Austrian film debute at the Chicago International Film Festival
The 56th annual Chicago International Film Festival will be featuring two Austrian- directed films this year: “The Prophet and the Space Aliens” and “How to Disappear” during the week of October 14 – 25, 2020.
ABOUT THE FILMS
The Prophet and the Space Aliens
Israel, Austria | Director: Yoav Shamir | 86m | English, French, Japanese, Jula with subtitles
SYNOPSIS:
Founded in the 1970s by Frenchman Claude Vorilhon (a.k.a Raël), the International Raëlian Movement is a quasi-religious cult built on the idea that aliens created the human race. When acclaimed Israeli director Yoav Shamir (Checkpoint) is invited by the charismatic Raël to chronicle his followers’ colorful ways of life and meet free-spirited members across the globe, the director finds more questions than answers: Is Raël a modern-day prophet or a scam artist? And even if Raëlism is bunk, is it really so different from other religions? This funny and fascinating documentary examines the complexities of belief and devotion in ways both unexpected and enlightening.
Debuted Wednesday, October 22 2:15PM CT
Livestream Q&A with director Yoav Shamir: 2pm CT. Access granted to all ticket holders via streaming platform.
VIEW TRAILER
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How to Disappear
Austria | Director: Robin Klengel, Leonhard Müllner, Michael Stumpf | 20m | English
SYNOPSIS:
An essayistic contemplation of the act of desertion within the world of a videogame. This film is available as part of Shorts 4: The World As We Know It (Documentary).
Debuted Wednesday, October 14, 2020 8:00PM CT
“How To Disappear” won the Silver Hugo Award at the festival in the documentary short film competition.
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Image Credit: Courtesy of Chicago International Film Festival