"Listen to the Voices" in competition at Chicago International Film Festival!
Maxime Jean-Baptiste's first feature film has been selected for the 60th edition of the Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival was started in 1964 by filmmaker and graphic artist Michael Kutza to provide an alternative to the commercial Hollywood movies that dominated the city’s theaters. Seeking out the best in international cinema, the Festival has opened windows to a world of film previously or otherwise unavailable in Chicago. In addition, at more than half of the screenings each year, filmgoers have the rare and exciting chance to meet directors, producers, writers and cast members who introduce their films and hold discussion sessions after the screenings.
For its 60th edition, the festival has selected Listen to the Voices by Maxime Jean-Baptiste for the New Directors Competition and Black Perspective. The film is produced by Twenty Nine Studio & Production, co-produced by Atelier Graphoui, and is being sold internationally by MoreThan Films. This debut feature by Maxime Jean-Baptiste had its world premiere at Locarno 2024, where it won two awards.
Melrick is a troubled young boy spending his summer in Guyana with his grandmother to escape his tumultuous daily life in Stains, France. At the end of his stay, he plays the drum to honor the memory of his late uncle, Lucas Diomar, who died under tragic circumstances. Despite a wave of murders of young men shaking the news, Melrick becomes aware of his place in a family shattered by an irreparable loss.
Let’s also highlight the presence of the French-speaking Belgian co-productions Ghost Trails by Jonathan Millet (Hélicotronc, New Directors Competition) and Vermiglio by Maura Delpero (Versus Production, International Competition).
The festival will take place from October 16 to 27, 2024.
films
