Cinema/Chicago Sets Summer Screenings Series, "Summer of Love"

Free Screenings Program Showcases 21 Films From 21 Countries in 21st Season

CHICAGO, Illinois (May 6, 2025) - Cinema/Chicago, presenter of the Chicago International Film Festival, today announced the full lineup of films to be showcased at the 21st edition of Summer Screenings, running June 2 - August 20, 2025, in collaboration with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and the Chicago History Museum. Films in the series, presented Mondays at the Chicago Cultural Center and Wednesdays at the Chicago History Museum, are free and open to the public; advance registration is encouraged. Tickets are available the week prior to each screening at www.chicagofilmfestival.com. 

Love has long been a thematic obsession of the cinema from the art form’s earliest days, stretching back to 1896 with Thomas Edison’s THE KISS. It’s a force that connects us and divides us, that binds us and breaks our hearts, that lifts us up and devastates us. This year’s program, “Summer of Love,” features films that explore the many ways in which love manifests in our lives and on screen—from winning rom-coms to tender examinations of family; from smoldering stories of yearning, to dramas that celebrate friendship. “Summer of Love” explores what it means to love and be loved around the world. 

The 21st Summer Screenings schedule is as follows:

Monday June 2, 2025

RYE LANE (U.K.)

Dir. Raine Allen-Miller

In this visually vibrant, exhilarating modern romance, a chance meeting between Yas and Dom, two twenty-somethings both reeling from bad breakups, sparks an electrifying day of soul searching in South London. The two form an unlikely connection as they help one another nurse their heartbreak, hoping to restore their faith in love. English. 

Chicago Cultural Center

Wednesday June 4, 2025

FROM HILDE, WITH LOVE In Liebe, Eure Hilde (Germany)

Dir. Andreas Dresen

Berlin, 1942: Hilde and Hans are madly in love, but amid the passion there is grave danger. Hans becomes involved in the anti-Nazi resistance and, despite huge risks, the pregnant Hilde also decides to join the movement. When she is arrested by the Gestapo and sent to prison, she summons a quiet, inspirational strength and keeps fighting. German with subtitles.

Chicago History Museum

Monday June 9, 2025

SILENT SPARKS Ai Zuo Dai (Taiwan)

Dir. Ping Chu

Recently released from prison, Pua returns to the criminal underworld in order to make ends meet. He also sets out in search of his former cellmate, Mi-ji. But life on the outside is more complicated. When their reunion doesn’t go as expected, the two men are forced to navigate a web of conflicting loyalties, obligations, and smoldering desires. Mandarin, Taiwanese with subtitles.

Chicago Cultural Center

Wednesday June 11, 2025

BORN FOR YOU Nata per te (Italy)

Dir. Fabio Mollo

Luca has long dreamed of becoming a parent. When the newborn Alba, who has Down syndrome, is abandoned at the hospital, Luca is determined to fight against an archaic set of laws and societal expectations for his right, as a gay man, to adopt and care for her. Inspired by true events, this tender tale is a testament to love and family enduring against all odds. Italian with subtitles.

Chicago History Museum

Monday June 16, 2025

CREAM Hab (Hungary)

Dir. Nóra Lakos

When the love of Dora’s life marries a different woman, she turns bitter heartache into sweet confections, opening a bakery that features pastries named for famous Hollywood break-ups. When the shop is threatened with closure, she’s offered a lifeline: a competition with a cash prize for family-run businesses. She has the business, now all she needs is the family. Hungarian with subtitles.

Chicago Cultural Center

Wednesday June 18, 2025

THE GIRLS ARE ALRIGHT Las chicas están bien (Spain)

Dir. Itsaso Arana

This playful meditation on love, art, and friendship follows a group of women who retreat to an idyllic, sunkissed village to rehearse a play. As they learn their lines and don their costumes, their personal lives—filled with summer flings and long distance loves—and those of their characters begin to merge to form a beguiling and poignant pastiche. Spanish with subtitles.

