Chester International Film Festival 2024
The 2024 Chester International Film Festival, highlighting the very best in international cinema (including pre-release previews) will take place from 1st March to 8th March 2024.
Watch this space for further details.
The Chester International Film Festival 2023 (CIFF 2023), incorporating the Animation Festival, took place in March 2023 and was curated by Chester Film Society in partnership with Storyhouse and Edge Hill University. Drinks Receptions were kindly sponsored by VAIN Hair and Beauty, Chester
The Audience Awards went to Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom and The Smile (Animation Festival).
Below are details of the full programme of feature films
3 March 2023
Full Time (preview)
“A hard-working single mother is faced with an unrelenting series of setbacks as she tries to secure a better paid job. The fantastic Laure Calamy superbly portrays the frustration, anxiety and determination that accompany the struggle to balance the conflicting demands of the workplace and family.“
4 March 2023
Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom (preview)
“A teacher struggling for inspiration travels to the remotest school in the world. It takes being so far away to understand the importance of his work… and to appreciate the value of yak dung! This is a charming drama that gives insight into a part of the world rarely seen on the screen.”
5 March 2023
Animation Festival
Chester International Animation Festival 2023 has welcomed entries from animators across the world. Come and join us for a screening of the competition finalists, watch the winning animation from the 2022 competition, Black Slide, then vote for the Audience Award winner for this year’s competition
7 March 2023
Prayers For The Stolen
“Adapted from the novel by Jennifer Clement, this superb film was Mexico’s official submission for the Oscars. It is the complex, subtle, tender and heart-rending story of a young girl’s journey to adolescence in a village menaced by drug cartels and people traffickers. A glimpse into a different aspect of the illegal drugs trade. Unmissable.“
8 March 2023
Sick Of Myself (preview)
“This is a hilarious feel-good movie about terrible people. Signe and Thomas are in an unhealthy competitive relationship that takes a vicious turn when Thomas suddenly breaks through as a contemporary artist. In response, Signe makes a desperate attempt to regain her status by creating a new persona hell-bent of attracting attention and sympathy.“
9 March 2023
Tori And Lokita
“Winner of the 75th anniversary prize at Cannes. A young boy and an adolescent girl, who have travelled to Belgium from Africa, pit their invincible friendship against the cruel conditions of their exile. Lokita and Tori are bound together by ties as strong as blood, and the prospect of separation is unthinkable to them, but will they be allowed to stay together in their new country?“
10 March 2023
Blue Caftan (preview)
“Master tailor Halim is devoted to both his religion and his wife Mina. However, Halim has been forced to repress his sexual identity for years. Things change when Halim appoints a new apprentice. Mina looks on as a relationship blossoms between the tailor and the newcomer as they work together to create a most beautiful blue caftan.“