaken by disruptions, personal quests for meaning and survival unfold. How can we continue to dream when the world around us is collapsing?
November 20, 4 PM. Doc Films by the University of Chicago. At the Max Palevsky Theater.
Followed by a roundtable with Dr. Ghenwa Hayek, Justine Lévêque and Perla Joe Maalouli, protagonist of the film. Moderated by prof Etienne Labbouz.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Myriam El Hajj is a Lebanese filmmaker. Her second feature documentary_Diaries from Lebanon_, premiered at Berlinale Panorama in 2024. She also teaches cinema at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts and is a founding member of Rawiyat-Sisters in Film, a collective of women filmmakers sailing from the Arab world and its diaspora.
CAST
With Joumana Haddad, Georges Moufarej, Perla Joe Maalouli