Chicago History Museum

Monday June 23, 2025 

SUBLIME (Argentina) 

Dir. Mariano Biasin

Manuel (16) and best friend Felipe have grown up together and are nearly inseparable. The friends spend long days at the beach, practicing with their fledgling rock band, and flirting with girls. Manuel has been spending time with Azul, but when things threaten to get serious, he begins to see his relationship with Felipe with new eyes. Spanish with subtitles.

Chicago Cultural Center

Wednesday June 25, 2025 

THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS (Canada)

Dir. Fawzia Mirza

Azra has built a life for herself in Toronto, worlds apart from her conservative Muslim mother. When her father unexpectedly dies on a trip home to Pakistan, Azra finds herself on a Bollywood-inspired journey through memories, both real and imagined, from her mother’s youth in Karachi to her own coming-of-age in rural Canada. English without subtitles, Urdu with subtitles.

Chicago History Museum

Wednesday July 2, 2025

KANGAROO ISLAND (Australia)

Dir. Timothy David

Struggling Hollywood actress Lou (Rebecca Breeds) accepts a ticket from her estranged father and returns home to the ruggedly beautiful Kangaroo Island. Their reconciliation is complicated by the revelation of family secrets and the resurgent fallout of a love triangle. Emotional depth and humor meld to form a stirring portrait of the power and fragility of family. English.

Chicago History Museum

Monday July 7, 2025

LOVE IN THE BIG CITY Daedosiui Salangbeob (South Korea)

Dir. Eon-hee Lee

Roommates Jae-hee, whose devil-may-care attitude and sharp tongue make her the target of vicious gossip, and Heung-soo, who lives in fear of being outed, are both looking for love. The two find strength in their unlikely friendship, but—together or apart—can they survive the emotional whirlwind of modern romance in Seoul? Korean with subtitles.

Chicago Cultural Center

Wednesday July 9, 2025

LOVE AFFAIR(S) Les choses qu'on dit, les choses qu'on fait (France)

Dir. Emmanuel Mouret

Daphne and boyfriend François escape to the idyllic French countryside where they are joined by his lovelorn cousin Maxime. François has to rush back to Paris on business, leaving Daphne and Maxime on their own. The two form an instant, intimate connection, and the first of many overlapping love triangles takes form in this quintessential French comedy-romance. French with subtitles.

Chicago History Museum

Monday July 14, 2025

I DREAM IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE Sueño en otro idioma (Mexico)

Dir. Ernesto Contreras 

Martín, a young linguist, travels into the jungles of Mexico in hopes of documenting Zikril, a language in peril. The language’s last two surviving speakers, Evaristo and Isauro, haven’t spoken to one another in over 50 years. As he attempts to reconcile the two in order to record their speech, Martín uncovers the heartbreaking history of their bitter feud. Spanish with subtitles.

Chicago Cultural Center

Wednesday July 16, 2025

SALVADOR (Colombia) 

Dir. César Heredia 

1985. Bogotá. A pall of paranoid insecurity hangs over the capital city, where tailor Salvador leads a solitary life. His quiet routine is shattered by the arrival of Isabel, the new elevator operator in his building. The two embark on an awkward love affair until jealousy and suspicion (as family members start disappearing) begin to cloud his judgment. Spanish with subtitles.

Chicago History Museum

Wednesday July 23, 2025

JIPPIE NO MORE! (The Netherlands)

Dir. Margien Rogaar

Jaap Peter, a lively 16-year-old boy, eagerly prepares for his older sister's wedding at their grandfather's country home. As the family rallies together to create the perfect celebration, Jaap Peter falls in love for the first time. When he realizes the girl of his dreams is smitten with his younger sister, he must rediscover his footing in the family and in the world. Dutch with subtitles.

Chicago History Museum

Wednesday July 30, 2025

U ARE THE UNIVERSE TY - KOSMOS! (Ukraine)

Dir. Pavlo Ostrikov

When the Earth is destroyed by war, an astronaut believes he is the last living human in the universe. His solitary existence is interrupted, though, when he receives a signal from another ship—another astronaut is alive and adrift in space. The two form an instant connection over the radio, and embark on a harrowing journey across the cosmos and toward one another. Ukrainian, French with subtitles.

Chicago History Museum

Monday August 4, 2025

A MAN Aru otoko (Japan)

Dir. Kei Ishikawa

Recently divorced, Rie finds a new lease on life when she remarries the loving—if enigmatic—Daisuke. When Daisuke dies tragically, Rie begins to realize that she hardly knew the man she married. With the help of attorney Kido, she embarks on a sprawling investigation to uncover the true identity of the man she loved in this mesmerizing, noir-inflected mystery. Japanese with subtitles.

Chicago Cultural Center

Wednesday August 6, 2025

A DATE FOR MAD MARY (Ireland)

Dir. Darren Thornton

Released after a short stint in prison, Mary finds everything and everyone around her changed. Her best friend Charlene is engaged, but, convinced she’ll never find a date, refuses Mary a “plus one” at the wedding. Incensed, Mary sets out to prove Charlene wrong… but is she? A tough and tender comedy about friendship, first love, and finding your true self. English.

Chicago History Museum

Monday August 11, 2025

THE UMESH CHRONICLES (India)

Dir. Pooja Kaul

Rahda, a 12-year-old girl growing up in a privileged, middle class home in the 1980s, is surrounded by family, books, and music. She has limited contact with Sundar, a boy who works for her family but whose presence opens her eyes. At once intimate and epic, this coming-of-age drama is a tender portrait of familial love and personal growth in a changing society. English, Hindi and Kashmiri with subtitles

Chicago Cultural Center

Wednesday August 13, 2025

LAST DANCE (Switzerland, Belgium)

Dir. Delphine Lehericey

Recently widowed at 75, Germain is struggling with solitude and overwhelmed by his anxious, overbearing children’s constant worry. Craving escape and determined to honor a long-kept promise to his late wife, he secretly takes her place in a contemporary dance troupe. LAST DANCE is a deeply-felt, tenderhearted portrait of enduring love. French with subtitles.

Chicago History Museum

Monday August 18, 2025

OLYMPIA (U.S.)

Dir. Gregory Dixon

Chicago’s own McKenzie Chinn stars as a struggling artist, navigating work and romance in the Windy City. When her boyfriend asks her to drop everything and move cross-country, she soon discovers that she might be the biggest obstacle to her own happiness. Featuring a revelatory central performance, OLYMPIA is a sensitive look at the challenges of embracing adulthood. English.

Chicago Cultural Center

Wednesday August 20, 2025

SWOON Eld & lågor (Sweden)

Dirs. Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein

A timeless tale of bitter family rivalries and forbidden love takes new form in this wondrous musical fantasy. 1940 Stockholm. John and Ninni—both heirs to their families’ competing amusement parks—fall hard for each other amidst the whirling world they inhabit. Can their love survive generations of animosity, nasty pranks, and an encroaching war? Swedish, German with subtitles.

Chicago History Museum

For more information, visit Cinema/Chicago’s website at https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/.

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Festival Information

Celebrating its 61st edition October 15 - 26, 2025, the Chicago International Film Festival is North America's longest-running competitive international film festival. Showcasing acclaimed and exciting new films from around the world, the 61st edition will be held in person in theaters and venues around the city, featuring a select program of films with open and closed captions. From dramas and thrillers to documentaries and comedies, the Festival’s lineup spans a wide range of genres. Signature competitive sections and curated programs include Black Perspectives; International Comedy; Women in Cinema; OutLook; After Dark; and the City & State program, showcasing films made in Chicago and throughout Illinois.

About Cinema/Chicago

Cinema/Chicago, the non-profit 501(c)(3) presenting organization of the Chicago International Film Festival, enriches the community through year-round programming devoted to international and independent cinema. We strengthen communication and inspire empathy among people of diverse cultures through artistic, educational, and creative development programs that promote discovery and discussion and inspire new visions of our shared future. Cinema/Chicago's programs include the Chicago International Film Festival, Industry Days, Summer Screenings, CineYouth Festival, Community Cinema, and year-round Chicago Industry Exchange Lab (CIX: Lab). Celebrating its 61st edition October 15 - 26, 2025, the Chicago International Film Festival is North America's longest-running competitive film festival. For more information, please visit www.chicagofilmfestival.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.